[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 82 (Friday, April 28, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26298-26300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09004]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration


Recommendation for the Western Area Power Administration's Rocky 
Mountain Region and Colorado River Storage Project Management Center To 
Pursue Final Negotiations Regarding Membership in the Southwest Power 
Pool Regional Transmission Organization, and for the Upper Great Plains 
Region To Expand Its Participation

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of recommendation to pursue final negotiations regarding 
SPP RTO membership.

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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), a Power Marketing 
Administration of the Department of Energy (DOE), recommends the Rocky 
Mountain Region (WAPA-RM) with its Loveland Area Projects Transmission 
System and the Colorado River Storage Project Management Center (WAPA-
CRSP) with its Colorado River Storage Project Transmission System 
pursue final negotiations regarding transmission

[[Page 26299]]

owning membership in the Southwest Power Pool (SPP) Regional 
Transmission Organization (RTO), and the Upper Great Plains Region 
(WAPA-UGP) with its Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Project--Eastern Division 
facilities in the Western Interconnection expand its participation in 
SPP. WAPA is seeking public comments from its customers, Indian Tribes, 
and other stakeholders on the substance of the recommendation.

DATES: WAPA-RM, WAPA-CRSP, and WAPA-UGP will hold at least one virtual 
customer and stakeholder meeting to provide an overview of the 
recommendation to pursue final negotiations with SPP concerning 
membership and expansion of membership in SPP. Date(s) for the meetings 
will be posted on WAPA's website at: www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-membership.aspx.
    To ensure consideration, all comments should be received by WAPA on 
or before 4:00 p.m.. Mountain Time June 12, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments via email to [email protected] or 
via regular mail to Rebecca Johnson, Transmission and Power Markets 
Advisor, Western Area Power Administration, 12155 West Alameda Parkway, 
Lakewood, CO 80228-8213. Written comments must be received by the 
deadline identified above to be considered in WAPA's decision process 
and should include the following information:
    1. Name and general description of the entity submitting the 
comment.
    2. Name, telephone number, and email address of the entity's 
primary contact.
    3. Identification of any specific recommendation the comment 
references.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Johnson, Transmission and 
Power Markets Advisor at (720) 376-2400, email at [email protected], or regular mail at Western Area Power 
Administration, 12155 West Alameda Parkway, Lakewood, CO 80228-8213.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In October 2020, WAPA-RM and WAPA-UGP along 
with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, Basin Electric 
Power Cooperative, Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska, and Deseret 
Power each executed non-binding Letters of Interest (LOI) to 
investigate membership or expanded participation in SPP. In April 2021, 
WAPA-CRSP executed a non-binding LOI. In May 2021, Colorado Springs 
Utilities executed a non-binding LOI. In August 2022, Platte River 
Power Authority executed a non-binding LOI.
    The participating entities have completed transmission cost 
studies, adjusted production cost modeling, and various other analyses. 
After discussions among these entities, negotiations with SPP, and 
further analysis by WAPA subject matter experts, and pursuant to its 
authority under Section 1232(a)(l)(A) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 
(42 U.S.C. 16431), WAPA recommends WAPA-RM and WAPA-CRSP pursue final 
negotiations regarding membership in SPP, and WAPA-UGP expand its 
participation in SPP. WAPA will continue to work with our customers 
both inside and outside of the proposed RTO-West footprint to the 
greatest extent possible, and continuously monitor the evolution of 
markets and the operational changes as they develop. The background, 
basis for the recommendation, and explanatory material are posted on 
WAPA's website at: www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-membership.aspx.
    WAPA-RM's membership would include SPP assuming the balancing 
authority responsibilities for the Western Area Colorado Missouri 
balancing authority area (BAA) that WAPA-RM operates today, as well as 
SPP operating a single SPP-West BAA.
    In addition, WAPA-UGP, with its Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Project--
Eastern Division facilities in the Western Interconnection, would 
pursue final negotiations to expand its participation in the SPP RTO. 
WAPA-UGP's Western Interconnection transmission facilities are already 
under the SPP tariff and WAPA-UGP's Eastern Interconnection facilities 
are already in the SPP RTO and SPP's Integrated Marketplace. This 
recommendation includes SPP also assuming the balancing authority 
responsibilities for the Western Area Upper Great Plains West (WAUW) 
BAA that WAPA-UGP operates in the Western Interconnection today in a 
single SPP-West BAA, as well as SPP implementing its Integrated 
Marketplace across WAPA-UGP's facilities in the existing WAUW BAA 
footprint.
    Through this process, WAPA is soliciting comments from its 
customers, Indian Tribes, and other stakeholders regarding its 
recommendation to pursue final negotiations. At the close of the 
comment period, WAPA will provide notification of its decision with a 
letter to stakeholders and by a posting to its website. Concurrent with 
this comment process, WAPA also will conduct a separate Tribal 
consultation.
    If the decision is made by WAPA to move forward with final 
negotiations with SPP, and those negotiations are successful, WAPA-RM 
and WAPA-CRSP would then execute SPP membership agreements and WAPA-UGP 
would expand its participation in SPP.

Legal Authority

    Any decision by WAPA to move forward with final negotiations with 
SPP will be consistent with WAPA-RM, WAPA-CRSP, and WAPA-UGP statutory 
requirements and as outlined in the explanatory material posted on 
WAPA's website. Section 1232(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 
authorizes the appropriate Federal regulatory authority to enter into a 
contract, agreement, or other arrangement transferring control and use 
of all or part of the transmission system of a Federal utility to a 
Transmission Organization (42 U.S.C. 16431(b)). By Delegation Order No. 
S1-DEL-RATES-2016, effective November 19, 2016, the Secretary of Energy 
designated the Administrator of WAPA as the appropriate Federal 
regulatory authority with respect to all or part of WAPA's transmission 
system.

Availability of Information

    The Recommendation Report and explanatory material to be presented 
at the public meeting(s), as well as other supporting documents, are 
available for review and comment on the website at: www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-membership.aspx. Comments received 
as part of this public process, along with WAPA's responses will be 
posted on the same website after the close of the comment period.

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: B4.4 (Power Marketing Services and Activities). Categorically 
excluded projects and activities do not require preparation of either 
an environmental impact statement or an environmental assessment.\1\ A 
copy of the categorical exclusion determination is available on the 
website at: www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool- 
membership.aspx.
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    \1\ The determination was done in compliance with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended, 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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[[Page 26300]]

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on April 17, 
2023, by Tracey A. LeBeau Administrator, Western Area Power 
Administration, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of 
Energy. This 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 25, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-09004 Filed 4-27-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P