Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices 60203 

1Order Confirming and Approving Rate Schedule 

on a Final Basis, FERC Docket No. EF22–4–000 

(2023). 

others, access publicly available 

information and navigate Commission 

processes. For public inquiries and 

assistance with making filings such as 

interventions, comments, or requests for 

rehearing, the public is encouraged to 

contact OPP at (202) 502–6595 or OPP@

ferc.gov. 

n. Scoping Process: Pursuant to the 

National Environmental Policy Act 

(NEPA), Commission staff intends to 

prepare either an environmental 

assessment (EA) or an environmental 

impact statement (EIS) (collectively 

referred to as the ‘‘NEPA document’’) 

that describes and evaluates the 

probable effects, including an 

assessment of the site-specific and 

cumulative effects, if any, of the 

proposed action and alternatives. The 

Commission’s scoping process will help 

determine the required level of analysis 

and satisfy the NEPA scoping 

requirements, irrespective of whether 

the Commission issues an EA or an EIS. 

Scoping Meetings 

Commission staff will hold two public 

scoping meetings for the projects to 

receive input on the scope of the 

environmental issues that should be 

analyzed in the NEPA document. An 

evening meeting will be held at 7:00 

p.m. on September 27, 2023, at the City 

Hall of Hurley, Wisconsin, and will 

focus on receiving input from the 

public. A daytime meeting will be held 

at 9:00 a.m. on September 28, 2023, at 

the same location, and will focus on the 

concerns of resource agencies, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and 

Indian Tribes. We invite all interested 

agencies, Indian Tribes, nongovernmental organizations, and 

individuals to attend one or both of 

these meetings. The times and locations 

of these meetings are as follows: 

Evening Scoping Meeting 

Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2023 

Time: 7:00 p.m. (CDT) 

Place: City Hall of Hurley 

Address: 405 5th Avenue North, Hurley, 

WI 54534 

Daytime Scoping Meeting 

Date: Thursday, September 28, 2023 

Time: 9:00 a.m. (CDT) 

Place: City Hall of Hurley 

Address: 405 5th Avenue North, Hurley, 

WI 54534 

Copies of the Scoping Document 

(SD1) outlining the proposed project 

and subject areas to be addressed in the 

NEPA document were distributed to the 

parties on the Commission’s mailing 

list. Copies of the SD1 will be available 

at the scoping meeting or may be 

viewed on the web at http://

www.ferc.gov using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link 

(see item m above). 

Environmental Site Reviews 

The applicant and Commission staff 

will conduct environmental site reviews 

of the projects. All interested 

individuals, agencies, Indian Tribes, 

and NGOs are invited to attend. All 

participants are responsible for their 

own transportation to the sites and 

during the site visits. Please RSVP via 

email to matthew.j.miller@

xcelenergy.com or notify Matthew 

Miller at 715–737–1353 on or before 

Friday, September 22, 2023, if you plan 

to attend the environmental site 

reviews. The times and locations of the 

environmental site reviews are as 

follows: 

Saxon Falls and Superior Falls 

Hydroelectric Projects 

Date: Wednesday, September 27, 2023 

Time: 10:00 a.m. (CDT) 

Place: Superior Falls Hydroelectric 

Project 

Participants will meet at the Superior 

Falls parking lot for the powerhouse of 

the Superior Project, which is located 

on Lake Superior Rd, immediately 

adjacent to the west side of Lake County 

Park (Latitude 46.56494/Longitude90.41523). Immediately following the 

site review at the Superior Project, 

participants will proceed to the Saxon 

Project. All participants are responsible 

for their own transportation and must 

wear sturdy, closed-toe shoes, or boots. 

Objectives 

At the scoping meetings, Commission 

staff will: (1) summarize the 

environmental issues tentatively 

identified for analysis in the NEPA 

document; (2) solicit from the meeting 

participants all available information, 

especially quantifiable data, on the 

resources at issue; (3) encourage 

statements from experts and the public 

on issues that should be analyzed in the 

NEPA document, including viewpoints 

in opposition to, or in support of, the 

staff’s preliminary views; (4) determine 

the resource issues to be addressed in 

the NEPA document; and (5) identify 

those issues that require a detailed 

analysis, as well as those issues that do 

not require a detailed analysis. 

Procedures 

The meetings are recorded by a 

stenographer and become part of the 

formal record of the Commission 

proceeding on the project. Individuals, 

NGOs, Indian Tribes, and agencies with 

environmental expertise and concerns 

are encouraged to attend the meeting 

and to assist the staff in defining and 

clarifying the issues to be addressed in 

the NEPA document. 

