[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 95 (Wednesday, May 16, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28866-28867]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-11837]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Project No. 13011-003]


Shelbyville Hydro LLC; Notice of Application Accepted for Filing 
and Soliciting Motions To Intervene and Protests

    Take notice that the following hydroelectric application has been 
filed with the Commission and is available for public inspection.
    a. Type of Application: Major License.
    b. Project No.: 13011-003.
    c. Date filed: October 28, 2011.
    d. Applicant: Shelbyville Hydro LLC (Shelbyville Hydro), a wholly-
owned subsidiary of Symbiotics LLC.
    e. Name of Project: Lake Shelbyville Dam Hydroelectric Project.
    f. Location: On the Kaskaskia River, in Shelby County, Illinois at 
an existing dam owned and operated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers 
(Corps). The project would occupy 3.24 acres of federal lands managed 
by the Corps.
    g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).
    h. Applicant Contact: Mr. Brent L. Smith, Chief Operating Officer, 
Symbiotics LLC, 371 Upper Terrace, Suite 2, Bend, OR 97702; Telephone 
(541)-330-8779.
    i. FERC Contact: Lesley Kordella, (202) 502-6406 or 
[email protected].
    j. Deadline for filing motions to intervene and protests: 60 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 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 and Procedures 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, but is not ready 
for environmental analysis at this time.
    l. Project Description: The project would be located at an existing 
dam owned and operated by the Corps (St.

[[Page 28867]]

Louis District). The existing Lake Shelbyville Dam was constructed in 
1963 for the purposes of flood control, recreation development, water 
supply, navigation release, and fish and wildlife conservation. In 
August of 1970, the Corps closed the gates to start the initial filling 
of the lake. The West Okaw and Kaskaskia rivers were inundated for 17 
miles upstream of the dam.
    The Lake Shelbyville Dam is an earthen embankment with an elevation 
of 643 feet above mean sea level (MSL). The dam is 3,025 feet long and 
rises 108 feet above the river bed. The concrete spillway is located at 
593 feet MSL and is topped by three Tainter gates that are 
approximately 45-feet-wide by 37-feet-high. The two regulating outlet 
structures release water through the face of the spillway. The 
impoundment above the Lake Shelbyville Dam, referred to as Lake 
Shelbyville, varies according to flood control operations controlled by 
the Corps. Lake Shelbyville has a maximum storage capacity of 684,000 
acre-feet. Of the 684,000 acre-feet of storage, 474,000 acre-feet have 
been designated for flood control. The average depth of the reservoir 
is 16 feet and the maximum is 67 feet.
    The proposed Lake Shelbyville Project would consist of: (1) A trash 
rack with 4-inch spacing integrated into the Corps' existing west 
intake structure; (2) a steel liner installed in the Corps' existing 
west outlet chamber transitioning to a bifurcation; (3) a 13-foot-
diameter bifurcation and a river release valve installed at the west 
outlet structure; (4) a 13-foot-diameter penstock at the bifurcation 
after which it reduces to a 12-foot-diameter, 570-foot-long steel 
penstock; (5) a 60-foot-long, 40-foot-wide, 68.5-foot-high reinforced 
concrete powerhouse containing a 6.8-megawatt Kaplan turbine-generator 
with a flow of 130 to 1,500 cubic feet per second (cfs) at a net head 
of 33 to 77 feet; (6) an approximately 25-foot-wide, 25-foot-long draft 
tube; (7) a 25 to 105-foot-wide, 49-foot-long tailrace; (8) a 12.47-
kilovolt, 407-foot-long buried transmission line connecting the project 
to an existing Shelby Electric Cooperative substation located 900 feet 
downstream of the dam; and (9) appurtenant facilities. The project 
boundary would include 3.24 acres of Federal lands owned by the Corps. 
The annual average energy production is estimated to be 20.3 gigawatt-
hours.
    The project would operate in a run-of-release mode utilizing 
releases from Lake Shelbyville as they are dictated by the Corps, with 
no proposed change to the Corps' facility operation. Power generation 
would be seasonally variable as flow regimens and pool levels are set 
forth by the Corps. The project would generate power using flows 
between 130 and 1,500 cfs. When flows are below 130 cfs, all flows 
would be passed through the Corps' existing outlet structure and the 
project would then be offline. When flows are greater than 1,500 cfs, 
excess flow would be passed through the existing outlet structure.
    m. Scoping: Commission staff completed the scoping process for the 
proposed project, including a site visit and public meeting, by letter 
issued on March 12, 2010. Commission staff does not intend to conduct 
additional scoping.
    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 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.
    You may also 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.
    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.
    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(s) named in this 
public notice.
    Anyone may submit a protest or a motion to intervene in accordance 
with the requirements of Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 
385.210, 385.211, and 385.214. In determining the appropriate action to 
take, the Commission will consider all protests 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 protests or motions to 
intervene must be received on or before the specified deadline date for 
the particular application.
    When the application is ready for environmental analysis, the 
Commission will issue a public notice requesting comments, 
recommendations, terms and conditions, or prescriptions.
    All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title 
``PROTEST'' or ``MOTION TO INTERVENE,'' ``NOTICE OF INTENT TO FILE 
COMPETING APPLICATION,'' or ``COMPETING APPLICATION;'' (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. 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.

    Dated: May 10, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-11837 Filed 5-15-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P