40618 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 127 / Friday, June 30, 2000 / Notices

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[FE Docket No. PP–226]

Application for Presidential Permit

Brownsville Public Utilities Board

AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of application.

SUMMARY: Brownsville Public Utilities

Board (BPUB) has applied for a

Presidential permit to construct,

connect, operate and maintain doublecircuit electric transmission facilities

across the U.S. border with Mexico.

DATES: Comments, protests, or requests

to intervene must be submitted on or

before July 31, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, or

requests to intervene should be

addressed as follows: Office of Coal &

Power Import and Export (FE–27),

Office of Fossil Energy, U.S. Department

of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,

SW., Washington, DC 20585–0350.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Ellen Russell (Program Office) 202–586–

9624 or Michael T. Skinker (Program

Attorney) 202–586–2793.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

construction, operation, and connection

of facilities at the international border of

the United States for the transmission of

electric energy between the United

States and a foreign country is

prohibited in the absence of a

Presidential permit issued pursuant to

Executive Order (EO) 10485, as

amended by EO 12038.

On June 23, 2000, BPUB, the

municipal electric utility of the City of

Brownsville, Texas, filed an application

with the Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of

the Department of Energy (DOE) for a

Presidential permit. BPUB proposes to

construct a double circuit 138,000 volt

(138-kV) transmission line, on wood

poles, from its existing Silas Ray Power

Plant in Brownsville, Texas, and

extending approximately 3,000 feet to

the U.S.-Mexico border. At the border

the transmission circuits would

interconnect with similar facilities of

the Comision Federal de Electricidad

(CFE), the national electric utility of

Mexico, and continue an additional 1.7

miles into Matamoros, Tamaulipas,

Mexico. As an instrumentality of the

State of Texas, BPUB is not subject to

section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act

(FPA), and therefore, not required to

submit an application to DOE for

authorization to export electric energy

to Mexico.

BPUB is proposing to develop this

project in three phases. In phase one,

BPUB would energize only one of the

two 138-kV circuits and operate it at 69-

kV. This would give BPUB the ability to

transmit up to 100 megawatts (MW) of

power to Mexico. In phase two, BPUB

would energize both 138-kV circuits at

69-kV by installing a circuit breaker and

related relaying equipment (by

approximately the year 2002). This

modification would give BPUB the

ability to transmit up to 200 MW of

electric power to Mexico. In phase

three, BPUB would convert all 69-kV

facilities at Silas Ray to 138-kV (by

approximately the year 2005) by

replacing power transformers, circuit

breakers, switches, and related

equipment within the existing

switchyard. BPUB would then operate

both circuits at 138-kV and be capable

of transmitting up to 400 MW to

Mexico.

In its application, BPUB asserts that

the proposed international transmission

facilities will be operated in such a way

that the BPUB and CFE systems will not

be operated in parallel.

Since restructuring of the electric

power industry began, resulting in the

introduction of different types of

competitive entities into the

marketplace, DOE has consistently

expressed its policy that cross-border

trade in electric energy should be

subject to the same principles of

comparable open access and nondiscrimination that apply to

transmission in interstate commerce.

DOE has stated that policy in export

authorizations granted to entities

requesting authority to export over

international transmission facilities.

Specifically, DOE expects transmitting

utilities owning border facilities to

provide access across the border in

accordance with the principles of

comparable open access and nondiscrimination contained in the FPA

and articulated in Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission Order No. 888

(Promotion Wholesale Competition

Through Open Access NonDiscriminatory Transmission Services

by Public utilities; FERC Stats. & Regs.

¶ 31,036 (1996)), as amended. In

furtherance of this policy, on July 27,

1999, (64 FR 40586) DOE initiated a

proceeding in which it noticed its

intention to condition existing and

future Presidential permits, appropriate

for third party transmission, on

compliance with a requirement to

provide non-discriminatory open access

transmission service. That proceeding is

not yet complete. However, in this

docket DOE specifically requests

comment on the appropriateness of

applying the open access requirement

on BPUB’s proposed facilities.

