Western Area Power Administration – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Deputy Secretary of Energy confirmed and approved Rate Order No. WAPA-163 and Rate Schedule WC-8, placing new hourly, non- firm, point-to-point transmission service formula rates for the Loveland Area Projects (LAP), Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP), Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie Project (INT), Central Arizona Project (CAP), and Parker-Davis Project (P-DP) in use under WestConnect's PA into effect on an interim basis.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969,as amended (NEPA), and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended (FLPMA), the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Western Area Power Administration (Western), have prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Draft Resource Management Plan (RMP) Amendment for the proposed Southline Transmission Line Project (Project), and by this notice are announcing the opening of the comment period.

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), an element of the Department of Energy (DOE), pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, intends to extend for three years without change, an information collection request with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Western's current OMB control number 1910-5136 for its Applicant Profile Data form (APD) expires on September 30, 2014.

Western Area Power Administration (Western), a power marketing administration within the Department of Energy (DOE), is proposing an adjustment to the Boulder Canyon Project (BCP) electric service base charge and rates. The current base charge and rates expire September 30, 2014, under Rate Schedule BCP-F8. The current base charge is not sufficient to cover all annual costs, including operation, maintenance, replacements, and interest expense, and to repay investment obligations within the required period. The proposed base charge will provide sufficient revenue to cover all annual costs and to repay investment obligations within the allowable period. A detailed rate package that identifies the reasons for the base charge and rates adjustment will be available in March 2014. The proposed base charge and rates are scheduled to become effective October 1, 2014, and will remain in effect through September 30, 2015. This Federal Register notice initiates the formal process for the proposed base charge and rates.

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), a Federal power marketing agency of the Department of Energy (DOE), announces the Boulder Canyon Project (BCP) post-2017 resource pool marketing criteria and is calling for applications from entities interested in an allocation of Federal power from the BCP. The Conformed Power Marketing Criteria or Regulations for the Boulder Canyon Project (2012 Conformed Criteria) published in the Federal Register on June 14, 2012, as required by the Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011, established general eligibility criteria and a resource pool (Post-2017 Resource Pool) to be allocated to new allottees. Western has finalized marketing criteria, developed through a public process, to be used to allocate the Post-2017 Resource Pool, which will become available October 1, 2017. These marketing criteria, in conjunction with the 2012 Conformed Criteria, establish the framework for allocating power from the Post- 2017 Resource Pool. Entities applying for an allocation of power from the Post-2017 Resource Pool must submit formal applications as described within this notice.

Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), intends to prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the interconnection of NextEra Energy Resources' proposed Wilton IV Wind Energy Center Project (Project), Burleigh County, North Dakota. Western is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to inform the public and interested parties about a change in the proposed Project and to invite the public to comment on the scope, proposed action, and other issues to be addressed in the SDEIS. Based on substantial changes to the proposed Project, Western has made the decision to prepare an SDEIS. These changes include the relocation of 30 planned turbine locations and 5 alternate turbine locations in Crofte Township, and moving them as far as 12 miles north-east to Rock Hill Township. Additionally, up to 20 miles of new overhead transmission line will be necessary to connect the Project collector substation to the existing Wilton/Baldwin substation. Portions of the proposed Project may affect floodplains and wetlands, so this NOI also serves as a notice of proposed floodplain or wetland action in accordance with DOE floodplain and wetland environmental review requirements.

Western Area Power Administration (Western), Upper Great Plains Region (Western-UGP), a power marketing administration (PMA) of the Department of Energy (DOE), is publishing a recommendation to pursue formal negotiations with the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO), concerning membership. Western is seeking public comment from Western's customers, Tribes, stakeholders, and the public at large. A decision to pursue implementation of the recommendation will be posted to Western's Web site.

The Western Area Power Administration (``Western'') hereby announces updates to its Transmission Infrastructure Program (``the Program'' or TIP). The Program implements Section 402 of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (``Recovery Act'') regarding loans for the purpose of: (1) Constructing, financing, facilitating, planning, operating, maintaining, or studying construction of new or upgraded electric power transmission lines and related facilities with at least one terminus within Western's service territory, and (2) delivering or facilitating the delivery of power generated by renewable energy resources constructed, or reasonably expected to be constructed, after the date that the Recovery Act was enacted. Through this Federal Register notice (FRN), Western seeks public comment on proposed updates to the Program. The proposed updates will create a more efficient and transparent process to screen and evaluate potential projects, improve communications with project applicants, promote additional interest from potential applicants that seek Western's assistance to develop a project and use Western's Recovery Act borrowing authority, and integrate the DOE Loan Programs Office into the process. The FRN also identifies the principles Western will continue using to ensure (1) that the Program is separate and distinct from Western's power marketing functions, and (2) that each eligible TIP project stands on its own for repayment purposes.

