Notice2023-09004
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
Primary source
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Published
April 28, 2023
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentWestern Area Power Administration
Abstract
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 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.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 82 (Friday, April 28, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 82 (Friday, April 28, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26298-26300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[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
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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: <a href="http://www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-membership.aspx">www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-membership.aspx</a>.
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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d3808383fe90bcbebeb6bda7a093a4b2a3b2fdb4bca5"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="6c3f3c3c412f0301010902181f2c1b0d1c0d420b031a">[email protected]</span></a> 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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#abf8fbfb86e8c4c6c6cec5dfd8ebdccadbca85ccc4dd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b1e2e1e19cf2dedcdcd4dfc5c2f1c6d0c1d09fd6dec7">[email protected]</span></a>, 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: <a href="http://www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-membership.aspx">www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-membership.aspx</a>.
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: <a href="http://www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-membership.aspx">www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-membership.aspx</a>. 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: <a href="http://www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-">www.wapa.gov/About/keytopics/Pages/southwest-power-pool-</a>
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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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
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