Daytime Comment Session on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Seminoe Pumped Storage Project (P-14787-004)

Project No. 14787-004

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969[1] and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (Commission) regulations, 18 C.F.R. Part 380, the Office of Energy Projects has reviewed the application for license for the Seminoe Pumped Storage Project (FERC No. 14787) and has prepared a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) to evaluate the environmental effects of licensing the 972-megawatt project.  The project would be located at the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s (Reclamation) Seminoe Reservoir on the North Platte River in Carbon County, Wyoming, approximately 35 miles northeast of Rawlins, Wyoming.  The project would occupy 1,025.94 acres of land managed by Bureau of Land Management (BLM), 77.00 acres managed by Reclamation, and 830 acres of private lands.  Reclamation, BLM, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Western Area Power Administration, the Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation District, the Medicine Bow Conservation District, and the Carbon County Board of Commissioners participated as cooperating agencies to prepare the EIS.    

The draft EIS contains an analysis of the applicant’s proposal and the alternatives for licensing the Seminoe Pumped Storage Project.  The draft EIS documents the views of governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, affected Native-American Tribes, the public, the license applicant, and Commission staff.

Comments

All comments must be filed on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on January 2, 2026.[2]

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing.  Please file comments using the Commission’s eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/eFiling.aspx.  Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx.  For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at [email protected], (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).  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-14787-004.

Anyone may intervene in this proceeding based on this draft EIS (18 C.F.R. 380.10).  You must file your request to intervene as specified above.[3]  You do not need intervenor status to have your comments considered.

Scoping Meetings

In addition to or in lieu of sending written comments, you are invited to attend a public comment session that will be held to receive comments on the draft EIS.  Commission staff will hold two sessions for the purpose of receiving comments on the draft EIS.  All interested individuals and entities are invited to attend one or both of the sessions.  The dates and times of the sessions are listed below.

Daytime Comment Session

Date:            Thursday, November 13, 2025
Time:            1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M., Mountain Time
Location:      Laramie County Library in Cheyenne
2200 Pioneer Avenue
Cheyenne, Wyoming 82001

Evening Comment Session

Date:            Wednesday, November 12, 2025
Time:            6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M., Mountain Time
Location:      Jeffrey Memorial Community Center
315 West Pine Street
Rawlins, Wyoming 82301

The sessions will begin promptly at their respective start times listed above.  There will not be a formal presentation by Commission staff when the session opens, and you may arrive any time after the scheduled start time.  Individual oral comments will be taken on a one-on-one basis with a court reporter (with Commission staff present).  This format is designed to receive the maximum number of oral comments in a convenient way during the timeframe allotted.  If you wish to speak, Commission staff will hand out numbers in the order of your arrival.  If a significant number of people are interested in providing oral comments with the court reporter, a time limit may be implemented for each commentor.  Although there will not be a formal presentation, Commission staff will be available throughout the comment session to answer your questions about the environmental review process.  Please see appendix 1 to this notice for additional information on the session format and conduct.[4]

The primary goal of these comment sessions is to identify the specific environmental issues and concerns with the draft EIS.  Comments will be recorded by the court reporter and become part of the public record for this proceeding.  Transcripts will be publicly available on FERC’s eLibrary system.

It is important to note that the Commission provides equal consideration to all comments received, whether filed in writing or provided orally at a public comment session.  Interested parties who choose not to speak or who are unable to attend the draft EIS comment sessions may provide written comments and information to the Commission as described above.

Contact

For further information, contact Michael Tust at (202) 502-6522, or [email protected].