22770 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 83 / Friday, April 30, 2010 / Notices 

1See 71 FR 45047 (August 6, 2006). 

2See 72 FR 56992 (October 5, 2007). 

EDT. The public also may view the 

three draft chapters of the election 

management guidelines, which will be 

posted on EAC’s Web site beginning 

May 17, 2010. The public may file 

written statements to the EAC Standards 

Board at standardsboard@eac.gov and 

by copying Sharmili Edwards at 

sedwards@eac.gov. Data on EAC’S Web 

site is accessible to visitors with 

disabilities and meets the requirements 

of section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. 

PERSON TO CONTACT FOR INFORMATION: 

Bryan Whitener, Telephone: (202) 566– 

3100. 

Gineen Bresso Beach, 

Commissioner, U.S. Election Assistance 

Commission. 

[FR Doc. 2010–10208 Filed 4–28–10; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–KF–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

National Electric Transmission 

Congestion Study 

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery 

and Energy Reliability (OE), Department 

of Energy. 

ACTION: Notice of Availability of 2009 

National Electric Transmission 

Congestion Study and Request for 

Comments. 

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy 

(the ‘‘Department’’) gives notice that it 

has issued a National Electric 

Transmission Congestion Study (2009 

Congestion Study) and is seeking 

comments on all aspects of the study. 

The full text of the 2009 Congestion 

Study is available at http:// 

www.oe.energy.gov. 

DATES: Written comments may be filed 

electronically in MS Word and PDF 

formats. Comments regarding the 2009 

Congestion Study should be emailed to 

congestion09.@anl.gov. Comments 

should be received no later than 5 p.m. 

EDT June 29, 2010. Also, comments can 

be filed by mail at the address listed 

below. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments via mail 

should be submitted to: Office of 

Electricity Delivery and Energy 

Reliability, OE–10, Attention: 1221 

Comments, U.S. Department of Energy, 

Forrestal Building, Room 6H050, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585. 

Note: Delivery of U.S. Postal Service mail 

sent to the Department continues to be 

delayed by several weeks due to security 

screening procedures. Electronic submission 

of comments is therefore encouraged. Copies 

of written comments received and other 

relevant documents and information may be 

reviewed at http:// 

www.congestion09.anl.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. 

David Meyer, Office Electricity Delivery 

and Energy Reliability, OE–10, U.S. 

Department of Energy, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586–1411, 

David.Meyer@hq.doe.gov, or Lot Cooke, 

Office of General Counsel, GC–76, 1000 

Independence Avenue, SW., 

Washington, DC 20585, (202) 586–0503, 

Lot.Cooke@hq.doe.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 

1221(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 

(EPAct) directed the Secretary of Energy 

to conduct periodic nationwide studies 

of electric transmission congestion. The 

initial study was to be completed within 

one year of enactment of the EPAct with 

subsequent studies every three years 

thereafter. The American Reinvestment 

and Recovery Act of 2009 (Recovery 

Act) further directed the Secretary to 

include in the 2009 Congestion Study 

an analysis of significant potential 

sources of renewable energy that are 

constrained by lack of adequate 

transmission capacity. Based on the 

Congestion Study, and comments 

concerning it from states and other 

stakeholders, the Secretary of Energy 

may designate any geographic area 

experiencing electric transmission 

capacity constraints or congestion as a 

national interest electric transmission 

corridor (National Corridor). 

In August 2006, the Department 

published its first National Electric 

Transmission Congestion Study.1 In 

2007, based in part on the findings of 

that study and after considering the 

comments of stakeholders, the Secretary 

designated two National Corridors, one 

in the Mid-Atlantic area and one 

covering portions of southern California 

and western Arizona, reflecting the high 

impacts of transmission congestion in 

each area.2

The 2009 Congestion Study has been 

completed and issued by the 

Department. The study is available for 

review at the website listed above. 

Based on the study, the Department 

found three classes of congestion areas 

that merit further federal attention: 

Critical Congestion Areas, Congestion 

Areas of Concern, and a Conditional 

Constrained Area. 

The Department stated when it 

announced the beginning of its work on 

the 2009 Congestion Study that the 

study would focus on the identification 

of existing electric transmission-level 

congestion based on publicly available 

historic information and data related to 

transmission congestion. The 

information and data used by DOE in 

conducting the analysis in the 2009 

Congestion Study was that which was 

available through May 2009. As a result 

the study does not address the possible 

impacts of the recent recession on 

congestion, or any other recent events, 

reports, or other developments affecting 

congestion. 

The Department is seeking comments 

from interested persons on the 2009 

Congestion Study, and on future steps 

for identifying and addressing electric 

transmission congestion, including the 

possible designation of National 

Corridors. Commenters may address any 

aspect of this study they consider 

appropriate. The Department intends to 

update, or issue an addendum to, this 

study in which it may consider the 

effect of the recession on congestion 

identified in the study, comments 

received on this version of the study, 

and the implications of additional data 

or information that has become 

available since May 2009. The 

Department invites commenters to 

direct it to data, publications, or other 

information that they believe relevant to 

this additional analysis. 

Issued in Washington, DC, on April 26, 

2010. 

Patricia A. Hoffman, 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary, 

Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. 

[FR Doc. 2010–10110 Filed 4–29–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 13652–000–Montana] 

Gary E. Hall and Rita Hall; Notice of 

Availability of Environmental 

Assessment 

April 22, 2010. 

In accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as 

amended, and the Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission’s 

(Commission’s) regulations (18 CFR Part 

380), Commission staff has reviewed the 

application for exemption from 

licensing for the 50-watt Potter Creek 

Hydroelectric Project, located in 

Flathead County, Montana, and has 

prepared an Environmental Assessment 

(EA). The proposed project would be 

built on private lands owned by the 

applicant and on 0.51 acres of U.S. 

Forest Service land in the Flathead 

National Forest. The EA contains the 


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