Western Area Power Administration 2010 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Western Area Power Administration (Western), a Federal power marketing agency of the Department of Energy (DOE), is publishing this notice of allocation procedures and call for applications from preference entities interested in an allocation of Federal electric power. Subpart C of the Energy Planning and Management Program (Program), which was developed in part to implement Section 114 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, provides for establishing project-specific resource pools and allocating power from these pools to eligible new preference customers and for other appropriate purposes as determined by Western. These allocation procedures and call for applications, in conjunction with the Loveland Area Projects (LAP) Final Post-1989 Marketing Plan (Post-1989 Marketing Plan), establish the framework for allocating power from the LAP resource pool. This resource pool is comprised of up to one percent of the long-term marketable resource of the LAP.

NextEra Energy Resources (NextEra) applied to interconnect its proposed 150-megawatt (MW) Hyde County Wind Energy Center Project (Project), located in Hyde County, South Dakota, with the Western Area Power Administration's (Western) existing Fort Thompson Substation in Buffalo County, South Dakota. Western will prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposal to interconnect the Project in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) NEPA Implementing Procedures, and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA. Western's need for agency action is precipitated by NextEra's application to interconnect with Western's power transmission system. Western needs to consider NextEra's interconnection request under its Open Access Transmission Service Tariff (Tariff). This EIS will address Western's Federal action of interconnecting the proposed Project to Western's transmission system, making changes within Western's existing Fort Thompson Substation to physically connect NextEra's proposed Project, and making any necessary system modifications to accommodate the interconnection. Existing transmission line approaches to Fort Thompson Substation may also need to be realigned. By taking these actions, power generated by NextEra's proposed Project would use Western's transmission system to reach the market. Portions of NextEra's proposed Project may affect floodplains and wetlands, so this Notice of Intent (NOI) also serves as a notice of proposed floodplain or wetland action in accordance with DOE floodplain and wetland environmental review requirements.

In accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976, as amended, the Department of Energy (DOE), which includes the Western Area Power Administration (Western) and the Loan Guarantee Program (LGP), the California Energy Commission (CEC), and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), have prepared a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Staff Assessment (SA), which may require a California Desert Conservation Area (CDCA) Plan Amendment, as a joint environmental analysis document for the proposed Rice Solar Energy Project (Project), in Riverside County, California, and by this notice are announcing the opening of the comment period. Western, on behalf of DOE, and CEC are joint lead agencies for purposes of satisfying the requirements of NEPA and the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), with the BLM acting as a cooperating agency. The Draft EIS/SA is available on the Internet at: https://www.energy.ca.gov/ sitingcases/ricesolar/.

The Western Area Power Administration (Western) received two requests from Basin Electric Power Cooperative (Basin Electric); one to interconnect their proposed South Dakota PrairieWinds Project (Proposed Project) and one to interconnect the South Dakota Wind Partners, LLC's (Wind Partners') proposed development to Western's transmission system. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Utilities Service (RUS), also received a request from Basin Electric for financial assistance for the Proposed Project. RUS is a joint lead agency in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process. The Proposed Project includes a 151.5-megawatt (MW) nameplate capacity wind-powered energy generation facility that would feature 101 wind turbine generators; 6,000 square-foot operations and maintenance building and fence perimeter; 64 miles of underground communication system and electrical collector lines (within the same trench); 34.5- kilovolt (kV) to 230-kV collector substation and microwave tower; 11 mile-long overhead 230-kV transmission line; temporary equipment/ material storage or lay-down areas; temporary batch plant; temporary crane walks; and 81 miles of new and/or upgraded service roads to access the facilities. Wind Partners' proposed development would include the installation of an additional seven turbines within the Crow Lake Alternative and use a portion of the other facilities described for the Proposed Project. Through an agreement between Basin Electric and Wind Partners, Basin Electric would construct, operate, and maintain the Wind Partners' proposed development. Western considered the interconnection requests under the provisions of its Open Access Transmission Service Tariff (Tariff), along with the information in the EIS and all comments received, and has made the decision to allow both of Basin Electric's requests to interconnect at Western's existing Wessington Springs Substation.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Western Area Power Administration (Western), plans to authorize a new interconnection and design, construct, own, operate, and maintain a new 69-kilovolt (kV) transmission line and fiber optic cable for delivery of project use power as part of the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Mid-Pacific Region's (Reclamation) Delta-Mendota Canal (DMC)/California Aqueduct Intertie (Intertie) project. The Intertie, including the interconnection to Western's system and transmission line and fiber optic cable, was analyzed in a Reclamation Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) with the Final EIS dated and released in November 2009. The EIS was developed in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Reclamation issued a Record of Decision (ROD) dated December 28, 2009, to proceed with the Intertie, described as its Proposed Action in the EIS. The Intertie would be located in Alameda County, California, and involves constructing and operating a pumping plant, a pipeline connection between the DMC and the California Aqueduct at Mile 7.2 of the DMC and Mile 9 of the California Aqueduct, a switchyard, access roads, and the transmission line. Reclamation served as the lead agency in the preparation of the NEPA documents for this project. Western, in accordance with the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Regulations for Implementing NEPA (40 CFR Parts 1500-1508) and DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures (10 CFR Part 1021), served as a cooperating agency. Western adopted the EIS in March 2010 (DOE/EIS-0398) to meet its NEPA responsibilities for its transmission actions in support of the Intertie.

