MassDEP Public Comment Period & Public Hearings

401 WQC for the FirstLight Hydroelectric Re-Licensing Project

FirstLight Power has filed an application with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to relicense the Connecticut River hydroelectric facilities in the Town of Montague’s villages of Turners Falls and Montague City and the pumped storage facility in the Town of Northfield. As a part of the federal relicense application filed with FERC, FirstLight has applied for a 401 Water Quality Certification (WQC) from the Mass Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP).

In recognition of the significance and duration of a renewed license for these hydroelectric power facilities there are scheduled opportunities for public involvement in the WQC process.

Public Comment Period: Public comments may be submitted until 5pm on June 3, 2024 via email to dep.hydro@mass.gov. Please include "FirstLight 401 WQC" in the subject line in order to be considered by MassDEP.

Public Hearings: MassDEP will conduct two virtual public hearings to hear oral comments regarding the WQC application on May 29, 2024 at 1:30PM and 7:00PM.

More info: For more info about this Project, to access the submitted WQC application, and to register for the virtual public hearings, click on the link: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/401-wqc-for-the-firstlight-hydroelectric-re-licensing-project#public-involvement-in-401-wqc-process-

Posted: to General Montague News on Fri, May 24, 2024
Updated: Fri, May 24, 2024