FERC Staff Issues Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Turners Falls Hydroelectric Project (P-1889-085) and Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project (P-2485-071)

Commission staff prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental effects of relicensing the 62.0-megawatt (MW) Turners Falls Hydroelectric Project No. 1889 (Turners Falls Project) and the 1,166-MW Northfield Mountain Pumped Storage Project No. 2485 (Northfield Mountain Project) (collectively, the projects) on the Connecticut River near the towns of Turners Falls and Northfield (respectively) in Franklin County, Massachusetts, Windham County, Vermont, and Cheshire County, New Hampshire. The Turners Falls Project boundary includes the approximately 20-acre Silvio Conte Anadromous Fish Laboratory, which is administered by the U.S. Geological Survey.

On April 29, 2016, and materially amended on December 4, 2020, FirstLight MA Hydro LLC and Northfield Mountain LLC (collectively, applicants), respectively, filed applications for new major licenses with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) to continue to operate and maintain the projects. The applicants supplemented the applications with settlements filed on March 31, 2023, and June 12, 2023.

The primary issues identified during the relicensing process are effects of project operations on: (1) shoreline erosion along the Connecticut River; (2) water quantity, including how the volume of peaking flows and magnitude of water surface fluctuations in the Connecticut River affect aquatic habitat and recreation access; (3) fish passage; (4) protection of threatened and endangered species; and (5) protection of cultural resources.

In the Final EIS, Commission staff recommends relicensing the projects under the Staff Alternative, which includes most of the applicants' proposed measures, as well as certain mandatory conditions and recommendations made by state and federal agencies and some staff-recommended modifications to further minimize project-related effects on shoreline erosion, aquatic and terrestrial resources, threatened and endangered species, recreation, and cultural resources.