Federal Energy Regulatory Commission staff will prepare a draft and final environmental impact statement for continued operation and maintenance of Maine's Penobscot Mills and Ripogenus hydropower projects. The public-inspection notice is scheduled for October 13 publication.
The notice prints a deadline for additional scoping comments: November 6, 2026, at 5 p.m. Eastern. Unlike several publication-relative deadlines in the same upcoming issue, this calendar date is already written in the document.
The projects under review
Great Lakes Hydro America applied September 30, 2024 for new major licenses for the existing 67.9-megawatt Penobscot Mills project and 37.5-megawatt Ripogenus project. Both are in Piscataquis and Penobscot counties. Neither occupies federal land.
The review concerns continued operations on the West Branch of the Penobscot River and, for Penobscot Mills, Millinocket Stream. It is not a notice that the commission has issued new licenses.
What comments can address
Staff asks for additional information on potential impacts, alternatives, studies and analyses. People who previously submitted comments and recommendations do not need to file the same material again.
The notice identifies issues including water and aquatic resources, fish passage, impoundment drawdowns, recreation access and cultural resources. It distinguishes the applicant's proposed measures from staff's future independent analysis.
Comments can be filed using FERC's eComment or eFiling tools, or on paper. Submissions should reference P-2458-273 and/or P-2572-141, as appropriate. The instructions distinguish Postal Service and other-carrier mailing addresses; using the applicable route matters.
A schedule, not a completed finding
Staff plans a draft statement in July 2027, followed by a 45-day public-comment period. It lists March 31, 2028 for issuing the notice of availability of the final statement.
The commission will use that environmental review when deciding whether to issue licenses and what conditions to include. The dates describe planned work; they do not guarantee the final timing or outcome.