[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 80 (Tuesday, April 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24555-24556]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-08861]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


2025 Resource Pool--Loveland Area Projects, Proposed Power 
Allocation

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of proposed power allocation.

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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), a Federal Power 
Marketing Administration of the Department of Energy (DOE), announces 
its Loveland Area Projects (LAP) 2025 Resource Pool proposed power 
allocation. WAPA developed the proposed power allocation under its LAP 
2025 Power Marketing Initiative (2025 PMI), as published in the Federal 
Register on December 30, 2013.

DATES: The comment period on this Notice of proposed power allocation 
begins April 26, 2022 and ends at 4:00 p.m., MDT, on June 10, 2022. 
WAPA will accept comments by email or delivered by U.S. mail. WAPA 
reserves the right not to consider comments received after the 
prescribed date and time.
    A single public information and comment forum (not to exceed three 
hours) about the proposed power allocation will be held on Monday, May 
23, 2022, at 1:30 p.m., MDT. WAPA will hold the public information and 
comment forum online. The comment forum will begin immediately 
following the conclusion of the information forum. The forum will be 
accessible 15 minutes in advance of the start time by copying and 
pasting the following link into a web browser: https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_ZjA2YTE1NjMtMmI2ZC00MGIyLWE2NWItNjVkMTY2NWJhMzE5%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%2231ae220f-b94f-463a-9cfd-15bbc9909df5%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%22840a7135-304c-46b4-bb91-183fb9ec6880%22%7d.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to Barton V. Barnhart, Regional 
Manager, Rocky Mountain Region, Western Area Power Administration, 5555 
East Crossroads Boulevard, Loveland, CO 80538-8986. If submitting 
comments electronically, please email to Parker Wicks, Contracts and 
Energy Services Manager, Rocky Mountain Region, Western Area Power 
Administration, at [email protected]. Comments must be received by WAPA 
within the time required in the DATES section. Information about the 
2025 Resource Pool, including allocation procedures, is available on 
WAPA-RMR's website at: https://www.wapa.gov/regions/RM/PowerMarketing/Pages/2025-Loveland-Area-Projects-Resource-Pool.aspx.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Parker Wicks, Contracts and Energy 
Services Manager, Rocky Mountain Region, Western Area Power 
Administration, (970) 461-7202, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 2025 PMI, as published in the Federal 
Register December 30, 2013 (78 FR 79444), provides the basis for 
marketing the LAP long-term firm hydroelectric resource beginning 
October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2054. The 2025 PMI established 
three resource pools available for reallocation to eligible new 
preference entities. Reallocations will occur at the beginning of the 
October 1, 2024, contract term and again every 10 years thereafter on 
October 1, 2034, and October 1, 2044. Each resource pool contains up to 
one percent of the marketable resource under contract, at that time.
    WAPA notified the public of the 2025 Resource Pool allocation 
procedures, including the General Eligibility Criteria, and called for 
applications in the Federal Register on September 20, 2021 (86 FR 
52145). WAPA accepted applications until 4:00 p.m., MST, November 15, 
2021. Review of those applications resulted in this Notice of proposed 
power allocation.
    WAPA seeks comments relevant to the proposed power allocation 
during the comment period. After considering public comments received, 
WAPA will publish the Final Power Allocation in the Federal Register.

I. 2025 Pool Resources

    WAPA will allocate up to one percent of the LAP long-term firm 
hydroelectric resource available as of October 1, 2024. The amount of 
the resource that will become available on October 1, 2024, is 
approximately 6.9 megawatts (MW) for the summer season and 6.1 MW for 
the winter season. The 2025 Resource Pool will be created by reducing 
existing customers' allocation by up to one percent.