Dated: August 25, 2023. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18872 Filed 8–30–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Western Area Power Administration 

Boulder Canyon Project 

AGENCY: Western Area Power 

Administration (WAPA), Department of 

Energy (DOE). 

ACTION: Notice concerning fiscal year 

(FY) 2024 base charge and rates for 

Boulder Canyon Project (BCP) electric 

service. 

SUMMARY: The Deputy Secretary 

confirms, approves, and places into 

effect on a final basis the Boulder 

Canyon Project base charge and rates for 

fiscal year 2024 under Rate Schedule 

BCP–F11. The base charge increased 

11.3 percent from $66.8 million in FY 

2023 to $74.3 million in FY 2024. The 

change is primarily the result of an 

increase in the Bureau of Reclamation’s 

(Reclamation) replacement costs, an 

increase in WAPA’s operations and 

maintenance (O&M) expenses and 

replacement costs, and a decrease in 

prior year carryover funds from FY 

2023. 

DATES: The FY 2024 base charge and 

rates are effective October 1, 2023, and 

will remain in effect through September 

30, 2024. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jack 

D. Murray, Regional Manager, Desert 

Southwest Region, Western Area Power 

Administration, P.O. Box 6457, 

Phoenix, AZ 85005–6457, or Tina 

Ramsey, Rates Manager, Desert 

Southwest Region, Western Area Power 

Administration, (602) 605–2565, or 

email: dswpwrmrk@wapa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: On March 

31, 2023, the Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission (FERC) approved and 

confirmed Rate Schedule BCP–F11, 

under Rate Order No. WAPA–204, on a 

final basis through September 30, 2027.1

WAPA published a Federal Register 

notice (Proposed FRN) on April 18, 

2023 (88 FR 23669), proposing the FY 

2024 base charge and rates under Rate 

Schedule BCP–F11. The Proposed FRN 

also initiated a 90-day public 

consultation and comment period and 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
60204 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices 

set forth the date and location of the 

public information and public comment 

forums. 

The proposed FY 2024 base charge 

was a 3.5 percent increase over the FY 

2023 base charge. In addition, due to 

recent favorable hydrology projections 

and following BCP contractor comments 

during the public consultation and 

comment period, additional funding of 

$5.5 million has been reallocated from 

future years to the FY 2024 budget to 

accelerate Reclamation’s cylinder gate 

stem replacement project and continue 

WAPA’s relay and breaker replacement 

project. These factors will increase the 

base charge 11.3 percent from $66.8 

million in FY 2023 to $74.3 million in 

FY 2024. 

The rate-setting methodology for BCP 

electric service requires a calculation of 

an annual base charge rather than a unit 

rate for Hoover Dam hydropower. The 

base charge recovers an annual revenue 

requirement that includes projected 

costs of investment repayment, interest, 

operations, maintenance, replacements, 

payments to states, and Hoover Dam 

visitor services. Non-power revenue 

projections such as water sales, Hoover 

Dam visitor revenue, ancillary services, 

and late fees help offset these projected 

costs. Hoover power customers are 

billed a percentage of the base charge in 

proportion to their power allocation. 

Unit rates are calculated for comparative 

purposes but are not used to determine 

the charges for electric service. 

Rate Schedule BCP–F11 and the BCP 

Electric Service Contract require WAPA 

to calculate the annual base charge and 

rates for the next fiscal year before 

October 1 of each year. The FY 2023 

BCP base charge and rates expire on 

September 30, 2023. 

Comparison of Base Charge and Rates 

FY 2023 FY 2024 Amount 

change 

Percent 

change 

Base Charge ($) .............................................................................................. 66,798,560 74,334,285 7,535,725 11.3 

Composite Rate (mills/kWh) ............................................................................ 22.43 23.10 0.67 3.0 

Energy Rate (mills/kWh) .................................................................................. 11.22 11.55 0.33 2.9 

Capacity Rate ($/kW-Mo) ................................................................................ 2.17 2.15 ¥0.02 ¥0.9 

Reclamation’s FY 2024 budget is 

increasing $3.3 million from $84.7 

million to $88 million, a 3.9 percent 

increase from FY 2023. Reflected in this 

budget, O&M costs are decreasing by 

$811,000 primarily due to the 

elimination of three positions and the 

associated travel and training costs. This 

decrease in O&M costs includes a midyear review adjustment of $300,000, 

resulting from changing the financial 

audit period from every three years to 

every five years, thereby postponing the 

FY 2024 audit until FY 2026. 

