[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 209 (Tuesday, October 31, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74488-74489]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24002]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Western Area Power Administration
2025 Resource Pool--Provo River Project, Proposed Power
Allocation
AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of Provo River Project 2025 Resource Pool proposed power
allocation and request for comment.
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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration (WAPA), a Federal Power
Marketing Administration of the Department of Energy (DOE), announces
its Provo River Project (PRP) 2025 Resource Pool proposed power
allocation. WAPA developed the proposed power allocations under its
Final 2025 Provo River Project Marketing Plan and Call for 2025
Resource Pool Applications (Marketing Plan), published in the Federal
Register March 17, 2023. WAPA proposes not to allocate any power under
the 2025 Resource Pool.
DATES: The comment period on this Notice of proposed power allocation
begins today and ends at 4 p.m. MST, on January 2, 2024. WAPA will
accept comments by email or delivered by common carrier such as U.S.
mail. WAPA reserves the right to not consider comments received after
the prescribed date and time.
A single public information and comment forum about the proposed
2025 Resource Pool power allocation will be held virtually on
Wednesday, December 6, 2023, beginning at 2 p.m. MST and concluding
when comments are complete, or no later than 5 p.m. MST. Information on
the virtual meeting may be found on the Colorado River Storage Project
(CRSP) website at: www.wapa.gov/regions/CRSP/PowerMarketing/Pages/power-marketing.aspx. WAPA will post virtual meeting access and dial in
information at this link 14 days before the scheduled meeting. The
public information and comment forum can be accessed 15 minutes in
advance of the start time.
ADDRESSES: Submit written comments about the 2025 Resource Pool
proposed power allocation to: Mr. Rodney Bailey, Senior Vice President
and CRSP Manager, CRSP Management Center (MC), Western Area Power
Administration, 1800 South Rio Grande Avenue, Montrose, CO 81401.
Comments also may be emailed to [email protected] or faxed to
970-240-6282. All documentation developed or retained by WAPA for the
purpose of developing the proposed power allocation is available for
inspection and copying at the CRSP MC. Comments must be received by
WAPA within the time required in the DATES section. Information about
the Marketing Plan, which describes the resource pool allocation
procedures, is available on CRSP's website at: www.wapa.gov/regions/CRSP/PowerMarketing/Pages/power-marketing.aspx.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Randolph Manion, CRSP Contracts
and Energy Services Manager, [email protected], 720-201-3285, or fax at
970-240-6282.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Marketing Plan provides the basis for
marketing the PRP long-term hydroelectric resource beginning October 1,
2024, through September 30, 2054. The Marketing Plan established the
opportunity for one resource pool of up to 3 percent of the net
marketable resource under contract at the time of reallocation to be
available for eligible new preference entities and existing
contractors.
WAPA notified the public of the 2025 Resource Pool allocation
procedures, including the Eligibility Criteria, and called for
applications in the Federal Register on March 17, 2023 (88 FR 16433).
WAPA accepted applications at WAPA's CRSP MC until 4:00 p.m. MDT, June
15, 2023.
WAPA seeks comments on its proposal not to allocate any power under
the 2025 Resource Pool. After considering public comments received,
WAPA will publish the final decision in the Federal Register.
I. 2025 Pool Resources
To ensure consistency with WAPA's wide-spread use policy when a
project is remarketed, it was WAPA's intent to reallocate up to 3
percent of the net marketable PRP energy resource for eligible new
preference entities. Furthermore, PRP contractors also were eligible to
apply for a portion of the resource pool. Based on the most recent 5-
year net marketable power average of 17,243,527 kilowatt-hour (kWh)
annually, the estimated amount of PRP energy available for the 2025
Resource Pool as of October 1, 2024, through September 30, 2054, is
estimated at 517,306 kWh annually. The 2025 Resource Pool would be
created by reducing existing PRP contractors' allocation by up to 3
percent.
II. No Proposed 2025 Resource Pool Power Allocation
WAPA received one application for the 2025 Resource Pool. The
single application came- from the Utah Associated Municipal Power
Systems (UAMPS), a joint action agency, on behalf of three of its
members: Payson, Utah, Springville City, Utah, and South Utah Valley
Electric Service District, Utah. All are existing PRP contractors (sub-
allottees). WAPA received no other applications, including any
applications from eligible new applicants.
As discussed in the Marketing Plan, WAPA would make allocations for
the 2025 Resource Pool at WAPA's discretion (88 FR 16438). One of the
purposes of the 2025 Resource Pool is ``to ensure consistency with the
wide-spread use policy to allow new applicants an opportunity to
receive an allocation'' (88 FR 16435). In allocating the 2025 Resource
Pool WAPA would ``take into consideration all existing federal
hydropower allocations an applicant is currently receiving when
determining each new 2025 Resource Pool application'' (88 FR 16437).
After analyzing the application from UAMPS on behalf of the three sub-
allottees and taking into consideration all existing federal hydropower
allocations to all PRP contractors, WAPA determined no significant
benefit of additional wide-spread use by continuing forward with the
2025 Resource Pool proposed power allocations. Therefore, WAPA proposes
not to allocate any power under the 2025 Resource Pool. As part of the
proposal, WAPA will not reduce PRP contractor allocations by 3 percent,
and all current PRP allocations remaining unchanged from October 1,
2024, through September 30, 2054, as indicated in the table below.
[[Page 74489]]
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Percentage
Joint action agency Eligible entity entitlement
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Heber City.......... 6.0
UAMPS Total....................... .................... 24.0
Lehi................ 2.7
Springville......... 12.9
Payson.............. 4.8
South Utah Valley 3.6
ESD.
UMPA Total........................ .................... 70
Provo............... 60.9
Salem............... 1.4
Spanish Fork........ 7.7
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III. Regulatory Procedure Requirements
A. Review Under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
WAPA has determined that this proposed action fits within the
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. A copy of the categorical exclusion
determination is available on the CRSP website at: www.wapa.gov/regions/CRSP/environment/Pages/environment.aspx.
B. 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 October 13,
2023, by Tracey A. LeBeau, Administrator, Western Area Power
Administration, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of
Energy. That delegation authority 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 this 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 October 26, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-24002 Filed 10-30-23; 8:45 am]
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