Procedural Matters

Any person desiring to become a

party to this proceeding or to be heard

by filing comments or protests to this

application should file a petition to

intervene, comment or protest at the

address provided above in accordance

with §§ 385.211 or 385.214 of the

FERC’s Rules of Practice and Procedures

(18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). Fifteen

copies of each petition and protest

should be filed with the DOE on or

before the date listed above.

Additional copies of such petitions to

intervene or protests also should be

filed directly with: John S. Bruciak,

Brownsville Public Utilities Board, 1425

Robin Hood Drive, P.O. Box 3270,

Brownsville, TX 78520.

Before a Presidential permit may be

issued or amended, the DOE must

determine that the proposed action will

not adversely impact on the reliability

of the U.S. electric power supply

system. In addition, DOE must consider

the environmental impacts of the

proposed action (i.e., granting the

Presidential permit, with any conditions

and limitations, or denying the permit)

pursuant to NEPA. DOE also must

obtain the concurrence of the Secretary

of State and the Secretary of Defense

before taking final action on a

Presidential permit application.

Copies of this application will be

made available, upon request, for public

inspection and copying at the address

provided above. In addition, the

application may be reviewed or

downloaded from the Fossil Energy

Home Page at: http://www.fe.doe.gov.

Upon reaching the Fossil Energy Home

page, select ‘‘Electricity’’ from the

options menu, and then ‘‘Pending

Proceedings.’’

Issued in Washington, DC, on June 27,

2000.

Anthony J. Como,

Deputy Director, Electric Power Regulation,

Office of Coal & Power Im/Ex Office of Fossil

Energy.

[FR Doc. 00–16556 Filed 6–29–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request

AGENCY: Energy Information

Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Agency information collection

activities: Proposed collection; comment

request.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 127 / Friday, June 30, 2000 / Notices 40619

SUMMARY: The Energy Information

Administration (EIA) is soliciting

comments on the proposed

reinstatement and three-year extension

of Form EIA–457A–G, ‘‘Residential

Energy Consumption Survey (RECS)’’.

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted on or before August 29, 2000.

If you anticipate difficulty in submitting

comments within that period, contact

the person listed below as soon as

possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Michael

T. Laurence, Office of Energy Markets

and End-Use, Energy Consumption

Division, EI–63, Forrestal Building, U.S.

Department of Energy, Washington, D.C.

20585–0660. Alternatively, Michael T.

Laurence may be reached by phone at

202–586–2453, by e-mail

michael.laurence@eia.doe.gov, or by

FAX 202–586–0018.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the form and instructions

should be directed to Michael T.

Laurence at the address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

II. Current Actions

III. Request for Comments

I. Background

The Federal Energy Administration

Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93–275, 15 U.S.C.

761 et seq.) and the Department of

Energy Organization Act (Pub. L. 95–91,

42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) require the

Energy Information Administration

(EIA) to carry out a centralized,

comprehensive, and unified energy

information program. This program

collects, evaluates, assembles, analyzes,

and disseminates information on energy

resource reserves, production, demand,

technology, and related economic and

statistical information. This information

is used to assess the adequacy of energy

resources to meet near and longer term

domestic demands.

The EIA, as part of its effort to comply

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 (Pub. L. 104–13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter

35), provides the general public and

other Federal agencies with

opportunities to comment on collections

of energy information conducted by or

in conjunction with the EIA. Any

comments received help the EIA to

prepare data requests that maximize the

utility of the information collected, and

to assess the impact of collection

requirements on the public. Also, the

EIA will later seek approval by the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) of the collections under Sections

3507(h)(1) and 3506(c) of the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995.

The Residential Energy Consumption

Survey (RECS) is a periodic survey of

U.S. households to collect energy

consumption and expenditures data and

track changes over time. The data are

widely used throughout the government

and the private sector for policy analysis

and are made available to the public in

a variety of publications, electronic

products, and electronic data files.

Results from the survey are presented in

both printed form (e.g., U.S. Department

of Energy, Energy Information

Administration, A Look at Residential

Consumption in 1997, November 1999,

DOE/EIA–0632(97)) and at EIA’s web

site at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/

recs/contents.html.

