83 FR 23271 - Application To Export Electric Energy; Matador Power Marketing, Inc.

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 97 (May 18, 2018)

Page Range		23271-23272
FR Document		2018-10642

Matador Power Marketing, Inc. (Matador or Applicant) has applied for authority to transmit electric energy from the United States to Mexico pursuant to the Federal Power Act.

Federal Register, Volume 83 Issue 97 (Friday, May 18, 2018)

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 97 (Friday, May 18, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23271-23272]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-10642]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[OE Docket No. EA-452]


Application To Export Electric Energy; Matador Power Marketing, 
Inc.

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of application.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: Matador Power Marketing, Inc. (Matador or Applicant) has 
applied for authority to transmit electric energy from the United 
States to Mexico pursuant to the Federal Power Act.

DATES: Comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be submitted on 
or before June 18, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, motions to intervene, or requests for 
more information should be addressed to: Office of Electricity Delivery 
and Energy Reliability, Mail Code: OE-20, U.S. Department of Energy, 
1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585-0350. Because of 
delays in handling conventional mail, it is recommended that documents 
be transmitted by overnight mail, by electronic mail to 
Electricity.Exports@hq.doe.gov, or by facsimile to 202-586-8008.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of electricity from the United 
States to a foreign country are regulated by the Department of Energy 
(DOE) pursuant to sections 301(b) and 402(f) of the Department of 
Energy Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7151(b), 7172(f)) and require 
authorization under section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 
824a(e)).
    On May 1, 2018, DOE received an application from Matador for 
authority to transmit electric energy from the United States to Mexico 
as a power marketer for a five-year term using existing international 
transmission facilities.
    In its application, Matador states that it does not own or control 
any electric generation or transmission facilities, and it does not 
have a franchised service area. The electric energy that the Applicant 
proposes to export to Mexico would be surplus energy purchased from 
third parties such as electric utilities and Federal power marketing 
agencies pursuant to voluntary

[[Page 23272]]

agreements. The existing international transmission facilities to be 
utilized by the Applicant have previously been authorized by 
Presidential Permits issued pursuant to Executive Order 10485, as 
amended, and are appropriate for open access transmission by third 
parties.
    Procedural Matters: Any person desiring to be heard in this 
proceeding should file a comment or protest to the application at the 
address provided above. Protests should be filed in accordance with 
Rule 211 of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's (FERC) Rules of 
Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.211). Any person desiring to become 
a party to these proceedings should file a motion to intervene at the 
above address in accordance with FERC Rule 214 (18 CFR 385.214). Five 
copies of such comments, protests, or motions to intervene should be 
sent to the address provided above on or before the date listed above.
    Comments and other filings concerning Matador's application to 
export electric energy to Mexico should be clearly marked with OE 
Docket No. EA-452. An additional copy is to be provided to both Ruta 
Kalvaitis Sku[ccaron]as, Pierce Atwood LLC, 1875 K St. NW, Suite 700, 
Washington, DC 20006 and Diana Stoica, Matador Power Marketing, Inc., 
523 Soudan Avenue, Toronto, ON M4S 1X1.
    A final decision will be made on this application after the 
environmental impacts have been evaluated pursuant to DOE's National 
Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures (10 CFR part 1021) and 
after a determination is made by DOE that the proposed action will not 
have an adverse impact on the sufficiency of supply or reliability of 
the U.S. electric power supply system.
    Copies of this application will be made available, upon request, 
for public inspection and copying at the address provided above, by 
accessing the program website at http://energy.gov/node/11845, or by 
emailing Angela Troy at Angela.Troy@hq.doe.gov.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 10, 2018.
Christopher Lawrence,
Electricity Policy Analyst, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy 
Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2018-10642 Filed 5-17-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 97 / Friday, May 18, 2018 / Notices 23271

