Boulder Canyon Project, 14111-14112 [2019-07025]
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Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 68 / Tuesday, April 9, 2019 / Notices
Accession Number: 20190401–5659.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 4/22/19.
Docket Numbers: ER19–1509–000.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
2019–04–02_SA 3294 Cooperative
Energy—Cooperative Energy GIA (J888)
to be effective 3/19/2019.
Filed Date: 4/2/19.
Accession Number: 20190402–5149.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 4/23/19.
Docket Numbers: ER19–1510–000.
Applicants: PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: Tariff Cancellation:
Notice of Cancellation of WMPA/SA No.
4469; Queue No. AA1–106 to be
effective 2/2/2019.
Filed Date: 4/2/19.
Accession Number: 20190402–5167.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 4/23/19.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following qualifying
facility filings:
Docket Numbers: QF19–755–000;
QF19–756–000.
Applicants: USPS LA Solar FiT ‘‘A’’,
LLC, USPS LA Solar FiT ‘‘B’’, LLC.
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Filed Date: 4/1/19.
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Description: Form 556 of Rousselot,
Inc.
Filed Date: 3/29/19.
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Comments Due: None-Applicable.
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received the following PURPA
210(m)(3) filings:
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Description: Application of Midwest
Energy, Inc. to Terminate Mandatory
PURPA Purchase Obligation.
Filed Date: 4/1/19.
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Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 4/29/19.
The filings are accessible in the
Commission’s eLibrary system by
clicking on the links or querying the
docket number.
Any person desiring to intervene or
protest in any of the above proceedings
must file in accordance with Rules 211
and 214 of the Commission’s
Regulations (18 CFR 385.211 and
385.214) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern
time on the specified comment date.
Protests may be considered, but
intervention is necessary to become a
party to the proceeding.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:15 Apr 08, 2019
Jkt 247001
eFiling is encouraged. More detailed
information relating to filing
requirements, interventions, protests,
service, and qualifying facilities filings
can be found at: https://www.ferc.gov/
docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For
other information, call (866) 208–3676
(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659.
Dated: April 2, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019–06934 Filed 4–8–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
Boulder Canyon Project
Western Area Power
Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Proposed Fiscal Year 2020
Boulder Canyon Project Base Charge
and Rates for Electric Service.
AGENCY:
Western Area Power
Administration (WAPA) is proposing
the base charge and rates for fiscal year
(FY) 2020 Boulder Canyon Project (BCP)
electric service under Rate Schedule
BCP–F10. The proposal would reduce
the base charge 2.6 percent from $69.7
million in FY 2019 to $67.9 million for
FY 2020. The reduction is primarily the
result of an increase in revenue
projections for the Hoover Dam visitor
center and a decrease in WAPA’s
budget. The proposed base charge and
rates would go into effect on October 1,
2019, and remain in effect through
September 30, 2020. Publication of this
Federal Register notice will initiate the
public process.
DATES: The consultation and comment
period begins today and will end July 8,
2019. WAPA will present a detailed
explanation of the proposed FY 2020
base charge and rates at a public
information forum that will be held on
May 9, 2019, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30
p.m. in Phoenix, Arizona. WAPA will
also host a public comment forum held
on June 10, 2019, from 10:30 a.m. to
12:30 p.m. in Phoenix, Arizona. WAPA
will accept written comments any time
during the consultation and comment
period.
SUMMARY:
The public information
forum and public comment forum will
be held at WAPA’s Desert Southwest
Customer Service Regional Office,
located at 615 South 43rd Avenue,
Phoenix, Arizona 85009. Send written
comments to Mr. Ronald E. Moulton,
Regional Manager, Desert Southwest
Region, Western Area Power
ADDRESSES:
PO 00000
Frm 00029
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
14111
Administration, P.O. Box 6457,
Phoenix, Arizona 85005–6457, or email
dswpwrmrk@wapa.gov. WAPA will post
information concerning the rate process
and written comments received on its
website at https://www.wapa.gov/
regions/DSW/Rates/Pages/bouldercanyon-rates.aspx.
