Environmental Assessments; Availability, etc.: Brooks Energy, LLC

Brooks Energy, LLC; Notice of Availability of Environmental Assessment

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission or FERC) regulations, 18 CFR part 380, Commission staff reviewed Brooks Energy, LLC's application to surrender its exemption from licensing for the Lockville Dam Hydroelectric Project No. 6276 and have prepared an Environmental Assessment (EA) for the project. ⁽¹⁾ The exemptee has determined that the project is no longer economical and is requesting to surrender its exemption from licensing. The generating equipment has not operated since 2020, and the dam was breached in 2023. No modifications to the existing dam, buildings, structures, or ground disturbing activities are proposed. After the surrender of the exemption, the dam is proposed to be removed by American Rivers and Resource Environmental Solutions as part of American Rivers' Watershed Restoration of the Upper Cape Fear and Lower Deep Rivers Project, with funding and collaborative support from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The project is located on the Deep River at a point where it forms the border between Chatham and Lee counties, North Carolina.

The EA contains Commission staff's analysis of the potential environmental effects of the proposed surrender, alternatives to the proposed action, and concludes that the proposed surrender of the Lockvilee Dam's exemption from licensing would not constitute a major federal action that would significantly affect the quality of the human environment.

The EA may be viewed on the Commission's website at http://www.ferc.gov using the "eLibrary" link. Enter the docket number (P-6276) in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at [email protected] or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659.

You may also register online at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support.

All comments must be filed May 14, 2026, 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file comments using the Commission's eFiling system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ecomment.asp. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support. In lieu of electronic filing, you may submit a paper copy. Submissions sent via the U.S. Postal Service must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426. Submissions sent via any other carrier must be addressed to: Debbie-Anne A. Reese, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852. The first page of any filing should include docket number P-2082-074.

For public inquiries and assistance with making filings such as interventions, comments, or requests for rehearing, contact the Office of Public Participation at (202)502-6595 or [email protected].

For further information, contact Rebecca Martin at 202-502-6012 or [email protected].

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)

⁽¹⁾  The unique identification number for documents relating to this environmental review is EAXX-019-20-000-1762338428.