Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 189 / Monday, October 2, 2017 / Notices 45839 

1Bonneville submitted errata filings on August 7, 

2017, and August 10, 2017, respectively, to correct 

various attachments to the July 31, 2017 Transmittal 

Letter and to add inadvertently omitted documents 

to the record. 

2The proposed transmission rates for which 

Bonneville seeks approval for the period of October 

1, 2017 through September 30, 2019 are: Formula 

Power Transmission Rate (FPT–18.1); Formula 

Power Transmission Rate (FPT–18.3); Integration of 

Resources Rate (IR–18); Network Integration Rate 

(NT–18); Point-to-Point Rate (PTP–18); Montana 

Intertie Rate (IM–18) (IM Rate); Use-of-Facilities 

Transmission Rate (UFT–18); Advance Funding 

Rate (AF–18); Townsend-Garrison Transmission 

Rate (TGT–18); WECC and Peak Service Rate (PW– 

18); Oversupply Rate (OS–18); Eastern Intertie Rate 

(IE–18); Ancillary and Control Area Services Rates 

(ACS–18); and Transmission General Rate Schedule 

Provisions. Bonneville July 31, 2017 Transmittal 

Letter at 3. 

3 16 U.S.C. 839e (2012). 

4 18 CFR pt. 300 (2017). 

5These values are the totals of all of Bonneville’s 

transmission revenues, inclusive of the 

transmission rates at issue in Docket No. EF17–4– 

000. See Bonneville August 7, 2017 Transmittal 

Letter at 2; Bonneville Power Admin., 160 FERC ¶ 

61,113 (2017) (approving on an interim basis the 

transmission rates associated with the Southern 

Intertie). 

6Bonneville July 31, 2017 Transmittal Letter at 5, 

8. 

7Notices of Bonneville’s errata filings were 

published in the Federal Register, 82 FR 41,014 

(2017) and 82 FR 40,151 (2017). The notices of the 

errata filings retained the August 30, 2017 date by 

which protests or interventions were due. 

8The IM Rate is the rate that Bonneville charges 

for the available 200 megawatts (MW) of capacity 

on the Eastern Intertie, which is the portion of the 

Montana Intertie between the Townsend and 

Garrison substations in western Montana that 

Bonneville built and continues to operate. 

9Sierra Club/MEIC Protest at 1. 

10 Id. at 11. 

11 Id. at 2–3, 11. 

Docket Numbers: ER17–2541–000. 

Applicants: Estill Solar I, LLC. 

Description: Baseline eTariff Filing: 

MBR Application to be effective 11/22/ 

2017. 

Filed Date: 9/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20170922–5093. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 10/13/17. 

Docket Numbers: ER17–2542–000. 

Applicants: Northern States Power 

Company, a Minnesota corporation. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 

2017–9–22 NSP–MGE–LBA Filing0.0.0–650 to be effective 11/22/2017. 

Filed Date: 9/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20170922–5116. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 10/13/17. 

Docket Numbers: ER17–2543–000. 

Applicants: Southwest Power Pool, 

Inc. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 

2415R8 KMEA NITSA NOA and 

Cancellation of Westar NITSA NOA SA 

2390 to be effective 9/1/2017. 

Filed Date: 9/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20170922–5120. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 10/13/17. 

Docket Numbers: ER17–2544–000. 

Applicants: Northern States Power 

Company, a Wisconsin corporation. 

Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 

2017–9–22 NSPW Concur to NSPM 

MGE LBA Filing-0.0.0–650 to be 

effective 11/22/2017. 

Filed Date: 9/22/17. 

Accession Number: 20170922–5122. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 10/13/17. 

The filings are accessible in the 

Commission’s eLibrary system by 

clicking on the links or querying the 

docket number. 

Any person desiring to intervene or 

protest in any of the above proceedings 

must file in accordance with Rules 211 

and 214 of the Commission’s 

Regulations (18 CFR 385.211 and 

385.214) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern 

time on the specified comment date. 

Protests may be considered, but 

intervention is necessary to become a 

party to the proceeding. 

eFiling is encouraged. More detailed 

information relating to filing 

requirements, interventions, protests, 

service, and qualifying facilities filings 

can be found at: http://www.ferc.gov/ 

docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For 

other information, call (866) 208–3676 

(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659. 