As access to WAPA facilities is
controlled, any U.S. citizen wishing to
attend a meeting held at WAPA must
present an official form of picture
identification (ID), such as a U.S.
driver’s license, U.S. passport, U.S.
Government ID, or U.S. military ID, at
the time of the meeting. Foreign
nationals should contact Ms. Tina
Ramsey, Rates Manager, Desert
Southwest Region, Western Area Power
Administration, at (602) 605–2565 or
email at dswpwrmrk@wapa.gov in
advance of a meeting to obtain the
necessary form for admittance to the
Desert Southwest Customer Service
Regional Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms.
Tina Ramsey, Rates Manager, Desert
Southwest Region, Western Area Power
Administration, P.O. Box 6457,
Phoenix, AZ 85005–6457, (602) 605–
2565, or dswpwrmrk@wapa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Hoover
Dam,1 authorized by the Boulder
Canyon Project Act of 1928, as amended
(43 U.S.C. 617 et seq.), sits on the
Colorado River along the ArizonaNevada border. Hoover Dam’s power
plant has 19 generating units (two for
plant use) and an installed capacity of
2,078.8 megawatts (4,800 kilowatts for
plant use). In collaboration with the
Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation),
WAPA markets and delivers
hydropower from Hoover Dam’s power
plant through high-voltage transmission
lines and substations to Arizona,
Southern California, and Southern
Nevada.
The rate-setting methodology for BCP
calculates an annual base charge rather
than a unit rate for Hoover Dam
hydropower. The base charge recovers
an annual revenue requirement that
includes projected costs of investment
repayment, interest, operations,
maintenance, replacements, payments
to States, and Hoover Dam visitor
services. Non-power revenue
projections such as water sales, Hoover
Dam visitor revenue, ancillary services,
and late fees help offset these projected
costs. Customers are billed a percentage
of the base charge in proportion to their
Hoover power allocation. A unit rate is
calculated for comparative purposes but
1 Hoover Dam was known as Boulder Dam from
1933 to 1947, but was renamed Hoover Dam by an
April 30, 1947, joint resolution of Congress.
E:\FR\FM\09APN1.SGM
09APN1
14112
Federal Register / Vol. 84, No. 68 / Tuesday, April 9, 2019 / Notices
is not used to determine the charges for
service.
On June 6, 2018, the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC)
confirmed and approved Rate Schedule
BCP–F10 for a five-year period ending
September 30, 2022.2 Rate Schedule
BCP–F10 and the BCP Electric Service
Agreement require WAPA to determine
the annual base charge and rates for the
next fiscal year before October 1 of each
year. The FY 2019 BCP base charge and
rates expire on September 30, 2019.
COMPARISON OF BASE CHARGE AND RATES
Base Charge ($) ..............................................................................................
Composite Rate (mills/kWh) ............................................................................
Energy Rate (mills/kWh) ..................................................................................
Capacity Rate ($/kW-Mo) ................................................................................
Reclamation’s FY 2020 budget is
increasing by $4.3 million to $76.3
million, a 6 percent increase from FY
2019. Higher operations and
maintenance expenses ($2.2 million)
and replacement costs ($1.4 million)
account for most of this increase. The
primary drivers of these increases
include higher salaries and higher
security, hardware, software, and
project costs. The rate impact of these
increases to Reclamation’s budget are
offset by an increase in non-power
revenue projections ($5.1 million),
primarily resulting from the resumption
of typical revenues following
completion of the Hoover Dam visitor
center renovations, and prior year
carryover ($400,000).
WAPA’s FY 2020 budget is decreasing
$600,000 to $8.7 million, a 6.5 percent
reduction from FY 2019, due to a
reduction in dispatching and substation
maintenance expenses ($400,000) and a
decrease in replacement costs
($200,000).
Although the base charge is
decreasing, projections for the FY 2020
composite and energy rates are
increasing 3.8 percent due to a forecast
of poor hydrological conditions.
Capacity projections, which will be
updated June 1, 2019, currently reflect
a 2.6 percent reduction.
