[Federal Register: October 29, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 209)]
[Notices]
[Page 61659-61660]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr29oc03-31]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. PP-89-1]
Application To Amend Presidential Permit; Bangor Hydro-Electric
Company
AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of application.
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SUMMARY: Bangor Hydro-Electric Company (BHE) has applied to amend
Presidential Permit PP-89 that authorized the construction, operation,
maintenance, and connection of a single-circuit, 345,000-volt (345-kV)
[[Page 61660]]
alternating current (AC) electric transmission line across the U.S.
border with Canada.
DATES: Comments, protests or requests to intervene must be submitted on
or before November 28, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Comments, protests or requests to intervene should be
addressed as follows: Office of Coal & Power Import/Export (FE-27),
Office of Fossil Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585-0350 (FAX 202-287-5736).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Russell or Xavier Puslowski
(Program Office) (202) 586-9624 or (202) 586-4708 or Michael Skinker
(Program Attorney) (202) 586-2793.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The construction, operation, maintenance,
and connection of facilities at the international border of the United
States for the transmission of electric energy between the United
States and a foreign country is prohibited in the absence of a
Presidential permit issued pursuant to Executive Order (EO) 10485, as
amended by EO 12038.
On January 22, 1996, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) issued
Presidential Permit PP-89 authorizing BHE to construct, operate,
maintain, and connect a 345-kV electric transmission line that extends
approximately 83-miles from the U.S.-Canada border at Baileyville,
Maine, to Orrington, Maine. At the Canadian border, the proposed
transmission line was to connect to similar facilities to be built by
New Brunswick Electric Power Commission (NB Power), a Crown corporation
of Canada's Province of New Brunswick. The authorized facilities were
not constructed.
On September 30, 2003, BHE applied to the Office of Fossil Energy
(FE) of DOE to amend Presidential Permit PP-89. Since the issuance of
PP-89, a natural gas transmission line has been constructed by
Maritimes and Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C. in the same general vicinity
as the BHE project in a corridor approved by Maine's Department of
Environmental Protection. Now the Board of Environmental Protection,
Maine's primary environmental review entity, has indicated to BHE its
preference for BHE to construct the proposed electric transmission line
in a corridor more closely consolidated with that of the natural gas
line.
The international transmission line now proposed by BHE would be a
single circuit 345-kV AC transmission line consisting of two overhead
shield wires and three phases with two conductors per phase. The
transmission line is proposed to have a thermal capacity of at least
1,000 megawatts (MW). From the U.S.-Canada border near Baileyville,
Maine, the proposed transmission line would continue approximately 80
miles to an existing substation in Orrington, Maine. In Canada, the BHE
facilities would interconnect with similar facilities to be owned by
New Brunswick Power Corporation and continue approximately 60 miles to
Point Lepreau, New Brunswick. Canada's National Energy Board authorized
construction of these facilities in May 2003.
Since the restructuring of the electric power industry began,
resulting in the introduction of different types of competitive
entities into the marketplace, DOE has consistently expressed its
policy that cross-border trade in electric energy should be subject to
the same principles of comparable open access and non-discrimination
that apply to transmission in interstate commerce. DOE has stated that
policy in export authorizations granted to entities requesting
authority to export over international transmission facilities.
Specifically, DOE expects transmitting utilities owning border
facilities constructed pursuant to Presidential permits to provide
access across the border in accordance with the principles of
comparable open access and non-discrimination contained in the FPA and
articulated in Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Order No. 888, as
amended (Promoting Wholesale Competition Through Open Access Non-
Discriminatory Transmission Services by Services by Public Utilities).
In furtherance of this policy, DOE intends to condition any
Presidential permit issued in this proceeding on compliance with these
open access principles.
Procedural Matters: Any person desiring to become a party to this
proceeding or to be heard by filing comments or protests to this
application should file a petition to intervene, comment or protest at
the address provided above in accordance with Sec. Sec. 385.211 or
385.214 of the FERC's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.211,
385.214). Fifteen copies of each petition and protest should be filed
with the DOE on or before the date listed above.
Additional copies of such petitions to intervene or protests also
should be filed directly with: Mr. Robert Bennett, Bangor Hydro
Electric Co., 33 State Street, P.O. Box 920, Bangor, ME 04402-0920; and
Mr. Jim Connors, Esq., Emera, Inc., 1894 Barrington Street, Barrington
Tower, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3J2A8.
Before a Presidential permit may be issued or amended, the DOE must
determine that the proposed action will not adversely impact on the
reliability of the U.S. electric power supply system. In addition, DOE
must consider the environmental impacts of the proposed action (i.e.,
granting the Presidential permit with any conditions and limitations,
or denying it) pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of
1969. DOE also must obtain the concurrence of the Secretary of State
and the Secretary of Defense before taking final action on a
Presidential permit application.
The NEPA compliance process is a cooperative, non-adversarial
process involving members of the public, state governments and the
Federal government. The process affords all persons interested in or
potentially affected by the environmental consequences of a proposed
action an opportunity to present their views, which will be considered
in the preparation of the Environmental documentation for the proposed
action. Intervening and becoming a party to this proceeding will not
create any special status for the petitioner with regard to the NEPA
process. Notice of upcoming NEPA activities and information on how the
public can participate in those activities will appear in the Federal
Register.
Copies of this application will be made available, upon request,
for public inspection and copying at the address provided above. In
addition, the application may be reviewed or downloaded from the Fossil
Energy home page at http://www.fe.doe.gov. Upon reaching the Fossil
Energy Home page, select ``Electricity Regulation,'' and then ``Pending
Proceedings'' from the options menus.
Issued in Washington, DC, on October 22, 2003.
Anthony J. Como,
Deputy Director, Electric Power Regulation, Office of Coal & Power
Import/Export, Office of Coal & Power Systems, Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 03-27233 Filed 10-28-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P