[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 30 (Tuesday, February 14, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8246-8247]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-3402]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 349-173]


Alabama Power Company; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing, 
Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests, Ready for Environmental 
Analysis, and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Preliminary Terms 
and Conditions, and Preliminary Fishway Prescriptions

    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.: 349-173.
    c. Date filed: June 8, 2011.
    d. Applicant: Alabama Power Company (Alabama Power)
    e. Name of Project: Martin Dam Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: The existing Martin Dam Project is located on the 
Tallapoosa River in northeast Alabama, in Tallapoosa, Coosa, and Elmore 
Counties, Alabama, near the cities of Alexander City and Dadeville, 
Alabama. The project occupied 1.36 acres of federal lands.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791 (a)-825(r)
    h. Applicant Contacts: Theodore J. McCullough, Senior Vice 
President and Senior Production Officer, Alabama Power Company, 600 
North 18th Street, P.O. Box 2641, Birmingham, AL 35291, telephone (205) 
257-8180; James F. Crew, Manager, Hydro Services, Alabama Power 
Company, 600 North 18th Street, P.O. Box 2641, Birmingham, AL 35291, 
telephone (205) 257-4265.
    i. FERC Contact: Jennifer Adams, (202) 502-8087 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests, comments, 
recommendations, preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary 
prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply 
comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    Motions to intervene, protests, comments, recommendations, 
preliminary terms and conditions, and preliminary fishway prescriptions 
may be filed electronically via the Internet. See 18 CFR 
385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission's Web site 
http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit 
brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, 
using the eComment system at http://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 [email protected] 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: The existing Martin Dam Project is located 
at river mile 420.0 on the Tallapoosa River near the cities of 
Alexander City and Dadeville, Alabama. Martin dam impounds about 31 
miles of the Tallapoosa River, forming Martin reservoir (or Lake 
Martin), a 41,150-acre reservoir with (a) 880 miles of shoreline, (b) a 
gross storage capacity of 1,622,000 acre-feet, and (c) active storage 
of 1,381,077 acre-feet at a 45.5-foot drawdown.
    The Martin Dam Project consists of: (1) A 2,000-foot-long, 168-
foot-high concrete gravity dam and an earth dike section, and includes 
(a) a 720-foot-long gated spillway section with 20 vertical lift 
spillway gates, each measuring 30 feet wide by 16 feet high; (b) a 250-
foot-long concrete gravity intake structure, (c) a 255-foot-long 
concrete gravity non-overflow section, and (d) an approximately 1,000-
foot-long earth embankment; (2) a reservoir with a surface area of 
41,150 acres at normal full pool elevation of 491 feet mean sea level 
(msl); (3) headworks containing four steel penstocks and 12 intake 
gates,

[[Page 8247]]

each fitted with trash racks; (4) a 307.9-foot-long, 58-foot-wide, and 
99-foot-high brick and concrete, steel-frame powerhouse; (5) four 
vertical Francis turbines that power four generating units with a total 
installed capacity of 182.5 megawatts; (6) two 450-foot-long 
transmission lines; and (7) appurtenant facilities. The project 
generates about 33,000,000 megawatt-hours annually.
    The Martin Dam Project operates as a peaking project using a 
multipurpose storage reservoir (Lake Martin), in which the water levels 
fluctuate seasonally. Under its normal peaking operations, the project 
operates between elevations 481 and 491 feet msl. Flows from the dam 
vary from leakage during periods of non-generation to 17,900 cubic feet 
per second (cfs) during generation. The Martin Dam Project typically 
generates Monday through Friday for eight hours per day. Releases from 
Martin dam are made directly into Alabama Power's Yates and Thurlow 
Hydroelectric Project No. 2407. The Thurlow dam is required to release 
a minimum flow of 1,200 cfs. Releases from Martin dam are often 
necessary to maintain the 1,200-cfs minimum flow requirement.
    Alabama Power uses three guide curves for the Martin Dam Project: 
(1) A flood control guide; (2) an operating guide; and (3) a drought 
contingency curve. The flood control guide maximizes lake elevations 
for flood control purposes. The operating guide limits fluctuations in 
Lake Martin to water levels that stakeholders deemed acceptable during 
the previous relicensing process for the Martin Dam Project. The area 
between the flood control guide and operating guide represents the 
range that Alabama Power operates the project under normal inflow 
conditions. The drought contingency plan provides an indication of 
impending hydrologic drought conditions.
    m. 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 http://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 http://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. Anyone may submit comments, a protest, or a motion to intervene 
in accordance with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 
18 CFR 385.210, .211, .214. In determining the appropriate action to 
take, the Commission will consider all protests or other comments 
filed, but only those who file a motion to intervene in accordance with 
the Commission's Rules may become a party to the proceeding. Any 
comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be received on or 
before the specified comment date for the particular application.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST,'' ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' ``COMMENTS,'' ``REPLY COMMENTS,'' 
``RECOMMENDATIONS,'' ``PRELIMINARY TERMS AND CONDITIONS,'' or 
``PRELIMINARY FISHWAY PRESCRIPTIONS''; (2) set forth in the heading the 
name of the applicant and the project number of the application to 
which the filing responds; (3) furnish the name, address, and telephone 
number of the person protesting or intervening; and (4) otherwise 
comply with the requirements of 18 CFR 385.2001 through 385.2005. All 
comments, recommendations, terms and conditions or prescriptions must 
set forth their evidentiary basis and otherwise comply with the 
requirements of 18 CFR 4.34(b). Agencies may obtain copies of the 
application directly from the applicant. A copy of any protest or 
motion to intervene must be served upon each representative of the 
applicant specified in the particular application. A copy of all other 
filings in reference to this application must be accompanied by proof 
of service on all persons listed in the service list prepared by the 
Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 
385.2010.
    o. Procedural Schedule: The application will be processed according 
to the following revised Hydro Licensing Schedule. Revisions to the 
schedule may be made as appropriate.

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               Milestone                           Target date
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Deadline for filing comments,            April 2012.
 recommendations, preliminary terms and
 conditions, and preliminary fishway
 prescriptions.
Draft EIS issued.......................  October 2012.
Comments on draft EIS due..............  December 2012.
Deadline for filing modified terms and   December 2012.
 conditions.
Final EIS issued.......................  March 2013.
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    p. Final amendments to the application must be filed with the 
Commission no later than 30 days from the issuance date of this notice.
    q. A license applicant must file no later than 60 days following 
the date of issuance of the notice of acceptance and ready for 
environmental analysis provided for in 18 CFR 5.22: (1) A copy of the 
water quality certification; (2) a copy of the request for 
certification, including proof of the date on which the certifying 
agency received the request; or (3) evidence of waiver of water quality 
certification.
    r. 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.
    A notice of intent must specify the exact name, business address, 
and telephone number of the prospective applicant, and must include an 
unequivocal statement of intent to submit a development application. A 
notice of intent must be served on the applicant named in this public 
notice.

    Dated: February 8, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-3402 Filed 2-13-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P