This proposal, to be effective October
1, 2019, is preliminary and subject to
change based on modifications to
forecasts before publication of the final
base charge and rates.
amozie on DSK9F9SC42PROD with NOTICES
Legal Authority
The proposed action constitutes a
major rate adjustment as defined by 10
CFR 903.2(e). Pursuant to 10 CFR 903.15
and 903.16, WAPA will hold public
information and public comment
forums for this rate adjustment. WAPA
will review and consider all timely
2 Order Confirming and Approving Rate Schedule
on a Final Basis, FERC Docket No. EF18–1–000, 163
FERC ¶ 62,154 (2018).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:15 Apr 08, 2019
Jkt 247001
FY 2019
FY 2020
$69,741,657
18.92
9.46
$1.88
$67,929,402
19.64
9.82
$1.83
public comments and adjust the
proposal, as appropriate, at the
conclusion of the consultation and
comment period.
WAPA is establishing rates for BCP
electric service in accordance with
section 302 of the Department of Energy
(DOE) Organization Act (42 U.S.C.
7152). This provision transferred to, and
vested in, the Secretary of Energy
certain functions of the Secretary of the
Interior, along with the power marketing
functions of Reclamation. Those
functions include actions that
specifically apply to the BCP.
By Delegation Order No. 00–037.00B,
effective November 19, 2016, the
Secretary of Energy delegated: (1) The
authority to develop power and
transmission rates to WAPA’s
Administrator; (2) the authority to
confirm, approve, and place into effect
such rates on an interim basis to the
Deputy Secretary of Energy; 3 and (3) the
authority to confirm, approve and place
into effect on a final basis, or to remand
or disapprove such rates, to FERC.
Availability of Information
All studies, comments, letters,
memorandums, and other documents
WAPA prepares or uses to develop the
proposed base charge and rates will be
available for inspection and copying at
the Desert Southwest Customer Service
Regional Office, Western Area Power
Administration, located at 615 South
43rd Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009.
Many of these documents and
supporting information are available on
WAPA’s website at https://
www.wapa.gov/regions/DSW/Rates/
Pages/boulder-canyon-rates.aspx.
Ratemaking Procedure Requirements
Environmental Compliance
In compliance with the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
3 Notwithstanding the delegating paragraph 1.2’s
statement that ‘‘[t]his authority may not be
redelegated,’’ in subparagraph 1.18 A. of Delegation
Order No. 00–002.00Q, effective November 1, 2018,
PO 00000
Frm 00030
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Amount
change
Percent
change
¥$1,812,255
0.72
0.36
¥$0.05
¥2.6
3.8
3.8
¥2.6
1969, (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the
regulations of the Council on
Environmental Quality implementing
NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500–1508), and
DOE’s NEPA Implementing Procedures
and Guidelines (10 CFR part 1021),
WAPA is in the process of determining
whether an environmental assessment
or an environmental impact statement
should be prepared or if this action can
be categorically excluded from those
requirements.
Determination Under Executive Order
12866
WAPA has an exemption from
centralized regulatory review under
Executive Order 12866; accordingly, no
clearance of this notice by the Office of
Management and Budget is required.
Dated: March 29, 2019.
Mark A. Gabriel,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2019–07025 Filed 4–8–19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS
COMMISSION
[CG Docket No. 18–272; DA 19–179]
Termination of Dormant Proceedings
Federal Communications
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
AGENCY:
In this document, the
Consumer and Governmental Affairs
Bureau announces the availability of the
FCC order terminating, as dormant,
certain docketed Commission
proceedings.
SUMMARY:
The dockets are terminated as of
April 9, 2019.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Daniel Margolis, Consumer and
DATES:
the Secretary of Energy also delegated to the Under
Secretary of Energy the authority to confirm,
approve, and place into effect on an interim basis
power and transmission rates for WAPA.
