48526 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 183 / Wednesday, September 23, 2009 / Notices 

On August 25, 2008, DOE initiated the 

environmental review process by 

publishing a Notice of Intent in the 

Federal Register (‘‘Notice of Intent to 

Prepare an Environmental Impact 

Statement and Notice of Wetlands 

Involvement for the Abengoa 

Biorefinery Project Near Hugoton, KS,’’ 

73 FR 50001). However, based on 

changes in the scope of the project 

proposed by ABBK and also ABBK’s 

decision to solicit loan guarantees from 

DOE’s Loan Guarantee Program 

pursuant to Title XVII of EPAct 2005 

and from USDA–RD Biorefinery 

Assistance Program, DOE published an 

Amended Notice of Intent in the 

Federal Register on April 29, 2009 

(‘‘Amended Notice of Intent To Modify 

the Scope of the Environmental Impact 

Statement for the Abengoa Biorefinery 

Project Near Hugoton, KS’’, 74 FR 

19543). Public comments were accepted 

on the original scope of the EIS from 

August 25 through October 9, 2008, and 

then on the revised scope from April 29 

through May 29, 2009. An initial public 

scoping meeting was held in Hugoton, 

KS on September 10, 2008, and an 

additional public scoping meeting was 

held on May 19, 2009 to address the 

revised scope. DOE received both oral 

and written scoping comments. DOE 

identified 16 scoping comments and 

grouped them into three categories 

reflecting the nature of the individual 

comments: (1) Support for the project, 

(2) requests for specific information or 

analyses and (3) statements of no 

negative environmental impacts. All 

requests for specific information are 

addressed in the Draft EIS. 

Proposed Action: DOE’s Proposed 

Action analyzed in the Draft EIS is to 

provide Federal funding to support the 

design, construction, and start up of the 

integrated biorefinery proposed by 

ABBK. DOE would negotiate an 

agreement with ABBK to provide 

approximately $85 million (2008 

dollars) for the final design, 

construction and start up of the 

biorefinery. The estimated total project 

cost is approximately $300 million 

(2008 dollars). At this time, DOE is not 

considering issuing a loan guarantee for 

the proposed project. The Abengoa 

Biorefinery facility would use 

lignocellulosic biomass (biomass) as 

feedstock to produce biofuels. Biomass 

such as corn stover, wheat straw, milo 

stubble, switchgrass, and other available 

materials would be harvested as 

feedstock and fermented to produce 

ethanol. The biorefinery would also 

produce electricity. 

Under the Proposed Action, the 

Abengoa Biorefinery would process 

approximately 2,300 dry metric tons per 

day of feedstock, which would be 

obtained from producers within 50 

miles of the Abengoa Biorefinery Project 

site. The biorefinery would produce up 

to 18 million gallons of denatured 

ethanol per year using a one-step 

feedstock hydrolysis and fermentation 

process. The biorefinery also would 

produce 92 megawatts of electricity, and 

117,000 dry short tons per year of 

lignin-rich stillage cake. Electricity 

would be produced via a high-pressure, 

steam-condensing turbine generator. 

Seventy megawatts of electricity would 

be sold commercially. The lignin-rich 

stillage cake could be sold to a lignin 

producer, processed and lignin-poor 

stillage cake would be returned to the 

biorefinery and burned in the solid fuel 

boiler. 

Action Alternative: For the Action 

Alternative, DOE would provide Federal 

funding for an integrated biorefinery 

that would produce approximately 12 

million gallons per year of denatured 

ethanol, 45,000 dry short tons per year 

of lignin-rich stillage cake, and 20 

megawatts of electricity for use at the 

facility (none sold commercially). 

Under the Action Alternative, the 

integrated biorefinery would use a twostage process to pretreat, hydrolyze and 

ferment sugars for ethanol production, 

and would produce syngas using a 

gasification system. A syngas boiler as 

well as the biomass boilers would 

produce steam. Steam would be used for 

ethanol production processes and 

electricity production. The biomass 

boilers and the turbines would be used 

to generate electricity solely to operate 

the plant (no electricity would be sold 

commercially) and would be smaller 

than those for the Proposed Action. 

