[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 9, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14111-14112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-07025]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Boulder Canyon Project

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Boulder Canyon Project Base Charge 
and Rates for Electric Service.

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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration (WAPA) is proposing the base 
charge and rates for fiscal year (FY) 2020 Boulder Canyon Project (BCP) 
electric service under Rate Schedule BCP-F10. The proposal would reduce 
the base charge 2.6 percent from $69.7 million in FY 2019 to $67.9 
million for FY 2020. The reduction is primarily the result of an 
increase in revenue projections for the Hoover Dam visitor center and a 
decrease in WAPA's budget. The proposed base charge and rates would go 
into effect on October 1, 2019, and remain in effect through September 
30, 2020. Publication of this Federal Register notice will initiate the 
public process.

DATES: The consultation and comment period begins today and will end 
July 8, 2019. WAPA will present a detailed explanation of the proposed 
FY 2020 base charge and rates at a public information forum that will 
be held on May 9, 2019, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Phoenix, 
Arizona. WAPA will also host a public comment forum held on June 10, 
2019, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in Phoenix, Arizona. WAPA will 
accept written comments any time during the consultation and comment 
period.

ADDRESSES: The public information forum and public comment forum will 
be held at WAPA's Desert Southwest Customer Service Regional Office, 
located at 615 South 43rd Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009. Send written 
comments to Mr. Ronald E. Moulton, Regional Manager, Desert Southwest 
Region, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 6457, Phoenix, 
Arizona 85005-6457, or email [email protected]. WAPA will post 
information concerning the rate process and written comments received 
on its website at https://www.wapa.gov/regions/DSW/Rates/Pages/boulder-canyon-rates.aspx.
    As access to WAPA facilities is controlled, any U.S. citizen 
wishing to attend a meeting held at WAPA must present an official form 
of picture identification (ID), such as a U.S. driver's license, U.S. 
passport, U.S. Government ID, or U.S. military ID, at the time of the 
meeting. Foreign nationals should contact Ms. Tina Ramsey, Rates 
Manager, Desert Southwest Region, Western Area Power Administration, at 
(602) 605-2565 or email at [email protected] in advance of a meeting 
to obtain the necessary form for admittance to the Desert Southwest 
Customer Service Regional Office.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Tina Ramsey, Rates Manager, Desert 
Southwest Region, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 6457, 
Phoenix, AZ 85005-6457, (602) 605-2565, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Hoover Dam,\1\ authorized by the Boulder 
Canyon Project Act of 1928, as amended (43 U.S.C. 617 et seq.), sits on 
the Colorado River along the Arizona-Nevada border. Hoover Dam's power 
plant has 19 generating units (two for plant use) and an installed 
capacity of 2,078.8 megawatts (4,800 kilowatts for plant use). In 
collaboration with the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), WAPA 
markets and delivers hydropower from Hoover Dam's power plant through 
high-voltage transmission lines and substations to Arizona, Southern 
California, and Southern Nevada.
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    \1\ Hoover Dam was known as Boulder Dam from 1933 to 1947, but 
was renamed Hoover Dam by an April 30, 1947, joint resolution of 
Congress.
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    The rate-setting methodology for BCP calculates an annual base 
charge rather than a unit rate for Hoover Dam hydropower. The base 
charge recovers an annual revenue requirement that includes projected 
costs of investment repayment, interest, operations, maintenance, 
replacements, payments to States, and Hoover Dam visitor services. Non-
power revenue projections such as water sales, Hoover Dam visitor 
revenue, ancillary services, and late fees help offset these projected 
costs. Customers are billed a percentage of the base charge in 
proportion to their Hoover power allocation. A unit rate is calculated 
for comparative purposes but

[[Page 14112]]

is not used to determine the charges for service.
    On June 6, 2018, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) 
confirmed and approved Rate Schedule BCP-F10 for a five-year period 
ending September 30, 2022.\2\ Rate Schedule BCP-F10 and the BCP 
Electric Service Agreement require WAPA to determine the annual base 
charge and rates for the next fiscal year before October 1 of each 
year. The FY 2019 BCP base charge and rates expire on September 30, 
2019.
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    \2\ Order Confirming and Approving Rate Schedule on a Final 
Basis, FERC Docket No. EF18-1-000, 163 FERC ] 62,154 (2018).

