[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 196 (Thursday, October 12, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47505-47506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-21938]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
Recommendation for the Western Area Power Administration Loveland
Area Projects and Colorado River Storage Project To Pursue Final
Negotiations Regarding Membership in a Regional Transmission
Organization
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), a power marketing
administration (PMA) of the Department of Energy (DOE), is publishing
this recommendation for the Loveland Area Projects (LAP) and the
Colorado River Storage Project (CRSP) to pursue final negotiations
regarding membership in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP), a Regional
Transmission Organization (RTO). WAPA is seeking public comment from
its customers, Native American Tribes, stakeholders, and the public on
the substance of WAPA's recommendation to pursue final negotiations
regarding LAP and CRSP membership in SPP.
DATES: To ensure consideration, all comments should be received by WAPA
by email or at the address below on or before 4 p.m. MST November 27,
2017. WAPA will present a detailed explanation of the recommendation
for LAP and listen to customers' and other interested parties' comments
at a forum in Loveland, Colorado. WAPA also will present a detailed
explanation of the recommendation for CRSP and listen to customers' and
other interested parties' comments at forums held in locations
throughout the CRSP marketing area. The specific times and locations of
these forums are posted on the Web sites identified in the
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. Key information that formed the
basis for this recommendation will be presented at the forums and is
posted at the Web sites listed in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
section. Any decision to pursue the recommendation will be informed by
comments received.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments by email to [email protected] or
by mail to Mr. Rodney G. Bailey, Power Marketing Advisor, Western Area
Power Administration, 150 East Social Hall Avenue, Suite 300, Salt Lake
City, UT 84111-1580. Written comments must be received by the deadline
identified in the DATES section to be considered in WAPA's decision
process and should include the following information:
1. Name and general description of the entity submitting the
comment.
2. Name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address of
the entity's primary contact.
3. Identification of any specific recommendation the comment
references.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Rodney Bailey, Power Marketing
Advisor, Western Area Power Administration, 150 East Social Hall
Avenue, Suite 300, Salt Lake City, UT 84111-1580, telephone (801) 524-
4007.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 2013, representatives for LAP and CRSP,
along with eight other transmission owners, informally referred to as
the Mountain West Transmission Group (Mountain West), began discussing
combining their transmission systems under a single tariff to eliminate
pancaked transmission rates and enable generation optimization across
the footprint. After reaching conceptual agreement on the possibility
of a joint tariff, the discussions focused on the Mountain West
participants joining an RTO with a fully integrated energy and
ancillary services market. With this perspective, the Mountain West
participants, individually and collectively, completed transmission
cost studies, adjusted production cost modeling, and performed various
other analyses. The Mountain West participants sent a request for
information to SPP and three other RTOs. After having considered the
responses to its request, in conjunction with each Mountain West
participant's individual analyses and the collective Mountain West
analyses, the Mountain West participants reached consensus to further
investigate membership in SPP. After extensive discussions among the
Mountain West participants, preliminary negotiations with SPP, and
further analysis by WAPA subject matter experts, and pursuant to its
authority under Section 1232(a)(1)(A) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(42 U.S.C. 16431), WAPA recommends pursuing final negotiations
regarding LAP and CRSP membership in SPP. Any decision by WAPA to move
forward in final negotiations with SPP will be consistent with CRSP and
LAP statutory requirements and as outlined in the basis for the
recommendation and explanatory material posted to WAPA's Rocky Mountain
Region (RMR) and Colorado River Storage Project Management Center (CRSP
MC) Web sites at https://www.wapa.gov/regions/rm and https://www.wapa.gov/regions/crsp, respectively. At the conclusion of those
final negotiations, WAPA intends to provide notification of its
decision for LAP and CRSP to either execute a membership agreement with
SPP or terminate formal negotiations.
Therefore, WAPA is soliciting comments from its customers and other
interested parties regarding this recommendation. If the membership
negotiations are successful, then LAP and CRSP would sign an SPP
membership agreement to become members of SPP and participate in the
SPP Integrated Marketplace, the LAP and CRSP transmission systems would
be placed under the SPP tariff, and the Western Area Colorado Missouri
Balancing Authority responsibilities would transfer to SPP. Section
1232(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorizes the appropriate
Federal regulatory authority to enter into a contract, agreement, or
other arrangement transferring control and use of all or part of the
transmission system of a Federal utility to a Transmission
Organization. (42 U.S.C. 16431(b)). The Administrator of WAPA is
designated as the appropriate Federal regulatory authority with respect
to all or part of WAPA's transmission system in accordance with the
Energy Policy Act of 2005.
Availability of Information
The basis for this recommendation and explanatory material to be
presented at the forums are available for review and comment on the Web
sites referenced in the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section. Comments
received in response to this notice will be posted on the same Web
sites after the close of the comment period.
[[Page 47506]]
Environmental Compliance
In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of
1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347), Council on Environmental Quality
Regulations (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and DOE NEPA Regulations (10 CFR
part 1021), WAPA is in the process of determining whether an
environmental assessment or an environmental impact statement should be
prepared or if this action can be categorically excluded from those
requirements. Further environmental review actions will be posted to
the RMR and CRSP MC Web sites referenced in the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section.
Dated: September 21, 2017.
Mark A. Gabriel,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2017-21938 Filed 10-11-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P