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), a Federal power marketing agency of the United States Department of Energy (DOE), is requesting SOIs from entities that are interested in purchasing transmission service. Western is evaluating a proposal which would create a new transmission path on the Parker-Davis Project (P-DP) that could facilitate the transmission of renewable generation, and is seeking interest from any entity or entities desiring to purchase Long- Term Firm Transmission Service to deliver such renewable generation over the P-DP transmission system.

The Department of Energy (DOE or Department), acting through the Southwestern Power Administration (Southwestern) and the Western Area Power Administration (Western), both power marketing administrations (PMAs) within the Department, is seeking Project Proposals from entities that are interested in providing contributed funds under section 1222 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct) for Southwestern or Western's participation in the upgrade of existing transmission facilities owned by either PMA, or the construction of new transmission lines in the states in which either PMA operates.

Western Area Power Administration (Western) proposes to improve the way it manages vegetation along its rights-of-way (ROW) on National Forest System lands in the states of Colorado, Utah, and Nebraska. Implementing the proposal would include modifying existing United States Forest Service (Forest Service) authorizations or issuing new authorizations to accommodate Western's vegetation management proposal and maintenance of the electrical transmission facilities. Western and the FS will be joint lead agencies in the preparation of an environmental impact statement (EIS) on the proposal in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) NEPA Implementing Procedures, and the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations for implementing NEPA.

The Deputy Secretary of Energy confirmed and approved Rate Order No. WAPA-149 placing a power rate formula for the Provo River Project (PRP) of Western Area Power Administration (Western) into effect on an interim basis. The provisional power rate formula will remain in effect on an interim basis until the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) confirms, approves, and places it into effect on a final basis, or until the power rate formula is replaced by another power rate formula.

The Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency of the DOE, intends to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the proposed Quartzsite Solar Energy Project (Project) in La Paz County, near Quartzsite, Arizona. Quartzsite Solar Energy, LLC (QSE) has applied to Western to interconnect the proposed Project to Western's power transmission system. Western is issuing this notice to inform the public and interested parties about Western's intent to prepare an EIS, to conduct a public scoping process, and to invite the public to comment on the scope, proposed action, alternatives, and

Western Area Power Administration (Western), Upper Great Plains Region, a Federal power marketing agency of the Department of Energy (DOE), hereby announces the Post-2010 Resource Pool Power Allocation (Power Allocation) to fulfill the requirements of the Energy Planning and Management Program (Program). The Power Allocation comes from a Federal power resource pool of the long-term marketable resource of the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin ProgramEastern Division (P-SMBPED) that is available January 1, 2011. Western will use power previously returned to Western for this resource pool and will not need to withdraw power from existing customers.