[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
[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. 2020-15872 Filed 7-23-20; 8:45 am]
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