Department of Energy April 2021 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

This notice announces an online virtual meeting of the Environmental Management Site-Specific Advisory Board (EM SSAB), Hanford. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that public notice of this online virtual meeting be announced in the Federal Register.

In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved information collection, FERC-516 (Electric Rate Schedules and Tariff Filings).

In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on a renewal of currently approved information collection FERC 725F (Mandatory Reliability Standard for Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination), which will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has proposed in this proceeding to revise its existing regulations that implemented section 219 of the Federal Power Act (FPA) in light of the changes in transmission development and planning over the last few years. This supplemental notice of proposed rulemaking proposes to modify the incentive proposed for transmitting and electric utilities that join Transmission Organizations in the March 20, 2020 notice of proposed rulemaking in this proceeding. In addition, pursuant to FPA section 206, we propose to require each utility that has received an incentive for joining and remaining in a transmission organization for three or more years to submit a compliance filing revising its tariff to remove the incentive from its transmission tariff.

Versant Power (formerly Emera Maine, legacy of Maine Public Service Company) has filed an application to effect a voluntary transfer of Presidential Permit No. PP-29-3 to its name, via the Department of Energy's (DOE) rescission and simultaneous reissuance of the permit. Versant Power owns the facilities authorized for cross- border electric power transmission by Presidential Permit No. PP-29-3. The named permittee is Maine Public Service Company, which became Emera Maine following a corporate merger on January 1, 2014, but without a concurrent change to the name on the permit. As a result of another corporate transaction in March 2020, Emera Maine's parent company came under new ownership; Emera Maine was required to change its name and became Versant Power. The application therefore requests that DOE rescind Presidential Permit No. PP-29-2 and simultaneously issue a permit, in Versant Power's name, covering the same international transmission facilities.

Versant Power (formerly Emera Maine, legacy of Maine Public Service Company) has filed an application to effect a voluntary transfer of Presidential Permit No. PP-12 to its name, via the Department of Energy's (DOE) rescission and simultaneous reissuance of the permit. Versant Power owns the facilities authorized for cross- border electric power transmission by Presidential Permit No. PP-12. The named permittee is Maine Public Service Company, which became Emera Maine following a corporate merger on January 1, 2014, but without a concurrent change to the name on the permit. As a result of another corporate transaction in March 2020, Emera Maine's parent company came under new ownership; Emera Maine was required to change its name and became Versant Power. The application therefore requests that DOE rescind Presidential Permit No. PP-12 and simultaneously issue a permit, in Versant Power's name, covering the same international transmission facilities.

The Commission is issuing this Policy Statement to clarify how it will approach filings under section 205 of the Federal Power Act that seek to incorporate a state-determined carbon price in organized wholesale electricity markets.

The United States Government recognizes the immediate imperative to secure our electric infrastructure. The electric power system is vital to the Nation's energy security, supporting national defense, emergency services, critical infrastructure, and the economy. Preventing exploitation and attacks by foreign threats to the U.S. supply chain is the focus of this Request for Information (RFI). On January 20, 2021, Executive Order, Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis, suspended Executive Order, Securing the United States Bulk-Power System, for 90 days and directed the Secretary of Energy and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to consider whether to recommend that a replacement order be issued. In the process of developing such recommendations, the Department of Energy (DOE or the Department) identified opportunities to institutionalize change, increase awareness, and strengthen protections against high-risk electric equipment transactions by foreign adversaries, while providing additional certainty to the utility industry and the public. As the United States Government considers whether to recommend a replacement Executive Order that appropriately balances national security, economic, and administrability considerations, the Department is seeking information from electric utilities, academia, research laboratories, government agencies, and other stakeholders on various aspects of the electric infrastructure.