[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 <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c191b3aeb7aeec8ca0b3aaa4b5a8afa681b6a0b1a0efa6aeb7"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="59092b362f367414382b323c2d30373e192e382938773e362f">[email protected]</span></a> 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, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#e4a9858a8d8b8aa493859485ca838b92"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="8bc6eae5e2e4e5cbfceafbeaa5ece4fd">[email protected]</span></a>, 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]]



------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Percentage
        Joint action agency            Eligible entity      entitlement
------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    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
------------------------------------------------------------------------

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]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P


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