Western Area Power Administration November 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for the San Luis Transmission Project, Alameda, Merced, San Joaquin and Stanislaus Counties, California (DOE/EIS-0496)
Document Number: 2013-28043
Type: Notice
Date: 2013-11-22
Agency: Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration
Western Area Power Administration (Western) is a power marketing administration within the U.S. Department of Energy. Western has a statutory responsibility to make the necessary arrangements to deliver federal power to federally authorized projects including the San Luis Unit (SLU), a part of the Central Valley Project (CVP). The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) submitted a transmission request to Western to interconnect several key SLU facilities to Western's CVP transmission system. Reclamation requested Western to consider various transmission service arrangements so Reclamation can continue to economically deliver federal water when the current transmission service contract with the Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) expires. Western must respond to Reclamation's transmission request consistent with Western's Open Access Transmission Tariff and existing laws. The San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (Authority), a Reclamation contractor that operates and maintains a part of the SLU, has a direct interest in this requested transmission service between Western's Tracy Substation and several key pumping and generating facilities of the SLU. Western determined an environmental impact statement (EIS) is the appropriate level of review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Western will prepare the EIS in accordance with NEPA, the DOE NEPA Implementing Procedures, and the Council on Environmental Quality regulations for implementing NEPA. Western will be the lead federal agency for the NEPA EIS review process, and Reclamation will be a cooperating agency. Western intends to prepare a joint EIS/ environmental impact report (EIR) for the proposed San Luis Transmission Project (SLTP) in coordination with the Authority. The Authority will be the lead agency for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) EIR review process. Portions of the proposed action 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.
Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement-Interconnection of the Proposed Wilton IV Wind Energy Center Project, North Dakota (DOE/EIS-0469)
Document Number: 2013-27861
Type: Notice
Date: 2013-11-20
Agency: Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration
Western Area Power Administration (Western), an agency of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), intends to prepare a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement (SDEIS) for the interconnection of NextEra Energy Resources' proposed Wilton IV Wind Energy Center Project (Project), Burleigh County, North Dakota. Western is issuing this Notice of Intent (NOI) to inform the public and interested parties about a change in the proposed Project and to invite the public to comment on the scope, proposed action, and other issues to be addressed in the SDEIS. Based on substantial changes to the proposed Project, Western has made the decision to prepare an SDEIS. These changes include the relocation of 30 planned turbine locations and 5 alternate turbine locations in Crofte Township, and moving them as far as 12 miles north-east to Rock Hill Township. Additionally, up to 20 miles of new overhead transmission line will be necessary to connect the Project collector substation to the existing Wilton/Baldwin substation. Portions of the proposed Project may affect floodplains and wetlands, so this NOI also serves as a notice of proposed floodplain or wetland action in accordance with DOE floodplain and wetland environmental review requirements.
Loveland Area Projects, Colorado River Storage Project, Pacific Northwest-Pacific Southwest Intertie Project, Central Arizona Project, and Parker-Davis Project-Rate Order No. WAPA-163
Document Number: 2013-26572
Type: Notice
Date: 2013-11-06
Agency: Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration
Western is proposing new formula rates to participate in WestConnect's PA. The proposed formula rates under Rate Schedule WC-8 would become effective June 1, 2014, and remain in effect through May 30, 2019. Western, along with other WestConnect participants (Participants), has participated in the WestConnect Pricing Experiment (Experiment) since its inception in June 2009. On June 28, 2013, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) issued an order (143 FERC ] 61,291) conditionally accepting the PA and regional tariffs. FERC ordered that the Participants in the filing submit separate compliance filings. Western has determined that no changes are necessary to Western's Open Access Transmission Tariff (Tariff) because Western will continue to offer this transmission service under the existing Tariff Schedule 8. For Western to implement the permanent arrangement, however, Western needs to adopt new formula rates. Publication of this Federal Register notice begins the formal process for the proposed formula rates.
Recommendation From the Western Area Power Administration To Pursue Regional Transmission Organization Membership
Document Number: 2013-26079
Type: Notice
Date: 2013-11-01
Agency: Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration
Western Area Power Administration (Western), Upper Great Plains Region (Western-UGP), a power marketing administration (PMA) of the Department of Energy (DOE), is publishing a recommendation to pursue formal negotiations with the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a Regional Transmission Organization (RTO), concerning membership. Western is seeking public comment from Western's customers, Tribes, stakeholders, and the public at large. A decision to pursue implementation of the recommendation will be posted to Western's Web site.
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