Replacement costs are increasing by 

$3.3 million in FY 2024 due to 

continuing the unit control 

modernization, 480-volt switchgear, and 

the cylinder gate stem replacement 

projects. Post-retirement benefits costs 

are increasing $104,000 based on a 

higher five-year average of recent actual 

expenses. Visitor services costs are 

increasing by $728,000, primarily due to 

costs for the National Park Services 

security agreement being realigned from 

security forces in O&M to visitor 

services. 

WAPA’s FY 2024 budget is increasing 

$850,000 to $9.6 million, a 9.7 percent 

increase from FY 2023. WAPA’s O&M 

costs are increasing $680,000 from FY 

2023 due to higher labor projections for 

salaries, overtime, overhead, and 

benefits and an updated charging 

methodology from overhead to direct 

charging for power billing. WAPA’s 

replacement costs are increasing 

$130,000 from FY 2023 due to the 

continuation of the relay and breaker 

replacement project. WAPA’s postretirement benefit costs are increasing 

$39,000 from FY 2023 due to a higher 

five-year average of recent actual 

expenses. 

Costs for Reclamation and WAPA are 

offset by a slight increase of $18,000 in 

non-power revenue projections, 

resulting from a higher estimate for 

ancillary services. Prior year carryover 

is projected to be $2.2 million, a $3.4 

million decrease from FY 2023. 

The proposed FY 2024 base charge for 

BCP electric service is projected to 

increase from $66.8 million in FY 2023 

to $74.3 million in FY 2024, an 11.3 

percent increase. The composite rate is 

increasing 3 percent and the energy rate 

is increasing 2.9 percent. The capacity 

rate is decreasing 0.9 percent from FY 

2023, due to increases in capacity 

forecasts. These unit rate calculations 

use forecasted energy and capacity 

values. With the uncertainty of 

hydrological conditions, Reclamation 

and Desert Southwest Region (DSW) 

will continue to work collaboratively to 

lessen the impact of the ongoing 

drought in the Colorado River Basin in 

subsequent years. 

Public Notice and Comment 

DSW followed the Procedures for 

Public Participation in Power and 

Transmission Rate Adjustments and 

Extensions (10 CFR part 903) and 

General Regulations for the Charges for 

the Sale of Power from the BCP (10 CFR 

part 904). DSW took the following steps 

to involve interested parties in the rate 

process: 

1. DSW provided a website where 

information is posted about this rate 

process. The website is located at 

www.wapa.gov/regions/DSW/Rates/ 

Pages/boulder-canyon-rates.aspx. 

2. On April 18, 2023, a Federal 

Register notice (88 FR 23669) 

announced the proposed FY 2024 base 

charge and rates and initiated the 90- 

day public consultation and comment 

period. 

3. On April 18, 2023, DSW notified 

contractors and interested parties of the 

proposed rates and provided a copy of 

the published Proposed FRN by email. 

4. On May 18, 2023, DSW held a 

public information forum via video 

conference. This provided contractors 

and interested parties an opportunity to 

provide official comments for the 

record. 

5. On June 13, 2023, DSW posted on 

its website responses to questions asked 

at the public information forum about 

Reclamation’s Supplemental 

Environmental Impact Statement, the 

Western Energy Imbalance Market, and 

the Colorado River Storage Project’s 

potential participation in the Southwest 

Power Pool’s Western Regional 

Transmission Organization. 

6. On June 20, 2023, DSW held a 

public comment forum via video 

conference. This provided contractors 

and interested parties an opportunity to 

provide official comments for the 

record. 

7. During the 90-day consultation and 

comment period, which ended on July 

17, 2023, DSW received comments from 

17 contractors and interested parties. 

DSW’s responses to questions received 

prior to the public comment forum were 

posted to the BCP website. DSW’s 

responses to comments received during 

or after the public comment forum 

appear below, paraphrased where 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 168 / Thursday, August 31, 2023 / Notices 60205 

2 50 FR 37835 (Sept. 18, 1985) and 84 FR 5347 

(Feb. 21, 2019). 

3The determination was done in compliance with 

NEPA (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). 

appropriate without compromising their 

meaning. 

Comment: At the public comment 

forum, five contractors and interested 

parties expressed support for increasing 

Reclamation and WAPA’s replacement 

budgets for FY 2024. Following a 

special session of the BCP Engineering 

and Operating Committee on June 29, 

2023, a summary of which is provided 

on DSW’s website, 11 additional 

contractors and interested parties 

expressed support for increasing 

Reclamation and WAPA’s replacement 

budgets by moving costs associated with 

Reclamation’s cylinder gate stem project 

in the amount of $4.5 million and 

WAPA’s relay and breaker replacement 

projects in the amount of $950,000 from 

future years into FY 2024. Commenters 

stated they are aware the acceleration of 

these projects will increase the FY 2024 

base charge and rates. Commenters 

further noted the favorable hydrology 

projections for FY 2024 provide an 

opportunity to complete some needed 

maintenance, reduce the total cost of the 

projects, and should put downward 

pressure on the rates in subsequent 

years. 