No Action Alternative: Under the No 

Action Alternative, DOE would not 

provide Federal funding to ABBK to 

support the final design, construction, 

and start-up of the Abengoa Biorefinery 

Project. Under the No Action 

Alternative, the Draft EIS presumes that 

ABBK would not build a biorefinery. 

The Department recognizes, however, 

that ABBK could pursue alternative 

sources of capital for development of 

the biorefinery. 

Preferred Alternative: The Proposed 

Action is DOE’s Preferred Alternative. 

Following the end of the public 

comment period, November 9, 2009, 

DOE will consider and respond to the 

comments received, and issue the Final 

Abengoa Biorefinery EIS. DOE will issue 

a Record of Decision no sooner than 30 

days after the U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency issues a Notice of 

Availability of the Final EIS in the 

Federal Register. 

Issued in Golden, CO on September 15, 

2009. 

Steve Blazek, 

NEPA Compliance Officer, Golden Field 

Office. 

[FR Doc. E9–22920 Filed 9–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. NJ08–5–003] 

Bonneville Power Administration; 

Transmission Service Terms and 

Conditions; Notice of Filing 

September 16, 2009. 

Take notice that on September 14, 

2009, Bonneville Power Administration 

(BPA), pursuant to 18 CFR 35.28(e) and 

18 CFR 385.207, filed certain 

amendments to Attachment K to its 

Open Access Transmission Tariff in 

response to the Commission’s July 16, 

2009 Order, United States Department 

of Energy—Bonneville Power 

Administration, 128 FERC ¶ 61,065 

(2009). BPA also request a declaratory 

order accepting their proposed 

Attachment K as revised, finding that it 

satisfies the Commission’s standards for 

reciprocity. 

Any person desiring to intervene or to 

protest this filing must file in 

accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of 

the Commission’s Rules of Practice and 

Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). 

Protests will be considered by the 

Commission in determining the 

appropriate action to be taken, but will 

not serve to make protestants parties to 

the proceeding. Any person wishing to 

become a party must file a notice of 

intervention or motion to intervene, as 

appropriate. Such notices, motions, or 

protests must be filed on or before the 

comment date. Anyone filing a motion 

to intervene or protest must serve a copy 

of that document on the Applicant and 

all the parties in this proceeding. 

The Commission encourages 

electronic submission of protests and 

interventions in lieu of paper using the 

‘‘eFiling’’ link at http://www.ferc.gov. 

Persons unable to file electronically 

should submit an original and 14 copies 

of the protest or intervention to the 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 

20426. 

This filing is accessible on-line at 

http://www.ferc.gov, using the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for 

review in the Commission’s Public 

Reference Room in Washington, DC. 

There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on the 

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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 183 / Wednesday, September 23, 2009 / Notices 48527 

Web site that enables subscribers to 

receive e-mail notification when a 

document is added to a subscribed 

docket(s). For assistance with any FERC 

Online service, please e-mail 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call 

(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call 

(202) 502–8659. 

Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time 

on October 14, 2009. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E9–22855 Filed 9–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. EL00–95–233; Docket No. 

EL00–98–218] 

Notice of Filing 

September 16, 2009. 

In the matter of: San Diego Gas & Electric 

Company, Complainant v. Sellers of Energy 

and Ancillary Service Into Markets Operated 

by the California Independent System 

Operator and the California Power Exchange, 

Respondents; Investigation of Practices of the 

California Independent System Operator and 

The California Power Exchange. 

Take notice that on September 11, 

2009, the California Power Exchange 

Corporation filed a refund report in 

compliance with the Commission’s May 

21, 2009 Order, Order Approving 

Settlement, 127 FERC 61,145. 

Any person desiring to intervene or to 

protest this filing must file in 

accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of 

the Commission’s Rules of Practice and 

Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). 

Protests will be considered by the 

Commission in determining the 

appropriate action to be taken, but will 

not serve to make protestants parties to 

the proceeding. Any person wishing to 

become a party must file a notice of 

intervention or motion to intervene, as 

appropriate. Such notices, motions, or 

protests must be filed on or before the 

comment date. Anyone filing a motion 

to intervene or protest must serve a copy 

of that document on the Applicant and 

all the parties in this proceeding. 

The Commission encourages 

electronic submission of protests and 

interventions in lieu of paper using the 

‘‘eFiling’’ link at http://www.ferc.gov. 

