Loup River Public Power District; Notice of Application Tendered For Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule For Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments, 25997-25998 [2012-10534]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 2, 2012 / Notices p. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according to the following Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate (e.g., if scoping is not waived, the schedule would be lengthened). Milestone Notice of the availability of the EA ......................................... Target date July 2012. Dated: April 24, 2012. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2012–10531 Filed 5–1–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 1256–031] Loup River Public Power District; Notice of Application Tendered For Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule For Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection. a. Type of Application: New Major License. b. Project No.: 1256–031. c. Date Filed: April 16, 2012. d. Applicant: Loup River Public Power District (Loup Power District). e. Name of Project: Loup River Hydroelectric Project (Loup River Project). f. Location: On the Loup River, Loup Canal (a diversion canal off the Loup River), and Platte River in Nance and Platte counties, Nebraska. The project does not occupy federal lands. g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r). h. Applicant Contact: Neal Suess, President/CEO, Loup Power District, P.O. Box 988, 2404 15th Street Columbus, Nebraska 68602, Telephone (866) 869–2087. i. FERC Contact: Lee Emery, (202) 502–8379 or lee.emery@ferc.gov. j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this time. k. Project Description: The project consists of (upstream to downstream): (1) A 1,320-foot-long, 6-foot-high diversion dam on the Loup River; (2) an intake structure composed of eleven 24foot-long by 5-foot-high steel intake gates located on the north bank of the Loup River immediately upstream of the diversion dam; (3) three 20-foot-long by 6-foot-high steel sluice gates located between the diversion dam and the intake structure; (4) the 35-mile-long Loup Canal; (5) a 2-mile-long settling basin located in the upper portion of the Loup Canal and containing a floating hydraulic dredge and skimming weir; (6) the Monroe Powerhouse containing three Francis-type, turbine-generating units each with a rated capacity of 2.612 megawatts (MW); (7) a 760-acre regulating reservoir, Lake Babcock, with a storage capacity of 2,270 acre-feet at its full pool elevation of 1,531 feet; (8) a 200-acre regulating reservoir, Lake North, with a storage capacity of 2,080 acre-feet at an elevation of 1,531 feet; (9) a concrete control structure in the south dike linking the two reservoirs; (10) a 60-foot-long by 104-foot-wide by 40foot-high inlet structure with trashracks; (11) three 20-foot-diameter by 385-footlong steel penstocks connecting the inlet structure with a powerhouse (Columbus Powerhouse); (12) the Columbus Powerhouse containing three Francistype, turbine-generating units each with a rated capacity of 15.2 MW; and (13) appurtenant facilities. The project has a combined installed capacity of 53.4 MW. The Monroe Powerhouse operates in a run-of-river mode (i.e., canal inflow to the powerhouse closely approximates outflow from the powerhouse with no storage of canal flow). The maximum hydraulic capacity of the canal at the Monroe Powerhouse is 3,500 cubic feet per second (cfs). The Monroe Powerhouse spans the canal and functions as an energy-producing canal drop structure. The Columbus Powerhouse operates as a daily peaking facility. The water levels in Lake Babcock and Lake North are generally drawn down about 2 to 3 feet to produce power during times of peak electrical demand. In off-peak hours, when there is less demand for 25997 electricity, the turbines are turned down or shut off, which allows Lake Babcock and Lake North to refill, thereby allowing peaking operations to occur the following day. The hydraulic capacity of the canal at the Columbus Powerhouse is 4,800 cfs. The minimum leakage rate at the Loup River diversion dam and sluice gate structure is about 50 cfs. During hot weather conditions, Loup Power District operates the diversion in a manner that allows flows of between 50 to 75 cfs (including the leakage flow) to pass into the Loup River downstream of the diversion to prevent high water temperatures that could cause fish mortality. Loup Power District proposes new and improved recreational amenities at the project; however, there are no proposed changes to the existing project facilities or operations. Loup Power District proposes to remove three areas of land from the project boundary that it finds are not necessary for project operations or purposes. In addition, Loup Power District proposes to add three parcels of land to the project boundary that it finds are needed for project purposes. l. Locations of the Application: A copy of the application is available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission’s Web site at https:// www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or tollfree at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY, (202) 502–8659. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item (h) above. m. You may also register online at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. n. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according to the following preliminary Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the schedule may be made as appropriate. Milestone Target date Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready for Environmental Analysis ................................................................................................ Filing of recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and fishway prescriptions .............................................................. Commission issues Draft EA ............................................................................................................................................................ Comments on Draft EA .................................................................................................................................................................... Modified terms and conditions .......................................................................................................................................................... Commission issues Final EA ............................................................................................................................................................ June 2012. August 2012. February 2013. March 2013. May 2013. August 2013. VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:55 May 01, 2012 Jkt 226001 PO 00000 Frm 00039 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\02MYN1.SGM 02MYN1 25998 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 85 / Wednesday, May 2, 2012 / Notices o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice of ready for environmental analysis. Dated: April 24, 2012. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2012–10534 Filed 5–1–12; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 14308–001] mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Carbon Zero, LLC; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing With the Commission, Intent To Waive Scoping, Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Terms and Conditions, Recommendations, and Prescriptions, and Establishing an Expedited Schedule for Processing Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection. a. Type of Application: Original Minor License. b. Project No.: 14308–001. c. Date filed: February 17, 2011. d. Applicant: Carbon Zero, LLC. e. Name of Project: Vermont Tissue Mill Hydroelectric Project. f. Location: On the Walloomsac River, in the Town of Bennington, Bennington County, Vermont. The project would not occupy lands of the United States. g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791(a)–825(r). h. Applicant Contact: William F. Scully, Carbon Zero, LLC, P.O. Box 338, North Bennington, VT 05257; (802) 442– 0311; wfscully@gmail.com. i. FERC Contact: Amy K. Chang, (202) 502–8250, or email at amy.chang@ferc.gov. j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, terms and conditions, recommendations, and prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice. All documents may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission’s Web site https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the VerDate Mar<15>2010 16:55 May 01, 2012 Jkt 226001 eComment system at https:// www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information at the end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY, (202) 502–8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, mail an original and seven copies to: Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. The Commission’s Rules of Practice require all intervenors filing documents with the Commission to serve a copy of that document on each person on the official service list for the project. Further, if an intervenor files comments or documents with the Commission relating to the merits of an issue that may affect the responsibilities of a particular resource agency, they must also serve a copy of the document on that resource agency. k. This application has been accepted for filing and is now ready for environmental analysis. l. Project Description: Vermont Tissue Mill Project would consist of two existing dams separated by a 500-footwide island and include: (1) An existing 15-foot-high, 85-foot-long primary dam with a spillway crest elevation of 555.0 feet above mean sea level (msl) topped with reinstalled 4-inch-high flashboards; (2) a refurbished 6-foothigh, 8-foot-wide flood gate located on the primary dam south abutment; (3) an existing 6-foot-high, 80-foot-long secondary dam with a spillway crest elevation of 555.33 feet above msl with a new 2.5-foot-high, 2.5-foot-wide minimum flow weir equipped with stop logs; (4) an existing 2,400-foot-long, 6.4acre impoundment with a normal water surface elevation of 555.41 feet above msl; (5) an existing intake structure equipped with two 12-foot-high, 16foot-wide flume openings equipped with stop log slots and new trashracks connected to two water conveyance channels, one 12-foot-high, 35-foot-long and one 12-foot-high, 85-foot-long; (6) an existing powerhouse with two new Kaplan turbine generating units, a 215 kilowatt (kW) unit and a 145 kW unit, with a total installed capacity of 360 kW; (7) a refurbished tailrace discharging water from the powerhouse into the main channel downstream of the primary dam; (8) a new 1.5-footdiameter minimum flow valve in the powerhouse discharging water into an existing 35-foot-wide, 50-foot-long tailrace; (9) a reconstructed, breached 8- PO 00000 Frm 00040 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 foot-high, 2-foot-wide, 45-foot-long retaining wall; and (10) a new buried 480-volt, 125-foot-long transmission line connecting the powerhouse to the regional grid. The project would be operated in a run-of-river mode and would have an annual generation of 1,447.5 megawatt-hours. m. Due to the project works already existing and the limited scope of proposed rehabilitation of the project site described above, the applicant’s close coordination with federal and state agencies during the preparation of the application, and agency recommended preliminary terms and conditions, we intend to waive scoping and expedite the licensing process. Based on a review of the application, resource agency consultation letters including the preliminary terms and conditions, and comments filed to date, Commission staff intends to prepare a single environmental assessment (EA). Commission staff determined that the issues that need to be addressed in its EA have been adequately identified during the pre-filing period, and no new issues are likely to be identified through additional scoping. The EA will consider assessing the potential effects of project construction and operation on geology and soils, aquatic, terrestrial, threatened and endangered species, and cultural and historic resources. n. A copy of the application is available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or may be viewed on the Commission’s Web site at https://www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. A copy is also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item h above. Register online at https:// www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. o. Any qualified applicant desiring to file a competing application must submit to the Commission, on or before the specified intervention deadline date, a competing development application, or a notice of intent to file such an application. Submission of a timely notice of intent allows an interested person to file the competing development application no later than 120 days after the specified intervention deadline date. Applications for preliminary permits will not be accepted in response to this notice. E:\FR\FM\02MYN1.SGM 02MYN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 2, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25997-25998]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10534]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