Dated: September 22, 2017. 

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2017–20996 Filed 9–29–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. EF17–3–000] 

Bonneville Power Administration; 

Order Approving Rates on an Interim 

Basis and Providing Opportunity for 

Additional Comments 

Before Commissioners: Neil Chatterjee, 

Chairman; Cheryl A. LaFleur, and Robert F. 

Powelson. 

1. In this order, we approve on an 

interim basis Bonneville Power 

Administration’s (Bonneville) proposed 

2018–2019 transmission rates, with the 

exception of the rates for transmission 

service on the Southern Intertie, which 

are addressed separately in another 

order, pending our further review. We 

also provide an additional period of 

time for parties to file comments. 

I. Background 

2. On July 31, 2017,1 Bonneville filed 

a request for interim and final approval 

of its transmission rates 2 in accordance 

with section 7 of the Pacific Northwest 

Electric Power Planning and 

Conservation Act (Northwest Power 

Act) 3 and Part 300 of the Commission’s 

regulations.4 Bonneville projects that 

the filed rates will produce average 

annual transmission revenues of $1.044 

billion and annual net revenues of $4.65 

million.5 Bonneville asserts that this 

level of annual revenues is sufficient to 

recover its costs for the 2018–2019 rate 

approval period, while providing cash 

flow to ensure at least a 95 percent 

probability of making all payments to 

the United States Treasury in full and 

on time for each year of the rate period.6

II. Notice of Filing 

3. Notice of Bonneville’s July 31, 2017 

filing was published in the Federal 

Register, 82 FR 37,445 (2017),7 with 

protests and interventions due on or 

before August 30, 2017. Timely motions 

to intervene were filed by Pacific 

Northwest Generating Cooperative, 

Powerex Corporation, Turlock Irrigation 

District, Avista Corporation, Sacramento 

Municipal Utility District, Northwest 

Requirements Utilities, Industrial 

Customers of Northwest Utilities, 

NorthWestern Corporation, Western 

Public Agencies Group, M–S–R Public 

Power Agency, Snohomish County 

Public Utility District No. 1, Public 

Power Council, Puget Sound Energy 

Inc., Idaho Power Company, and 

Avangrid Renewables LLC. Renewable 

Northwest filed a timely motion to 

intervene and comments. Sierra Club 

and Montana Environmental 

Information Center (Sierra Club/MEIC) 

filed a timely motion to intervene and 

protest. On September 14, 2017, 

Bonneville filed a request for leave to 

answer and answer to Sierra Club/ 

MEIC’s protest and Renewable 

Northwest’s comments. 

4. Sierra Club/MEIC argues that 

eliminating Bonneville’s IM Rate,8 in 

particular, is necessary to meet 

Bonneville’s statutory mandate to 

encourage the widest possible 

diversified use of electric power at the 

lowest possible rates to consumers, 

consistent with sound business 

principles.9 Sierra Club/MEIC asserts 

that the IM Rate is the primary 

impediment to renewable resource 

development in Montana.10 Sierra Club/ 

MEIC explains that Bonneville 

effectively charges two rates for 

Montana producers seeking to use the 

Eastern Intertie—the IM Rate and the 

Network Rate—which inequitably 

allocates transmission costs and has 

impeded subscription of the Eastern 

Intertie.11 According to Sierra Club/ 


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45840 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 189 / Monday, October 2, 2017 / Notices 

12 Id. at 2–3. 

13 Id. at 3, 12. 

14 Id. at 31, 33. 

15 Id. at 12. 

16Renewable Northwest Comments at 7 (quoting 

16 U.S.C. 838g (2012). 

17Of the 200 MW available on the Eastern Intertie 

that are subject to the IM Rate, 16 MW are 

subscribed, leaving 184 MW still available. Id. 

18 Id. at 4. 

19 Id. at 10. 

20 16 U.S.C. 839e(a)(2) (2012). Bonneville also 

must comply with the financial, accounting, and 

ratemaking requirements in Department of Energy 

Order No. RA 6120.2. 