Response: Reclamation and WAPA 

appreciate the comments and the 

support on the acceleration of 

Reclamation’s cylinder gate stem project 

and the continuation of WAPA’s relay 

and breaker replacement project. The 

costs associated with these projects have 

been moved from future years and will 

be included in the FY 2024 budget, base 

charge, and rates. 

Comment: One commenter expressed 

concerns about future work plans, 

maintaining and operating the Hoover 

Dam visitor center, and the decreasing 

Hoover Dam visitor center revenues. 

The commenter would like Reclamation 

and WAPA to continue their efforts to 

mitigate the effects on the base charge 

and rates and for Reclamation to 

consider making changes to the visitor 

center. 

Response: Reclamation and WAPA 

acknowledge the comment and will 

continue to work collaboratively with 

the contractors on moderating future 

costs and mitigating the effects on the 

base charge and rates to ensure rates are 

the lowest possible consistent with 

sound business principles. 

Comment: One commenter also 

requested that future energy and 

capacity projections be considered as 

alternative sets of data for future rate 

analysis. 

Response: Reclamation and WAPA 

agree with this request to consider 

alternative data sets in future rate 

analysis and will work to incorporate 

the data in future meetings. 

Certification of Rates 

WAPA’s Administrator certified the 

FY 2024 base charge and rates under 

Rate Schedule BCP–F11 are the lowest 

possible rates consistent with sound 

business principles. The base charge 

and rates were developed following 

administrative policies and applicable 

laws. 

Availability of Information 

Information used by WAPA to 

develop the base charge and rates for 

electric service is available for 

inspection and copying at the Desert 

Southwest Customer Service Regional 

Office, located at 615 South 43rd 

Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona. Many of 

these documents are also available on 

DSW’s website at www.wapa.gov/ 

regions/DSW/Rates/Pages/bouldercanyon-rates.aspx. 

Legal Authority 

DOE regulations governing charges for 

the sale of BCP power, 10 CFR 904.7(e), 

require annual review of the BCP base 

charge and an ‘‘adjust[ment], either 

upward or downward, when necessary 

and administratively feasible, to assure 

sufficient revenues to effect payment of 

all costs and financial obligations 

associated with the [p]roject.’’ WAPA’s 

Administrator provided all BCP 

contractors an opportunity to comment 

on the proposed base charge adjustment, 

consistent with DOE procedures for 

public participation in rate adjustments. 

The BCP Electric Service Contract states 

for years other than the first year and 

each fifth year thereafter, when the rate 

schedule is approved by the Deputy 

Secretary on a provisional basis and by 

FERC on a final basis, adjustments to 

the base charge ‘‘shall become effective 

upon approval by the Deputy Secretary 

of Energy.’’ Accordingly, the Deputy 

Secretary of Energy may approve the FY 

2024 base charge and rates for BCP 

electric service, as authorized by the 

BCP Electric Service Contract and DOE’s 

procedures for public participation in 

rate adjustments set forth at 10 CFR 

parts 903 and 904.2

Following DOE’s review of WAPA’s 

proposal, and as authorized by 

applicable provisions of the BCP 

Electric Service Contract, I have 

confirmed, approved, and placed the FY 

2024 base charge and rates for BCP 

electric service, under Rate Schedule 

BCP F–11, into effect on a final basis 

through September 30, 2024. 

Ratemaking Procedure Requirements 

Environmental Compliance 

WAPA has determined that this 

action fits within the following 

categorical exclusions listed in 

appendix B to subpart D of 10 CFR 

1021: B4.3 (Electric power marketing 

rate changes). Categorically excluded 

projects and activities do not require 

preparation of either an environmental 

impact statement or an environmental 

assessment.3 A copy of the categorical 

exclusion determination is available on 

WAPA’s website at www.wapa.gov/ 

regions/DSW/Environment/Pages/ 

environment.aspx. 

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 August 25, 2023, 

by David M. Turk, Deputy Secretary of 

Energy. That 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 August 28, 

2023. 

Treena V. Garrett, 

Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. 

Department of Energy. 

[FR Doc. 2023–18849 Filed 8–30–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1