This action is to extend the existing Salt Lake City Area Integrated Projects (SLCA/IP) Firm Power Rate and the Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) Transmission and Ancillary Services Rates through September 30, 2015. The existing SLCA/IP Firm Power Rate and CRSP Transmission and Ancillary Services Rates are set to expire September 30, 2013.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and Western Area Power Administration (Western) announce the availability of the TransWest Express Transmission Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and draft Land Use Plan Amendments. The DEIS analyzes the consequences of granting a right-of-way (ROW) to TransWest Express, LLC (TransWest) to construct and operate an extra-high voltage (EHV) direct current (DC) transmission system (proposed Project). The Project would provide the transmission infrastructure and capacity to deliver approximately 3,000 megawatts of electric power from existing and future renewable and other energy sources in south-central Wyoming to a substation hub in southern Nevada. The Project would consist of an approximately 725-mile-long 600-kilovolt (kV), DC transmission line and two terminals, each containing an alternating current (AC)/DC converter station. The northern AC/DC converter station would be located near Sinclair, Wyoming, and the southern AC/DC converter station would be located near a group of substations in the Eldorado Valley called Marketplace Hub, approximately 25 miles south of Las Vegas, Nevada. A ground electrode system (required for transmission line emergency shutdown) would be installed within 100 miles of each terminal. The Project would retain an option for future interconnection with the Intermountain Power Project (IPP) transmission system in Millard County, Utah. The BLM, through consultation with other Federal, State, and local cooperating agencies, has included an Agency Preferred Alternative (APA) transmission route in the DEIS. The rationale for selecting the location of this alternative is described in the Supplementary Information section of this Notice of Availability (NOA). The following discussions of Project segment lengths across various land ownerships and jurisdictions are specific to the 760-mile- long APA. The requested ROW width would generally be 250 feet. As a general planning goal, the APA has been located parallel to existing transmission lines and other utilities, within the West-wide energy corridors designated pursuant to Section 368 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and other federally designated utility corridors, unless precluded by resource or routing constraints or technical infeasibility. Approximately 230 miles (30 percent) of the APA is located within or adjacent to designated federal utility corridors. The APA is located in proximity and parallel to other utilities (transmission lines, pipelines, roads) over a distance of 447 miles (57 percent) of the total length. The lengths of the APA segments by Federal jurisdiction are: WyomingBLM Rawlins Field Office (78 miles). ColoradoBLM Little Snake, White River Field Offices (71 miles). UtahBLM Vernal, Price, Fillmore, Richfield, Cedar City Field Offices (212 miles); Bureau of Indian Affairs/Tribal (3 miles); and U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Uinta, Manti-La-Sal, Fishlake, and Ashley National Forests (18 miles). NevadaBLM Caliente, Las Vegas Field Offices (129 miles) and Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) (6 miles). The APA transmission route would cross 58 miles of State land, and 127 miles of private land. In Wyoming, the APA crosses 78 miles of Federal, 1 mile of State and 30 miles of private land. In Colorado, the APA crosses 71 miles of Federal, 7 miles of State and 12 miles of private land. In Utah the APA crosses 230 miles of Federal, 50 miles of State, 3 miles of Tribal and 123 miles of private land. In Nevada, the APA crosses 135 miles of Federal, 14 miles of Tribal and 7 miles of private land. Transmission line alternatives were developed as part of this EIS analysis. Additional Federal land jurisdictions crossed by Project alternatives include: ColoradoBLM Grand Junction Field Office; Utah BLM Moab, Richfield, and St. George Field Offices and Fishlake, Ashley and Dixie National Forests; NevadaNational Park Service (NPS) and the Department of Energy (DOE). These alternatives cross State and private lands in addition to the Federal lands. The DEIS includes draft amendments of USFS Land and Resource Management Plans (Forest Plans) and BLM land use plans (Management Framework Plans and Resource Management Plans) that would be needed for the Project under each of the alternatives. The BLM and USFS draft amendments are described in the Supplementary Information section of this NOA. Additionally, based on information learned through the EIS process, the USFS may determine that more plan amendments are required to fulfill the intent of standards and guidelines in the areas affected. Depending on the alternative selected in the Record of Decision (ROD), the NPS may consider applications for segments of the Project within Lake Mead National Recreation Area and across the Deer Lodge Road that provides access to Dinosaur National Monument. By this notice, and the Notice of Intent to Prepare an EIS, published January 4, 2011 (see below), the BLM is providing notice to the public of potential amendments to land use plans and Forest Plans, as required by 43 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 1610.2(c) and 36 CFR 219.8. The impacts of these potential amendments are analyzed in the DEIS together with the impacts of the various Project alternatives. Your input is important and will be considered in the environmental analysis process. All comment submissions must include the commenter's name and street address. Comments including the names and addresses of the commenter will be available for public inspection at the locations listed below during normal business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold from public review your personal identifying information, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), received a request from Searchlight Wind Energy, LLC (Searchlight) to interconnect its proposed Searchlight Wind Energy Project (Project) to Western's Davis-Mead 230- kilovolt (kV) transmission line. The Project would be located in southern Clark County, Nevada, near the town of Searchlight. On December 14, 2012, the Notice of Availability of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Searchlight Wind Energy Project was published in the Federal Register (77 FR 74479). The U.S. Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) was the lead Federal agency for the EIS. Western was a cooperating agency in preparation of the EIS. After considering the environmental impacts, Western has decided to allow Searchlight's request for interconnection to Western's transmission system on its Davis-Mead transmission line and to construct, own, and operate a new switching station to accommodate the interconnection.