21See, e.g., Bonneville Power Admin., 152 FERC 

¶ 61,201, at P 10 (2015) (citing U.S. Dep’t of 

Energy—Bonneville Power Admin., 67 FERC 

¶ 61,351, at 62,216–17 (1994); Aluminum Co. of 

Am. v. Bonneville Power Admin., 903 F.2d 585, 

592–93 (9th Cir. 1989)). 

22See 18 CFR 300.10(a)(3)(ii) (2017). 

23See, e.g., Bonneville Power Admin., 152 FERC 

¶ 61,201 at P 11 (citing U.S. Dep’t of Energy— 

Bonneville Power Admin., 64 FERC ¶ 61,375, at 

63,606 (1993); U.S. Dep’t of Energy—Bonneville 

Power Admin., 40 FERC ¶ 61,351, at 62,059–60 

(1987)). 

24See, e.g., id. P 12 (citing U.S. Dep’t of Energy— 

Bonneville Power Admin., 105 FERC ¶ 61,006, at PP 

13–14 (2003); U.S. Dep’t of Energy—Bonneville 

Power Admin., 96 FERC ¶ 61,360, at 62,358 (2001)). 

25 18 CFR 300.20(c) (2017). 

MEIC, eliminating this ‘‘pancake’’ rate 

structure would enable high-quality 

Montana wind resources to affordably 

transmit their power and meet growing 

needs for renewable power in the 

Pacific Northwest.12 Sierra Club/MEIC 

states that the IM Rate yields very little 

revenue for Bonneville because it is 

undersubscribed, and that cost recovery 

principles, cost causation principles, 

and Bonneville’s segmentation policy 

do not support maintaining the IM 

Rate.13 Lastly, Sierra Club/MEIC states 

that speculation on future upgrades to 

Bonneville’s transmission network is 

not a legitimate basis for maintaining 

the IM Rate, and eliminating the IM Rate 

does not require Bonneville to roll-in 

the Southern Intertie.14 Sierra Club/ 

MEIC urges the Commission to 

disapprove the IM Rate and direct 

Bonneville to establish a rate structure 

for the Eastern Intertie that is consistent 

with Bonneville’s statutory mandate.15

5. Renewable Northwest similarly 

filed comments requesting that the 

Commission disapprove Bonneville’s 

proposed IM Rate on the basis that the 

rate does not ‘‘encourag[e] the widest 

possible diversified use of electric 

power at the lowest possible rates to 

consumers consistent with sound 

business principles.’’ 16 Renewable 

Northwest asserts that the IM Rate 

imposes a financial disadvantage that is 

a disincentive to the use of Bonneville’s 

184 MW of unsubscribed Eastern 

Intertie capacity.17 Renewable 

Northwest suggests that eliminating the 

IM Rate would encourage subscription 

of Eastern Intertie capacity and generate 

additional revenue for Bonneville.18

Renewable Northwest encourages the 

Commission to direct Bonneville to 

work with stakeholders on a rate 

structure that would encourage 

subscription of Bonneville’s available 

Eastern Intertie capacity in a manner 

that is consistent with Bonneville’s 

statutory directives.19

III. Discussion 

A. Procedural Matters 

6. Pursuant to Rule 214 of the 

Commission’s Rules of Practice and 

Procedure, 18 CFR 385.214 (2017), the 

timely, unopposed motions to intervene 

serve to make the entities that filed 

them parties to this proceeding. 

7. Rule 213(a)(2) of the Commission’s 

Rules of Practice and Procedure, 18 CFR 

385.213(a)(2) (2017), prohibits an 

answer to a protest or an answer unless 

otherwise ordered by the decisional 

authority. We are not persuaded to 

accept Bonneville’s answer to the 

comments and protests, and therefore, 

reject it. 

B. Standard of Review 

8. Under the Northwest Power Act, 

our review of Bonneville’s transmission 

rates is limited to determining whether 

Bonneville’s proposed rates satisfy the 

specific requirements of section 7(a)(2) 

of the Northwest Power Act, including 

that such rates: 

(A) Are sufficient to assure repayment 

of the Federal investment in the Federal 

Columbia River Power System over a 

reasonable number of years after first 

meeting [Bonneville’s] other costs; 

(B) are based upon [Bonneville’s] total 

system costs; and 

(C) insofar as transmission rates are 

concerned, equitably allocate the costs 

of the Federal transmission system 

between Federal and non-Federal power 

utilizing such system.20

9. Unlike the Commission’s statutory 

authority under the Federal Power Act, 

the Commission’s authority under 

section 7(a) of the Northwest Power Act 

does not include the power to modify 

the rates. The responsibility for 

developing rates in the first instance is 

vested with Bonneville’s Administrator. 

