[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 143 (Friday, July 24, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44872-44873]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15868]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. AD20-20-000]
Notice of Availability of Draft Engineering Guidelines for the
Evaluation of Hydropower Projects: Chapter 15--Supporting Technical
Information Document and Request for Comments
The staff of the Office of Energy Projects (OEP) has drafted its
initial version of Chapter 15--Supporting Technical Information
Document 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 Supporting Technical Information Document, 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 15 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 15--Supporting
Technical Information Document 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 improved measures and best
practices for compiling and storing project records in physical and
electronic formats. 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 (AD20-20-000) 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 15--Supporting Technical
Information Document, 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., AD20-20). 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]. 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.
[[Page 44873]]
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 AD20-20-000) 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
[email protected] 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. 2020-15868 Filed 7-23-20; 8:45 am]
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