The Western Area Power Administration (Western) extends, on an interim basis, the existing Washoe Project formula rate through September 30, 2017. The existing Non-Firm Power Formula Rate Schedule SNF-7 expires on July 31, 2013. The formula rate will be in effect until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) places the formula rate into effect on a final basis or until it is replaced by another rate.

This action is to extend the rate setting formula for the Central Arizona Project, reflected in Transmission Service Rate Schedules CAP-FT2, CAP-NFT2, and CAP-NITS2, from January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2015. These Transmission Service Rate Schedules contain formula rates recalculated from annual updated financial and load data.

This action is a proposal to extend the existing Washoe Project, Stampede Powerplant (Stampede) non-firm power formula rate, Schedule SNF-7, through September 30, 2017. The existing formula rate will expire July 31, 2013.

Quartzsite Solar Energy (QSE) has requested to interconnect the Quartzsite Solar Energy Project (Project), a proposed 100-megawatt (MW) concentrating solar power plant, to Western Area Power Administration's (Western) Bouse-Kofa 161-kilovolt (kV) transmission line. QSE has submitted a right-of-way (ROW) application to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for the Project facility to be constructed on a total of approximately 1,675 acres of land managed by the BLM. The Project area is in an undeveloped area of the Sonoran Desert in La Paz County, Arizona. In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, Western and the BLM prepared a Final Environmental Impact Statement \1\ (EIS) and Yuma Field Office (Yuma) Proposed Resource Management Plan Amendment (PRMPA) for the Project, and by this Notice Western and the BLM are announcing the availability of the Final EIS/PRMPA. Western is the lead Federal agency for purposes of satisfying the NEPA requirements with the BLM acting as a cooperating agency.

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), a Federal power marketing agency of the Department of Energy (DOE), is seeking comments on proposed marketing criteria for allocating the Federal power from the Boulder Canyon Project (BCP). The Conformed Power Marketing Criteria or Regulations for the Boulder Canyon Project (2012 Conformed Criteria) published in the Federal Register on June 14, 2012, as required by the Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011, established a resource pool (Post-2017 Resource Pool) to be allocated to new allottees and general eligibility criteria. Western is proposing for comment additional marketing criteria to be used to allocate the Post- 2017 Resource Pool that will become available October 1, 2017. Once determined, these marketing criteria, in conjunction with the 2012 Conformed Criteria, will establish the framework for allocating power from the Post-2017 Resource Pool. This Federal Register notice (FRN) is not a call for applications. A call for applications from those interested in an allocation of BCP power will occur in a future notice.

This action is to extend the existing Pacific Northwest- Pacific Southwest Intertie Project (Intertie) transmission services rates through September 30, 2013. The existing rates under Rate Schedules INT-FT4 and INT-NFT3 are set to expire September 30, 2012.

In this notice, the Deputy Secretary of Energy (Deputy Secretary) approves the Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 Base Charge and Rates for Boulder Canyon Project (BCP) electric service provided by the Western Area Power Administration (Western). The Base Charge will provide sufficient revenue to pay all annual costs, including interest expense, and repay investments within the allowable period.

