[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 159 (Thursday, August 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50853-50854]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17722]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


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

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of final power allocation.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 final power 
allocation. WAPA developed the final power allocation under the 
requirements of subpart C-Power Marketing Initiative of the Energy 
Planning and Management Program (Program) Final Rule and WAPA's LAP 
2025 Power Marketing Initiative (2025 PMI), as published in the Federal 
Register on December 30, 2013. The final power allocations are 
established prior to the contractual phase of the 2025 Resource Pool 
process. Firm electric service contracts negotiated between WAPA and 
eligible allottees will permit delivery of hydroelectric power 
beginning October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2054.

DATES: The LAP 2025 Resource Pool final power allocation will become 
effective September 19, 2022, and will remain in effect through 
September 30, 2054.

ADDRESSES: Information about the LAP 2025 Resource Pool allocation 
procedures, including correspondence and supporting documents, is 
available for public inspection and copying at the Rocky Mountain 
Region office, Western Area Power Administration, 5555 East Crossroads 
Boulevard, Loveland, CO.

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). It then published its 2025 Resource Pool, Loveland Area 
Projects, Proposed Power Allocation and initiated a public comment 
period in the Federal Register (87 FR 24555, April 26, 2022). A public 
information and comment forum on the proposed power allocation was held 
at 1:30 p.m., MDT, on May 23, 2022. Public comments were due to WAPA by 
4:00 p.m., MDT, on June 10, 2022. There were no comments received 
during the public comment period. WAPA is now finalizing the proposed 
power allocations with publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register.

2025 Resource 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' firm electric service allocations by up to one 
percent.

Final 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, by the due date of November 15, 2021. Of the 
applications received by the due date, WAPA determined that one 
applicant did not meet the 2025 Resource Pool General Eligibility 
Criteria and was therefore ineligible to receive an allocation. After 
the application due date, WAPA learned that the Town of Basin, Wyoming 
(Basin), faxed its Applicant Profile Data (APD) form application to 
WAPA on November 10, 2021. Basin's APD form was not successfully 
received by WAPA, and WAPA was unaware that Basin submitted an 
application. Basin resubmitted its APD form to WAPA on May 5, 2022. 
WAPA reviewed Basin's APD form but determined that Basin did not meet 
the 2025 Resource Pool General Eligibility Criteria and was therefore 
ineligible to receive an allocation.
    The resource pool will be allocated proportionately by season to 12 
qualified allottees based on average seasonal load for calendar year 
2020. The final power allocations for the 12

[[Page 50854]]

qualified allottees, shown in the table below, are based on the LAP 
marketable resource currently available and are subject to the minimum 
allocation (100 kilowatts) and maximum allocation (5,000 kilowatts) 
criteria. If the LAP marketable resource is adjusted in the future, all 
allocations may be adjusted accordingly.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                   Proposed LAP 2025 resource pool power allocation
                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
              Allottees               Summer  kilowatt-  Winter  kilowatt-
                                            hours              hours        Summer  kilowatts  Winter  kilowatts
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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
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
                                     ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total 2025 Resource Pool........         11,302,438          9,106,151              6,908              6,053
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    All 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 that the allottee has 
secured the necessary transmission arrangements. 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 a power allocation.
    Any long-term LAP firm electric service contract offered by WAPA to 
an allottee shall be executed by the allottee by December 31, 2022, 
unless otherwise agreed to in writing by WAPA. Allottees which are a 
member of a member-based organization and elect to temporarily assign 
their allocation to the member-based organization, will be required to 
execute WAPA's assignment agreement, in lieu of a LAP long-term firm 
electric service contract, by December 31, 2022, unless otherwise 
agreed to in writing by WAPA.

Regulatory Procedure Requirements

Environmental Compliance

    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\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.''

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 August 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 August 12, 2022.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2022-17722 Filed 8-17-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P