II. Proposed Power Allocation

    In response to WAPA's allocation procedures and call for 
applications (86 FR 52145), WAPA received 13 applications for the 2025 
Resource Pool. WAPA determined that one applicant did not meet the 
General Eligibility Criteria and therefore was ineligible to receive an 
allocation. The resource pool will be allocated proportionately by 
season to the 12 qualified allottees based on average seasonal loads 
for calendar year 2020. The proposed allocations for the 12 qualified 
allottees, shown in the table below, are based on the LAP marketable 
resource currently available and are subject to the minimum (100 
kilowatts) and maximum (5,000 kilowatts) allocation criteria. If the 
LAP marketable resource is adjusted in the future, all allocations may 
be adjusted accordingly.

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                                                   Proposed LAP 2025 resource pool power allocation
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              Allottees                Summer kilowatt-   Winter kilowatt-
                                            hours              hours         Summer kilowatts   Winter kilowatts
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City of Alma, KS....................          1,641,046          1,174,939              1,003                781
City of Blue Mound, KS..............            219,242            176,015                134                117
Buckley Space Force Base, CO........          4,198,329          3,598,531              2,566              2,392
City of Elwood, KS..................            921,145            648,398                563                431

[[Page 24556]]

 
City of Luray, KS...................            214,334            156,458                131                104
City of Montezuma, KS...............          1,353,086          1,036,534                827                689
City of Morrill, KS.................            163,614            150,440                100                100
Village of Paxton, NE...............            595,554            570,169                364                379
City of Prescott, KS................            163,614            150,440                100                100
City of Robinson, KS................            163,614            150,440                100                100
Village of Trenton, NE..............            571,012            532,559                349                354
City of Wathena, KS.................          1,097,848            761,228                671                506
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    Total 2025 Resource Pool........         11,302,438          9,106,151              6,908              6,053
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    All of the 12 qualified allottees reside beyond the boundary of 
WAPA's LAP transmission system. As a result, delivery of the allocation 
will require each allottee to obtain additional transmission 
arrangements, acceptable to WAPA, for delivery of the proposed power 
allocation to the allottee's point of delivery.
    By June 1, 2024, each allottee must have firm delivery arrangements 
in place to be effective October 1, 2024, unless otherwise agreed to in 
writing by WAPA. WAPA must receive a letter of commitment from each 
allottee's serving utility or transmission provider by June 1, 2024, 
confirming the allottee will be able to receive the benefit of WAPA's 
2025 Resource Pool. If WAPA does not receive a commitment letter by 
June 1, 2024, unless otherwise agreed in writing by WAPA, WAPA will 
withdraw its offer of an allocation.

III. Regulatory Procedure Requirements

A. Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

    WAPA has determined this action fits within the following 
categorical exclusion listed in appendix B to subpart D of 10 CFR part 
1021.B4.1 (Contracts, policies, and marketing and allocation plans for 
electric power). Categorically excluded projects and activities do not 
require preparation of either an environmental impact statement or an 
environmental assessment.\1\ Specifically, WAPA has determined this 
rulemaking is consistent with activities identified in part B4, 
Categorical Exclusions Applicable to Specific Agency Actions (see 10 
CFR part 1021, appendix B to subpart D, part B4). A copy of the 
categorical exclusion determination is available on WAPA-RMR's website 
at: https://www.wapa.gov/regions/RM/environment/Pages/CX2021.aspx. Look 
for the file entitled ``2021-091 LAP 2025 Resource Pool CX.''
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    \1\ The determination was done in compliance with NEPA (42 
U.S.C. 4321-4347); the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations 
for implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508); and DOE NEPA 
Implementing Procedures and Guidelines (10 CFR part 1021).
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B. Review Under Paperwork Reduction Act

    In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et 
seq.), WAPA has received approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget for the collection of customer information in this rule, under 
OMB control number 1910-5136.

C. 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.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on April 5, 
2022, by Tracey A. LeBeau, Administrator, Western Area Power 
Administration, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of 
Energy. That document, with the original signature and date, is 
maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance 
with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the 
undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to 
sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as 
an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative 
process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon 
publication in the Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on April 21, 2022.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2022-08861 Filed 4-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P