 [Project No. 1256-031]


Loup River Public Power District; Notice of Application Tendered 
For Filing With the Commission and Establishing Procedural Schedule For 
Licensing and Deadline for Submission of Final Amendments

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: New Major License.
    b. Project No.: 1256-031.
    c. Date Filed: April 16, 2012.
    d. Applicant: Loup River Public Power District (Loup Power 
District).
    e. Name of Project: Loup River Hydroelectric Project (Loup River 
Project).
    f. Location: On the Loup River, Loup Canal (a diversion canal off 
the Loup River), and Platte River in Nance and Platte counties, 
Nebraska. The project does not occupy federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Neal Suess, President/CEO, Loup Power 
District, P.O. Box 988, 2404 15th Street Columbus, Nebraska 68602, 
Telephone (866) 869-2087.
    i. FERC Contact: Lee Emery, (202) 502-8379 or lee.emery@ferc.gov.
    j. This application is not ready for environmental analysis at this 
time.
    k. Project Description: The project consists of (upstream to 
downstream): (1) A 1,320-foot-long, 6-foot-high diversion dam on the 
Loup River; (2) an intake structure composed of eleven 24-foot-long by 
5-foot-high steel intake gates located on the north bank of the Loup 
River immediately upstream of the diversion dam; (3) three 20-foot-long 
by 6-foot-high steel sluice gates located between the diversion dam and 
the intake structure; (4) the 35-mile-long Loup Canal; (5) a 2-mile-
long settling basin located in the upper portion of the Loup Canal and 
containing a floating hydraulic dredge and skimming weir; (6) the 
Monroe Powerhouse containing three Francis-type, turbine-generating 
units each with a rated capacity of 2.612 megawatts (MW); (7) a 760-
acre regulating reservoir, Lake Babcock, with a storage capacity of 
2,270 acre-feet at its full pool elevation of 1,531 feet; (8) a 200-
acre regulating reservoir, Lake North, with a storage capacity of 2,080 
acre-feet at an elevation of 1,531 feet; (9) a concrete control 
structure in the south dike linking the two reservoirs; (10) a 60-foot-
long by 104-foot-wide by 40-foot-high inlet structure with trashracks; 
(11) three 20-foot-diameter by 385-foot-long steel penstocks connecting 
the inlet structure with a powerhouse (Columbus Powerhouse); (12) the 
Columbus Powerhouse containing three Francis-type, turbine-generating 
units each with a rated capacity of 15.2 MW; and (13) appurtenant 
facilities. The project has a combined installed capacity of 53.4 MW.
    The Monroe Powerhouse operates in a run-of-river mode (i.e., canal 
inflow to the powerhouse closely approximates outflow from the 
powerhouse with no storage of canal flow). The maximum hydraulic 
capacity of the canal at the Monroe Powerhouse is 3,500 cubic feet per 
second (cfs). The Monroe Powerhouse spans the canal and functions as an 
energy-producing canal drop structure.
    The Columbus Powerhouse operates as a daily peaking facility. The 
water levels in Lake Babcock and Lake North are generally drawn down 
about 2 to 3 feet to produce power during times of peak electrical 
demand. In off-peak hours, when there is less demand for electricity, 
the turbines are turned down or shut off, which allows Lake Babcock and 
Lake North to refill, thereby allowing peaking operations to occur the 
following day. The hydraulic capacity of the canal at the Columbus 
Powerhouse is 4,800 cfs.
    The minimum leakage rate at the Loup River diversion dam and sluice 
gate structure is about 50 cfs. During hot weather conditions, Loup 
Power District operates the diversion in a manner that allows flows of 
between 50 to 75 cfs (including the leakage flow) to pass into the Loup 
River downstream of the diversion to prevent high water temperatures 
that could cause fish mortality.
    Loup Power District proposes new and improved recreational 
amenities at the project; however, there are no proposed changes to the 
existing project facilities or operations.
    Loup Power District proposes to remove three areas of land from the 
project boundary that it finds are not necessary for project operations 
or purposes. In addition, Loup Power District proposes to add three 
parcels of land to the project boundary that it finds are needed for 
project purposes.
    l. Locations of the Application: A copy of the application is 
available for review at the Commission in the Public Reference Room or 
may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at https://www.ferc.gov using 
the ``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three 
digits in the docket number field to access the document. For 
assistance, contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov 
or toll-free at 1-866-208-3676, or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. A copy is 
also available for inspection and reproduction at the address in item 
(h) above.
    m. You may also register online at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp to be notified via email of new filings and issuances 
related to this or other pending projects. For assistance, contact FERC 
Online Support.
    n. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following preliminary Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the 
schedule may be made as appropriate.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
               Milestone                            Target date
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notice of Acceptance/Notice of Ready     June 2012.
 for Environmental Analysis.
Filing of recommendations, preliminary   August 2012.
 terms and conditions, and fishway
 prescriptions.
Commission issues Draft EA.............  February 2013.
Comments on Draft EA...................  March 2013.
Modified terms and conditions..........  May 2013.
Commission issues Final EA.............  August 2013.
------------------------------------------------------------------------


[[Page 25998]]

    o. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of the notice 
of ready for environmental analysis.

    Dated: April 24, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-10534 Filed 5-1-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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