The rates are then submitted to the 

Commission for approval or 

disapproval. In this regard, the 

Commission’s role can be viewed as an 

appellate one: To affirm or remand the 

rates submitted to it for review.21

10. Moreover, review at this interim 

stage is further limited. In view of the 

volume and complexity of a Bonneville 

rate application, such as the one now 

before the Commission in this filing, 

and the limited period in advance of the 

requested effective date in which to 

review the application,22 the 

Commission generally defers resolution 

of issues on the merits of Bonneville’s 

application until the order on final 

confirmation. Thus, we generally 

approve the proposed rates on an 

interim basis, unless the filing is 

patently deficient, and provide the 

parties with an additional opportunity 

to raise issues with regard to 

Bonneville’s filing.23

11. We decline at this time to grant 

Bonneville’s request for final 

confirmation and approval of 

Bonneville’s proposed transmission 

rates. However, we will grant 

Bonneville’s request for interim 

approval. Our preliminary review 

indicates that Bonneville’s transmission 

rates filing appears to meet the statutory 

standards and the minimum threshold 

filing requirements of Part 300 of the 

Commission’s regulations.24 Moreover, 

our preliminary review of Bonneville’s 

submittal indicates that it does not 

contain any patent deficiencies. The 

proposed rates, with the exception of 

the rates for transmission service on the 

Southern Intertie which are addressed 

separately in another order, therefore 

will be approved on an interim basis 

pending our further review. In addition, 

we note that no one will be harmed by 

this decision because interim approval 

allows Bonneville’s rates to go into 

effect subject to refund with interest; the 

Commission may order refunds with 

interest if the Commission later 

determines in its final decision not to 

approve the rates.25

12. We will also provide an additional 

period of time for parties to file 

comments and reply comments on 

issues related to final confirmation and 

approval of Bonneville’s proposed rates. 

This will ensure that the record in this 

proceeding is complete and fully 

developed. Specifically, if parties wish 

to file additional comments, they will be 

due within 30 days of the date of this 

order. Reply comments are due 20 days 

thereafter. 

The Commission orders: 

(A) Interim approval of Bonneville’s 

proposed transmission rates, with the 

exception of the rates for transmission 

service on the Southern Intertie, is 

hereby granted, to become effective on 

October 1, 2017, through September 30, 

2019, subject to refund with interest as 

set forth in section 300.20(c) of the 

Commission’s regulations, 18 CFR 

300.20(c), pending final action and 


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Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 189 / Monday, October 2, 2017 / Notices 45841 

either their approval or their 

disapproval. 

(B) Within 30 days of the date of this 

order, parties who wish to do so may 

file additional comments regarding final 

confirmation and approval of 

Bonneville’s proposed rates. Parties who 

wish to do so may file reply comments 

within 20 days thereafter. 

(C) The Secretary shall promptly 

publish this order in the Federal 

Register. 

By the Commission. 

Issued: September 25, 2017. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21060 Filed 9–29–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. CP17–493–000] 

Colorado Interstate Gas Company, 

LLC’; Notice of Application 

Take notice that on September 14, 

2017, Colorado Interstate Gas Company, 

LLC (CIG), Post Office Box 1087, 

Colorado Springs, Colorado 80944, filed 

in Docket No. CP17–493–000 an 

application pursuant to section 7(b) of 

the Natural Gas Act (NGA) requesting an 

order authorizing the abandonment of 

certain facilities related to the Rawlins 

Processing Plant, all as more fully set 

forth in the application which is on file 

with the Commission and open to 

public inspection. The filing may also 

be viewed on the web at http://

www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link. 

Enter the docket number excluding the 

last three digits in the docket number 

field to access the document. For 

assistance, please contact FERC Online 

Support at FERCOnlineSupport@

ferc.gov or toll free at (866) 208–3676, or 

TTY, contact (202) 502–8659. 

