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Independent regulatory commissions

Department of the Interior Comments on Claiborne Lock and Dam Hydroelectric Project

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Department of the Interior's Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance has submitted comments to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission regarding the proposed Claiborne Lock and Dam Hydroelectric Project in Monroe County, Alabama. The project involves the study of a hydropower project at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Claiborne Lock and Dam on the Alabama River. The Department's comments focus on the project's potential impact on aquatic and riparian habitats, as well as species diversity, and recommend measures to mitigate these effects.

Key Takeaways:

  • The proposed project would have an estimated annual generation of 139.5 gigawatt-hours.
  • The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is concerned about the potential impacts on several federally listed and proposed species, including the Northern long-eared bat, Alligator snapping turtle, and Alabama sturgeon.
  • The Service recommends including survey efforts and conservation measures to protect these species while assessing the feasibility of the proposed project.
  • The Department supports efforts to promote minimum flows and create more natural flow regimes below the proposed hydroelectric facility.
  • The Service is concerned about the competing effects of hydropower dams on dissolved oxygen deviations, temperature fluctuations, peaking flows, and fish entrainment.
  • The Department recommends including efforts to enhance zones of fish passage, prevent and/or mitigate ongoing fish and mussel habitat fragmentation, and prevent and/or adequately mitigate for entrainment mortality of fish caused by the Project.
  • The Secretary of Interior reserves the authority under Section 18 of the Federal Power Act to prescribe fishways for upstream and downstream passage for anadromous fish species at the Project.
  • The Department is committed to the conservation, protection, and enhancement of fish, wildlife, plants, and their habitats for the use and benefit of future generations.

Statistics:

  • Estimated annual generation of the proposed project: 139.5 gigawatt-hours.
  • Length of the armored tailrace: 100 feet.
  • Width of the armored intake structure: 90 feet.
  • Length of the powerhouse: 187 feet.
  • Number of turbine generators: 2.
  • Power rating of each turbine generator: 9.95 MW.
  • Year of the document submission: 2025.

Sources:

  • U.S. Department of the Interior, Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance, Washington, DC (August 25, 2025)
  • Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), Washington, DC
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Alabama Ecological Field Office, Mobile, AL (via email at erin_sasser@fws.gov, phone at (251) 298-4226)
  • 16 U.S.C. 661 et seq. (Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act)
  • 48 Stat. 401 (National Environmental Policy Act of 1969)

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