Department of Energy November 2007 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces a meeting of the Biological and Environmental Research Advisory Committee. Federal Advisory Committee Act (Pub. L. 92-463, 86 Stat. 770) requires that public notice of these meetings be announced in the Federal Register.

In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is proposing to amend its regulations to eliminate the FERC Form No. 423, Monthly Report of Cost and Quality of Fuels for Electric Plants. The Commission's infrequent use of the information no longer justifies the burden and cost of collecting it. Conversely, the Energy Information Administration has expressed a need for this information and, upon cessation of the Commission's collection, proposes to collect the information, as part of its newly proposed EIA-923.

The Royal Bank of Scotland plc (RBS) has applied for authority to transmit electric energy from the United States to Mexico pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act.

DOE and BLM of the DOI as co-lead agencies, and the U.S. Forest Service (FS) of the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Defense (DOD), and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) of the DOI as cooperating Federal Agencies (the Agencies) announce the availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement for the Designation of Energy Corridors in the 11 Western States (Draft PEIS) (DOE/EIS0386) and the dates and locations for the public hearings to receive comments on the Draft PEIS. The Coeur d'Alene Tribe, the California Energy Commission (CEC), the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the State of Wyoming, and the Lincoln, Sweetwater, and Uinta counties and conservation districts in Wyoming are also cooperating agencies. The Department of Commerce (DOC) and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) are consulting agencies. The Agencies prepared the Draft PEIS pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., the Council on Environmental Quality NEPA regulations, 40 CFR Parts 1500-1508, the DOE NEPA regulations, 10 CFR part 1021, and 10 CFR part 1022, Compliance with Floodplain and Wetland Environmental Review Requirements, the BLM planning regulations, 43 CFR part 1600, and applicable FS planning regulations. Section 368 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), Public Law 109-58, directs the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Commerce, the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of Energy and the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with FERC, States, tribal or local units of governments, as appropriate, affected utility industries, and other interested persons, to designate, under their respective authorities, corridors for oil, gas, and hydrogen pipelines and electricity transmission and distribution facilities on Federal land in the 11 contiguous Western States (as defined in section 103(o) of the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 1702(o)), perform any environmental reviews that may be required to complete the designation of such corridors, and incorporate the designated corridors into relevant agency land use and resource management plans or equivalent plans. The 11 Western States are Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA or the Act) authorizes the Department of Energy (DOE) to establish energy conservation standards for various consumer products and commercial and industrial equipmentincluding residential dishwashers, dehumidifiers, and electric and gas kitchen ranges and ovens and microwave ovens (hereafter referred to as ``cooking products''), as well as commercial clothes washersif DOE determines that energy conservation standards would be technologically feasible and economically justified, and would result in significant energy savings. DOE is publishing this advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANOPR) to consider establishing energy conservation standards for these products and to announce a public meeting to receive comments on a variety of issues.

The Deputy Secretary of Energy confirmed and approved Rate Order No. WAPA-134 and Rate Schedule L-F7, placing firm electric service rates from the Loveland Area Projects (LAP) of the Western Area Power Administration (Western) into effect on an interim basis. The provisional rates will be in effect until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) confirms, approves, and places them into effect on a final basis or until they are replaced by other rates. The provisional rates will provide sufficient revenue to pay all annual costs, including interest expenses, and repay power investment and irrigation aid within the allowable periods.