[Federal Register: February 18, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 33)]
[Notices]
[Page 8350-8351]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18fe05-53]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[FE Docket No. PP-299]
Application for Presidential Permit; Sea Breeze Pacific Regional
Transmission System, Inc.
AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of application.
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SUMMARY: Sea Breeze Pacific Regional Transmission System, Inc., (Sea
Breeze) has applied for a Presidential permit to construct, operate,
maintain, and connect a 150,000-volt (150-kV), direct current
transmission line across the U.S. border with Canada.
DATES: Comments, protests, or requests to intervene must be submitted
on or before March 21, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Comments, protests, or requests to intervene should be
addressed as follows: Office of Fossil Energy (FE-27), U.S. Department
of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585 (FAX
202-297-5736).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Jerry Pell (Program Office) at
202-586-3362, or Michael T. Skinker (Program Attorney) at 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 December 20, 2004, Sea Breeze filed an application with the
Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) for a
Presidential permit for the construction of a 150-kV electric
transmission line that would cross the U.S.-Canadian border. Sea Breeze
is a British Columbia corporation with its principal place of business
in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although Sea Breeze is the sole
applicant for a Presidential permit, Sea Breeze is a joint venture
between Sea Breeze Power Corporation, a publicly traded Canadian
corporation, and Boundless Energy, LLC, a limited liability company of
the State of Maine.
Sea Breeze proposes to develop a direct current transmission
interconnection between Canada and the United States utilizing High
Voltage Direct Current Light technology. The project would originate on
Vancouver Island in the vicinity of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada,
cross the Strait of Juan de Fuca via submarine cable, and proceed via
terrestrial underground cable to a converter station to be constructed
at a substation located in Port Angeles, Washington, and owned by
Bonneville Power Administration. The converter station would convert
the direct current back to alternating current.
The entire length of the proposed transmission facilities would be
22 miles, consisting of 1\1/2\ miles of land-based underground cable in
Canada, 19 miles of submarine cable crossing the Strait of Juan de
Fuca, and 1\1/2\ miles of land-based underground cable inside the
United States. The project is intended to transmit up to 550 megawatts
of power in either direction between the two countries.
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 authorization 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
[[Page 8351]]
principles of comparable open access and non-discrimination contained
in the FPA and articulated in Federal Energy Regulation Commission
Order No. 888, as amended (Promoting Wholesale Competition Through Open
Access Non-Discriminatory Transmission 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. 385.211 or 385.214
of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Rules of Practice and
Procedures (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214). Fifteen copies of each petition
and protest should be filed with DOE on or before the date listed
above.
Additional copies of such petitions to intervene or protest also
should be filed directly with Tony Duggleby, Chief Executive Officer,
Sea Breeze Pacific Regional Transmission System, Inc., Lobby Box 91,
Suite 1400, 333 Seymour Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6B 5A6 and with
either John G. Osborn or Gordon F. Grimes at Bernstein, Shur, Sawyer &
Nelson, 100 Middle Street, P.O. Box 9729, Portland, ME 04104-5029.
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 (NEPA). DOE also must obtain the concurrences 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, Tribal
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. Notices of forthcoming NEPA
activities and information on how to 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 viewed on, or downloaded from, the
Office of Fossil Energy Web site at http://www.fe.doe.gov/programs/ElectricityRegulation.
Select ``Pending Proceedings'' from the options
menu.
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 14, 2005.
Anthony J. Como,
Deputy Director, Electric Power Regulation, Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 05-3148 Filed 2-17-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P