Department of Energy November 2006 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice provides the Performance Review Board Chair designee for the Department of Energy.

The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) directs the Secretary of Energy (Secretary) to develop procedures for the acquisition of petroleum for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) in appropriate circumstances. On April 24, 2006, the Department of Energy (DOE) published proposed procedures in the Federal Register for public comment. Today DOE is issuing the final rule governing procedures for the acquisition of petroleum for the SPR, including acquisition by direct purchase and transfer of royalty oil from the Department of the Interior (DOI). The final rule also has provisions concerning the deferral of scheduled deliveries of petroleum for the SPR. With the exception of some minor clarification changes and definitional and editorial adjustments, these final procedures are substantially the same as those proposed.

The Industry Advisory Board (IAB) to the International Energy Agency (IEA) will meet on November 14-16, 2006, at the headquarters of the IEA in Paris, France, including in connection with a joint meeting of the IEA's Standing Group on Emergency Questions (SEQ) and the IEA's Standing Group on the Oil Market on November 14 and 15, and a meeting of the SEQ on November 16.

In this Final Rule, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is amending its regulations to further implement the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005 (PUHCA 2005). Specifically, the Commission is adding a Uniform System of Accounts (USofA) for Centralized Service Companies, adding preservation of records requirements for holding companies and service companies, revising FERC Form No. 60, Annual Report of Centralized Service Companies, to provide for financial reporting consistent with the new USofA and providing for electronic filing of the revised FERC Form No. 60. The Final Rule will provide for greater accounting transparency for centralized service company operations, and uniform records retention by holding companies and service companies subject to PUHCA 2005. This transparency will protect ratepayers from pass-through of improper service company costs.

This notice announces the availability of the ROD to implement the Proposed Action identified in the Klondike III/Biglow Canyon Wind Integration Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (DOE/ EIS-0374, September 2006). BPA will offer PPM Energy, Inc. contract terms for interconnection of the proposed Klondike III Wind Project, located in Sherman County, Oregon, with the Federal Columbia River Transmission System (FCRTS). BPA will also offer Portland General Electric contract terms for interconnection of its proposed Biglow Canyon Wind Farm, also located in Sherman County, Oregon, with the FCRTS, as proposed in the Final EIS. To interconnect these wind projects, BPA will build and operate a 12-mile-long, 230-kilovolt (kV) double-circuit transmission line between the wind projects and BPA's new 230-kV John Day Substation located in Sherman County, Oregon. BPA will also expand its existing 500-kV John Day Substation.