On July 26, 2024, Banister Hydro, Inc. (Banister Hydro) filed a relicense application for the 1.785-megawatt Halifax Hydroelectric Project No. 9028 (project). The project is located on the Banister River near the town of Halifax in Halifax County, Virginia.

In accordance with the Commission's regulations, on March 5, 2026, Commission staff issued a notice that the project was ready for environmental analysis (REA notice). Based on the information in the record, including comments filed on the REA notice, staff does not anticipate that licensing the project would constitute a major federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. Therefore, staff intends to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) on the application to relicense the project.^[1]

The EA will be issued and circulated for review by all interested parties. All comments filed on the EA will be analyzed by staff and considered in the Commission's final licensing decision.

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 OPP@ferc.gov.

The application will be processed according to the following schedule. The EA will be issued for a 30-day comment period. Revisions to the schedule may be made as appropriate.

Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Laurie Bauer by telephone at (202) 502-6519 or by email at Laurie.Bauer@ferc.gov.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1)