[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 244 (Thursday, December 23, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 72948-72949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-27776]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD20-20-000]


Notice of Availability of Final Engineering Guidelines for the 
Evaluation of Hydropower Projects: Chapter 15--Supporting Technical 
Information Document and Digital Project Archive

    The staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC or 
Commission) has prepared a final ``Chapter 15--Supporting Technical 
Information Document and Digital Project Archive'' of its Engineering 
Guidelines for the Evaluation of Hydropower Projects (Guidelines). This 
chapter supersedes the portions of ``Chapter 14--Dam Safety Performance 
Monitoring Program'' that pertain to the Supporting Technical 
Information Document, and is one of four new chapters of the Guidelines 
intended to provide additional guidance related to 18 CFR part 12, 
Safety of Water Power Projects and Project Works, Docket No. RM20-9-
000, Order No 880, issued by the Commission on December 16, 2021.
    On July 16, 2020, the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed 
Rulemaking (NOPR) to revise its part 12 regulations. On the same day, 
the Commission solicited public review and comment on four new draft 
chapters of its Guidelines. Draft Chapter 15 was part of that issuance.
    The Commission received ten comment letters in response to draft 
Chapter 15. Most of the comments were submitted by licensees and 
individuals through trade associations, including National Hydropower 
Association, Dam Safety Interest Group of CEATI International, and U.S. 
Society on Dams, as well as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Comments 
were also received from individual licensees, corporations, and 
individuals, including David L. Mathews, McMillen Jacobs Associates, 
City of North Little Rock Electric, Alaska Electric Light and Power 
Company, Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District, and 
Copper Valley Electric Association.
    In all, the ten comment letters consisted of approximately 105 
discrete comments. The comments received were varied. Most comments 
requested clarification of the information to include in the Supporting 
Technical Information Document (STID), when STID updates should be 
submitted, and how the information should be stored and filed. 
Commenters asked the Commission to:
     Clarify the use of hyperlinks in the STID;
     Clarify when STID updates are to be submitted;
     Clarify the requirement for providing searchable 
electronic documents from original hard copies;
     Consider adding the use of secured shared drives as a 
storage option;
     Reconsider the need for a hard copy of the STID;
     Avoid the duplication of information included in the 
Standard Operating Procedures section that is also included in other 
sections of the STID;
     Provide additional guidance on the type of information and 
reports to be included in each section of the engineering analyses; and
     Clarify the information to be included in the digital 
references.
    Commission staff has considered all comments in finalizing Chapter 
15 of the Engineering Guidelines. Based on the comments received, 
Chapter 15 has been revised to:
     Provide additional guidance on the types of information to 
include in the digital references, now termed the Digital Project 
Archive (DPA);
     Clarify how to file the DPA;
     Clarify the purpose of the STID and the DPA;
     Clarify the contents and format of the STID;
     Provide a file structure and organization for the DPA; and
     Clarify when updates of the STID and DPA should be 
submitted.
    All information related to ``Chapter 15--Supporting Technical 
Information Document and Digital Project Archive,'' including the draft 
chapter, all submitted comments, and the final chapter, can be found on 
the FERC website (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the 
eLibrary link, click on ``General Search'' and enter the docket number, 
excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., AD20-
20). Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. The 
Commission also offers a free service called eSubscription which allows 
you to keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific 
dockets. This can reduce the amount of time you spend researching 
proceedings by automatically providing you with electronic notification 
of these filings and direct links to the documents. Go to the 
Commission's website (www.ferc.gov), select the FERC Online option from 
the left-hand column, and click on eSubscription. Users must be 
registered in order to use eSubscription.
    The final version of Chapter 15 is also available on the 
Commission's Division of Dam Safety and Inspections website at: 
Engineering Guidelines for the Evaluation of Hydropower Projects [bond] 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (ferc.gov).

Information Collection Statement

    Chapter 15 includes information collection activities for which the 
Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521, requires approval by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Commission has included the 
burden and cost estimates for information collection activities related 
to this chapter in the rulemaking document (Docket No. RM20-9-000, 
Order No. 880. The Commission has

[[Page 72949]]

designated the information collection activities in the rule as FERC-
517. Upon final approval of FERC-517, OMB will assign an OMB Control 
Number and expiration date.
    Send written comments on FERC-517 to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) through www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, Attention: 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the 
OMB control number (1902-TBD) in the subject line. Your comments should 
be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register. OMB submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance 
with submission guidelines at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Using 
the search function under the ``Currently Under Review field,'' select 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; click ``submit'' and select 
``comment'' to the right of the subject collection.
    For assistance with any of the Commission's online systems, please 
contact FERC Online Support at ferc.gov">FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free 
at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8258.

    Dated: December 16, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-27776 Filed 12-22-21; 8:45 am]
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