Persons unable to file electronically 

should submit an original and 14 copies 

of the protest or intervention to the 

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 

20426. 

This filing is accessible online at 

http://www.ferc.gov, using the 

‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for 

review in the Commission’s Public 

Reference Room in Washington, DC. 

There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on the 

Web site that enables subscribers to 

receive e-mail notification when a 

document is added to a subscribed 

docket(s). For assistance with any FERC 

Online service, please e-mail 

FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call 

(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call 

(202) 502–8659. 

Comment Date: 5 p.m. Eastern Time 

on October 2, 2009. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. E9–22853 Filed 9–22–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Southwestern Power Administration 

Integrated System Power Rates 

AGENCY: Southwestern Power 

Administration, DOE. 

ACTION: Notice of public review and 

comment. 

SUMMARY: The Administrator, 

Southwestern Power Administration 

(Southwestern), has prepared Current 

and Revised 2009 Power Repayment 

Studies which show the need for an 

increase in annual revenues to meet cost 

recovery criteria. Such increased 

revenues are needed primarily to cover 

increased investments and replacements 

in hydroelectric generating facilities and 

increased operation and maintenance 

expenses. The Administrator has 

developed proposed Integrated System 

rates, which are supported by a rate 

design study, to recover the required 

revenues. The June 2009 Revised Study 

indicates that the proposed rates would 

increase annual system revenues 

approximately 10.8 percent from 

$160,255,300 to $177,586,158. 

DATES: The consultation and comment 

period will begin on the date of 

publication of this Federal Register 

notice and will end November 23, 2009. 

Upon request, a combined Public 

Information and Comment Forum 

(Forum) will be held in Tulsa, 

Oklahoma at 9 a.m. on October 7, 2009. 

ADDRESSES: The Forum will be held in 

Southwestern’s offices, Room 1460, 

Williams Center Tower I, One West 

Third Street, Tulsa, Oklahoma 74103. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

James K. McDonald, Assistant 

Administrator, Office of Corporate 

Operations, Southwestern Power 

Administration, U.S. Department of 

Energy, One West Third Street, Tulsa, 

Oklahoma 74103, (918) 595–6690, 

jim.mcdonald@swpa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Originally 

established by Secretarial Order No. 

1865 dated August 31, 1943, 

Southwestern is an agency within the 

U.S. Department of Energy created by 

the Department of Energy Organization 

Act, Public Law 95–91 (1977). 

Southwestern markets power from 24 

multi-purpose reservoir projects with 

hydroelectric power facilities 

constructed and operated by the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers. These projects 

are located in the states of Arkansas, 

Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. 

Southwestern’s marketing area includes 

these States plus Kansas and Louisiana. 

The costs associated with the 

hydropower facilities of 22 of the 24 

projects are repaid via revenues 

received under the Integrated System 

rates, as are those associated with 

Southwestern’s transmission facilities, 

which consist of 1,380 miles of highvoltage transmission lines, 24 

substations, and 46 microwave and VHF 

radio sites. Costs associated with the 

Sam Rayburn and Robert D. Willis 

Dams, two Corps of Engineers projects 

that are isolated hydraulically, 

electrically, and financially from the 

Integrated System are repaid under 

separate rate schedules and are not 

addressed in this notice. 

Following Department of Energy 

guidelines, Southwestern, prepared a 

Current Power Repayment Study 

(‘‘Study’’) using existing system rates. 

(The guidelines for preparation of power 

repayment studies are included in DOE 

Order No. RA 6120.2, entitled Power 

Marketing Administration Financial 

Reporting). The Study indicates that 

Southwestern’s legal requirement to 

repay the investment in power 

generating and transmission facilities 

for power and energy marketed by 

Southwestern will not be met without 

an increase in revenues. The need for 

increased revenues is primarily due to 

increased investments and replacements 

in hydroelectric generating facilities for 

the U.S. Army’s Corps of Engineers 

(Corps) and increased operations and 

maintenance costs for both 

Southwestern and the Corps. The 

Revised Power Repayment Study shows 

that additional annual revenues of 

$17,330,858 (a 10.8 percent increase) are 

needed to satisfy repayment criteria. 

A Rate Design Study has also been 

completed which allocates the revenue 

requirement to the various system rate 

schedules for recovery, and provides for 

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