Department of Energy February 2009 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Saracen Power LLC (Saracen Power) has applied for authority to transmit electric energy from the United States to Canada pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act.

The Department of Energy (DOE), pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq., intends to extend for three years an information collection request with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) concerning health and safety reporting requirements for DOE contractors. The information collected will be used by DOE to exercise management oversight and control over Management and Operating (M&O) contractors of DOE's Government-Owned Contractor-Operated (GOCO) facilities, and offsite contractors. The contractor management oversight and control function concerns the ways in which DOE contractors provide goods and services for DOE organizations and activities in accordance with the terms of their contract; the applicable statutory, regulatory and mission support requirements of the Department; and regulations in the functional area covered in this request. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the extended information collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed information collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB review and approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

In this order, the Commission denies the New York Independent System Operator, Inc.'s request for rehearing of Order No. 716, Mandatory Reliability Standard for Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination. In Order No. 716, the Commission approved as mandatory and enforceable the Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination Reliability Standard proposed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

The Department of Energy (DOE) announces its intention to prepare an EIS on the proposed Federal action of granting a Presidential permit to construct a new electric transmission line across the U.S.-Mexico border in southeastern California. DOE has determined that issuance of a Presidential permit for the proposed project would constitute a major Federal action that may have a significant effect upon the environment within the meaning of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA). For this reason, DOE intends to prepare an EIS entitled Energia Sierra Juarez Transmission Line Environmental Impact Statement (DOE/EIS-0414) to address potential environmental impacts from the proposed action and reasonable alternatives. The EIS will be prepared in compliance with NEPA and applicable regulations, including DOE NEPA implementing regulations at 10 CFR Part 1021. Because of previous public participation activities, DOE does not plan to conduct additional scoping meetings for this EIS. However, any timely written comments submitted will be considered by DOE in determining the scope of the EIS.