E:\FR\FM\09APN1.SGM
09APN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 9, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14111-14112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07025]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
Boulder Canyon Project
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Boulder Canyon Project Base Charge
and Rates for Electric Service.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) is proposing the base
charge and rates for fiscal year (FY) 2020 Boulder Canyon Project (BCP)
electric service under Rate Schedule BCP-F10. The proposal would reduce
the base charge 2.6 percent from $69.7 million in FY 2019 to $67.9
million for FY 2020. The reduction is primarily the result of an
increase in revenue projections for the Hoover Dam visitor center and a
decrease in WAPA's budget. The proposed base charge and rates would go
into effect on October 1, 2019, and remain in effect through September
30, 2020. Publication of this Federal Register notice will initiate the
public process.
DATES: The consultation and comment period begins today and will end
July 8, 2019. WAPA will present a detailed explanation of the proposed
FY 2020 base charge and rates at a public information forum that will
be held on May 9, 2019, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Phoenix,
Arizona. WAPA will also host a public comment forum held on June 10,
2019, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Phoenix, Arizona. WAPA will
accept written comments any time during the consultation and comment
period.
ADDRESSES: The public information forum and public comment forum will
be held at WAPA's Desert Southwest Customer Service Regional Office,
located at 615 South 43rd Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009. Send written
comments to Mr. Ronald E. Moulton, Regional Manager, Desert Southwest
Region, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 6457, Phoenix,
Arizona 85005-6457, or email [email protected]. WAPA will post
information concerning the rate process and written comments received
on its website at https://www.wapa.gov/regions/DSW/Rates/Pages/boulder-canyon-rates.aspx.
As access to WAPA facilities is controlled, any U.S. citizen
wishing to attend a meeting held at WAPA must present an official form
of picture identification (ID), such as a U.S. driver's license, U.S.
passport, U.S. Government ID, or U.S. military ID, at the time of the
meeting. Foreign nationals should contact Ms. Tina Ramsey, Rates
Manager, Desert Southwest Region, Western Area Power Administration, at
(602) 605-2565 or email at [email protected] in advance of a meeting
to obtain the necessary form for admittance to the Desert Southwest
Customer Service Regional Office.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tina Ramsey, Rates Manager, Desert
Southwest Region, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 6457,
Phoenix, AZ 85005-6457, (602) 605-2565, or [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Hoover Dam,\1\ authorized by the Boulder
Canyon Project Act of 1928, as amended (43 U.S.C. 617 et seq.), sits on
the Colorado River along the Arizona-Nevada border. Hoover Dam's power
plant has 19 generating units (two for plant use) and an installed
capacity of 2,078.8 megawatts (4,800 kilowatts for plant use). In
collaboration with the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), WAPA
markets and delivers hydropower from Hoover Dam's power plant through
high-voltage transmission lines and substations to Arizona, Southern
California, and Southern Nevada.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Hoover Dam was known as Boulder Dam from 1933 to 1947, but
was renamed Hoover Dam by an April 30, 1947, joint resolution of
Congress.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The rate-setting methodology for BCP calculates an annual base
charge rather than a unit rate for Hoover Dam hydropower. The base
charge recovers an annual revenue requirement that includes projected
costs of investment repayment, interest, operations, maintenance,
replacements, payments to States, and Hoover Dam visitor services. Non-
power revenue projections such as water sales, Hoover Dam visitor
revenue, ancillary services, and late fees help offset these projected
costs. Customers are billed a percentage of the base charge in
proportion to their Hoover power allocation. A unit rate is calculated
for comparative purposes but
[[Page 14112]]
is not used to determine the charges for service.
On June 6, 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
confirmed and approved Rate Schedule BCP-F10 for a five-year period
ending September 30, 2022.\2\ Rate Schedule BCP-F10 and the BCP
Electric Service Agreement require WAPA to determine the annual base
charge and rates for the next fiscal year before October 1 of each
year. The FY 2019 BCP base charge and rates expire on September 30,
2019.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ Order Confirming and Approving Rate Schedule on a Final
Basis, FERC Docket No. EF18-1-000, 163 FERC ] 62,154 (2018).
