Lock 7 Hydro Partners, LLC; Notice of Application Ready for Environmental Analysis and Soliciting Comments, Recommendations, Terms and Conditions, and 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.: 539-015.

c. Date filed: April 30, 2020.

d. Applicant: Lock 7 Hydro Partners, LLC (Lock 7 Partners).

e. Name of Project: Mother Ann Lee Hydroelectric Station Water Power Project (Mother Ann Lee Project).

f. Location: The project is located on the Kentucky River in Mercer, Jessamine, and Garrard Counties, Kentucky. The project does not occupy federal land.

g. Filed Pursuant to: Federal Power Act 16 U.S.C. 791(a)-825(r).

h. Applicant Contact: David Brown Kinloch, Lock 7 Hydro Partners, 414 S Wenzel St., Louisville, Kentucky 40204; (502) 589-0975, or kyhydropower@gmail.com.

i. FERC Contact: Joshua Dub at (202) 502-8138, or joshua.dub@ferc.gov.

j. Deadline for filing comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions: 60 days from the issuance date of this notice; reply comments are due 105 days from the issuance date of this notice.

The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file comments, recommendations, terms and conditions, and prescriptions using the Commission's eFiling system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/FERCOnline.aspx. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at https://ferconline.ferc.gov/QuickComment.aspx. 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, (866) 208-3676 (toll free), or (202) 502-8659 (TTY).

k. This application has been accepted and is now ready for environmental analysis.

The Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) issued a final rule on July 15, 2020, revising the regulations under 40 CFR parts 1500-1518 that federal agencies use to implement NEPA (see Update to the Regulations Implementing the Procedural Provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act, 85 FR 43,304). The Final Rule became effective on and applies to any NEPA process begun after September 14, 2020. An agency may also apply the regulations to ongoing activities and environmental documents begun before September 14, 2020, which includes the proposed Mother Ann Lee Project. Commission staff intends to conduct its NEPA review in accordance with CEQ's new regulations.

l. The Mother Ann Lee Project consists of the following existing facilities: (1) A reservoir with a surface area of 777 acres and a storage capacity of 5,828 acre-feet at elevation 513.12 feet National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929; (2) a 250-foot-long, 15.3-foot-high, timber crib dam with a concrete cap and an abandoned 62-foot-long lock structure on the east side; (3) a 120-foot-long, 100-foot-wide forebay; (4) a 24-foot-tall, 84-foot-wide trashrack; (5) a 93-foot-long, 25-foot-wide, 16-foot-high powerhouse integral with the dam containing three turbine-generating units with a total installed capacity of 2,210 kilowatts; (6) a 30-foot-long, 15.3-foot-high concrete spillway section that extends from the powerhouse to the west shore; (7) an 85-foot-long substation; and (8) a 34.5 kilovolt, 4,540-foot-long transmission line. The project is estimated to generate an average of 9,200 megawatt-hours annually.

Lock 7 Partners proposes to continue operating the project in a run-of-river mode. In addition, the applicant proposes to construct, operate, and maintain a canoe portage, fishing access, and parking area at the Mother Ann Lee Project.

m. A copy of the application can be viewed on the Commission's website 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.

All filings must (1) bear in all capital letters the title “COMMENTS,” “REPLY COMMENTS,” “RECOMMENDATIONS,” “TERMS AND CONDITIONS,” or “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 submitting the filing; 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. Each filing must be accompanied by proof of service on all persons listed on the service list prepared by the Commission in this proceeding, in accordance with 18 CFR 4.34(b) and 385.2010.

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.

n. Procedural schedule: The application will be processed according to the following schedule. Revisions to the schedule will be made as appropriate.