Hells Canyon Project Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

Idaho Power Company; Notice of Availability of the Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement and Revised Procedural Schedule for the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement

FERC has issued a draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for Idaho Power Company's application to relicense the Hells Canyon Hydroelectric Project (No. 1971) on the Snake River along the Idaho-Oregon border. The project comprises three developments (Brownlee, Oxbow, and Hells Canyon) with a combined 1,222.3 MW capacity on about 5,270 acres of federal land. The draft SEIS supplements a 2007 final EIS to analyze new and revised proposed measures arising from 2019 and 2024 settlements, mandatory 401 certification conditions, and effects on federally listed species. Comments are due March 2, 2026, and the final SEIS is targeted for September 4, 2026.

Idaho Power Company; Notice of Revised Procedural Schedule for the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Hells Canyon Project

This Federal Register notice revises the procedural schedule for the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) for Idaho Power Company's Hells Canyon Project (FERC No. 1971), a hydroelectric project on the Oregon-Idaho border operating under an annual license since 2005. FERC staff is updating the schedule to allow adequate time to analyze a October 2024 settlement between Idaho Power and the U.S. Forest Service and revised biological assessments expected in June 2025. The draft SEIS is now targeted for September 2025, public comments are due November 2025, and the final SEIS is scheduled for May 29, 2026. The SEIS focuses on new and revised fish passage, mitigation, and enhancement measures, including protections for spring Chinook salmon and summer steelhead.

Idaho Power Company; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment

Idaho Power Company; Notice of Revised Procedural Schedule for the Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Hells Canyon Project