II. Current Actions

This is a reinstatement of OMB No.

1905–0092 that expired March 31, 2000.

The reinstatement will be for a threeyear period with an expiration date of

January 31, 2004. No significant changes

in the RECS are being implemented.

Due to funding restraints, the RECS is

conducted on a quadrennial schedule, a

schedule established with the 1997

RECS. The use of Computer-Assisted

Personal Interviewing (CAPI), a

technology implemented with the 1997

RECS, will be continued.

The content of the survey

questionnaires to be used in the 2001

RECS will be substantially the same as

those used in the 1997 RECS. Minor

wording changes may be made in the

interest of clarity. Some questions that

yielded little useful data will be deleted,

while questions dealing with new

energy-consuming appliances will be

added.

The only notable methodological

change will be the timing of the Rental

Agents, Landlords, and Apartment

Managers Survey (Form EIA–457C).

Instead of being conducted after the

household interview (Form EIA–457A),

it will be conducted either prior to, or

concurrently with, the interviews at the

sampled households living in multi-unit

buildings. The change in the time of the

collection of energy-related data from

the lessors of housing units included in

the RECS will ease the burden on

household respondents, who may not

know about the energy aspects of the

apartments they rent, and will also

improve the quality of the household

data.

III. Request for Comments

Prospective respondents and other

interested parties should comment on

the actions discussed in item II. The

following guidelines are provided to

assist in the preparation of comments.

General Issues

A. Is the proposed collection of

information necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency and does the information have

practical utility? Practical utility is

defined as the actual usefulness of

information to or for an agency, taking

into account its accuracy, adequacy,

reliability, timeliness, and the agency’s

ability to process the information it

collects.

B. What enhancements can be made

to the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected?

As a Potential Respondent

A. Are the instructions and

definitions clear and sufficient? If not,

which instructions need clarification?

B. Can the information be submitted

by the due date?

C. Public reporting burden for this

collection is estimated to average 30

minutes per response for Form EIA–

457A, Household Questionnaire; 20

minutes per response for Form EIA–

457B, Mail version of the Household

Questionnaire; 15 minutes per response

for Form EIA–457C, Rental Agents,

Landlords, and Apartment Managers; 30

minutes per response for Form EIA–

457D, Household Bottle Gas (LPG or

Propane) Usage; 30 minutes per

response for Form EIA–457E,

Household Electricity Usage; 30 minutes

per response for Form EIA–457F,

Household Natural Gas Usage; and 30

minutes per response for Form EIA–

457G, Household Fuel Oil or Kerosene

Usage. The estimated burden includes

the total time, effort, or financial

resources expended to generate,

maintain, retain, disclose and provide

the information. Please comment on the

accuracy of the estimate.

D. The agency estimates that the only

costs to the respondents are for the time

it will take them to complete the

collection. Please comment if

respondents will incur start-up costs for

reporting, or any recurring annual costs

for operation, maintenance, and

purchase of services associated with the

information collection.

E. What additional actions could be

taken to minimize the burden of this

collection of information? Such actions

may involve the use of automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

F. Does any other Federal, State, or

local agency collect similar information?

If so, specify the agency, the data

element(s), and the methods of

collection.

40620 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 127 / Friday, June 30, 2000 / Notices

As a Potential User

A. Is the information useful at the

levels of detail indicated on the form?

B. For what purpose(s) would the

information be used? Be specific.

C. Are there alternate sources for the

information and are they useful? If so,

what are their weaknesses and/or

strengths?

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for OMB

approval of the form. They also will

become a matter of public record.

Statutory Authority: Section 3507(h)(1)

and 3506(c) of the Paperwork Reduction Act

of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104–13, 44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35).

Issued in Washington, D.C. June 26, 2000.

Jay H. Casselberry,

Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and

Methods Group, Energy Information

Administration.

[FR Doc. 00–16555 Filed 6–29–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request

AGENCY: Energy Information

Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Agency information collection

activities: Proposed collection; comment

request.

