[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 217 (Thursday, November 7, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57663-57664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-28667]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Nos. EA-127 and EA-128]


Applications to Export Electricity; Southwestern Public Service 
Company & Quixx Corporation

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of application.

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SUMMARY: Southwestern Public Services Company (SPS) and Quixx 
Corporation (Quixx) have submitted applications to export electric 
energy to Mexico pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act.

DATES: Comments, protests or requests to intervene must be submitted on 
or before December 9, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests or requests to intervene should be 
addressed as follows: Office of Coal & Electricity (FE-52), Office of 
Fuels Programs. Office of Fossil Energy, Department of Energy, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585 (FAX 202-586-0678).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William H. Freeman (Program Office) 
202-586-9629 or Michael Skinker (Program Attorney) 202-586-6667.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of electricity from the United 
States to a foreign country are regulated and require authorization 
under section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C. 
Sec. 824a(e)) .
    On October 11, 1996, SPS and Quixx each filed an application with 
the Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) for 
authorization to export electric energy to Mexico pursuant to section 
202(e) of the FPA. SPS is an electric utility with primary retail sales 
to customers in Texas and New Mexico and having its principal place of 
business in Amarillo, Texas. Quixx, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SPS, 
has no native load customers, but is involved in non-utility power 
generation projects, such as exempt wholesale generators and qualifying 
facilities. Quixx's principal place of business is also Amarillo, 
Texas.
    The electric energy SPS and Quixx propose to sell to Mexico would 
be sold to Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE ), the national 
electric utility of Mexico, and would be delivered to Mexico using El 
Paso Electric Company's (EPE) 115-kilovolt (kV) lines at Ascarate, 
Texas, and Diablo, New Mexico. The construction, operation, and 
maintenance of these international transmission lines was previously 
authorized by Presidential Permit Nos. PP-48, as amended, and PP-92, 
respectively.
    On October 29, 1996, the Secretary of Energy signed Delegation 
Order No. 0204-163, which delegated and assigned to the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority to carry out such functions 
vested in the Secretary to regulate access to, and the rates, terms and 
conditions for, transmission services over these EPE facilities. This 
authority was delegated to FERC for the sole purpose of authorizing 
FERC to take any actions necessary to effectuate open access 
transmission over the United States portion of EPE's electric 
transmission lines connecting the Diablo and Ascarate substations in 
the United States with the Insurgentes and Riverena substations in 
Mexico. Notice and a copy of the Delegation Order were published in the 
Federal Register on November 1, 1996, at 61 FR 56525.

Procedural Matters

    Any persons desiring to become parties to these proceedings or be 
heard by filing comments or protests to these applications should file 
a petition to intervene, comment or protest at the address provided 
above in accordance with Secs. 385.211 or 385.214 of the

[[Page 57664]]

FERC's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). 
Fifteen copies of such petitions and protests should be filed with the 
DOE on or before the date listed above. Comments on the application by 
Quixx should be clearly marked with Docket No. EA-127. Comments on 
SPS's request to export to Mexico should be clearly marked with Docket 
No. EA-128. Additional copies are to be filed directly with: Michael E. 
Small, Wright & Talisman, P.C., 1200 G Street, N.W., Suite 600, 
Washington, D.C. 20005 and Louis Ridings, President, Quixx Corporation, 
6th & Tyler, Suite 1510, P.O. Box 12033, Amarillo, Texas 79101.
    A final decision will be made on these applications after the 
environmental impacts have been evaluated pursuant to the National 
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), and a determination is made by 
the DOE that the proposed actions will not adversely impact on the 
reliability of the U.S. electric power supply system.
    Copies of these applications will be made available, upon request, 
for public inspection and copying at the address provided above.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on November 1, 1996.
Anthony J. Como,
Director, Office of Coal & Electricity, Office of Fuels Programs, 
Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 96-28667 Filed 11-6-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P