On May 1, 2026, the Town of Dover-Foxcroft (exemptee) filed an application for surrender of exemption from licensing for the Moosehead Hydroelectric Project No. 5912. The project is located on the Piscataquis River in the Town of Dover-Foxcroft in Piscataquis County, Maine and does not occupy federal lands.

The exemptee proposes to surrender its exemption from licensing. The project has been inoperable since 2007. The Town determined that repair and redevelopment of the hydroelectric project would be cost prohibitive and uneconomical. The Town proposes to decommission the project by entirely removing the dam and powerhouse and restoring the riverbed.

A Notice of Application for Surrender of Exemption Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions to Intervene, and Protests was issued on June 5, 2026. The National Marine ( printed page 48385) Fisheries Service (NMFS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (Maine DIFW), and Maine Department of Marine Resources (Maine DMR) filed notices of intervention. In addition, the following entities filed comments in support of the proposed surrender: NMFS, Maine DIFW, Maine DMR, the Atlantic Salmon Federation, The Nature Conservancy, Maine Audubon, Maine Rivers, the Penobscot River Restoration Trust, and the Natural Resources Council of Maine. No other comments were received.

This notice identifies Commission staff's intention to prepare an environmental assessment (EA) under the National Environmental Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq. ) for the project.^[1] Commission staff plans to issue an EA by January 8, 2027. Revisions to the schedule may be made as appropriate. The EA will be issued for a 30-day comment period. All comments filed on the EA will be reviewed by staff and considered in the Commission's final decision on the proceeding.

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.

Any questions regarding this notice may be directed to Elizabeth Moats at 202-502-6632 or Elizabeth.OsierMoats@ferc.gov.

(Authority: 18 CFR 2.1.)