                                       Comparison of Base Charge and Rates
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                                                      FY 2019         FY 2020      Amount change  Percent change
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Base Charge ($).................................     $69,741,657     $67,929,402     -$1,812,255            -2.6
Composite Rate (mills/kWh)......................           18.92           19.64            0.72             3.8
Energy Rate (mills/kWh).........................            9.46            9.82            0.36             3.8
Capacity Rate ($/kW-Mo).........................           $1.88           $1.83          -$0.05            -2.6
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    Reclamation's FY 2020 budget is increasing by $4.3 million to $76.3 
million, a 6 percent increase from FY 2019. Higher operations and 
maintenance expenses ($2.2 million) and replacement costs ($1.4 
million) account for most of this increase. The primary drivers of 
these increases include higher salaries and higher security, hardware, 
software, and project costs. The rate impact of these increases to 
Reclamation's budget are offset by an increase in non-power revenue 
projections ($5.1 million), primarily resulting from the resumption of 
typical revenues following completion of the Hoover Dam visitor center 
renovations, and prior year carryover ($400,000).
    WAPA's FY 2020 budget is decreasing $600,000 to $8.7 million, a 6.5 
percent reduction from FY 2019, due to a reduction in dispatching and 
substation maintenance expenses ($400,000) and a decrease in 
replacement costs ($200,000).
    Although the base charge is decreasing, projections for the FY 2020 
composite and energy rates are increasing 3.8 percent due to a forecast 
of poor hydrological conditions. Capacity projections, which will be 
updated June 1, 2019, currently reflect a 2.6 percent reduction.
    This proposal, to be effective October 1, 2019, is preliminary and 
subject to change based on modifications to forecasts before 
publication of the final base charge and rates.

Legal Authority

    The proposed action constitutes a major rate adjustment as defined 
by 10 CFR 903.2(e). Pursuant to 10 CFR 903.15 and 903.16, WAPA will 
hold public information and public comment forums for this rate 
adjustment. WAPA will review and consider all timely public comments 
and adjust the proposal, as appropriate, at the conclusion of the 
consultation and comment period.
    WAPA is establishing rates for BCP electric service in accordance 
with section 302 of the Department of Energy (DOE) Organization Act (42 
U.S.C. 7152). This provision transferred to, and vested in, the 
Secretary of Energy certain functions of the Secretary of the Interior, 
along with the power marketing functions of Reclamation. Those 
functions include actions that specifically apply to the BCP.
    By Delegation Order No. 00-037.00B, effective November 19, 2016, 
the Secretary of Energy delegated: (1) The authority to develop power 
and transmission rates to WAPA's Administrator; (2) the authority to 
confirm, approve, and place into effect such rates on an interim basis 
to the Deputy Secretary of Energy; \3\ and (3) the authority to 
confirm, approve and place into effect on a final basis, or to remand 
or disapprove such rates, to FERC.
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    \3\ Notwithstanding the delegating paragraph 1.2's statement 
that ``[t]his authority may not be redelegated,'' in subparagraph 
1.18 A. of Delegation Order No. 00-002.00Q, effective November 1, 
2018, the Secretary of Energy also delegated to the Under Secretary 
of Energy the authority to confirm, approve, and place into effect 
on an interim basis power and transmission rates for WAPA.
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Availability of Information

    All studies, comments, letters, memorandums, and other documents 
WAPA prepares or uses to develop the proposed base charge and rates 
will be available for inspection and copying at the Desert Southwest 
Customer Service Regional Office, Western Area Power Administration, 
located at 615 South 43rd Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009. Many of these 
documents and supporting information are available on WAPA's website at 
https://www.wapa.gov/regions/DSW/Rates/Pages/boulder-canyon-rates.aspx.

Ratemaking Procedure Requirements

Environmental Compliance

    In compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 
1969, (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the regulations of the Council on 
Environmental Quality implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508), and 
DOE's NEPA Implementing Procedures and Guidelines (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.

Determination Under Executive Order 12866

    WAPA has an exemption from centralized regulatory review under 
Executive Order 12866; accordingly, no clearance of this notice by the 
Office of Management and Budget is required.

    Dated: March 29, 2019.
Mark A. Gabriel,
Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2019-07025 Filed 4-8-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P