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), a Federal power marketing agency of the Department of Energy (DOE), is modifying Part C of its Conformed General Consolidated Power Marketing Criteria or Regulations for Boulder City Area Projects (1984 Conformed Criteria) published in the Federal Register on December 28, 1984, as required by the Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011 (HPAA) described herein. This modification will result in the conformance of the 1984 Conformed Criteria to the HPAA. The 2012 Conformed General Consolidated Power Marketing Criteria or Regulations for Boulder City Area Projects (2012 Conformed Criteria) will provide the basis for marketing the long-term hydroelectric resources of the Boulder Canyon Project (BCP) beyond September 30, 2017, when Western's current electric service contracts expire. Additional power marketing criteria for new allocations will be established by Western through a subsequent public process. This Federal Register notice (FRN) is not a call for applications. A call for applications from those interested in an allocation of BCP power will be provided for in a future notice.

Western Area Power Administration currently owns and operates two 115-kilovolt transmission lines on two separate rights-of-way (ROW) located between Flatiron Reservoir (near Loveland, Colorado) and the town of Estes Park, Colorado. Each transmission line is approximately 16 miles long. Western is proposing to remove one transmission line and abandon the ROW. The remaining transmission line would be rebuilt along the existing ROW with taller steel monopoles and would be double- circuited (i.e., six conductors per pole). Western determined that an environmental impact statement (EIS) is the appropriate level of NEPA review. Therefore, Western will prepare an EIS on its proposal to upgrade and co-locate two existing separate transmission lines on a double-circuit transmission line on one ROW in accordance with NEPA, the DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures, and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA. Portions of Western's proposal may affect floodplains and wetlands, so this Notice of Intent (NOI) also serves as a notice of proposed floodplain or wetland action in accordance with DOE floodplain and wetland environmental review requirements.

In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA), as amended, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Las Cruces District Office, Las Cruces, New Mexico, intends to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) analyzing the impacts of the proposed Southline Transmission Line Project (Project), a 345-kilovolt (kV) and 230-kV transmission line, and addressing associated potential land use plan amendments. This notice announces the beginning of the scoping process to solicit public comments and identify issues. Western Area Power Administration (Western) is a joint lead agency with BLM for preparing the EIS. Western is a power-marketing agency within the Department of Energy (DOE) and is proposing to participate in the Project with the applicant, Southline Transmission, LLC (Southline).

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), a Federal power marketing agency of the Department of Energy (DOE), is withdrawing its decisions and proposals relating to its Boulder Canyon Project (BCP) Post-2017 administrative marketing efforts announced in a notice published in the Federal Register on April 27, 2011, due to the enactment of the Hoover Power Allocation Act of 2011.

In 2009, Western Area Power Administration (Western) received a request from Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin Electric) to modify its Large Generator Interconnection Agreement (LGIA) with Basin Electric for the Groton Generation Station to eliminate current operating limits on the generating station. The LGIA currently limits the output of the Groton Generating Station to 50 average megawatts (MW). The Groton Generation Station is located about 5 miles south of Groton, in Brown County, South Dakota. On September 21, 2009, a notice was issued of the LGIA modification request and of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (74 FR 48067). On June 3, 2011, the Notice of Availability of the Final EIS for the Modification of the Groton Generation Station Interconnection Agreement was published in the Federal Register (76 FR 32198). Western considered the environmental impacts and has decided to modify its LGIA with Basin Electric for the Groton Generation Station eliminating the 50-MW annual average operating limit. Basin Electric could then produce additional power up to the limits established in the current Title V air quality operating permit for the generating station.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, Western Area Power Administration (Western) and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) have prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the proposed Quartzsite Solar Energy Project (Project), in La Paz County, Arizona, and the proposed amendment to the Yuma Field Office (Yuma) Resource Management Plan (RMP), and by this notice are announcing the opening of the public comment period. Western is the lead Federal agency for purposes of satisfying the NEPA requirements with the BLM acting as a cooperating agency.

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), a Federal power marketing agency of the Department of Energy (DOE), announces its Post-2014 Resource Pool-Loveland Area Projects, Final Power Allocation developed under the requirements of subpart C-Power Marketing Initiative of the Energy Planning and Management Program (Program) Final Rule, 10 CFR part 905. These final power allocations are established prior to the contractual phase of the process. Firm electric service contracts negotiated between Western and allottees will permit delivery of power from the October 2014 billing period through the September 2024 billing period.