SUMMARY: The Energy Information

Administration (EIA) is soliciting

comments on the proposed three-year

extension to the Form FE–781R

‘‘Annual Report of International

Electrical Export/Import Data.’’

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted on or before August 29, 2000.

If you anticipate difficulty in submitting

comments within that period, contact

the person listed below as soon as

possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Steven

Mintz, Office of Coal and Power Imports

and Exports, FE–27, Forrestal Building,

U.S. Department of Energy, Washington,

DC 20585. Alternatively, Mr. Mintz may

be reached by phone at 202–586–9506;

by e-mail (steven.mintz@hq.doe.gov), or

by FAX (202–586–6050).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the form and instructions

should be directed to Steven Mintz at

the address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

II. Current Actions

III. Request for Comments

I. Background

The Federal Energy Administration

Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93–275, 15 U.S.C.

761 et seq.) and the Department of

Energy Organization Act (Pub. L. 95–

91), 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) require the

Energy Information administration (EIA)

to carry out a centralized,

comprehensive, and unified energy

information program. This program

collects, evaluates, assembles, analyzes,

and disseminates information on energy

resource reserves, production, demand,

technology, and related economic and

statistical information. This information

is used to assess the adequacy of energy

resources to meet near and longer term

domestic demands.

The EIA, as part of its effort to comply

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 (Pub. L. 104–13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter

35), provides the general public and

other Federal agencies with

opportunities to comment on collections

of energy information conducted by or

in conjunction with the EIA Any

Comments received help the EIA to

prepare data requests that maximize the

utility of the information collected, and

to assess the impact of collection

requirements on the public. Also, the

EIA will later seek approval by the

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) of the collections under Sections

3507(h)(1) and 3506(c) of the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995.

The Office of Coal and Power Imports

and Exports (Fossil Energy) will monitor

the levels of electricity imports and

exports and issue summary tabulations

in a staff Annual Report. The Office will

also provide monthly tabulations of

these data for use in the Energy

Information Administration’s Monthly

Energy Review and Annual Energy

Review. This information will be kept in

the public docket files and will be

available for public inspection and

copying.

II. Current Actions

A clearance package will be submitted

to the Office of Management and Budget

requesting approval of a three-year

extension with no change of the

currently-approved collection.

III. Request for Comments

Prospective respondents and other

interested parties should comment on

the actions discussed in item II. The

following guidelines are provided to

assist in the preparation of comments.

General Issues

A. Is the proposed collection of

information necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency and does the information have

practical utility? Practical utility is

defined as the actual usefulness of

information to or for an agency, taking

into account its accuracy, adequacy,

reliability, timeliness, and the agency’s

ability to process the information it

collects.

B. What enhancements can be made

to the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected?

As a Potential Respondent

A. Are the instructions and

definitions clear and sufficient? If not,

which instructions need clarification?

B. Can the information be submitted

by the due date?

C. Public reporting burden for this

collection is estimated to average 10

hours per response. The estimated

burden includes the total time, effort, or

financial resources expended to

generate, maintain, retain, disclose and

provide the information. Please

comment on the accuracy of the

estimate.

D. The agency estimates that the only

costs to the respondents are for the time

it will take them to complete the

collection. Please comment if

respondents will incur start-up costs for

reporting, or any recurring annual costs

for operation, maintenance, and

purchase of services associated with the

information collection.

E. What additional actions could be

taken to minimize the burden of this

collection of information? Such actions

may involve the use of automated,

electronic, mechanical, or other

technological collection techniques or

other forms of information technology.

F. Does any other Federal, State, or

local agency collect similar information?

If so, specify the agency, the data

element(s), and the methods of

collection.

As a Potential User

A. Is the information useful at the

levels of detail indicated on the form?

B. For what purpose(s) would the

information be used? Be specific.

C. Are there alternate sources for the

information and are they useful? If so,

what are their weaknesses and/or

strengths?

Comments submitted in response to

this notice will be summarized and/or

included in the request for OMB

approval of the form. They also will

become a matter of public record.

Statutory Authority: Section 3507(h)(1)

and 3506(c) of the Paperwork Reduction Act