contained no decisions regarding the 13,000-square-meters (140,000-square- Issued in Washington, DC, on May 14,
interim storage, treatment, or final feet) of ground. They also included the 2018.
disposition of the capsules or their operational impacts from retrieval of the Anne Marie White,
contents.2 Accordingly, the capsules capsules from WESF and their Assistant Secretary for Environmental
continue to be stored in WESF. placement into containers; transfer of Management.
the containers to the new storage [FR Doc. 2018–10643 Filed 5–17–18; 8:45 am]
Events Since Issuance of the First
Record of Decision facility; and maintaining and BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
monitoring of the facility for up to 145
Since issuance of the ROD,
completion of the Waste Treatment years (the maximum storage time under
all of the Tank Closure Alternatives DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Project has been delayed and WESF is
experiencing degradation of key analyzed in the TC & WM EIS). The [OE Docket No. EA–452]
structures and safety systems, including potential impacts from deactivation of
the dry storage facility included those Application To Export Electric Energy;
the concrete walls of the storage pool
resulting from putting the facility into a Matador Power Marketing, Inc.
due to gamma radiation emitted by the
capsules. The degradation of WESF has stable configuration after removal of the AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery
increased the risk that a beyond design capsules for treatment, disposition, or and Energy Reliability, DOE.
basis natural event (e.g. an earthquake) both. ACTION: Notice of application.
could cause the walls to fail, resulting The capsules would be transported
in loss of the water that provides and stored in casks similar to the casks SUMMARY: Matador Power Marketing,
shielding of the capsules. Due to this analyzed in the TC&WM EIS; they Inc. (Matador or Applicant) has applied
concern and the realization that the would be passively ventilated to for authority to transmit electric energy
capsules would likely need to stay in from the United States to Mexico
dissipate heat produced by radioactive
WESF for a period longer than its design pursuant to the Federal Power Act.
decay within the capsules. The current
life, DOE has concluded that interim dry DATES: Comments, protests, or motions
storage of the capsules in a new facility design of the dry storage facility, which
would be located approximately 400 to intervene must be submitted on or
would significantly reduce the potential before June 18, 2018.
risk of onsite radiological exposures and meters (440 yards) from the existing
WESF, calls for a storage pad of 753 ADDRESSES: Comments, protests,
airborne releases from a failure of motions to intervene, or requests for
WESF. square meters (8,100 square feet) within
the facility on which the casks would be more information should be addressed
Preferred Alternative for Interim placed. The new facility would be a to: Office of Electricity Delivery and
Storage of the Capsules Energy Reliability, Mail Code: OE–20,
‘‘dangerous waste management unit’’
Because of the delays in completing U.S. Department of Energy, 1000
under the Hanford Facility Resource
the Waste Treatment Plant and the Independence Avenue SW, Washington,
Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA)
ongoing degradation of WESF, DOE has DC 20585–0350. Because of delays in
Permit; it would be added to the permit handling conventional mail, it is
now concluded that its preferred through a modification issued by the
alternative for interim storage of the recommended that documents be
state of Washington pursuant to its transmitted by overnight mail, by
capsules is in a new dry storage facility. delegated RCRA authority.
This is also the environmentally electronic mail to Electricity.Exports@
preferred alternative for interim storage The potential environmental impacts hq.doe.gov, or by facsimile to 202–586–
of the capsules as it would reduce the from interim dry storage of the capsules 8008.
risks posed by a failure of WESF. would be less than those identified in SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of
the TC&WM EIS for this alternative, electricity from the United States to a
Decision primarily due to the decay of foreign country are regulated by the
DOE evaluated the transfer of the radioactivity in the capsules. In June Department of Energy (DOE) pursuant to
cesium and strontium capsules from 2017, DOE estimated that the sections 301(b) and 402(f) of the
WESF to dry storage in Appendix E of radioactivity in the capsules had Department of Energy Organization Act
the final TC&WM EIS (Section E decayed to 46 million curies; the final (42 U.S.C. 7151(b), 7172(f)) and require
1.2.3.4.5.) in response to comments from TC&WM EIS assumed the capsules authorization under section 202(e) of
the state of Oregon’s Department of contained about 68 million curies. the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C.
Energy and the Yakama Nation (Final 824a(e)).
DOE’s decision is to continue interim On May 1, 2018, DOE received an
TC&WM EIS at 3–29 to 3–30 and 3–437
to 3–440). This evaluation identified the storage of the capsules, but in a new dry application from Matador for authority
potential impacts from construction and storage facility rather than in WESF. to transmit electric energy from the
operation of a new dry storage facility DOE is not making any decisions at this United States to Mexico as a power
in the 200-East Area of Hanford, which time on treatment or final disposition of marketer for a five-year term using
would be deactivated upon final the cesium and strontium capsules. existing international transmission
disposition of the capsules. These Mitigation Measures facilities.
impacts included those from the In its application, Matador states that
construction of an approximately 6,500- Moving the capsules from WESF to a it does not own or control any electric
square-meter (70,000-square-feet) dry dry storage facility will mitigate generation or transmission facilities,
daltland on DSKBBV9HB2PROD with NOTICES

storage facility and disturbance of potential impacts resulting from a and it does not have a franchised service
potential failure of WESF. This decision area. The electric energy that the
2 The first ROD noted that it ‘‘is the first in a
will allow DOE to eliminate the Applicant proposes to export to Mexico
series of RODs that DOE intends to issue pursuant would be surplus energy purchased
to the Final TC&WM EIS.’’ (78 FR 75918.) It also potential for releases to groundwater
stated that DOE was ‘‘not deciding on treatment of and the atmosphere from a structural from third parties such as electric
the cesium and strontium capsules in this ROD.’’ failure of WESF. utilities and Federal power marketing
(Id.) agencies pursuant to voluntary

VerDate Sep<11>2014 16:38 May 17, 2018 Jkt 244001 PO 00000 Frm 00020 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\18MYN1.SGM 18MYN1

Document Created: 2018-05-18 02:15:48
Document Modified: 2018-05-18 02:15:48

Category		Regulatory Information
Collection		Federal Register
sudoc Class		AE 2.7: GS 4.107: AE 2.106:
Publisher		Office of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
Section		Notices
Action		Notice of application.
Dates		Comments, protests, or motions to intervene must be submitted on or before June 18, 2018.
FR Citation		83 FR 23271