Any questions concerning this 

application may be directed to 

Francisco Tarin, Director, Regulatory 

Affairs, Colorado Interstate Gas 

Company, LLC, P.O. Box 1087, Colorado 

Springs, Colorado, 80944 at (719) 667– 

7517 or Mark A. Minich, Assistant 

General Counsel, Colorado Interstate 

Gas Company, LLC, P.O. Box 1087, 

Colorado Springs, Colorado, 80944 at 

(719) 520–4416. 

Specifically, CIG is requesting 

approval for the abandonment in place 

of the Rawlins lean oil processing and 

fractionation plants, as well as natural 

gas liquids truck off-loading facilities, 

and natural gas liquids interconnecting 

facilities that tie into the Overland Pass 

Pipeline Company all located in Carbon 

County, Wyoming; and the 

abandonment by sale of natural gas 

liquids pipelines, associated natural gas 

liquids measurement facilities, and 

natural gas liquids rail loading facilities 

to Sinclair Wyoming Refining Company. 

Pursuant to section 157.9 of the 

Commission’s rules, 18 CFR 157.9, 

within 90 days of this Notice the 

Commission staff will either complete 

its environmental assessment (EA) and 

place it into the Commission’s public 

record (eLibrary) for this proceeding; or 

issue a Notice of Schedule for 

Environmental Review. If a Notice of 

Schedule for Environmental Review is 

issued, it will indicate, among other 

milestones, the anticipated date for the 

Commission staff’s issuance of the final 

environmental impact statement (FEIS) 

or EA for this proposal. The filing of the 

EA in the Commission’s public record 

for this proceeding or the issuance of a 

Notice of Schedule for Environmental 

Review will serve to notify federal and 

state agencies of the timing for the 

completion of all necessary reviews, and 

the subsequent need to complete all 

federal authorizations within 90 days of 

the date of issuance of the Commission 

staff’s FEIS or EA. 

There are two ways to become 

involved in the Commission’s review of 

this project. First, any person wishing to 

obtain legal status by becoming a party 

to the proceedings for this project 

should, on or before the comment date 

stated below, file with the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 

First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, 

a motion to intervene in accordance 

with the requirements of the 

Commission’s Rules of Practice and 

Procedure (18 CFR 385.214 or 385.211) 

and the Regulations under the NGA (18 

CFR 157.10). A person obtaining party 

status will be placed on the service list 

maintained by the Secretary of the 

Commission and will receive copies of 

all documents filed by the applicant and 

by all other parties. A party must submit 

original and 7 copies of filings made 

with the Commission and must mail a 

copy to the applicant and to every other 

party in the proceeding. Only parties to 

the proceeding can ask for court review 

of Commission orders in the proceeding. 

However, a person does not have to 

intervene in order to have comments 

considered. The second way to 

participate is by filing with the 

Secretary of the Commission, as soon as 

possible, an original and two copies of 

comments in support of or in opposition 

to this project. The Commission will 

consider these comments in 

determining the appropriate action to be 

taken, but the filing of a comment alone 

will not serve to make the filer a party 

to the proceeding. The Commission’s 

rules require that persons filing 

comments in opposition to the project 

provide copies of their protests only to 

the party or parties directly involved in 

the protest. 

Persons who wish to comment only 

on the environmental review of this 

project should submit an original and 

two copies of their comments to the 

Secretary of the Commission. 

Environmental commentors will be 

placed on the Commission’s 

environmental mailing list, will receive 

copies of the environmental documents, 

and will be notified of meetings 

associated with the Commission’s 

environmental review process. 

Environmental commentors will not be 

required to serve copies of filed 

documents on all other parties. 

However, the non-party commentors 

will not receive copies of all documents 

filed by other parties or issued by the 

Commission (except for the mailing of 

environmental documents issued by the 

Commission) and will not have the right 

to seek court review of the 

Commission’s final order. 

The Commission strongly encourages 

electronic filings of comments, 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 Web site that 

enables subscribers to receive email 

notification when a document is added 

to a subscribed docket(s). For assistance 

with any FERC Online service, please 

email FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or 

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

call (202) 502–8659. 

Comment Date: 5:00 p.m. Eastern 

Time on October 17, 2017. 

Dated; September 26, 2017. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2017–21059 Filed 9–29–17; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 


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