Document ID: FERC-2020-0964-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Availability of Draft Engineering Guidelines for the Evaluation of Hydropower Projects: Chapter 16-Part 12D Program and Request for Comments
Posted Date: 2020-07-24T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 143 (Friday, July 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44871-44872]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15872]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD20-21-000]

Notice of Availability of Draft Engineering Guidelines for the 
Evaluation of Hydropower Projects: Chapter 16--Part 12D Program and 
Request for Comments

    The staff of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP) has drafted its 
initial version of Chapter 16--Part 12D Program of its Engineering 
Guidelines for the Evaluation of Hydropower Projects (Guidelines). This 
chapter will supersede the portions of ``Chapter 14--Dam Safety 
Performance Monitoring Program'' that pertain to the performance of an 
Independent Consultant's Safety Inspection, and is one of four draft 
chapters intended to provide additional guidance related to the notice 
of proposed rulemaking issued by the Commission in Docket No. RM20-9-
000. Please note that any comments on the proposed rulemaking or on 
draft chapters of the Guidelines other than Chapter 16 should be filed 
in the corresponding docket number.\1\
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    \1\ The Commission is concurrently issuing for public comment 
four draft chapters of the Guidelines in Docket Nos. AD20-20-000 
(Chapter 15--Supporting Technical Information Document), AD20-21-000 
(Chapter 16--Part 12D Program), AD20-22-000 (Chapter 17--Potential 
Failure Mode Analysis), and AD20-23-000 (Chapter 18--Level 2 Risk 
Analysis).
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    Comments are now requested on the draft ``Chapter 16--Part 12D 
Program'' from federal and state agencies, licensees whose projects are 
subject to Part 12, Subpart D of the Commission's regulations, 
independent consultants and inspectors, and other interested parties 
with special expertise with respect to dam safety. Comments are due 60 
days from the date of this Notice.
    Interested parties can help us determine the appropriate updates 
and improvements by providing: Meaningful comments or suggestions that 
focus on the specific sections requiring clarification; updates to 
reflect current laws and regulations; or best practices related to the 
review, inspection, and assessment of water power projects. The more 
specific your comments, the more useful they will be. A detailed 
explanation of your submissions and/or any references of scientific 
studies associated with your comments will greatly help us with this 
process. We will consider all timely comments on the revised Guidelines 
before issuing the final version.
    For your convenience, there are three methods which you can use to 
submit your comments to the Commission. In all instances please 
reference the docket number (AD20-21-000) on the first page of your 
submission. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing.
    (1) You can file your comments electronically using the eComment 
feature on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov). Select the FERC 
Online option from the left-hand column and click on eComment. This is 
an easy method for interested persons to submit brief, text-only 
comments up to 6,000 characters. You must include your name and contact 
information at the end of your comments.
    (2) You can file your comments electronically using the eFiling 
feature on the Commission's website (www.ferc.gov). Select the FERC 
Online option from the left-hand column and click on eFiling. With 
eFiling, you can provide comments in a variety of formats by attaching 
them as a file with your submission. New eFiling users must first 
create an account by clicking on eRegister. When selecting the filing 
type, select General, then choose Comment (on Filing, Environ. Report 
or Tech Conf).
    (3) In lieu of electronic filing, you can mail a paper copy of your 
comments to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the 
Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426. Hand-delivered 
comments, or those delivered by carriers/couriers other than the US 
Postal Service, should be delivered to Health and Human Services, 12225 
Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    All information related to Chapter 16--Part 12D Program, including 
the draft chapter and all submitted comments, can be found on the FERC 
website (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary 
link, click on General Search and enter the docket number, excluding 
the last three digits in the Docket Number field (i.e., AD20-21). Be 
sure you have selected an appropriate date range. The Commission also 
offers a free service called eSubscription which allows you to keep 
track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets. This 
can reduce the amount of time you spend researching proceedings by 
automatically providing you with electronic notification of these 
filings and direct links to the documents. Go to the Commission's 
website (www.ferc.gov), select the FERC Online option from the left-
hand column, and click on eSubscription. Users must be registered in 
order to use eSubscription.

Information Collection Statement

    The proposed Guidelines include information collection activities 
for which the Paperwork Reduction Act \2\ requires approval by the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The Commission has included the 
burden and cost estimates for information collection activities in 
these Guidelines in the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking titled, Safety of 
Water Power Projects and Project Works (Docket No. RM20-9-000). The 
Commission has designated the information collection activities in the 
proposed rule and in the Guidelines as FERC-517. Upon approval of FERC-
517, OMB will assign an OMB Control Number and expiration date.
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    \2\ 44 U.S.C. 3501-3521.
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    If you would like to submit comments on the information-collection 
aspects (such as burden, cost, need for the data, and frequency of 
reporting or recordkeeping) of the proposed Guidelines, please submit 
them to: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget [Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
Desk Officer].

[[Page 44872]]

Due to security concerns, comments should be sent directly to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Comments submitted to OMB should be 
sent within 60 days of publication of this notice in the Federal 
Register and refer to FERC-517 and OMB Control No. 1902-TBD.
    Please submit to the Commission copies of comments concerning the 
collection of information and the associated burden estimates 
(identified by Docket Nos. RM20-9-000 and AD20-21-000) by any of the 
three methods listed above.
    For assistance with filing or any of the Commission's online 
systems, please contact FERC Online Support at 
FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at (866) 208-3676, or for TTY, 
contact (202) 502-8258.

    Dated: July 16, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-15872 Filed 7-23-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P