Comparison of Base Charge and Rates
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FY 2019 FY 2020 Amount change Percent change
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Base Charge ($)................................. $69,741,657 $67,929,402 -$1,812,255 -2.6
Composite Rate (mills/kWh)...................... 18.92 19.64 0.72 3.8
Energy Rate (mills/kWh)......................... 9.46 9.82 0.36 3.8
Capacity Rate ($/kW-Mo)......................... $1.88 $1.83 -$0.05 -2.6
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reclamation's FY 2020 budget is increasing by $4.3 million to $76.3
million, a 6 percent increase from FY 2019. Higher operations and
maintenance expenses ($2.2 million) and replacement costs ($1.4
million) account for most of this increase. The primary drivers of
these increases include higher salaries and higher security, hardware,
software, and project costs. The rate impact of these increases to
Reclamation's budget are offset by an increase in non-power revenue
projections ($5.1 million), primarily resulting from the resumption of
typical revenues following completion of the Hoover Dam visitor center
renovations, and prior year carryover ($400,000).
WAPA's FY 2020 budget is decreasing $600,000 to $8.7 million, a 6.5
percent reduction from FY 2019, due to a reduction in dispatching and
substation maintenance expenses ($400,000) and a decrease in
replacement costs ($200,000).
Although the base charge is decreasing, projections for the FY 2020
composite and energy rates are increasing 3.8 percent due to a forecast
of poor hydrological conditions. Capacity projections, which will be
updated June 1, 2019, currently reflect a 2.6 percent reduction.
This proposal, to be effective October 1, 2019, is preliminary and
subject to change based on modifications to forecasts before
publication of the final base charge and rates.
Legal Authority
The proposed action constitutes a major rate adjustment as defined
by 10 CFR 903.2(e). Pursuant to 10 CFR 903.15 and 903.16, WAPA will
hold public information and public comment forums for this rate
adjustment. WAPA will review and consider all timely public comments
and adjust the proposal, as appropriate, at the conclusion of the
consultation and comment period.
WAPA is establishing rates for BCP electric service in accordance
with section 302 of the Department of Energy (DOE) Organization Act (42
U.S.C. 7152). This provision transferred to, and vested in, the
Secretary of Energy certain functions of the Secretary of the Interior,
along with the power marketing functions of Reclamation. Those
functions include actions that specifically apply to the BCP.
By Delegation Order No. 00-037.00B, effective November 19, 2016,
the Secretary of Energy delegated: (1) The authority to develop power
and transmission rates to WAPA's Administrator; (2) the authority to
confirm, approve, and place into effect such rates on an interim basis
to the Deputy Secretary of Energy; \3\ and (3) the authority to
confirm, approve and place into effect on a final basis, or to remand
or disapprove such rates, to FERC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Notwithstanding the delegating paragraph 1.2's statement
that ``[t]his authority may not be redelegated,'' in subparagraph
1.18 A. of Delegation Order No. 00-002.00Q, effective November 1,
2018, the Secretary of Energy also delegated to the Under Secretary
of Energy the authority to confirm, approve, and place into effect
on an interim basis power and transmission rates for WAPA.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Availability of Information
All studies, comments, letters, memorandums, and other documents
WAPA prepares or uses to develop the proposed base charge and rates
will be available for inspection and copying at the Desert Southwest
Customer Service Regional Office, Western Area Power Administration,
located at 615 South 43rd Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009. Many of these
documents and supporting information are available on WAPA's website at
https://www.wapa.gov/regions/DSW/Rates/Pages/boulder-canyon-rates.aspx.
Ratemaking Procedure Requirements
Environmental Compliance
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969, (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the regulations of the Council on
Environmental Quality implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and
DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures and Guidelines (10 CFR part 1021),
WAPA is in the process of determining whether an environmental
assessment or an environmental impact statement should be prepared or
if this action can be categorically excluded from those requirements.
Determination Under Executive Order 12866
WAPA has an exemption from centralized regulatory review under
Executive Order 12866; accordingly, no clearance of this notice by the
Office of Management and Budget is required.
Dated: March 29, 2019.
Mark A. Gabriel,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2019-07025 Filed 4-8-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
