[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 33 (Friday, February 18, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8350-8351]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-3148]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[FE Docket No. PP-299]


Application for Presidential Permit; Sea Breeze Pacific Regional 
Transmission System, Inc.

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of application.

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SUMMARY: Sea Breeze Pacific Regional Transmission System, Inc., (Sea 
Breeze) has applied for a Presidential permit to construct, operate, 
maintain, and connect a 150,000-volt (150-kV), direct current 
transmission line across the U.S. border with Canada.

DATES: Comments, protests, or requests to intervene must be submitted 
on or before March 21, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, or requests to intervene should be 
addressed as follows: Office of Fossil Energy (FE-27), U.S. Department 
of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585 (FAX 
202-297-5736).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Jerry Pell (Program Office) at 
202-586-3362, or Michael T. Skinker (Program Attorney) at 202-586-2793.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The construction, operation, maintenance, 
and connection of facilities at the international border of the United 
States for the transmission of electric energy between the United 
States and a foreign country is prohibited in the absence of a 
Presidential permit issued pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 10485, as 
amended by EO 12038.
    On December 20, 2004, Sea Breeze filed an application with the 
Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) for a 
Presidential permit for the construction of a 150-kV electric 
transmission line that would cross the U.S.-Canadian border. Sea Breeze 
is a British Columbia corporation with its principal place of business 
in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although Sea Breeze is the sole 
applicant for a Presidential permit, Sea Breeze is a joint venture 
between Sea Breeze Power Corporation, a publicly traded Canadian 
corporation, and Boundless Energy, LLC, a limited liability company of 
the State of Maine.
    Sea Breeze proposes to develop a direct current transmission 
interconnection between Canada and the United States utilizing High 
Voltage Direct Current Light technology. The project would originate on 
Vancouver Island in the vicinity of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 
cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca via submarine cable, and proceed via 
terrestrial underground cable to a converter station to be constructed 
at a substation located in Port Angeles, Washington, and owned by 
Bonneville Power Administration. The converter station would convert 
the direct current back to alternating current.
    The entire length of the proposed transmission facilities would be 
22 miles, consisting of 1\1/2\ miles of land-based underground cable in 
Canada, 19 miles of submarine cable crossing the Strait of Juan de 
Fuca, and 1\1/2\ miles of land-based underground cable inside the 
United States. The project is intended to transmit up to 550 megawatts 
of power in either direction between the two countries.
    Since the restructuring of the electric power industry began, 
resulting in the introduction of different types of competitive 
entities into the marketplace, DOE has consistently expressed its 
policy that cross-border trade in electric energy should be subject to 
the same principles of comparable open access and non-discrimination 
that apply to transmission in interstate commerce. DOE has stated that 
policy in export authorization granted to entities requesting authority 
to export over international transmission facilities. Specifically, DOE 
expects transmitting utilities owning border facilities constructed 
pursuant to Presidential permits to provide access across the border in 
accordance with the

[[Page 8351]]

principles of comparable open access and non-discrimination contained 
in the FPA and articulated in Federal Energy Regulation Commission 
Order No. 888, as amended (Promoting Wholesale Competition Through Open 
Access Non-Discriminatory Transmission Services by Public Utilities). 
In furtherance of this policy, DOE intends to condition any 
Presidential permit issued in this proceeding on compliance with these 
open access principles.
    Procedural Matters: Any person desiring to become a party to this 
proceeding or to be heard by filing comments or protests to this 
application should file a petition to intervene, comment or protest at 
the address provided above in accordance with Sec.  385.211 or 385.214 
of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Rules of Practice and 
Procedures (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). Fifteen copies of each petition 
and protest should be filed with DOE on or before the date listed 
above.
    Additional copies of such petitions to intervene or protest also 
should be filed directly with Tony Duggleby, Chief Executive Officer, 
Sea Breeze Pacific Regional Transmission System, Inc., Lobby Box 91, 
Suite 1400, 333 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6B 5A6 and with 
either John G. Osborn or Gordon F. Grimes at Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer & 
Nelson, 100 Middle Street, P.O. Box 9729, Portland, ME 04104-5029.
    Before a Presidential permit may be issued or amended, the DOE must 
determine that the proposed action will not adversely impact on the 
reliability of the U.S. electric power supply system. In addition, DOE 
must consider the environmental impacts of the proposed action (i.e., 
granting the Presidential permit, with any conditions and limitations, 
or denying it) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 
1969 (NEPA). DOE also must obtain the concurrences of the Secretary of 
State and the Secretary of Defense before taking final action on a 
Presidential permit application.
    The NEPA compliance process is a cooperative non-adversarial 
process involving members of the public, state governments, Tribal 
governments, and the Federal government. The process affords all 
persons interested in or potentially affected by the environmental 
consequences of a proposed action an opportunity to present their 
views, which will be considered in the preparation of the environmental 
documentation for the proposed action. Intervening and becoming a party 
to this proceeding will not create any special status for the 
petitioner with regard to the NEPA process. Notices of forthcoming NEPA 
activities and information on how to participate in those activities 
will appear in the Federal Register.
    Copies of this application will be made available, upon request, 
for public inspection and copying at the address provided above. In 
addition, the application may be viewed on, or downloaded from, the 
Office of Fossil Energy Web site at http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/ElectricityRegulation. Select ``Pending Proceedings'' from the options 
menu.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 14, 2005.
Anthony J. Como,
Deputy Director, Electric Power Regulation, Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 05-3148 Filed 2-17-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P