Applications for Permits To Site Interstate Electric Transmission Facilities

<RULE> DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY <SUBAGY>Federal Energy Regulatory Commission</SUBAGY> <CFR>18 CFR Parts 50 and 380</CFR> <DEPDOC>[Docket No. RM22-7-000; Order No. 1977]</DEPDOC> <SUBJECT>Applications for Permits To Site Interstate Electric Transmission Facilities</SUBJECT> <HD SOURCE="HED">AGENCY:</HD> Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. <HD SOURCE="HED">ACTION:</HD> Final rule. <SUM> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUMMARY:</HD> The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission amends its regulations governing applications for permits to site electric transmission facilities under the Federal Power Act, as amended by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, and amends its National Environmental Policy Act procedures. </SUM> <EFFDATE> <HD SOURCE="HED">DATES:</HD> This rule is effective July 29, 2024. </EFFDATE> <FURINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:</HD> <FP SOURCE="FP-1"> Maggie Suter (Technical Information), Office of Energy Projects, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-6344, <E T="03">magdalene.suter@ferc.gov</E> </FP> <FP SOURCE="FP-1"> Tara DiJohn Bruce (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8671, <E T="03">tara.bruce@ferc.gov</E> . </FP> </FURINF> <SUPLINF> <HD SOURCE="HED">SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD1">Table of Contents</HD> <GPOTABLE COLS="2" OPTS="L0,tp0,g1,t1,i1" CDEF="s200,9"> <TTITLE> </TTITLE> <CHED H="1"> </CHED> <CHED H="1"> Paragraph Nos. </CHED> <ROW> <ENT I="01">I. Background</ENT> <ENT>2</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="03">A. Energy Policy Act of 2005 and FPA Section 216</ENT> <ENT>2</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="03">B. Order No. 689</ENT> <ENT>9</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="03"> C. <E T="03">Piedmont</E> & <E T="03">California Wilderness</E> Judicial Decisions <ENT I="03">D. IIJA Amendments to FPA Section 216</ENT> <ENT>14</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="03">E. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking</ENT> <ENT>17</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">II. Discussion</ENT> <ENT>26</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="03">A. Commission Jurisdiction and State Siting Proceedings</ENT> <ENT>26</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">1. IIJA Amendments and Commission Jurisdiction Under FPA Section 216(b)(1)</ENT> <ENT>27</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">2. Commencement of Pre-Filing</ENT> <ENT>38</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="03">B. Eminent Domain Authority and Applicant Efforts To Engage With Landowners and Other Stakeholders</ENT> <ENT>55</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">1. NOPR Proposal</ENT> <ENT>56</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">2. Comments</ENT> <ENT>60</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">3. Commission Determination</ENT> <ENT>73</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="03">C. Environmental Justice Public Engagement Plan</ENT> <ENT>98</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">1. NOPR Proposal</ENT> <ENT>98</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">2. Comments</ENT> <ENT>100</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">3. Commission Determination</ENT> <ENT>109</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="03">D. Revisions to 18 CFR Part 50</ENT> <ENT>119</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">1. Section 50.1—Definitions</ENT> <ENT>119</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">2. Section 50.3—Filing and Formatting Requirements</ENT> <ENT>159</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">3. Section 50.4—Stakeholder Participation</ENT> <ENT>160</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">4. Section 50.5—Pre-Filing Procedures</ENT> <ENT>223</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">5. Section 50.6—General Content of Applications</ENT> <ENT>246</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">6. Section 50.7—Application Exhibits</ENT> <ENT>257</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">7. Section 50.11—General Permit Conditions</ENT> <ENT>261</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">8. Clarifying Revisions to 18 CFR Part 50</ENT> <ENT>265</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="03">E. Additional Considerations Raised by Commenters</ENT> <ENT>266</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">1. Grid-Enhancing Technologies</ENT> <ENT>267</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">2. Use of Existing Rights-of-Way</ENT> <ENT>269</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">3. Project Costs</ENT> <ENT>273</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">4. Miscellaneous</ENT> <ENT>275</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="03">F. Regulations Implementing NEPA</ENT> <ENT>279</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">1. Consultation With CEQ </ENT> <ENT>281</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">2. DOE Coordination</ENT> <ENT>285</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">3. NEPA Document Procedures</ENT> <ENT>295</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">4. Revisions to 18 CFR 380.16</ENT> <ENT>301</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="05">5. Revisions to 18 CFR 380.13 and 380.14</ENT> <ENT>411</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">III. Information Collection Statement</ENT> <ENT>412</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">IV. Environmental Analysis</ENT> <ENT>426</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">V. Regulatory Flexibility Act</ENT> <ENT>427</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">VI. Document Availability</ENT> <ENT>431</ENT> </ROW> <ROW> <ENT I="01">VII. Effective Date and Congressional Notification</ENT> <ENT>434</ENT> </ROW> </GPOTABLE> 1. On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) became law. <SU>1</SU> <FTREF/> The IIJA, among other things, amended section 216 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), <SU>2</SU> <FTREF/> which provides for Federal siting of electric transmission facilities under certain circumstances. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is amending its regulations governing applications for permits to site electric transmission facilities to ensure consistency with the IIJA's amendments to FPA section 216, to modernize certain regulatory requirements, and to incorporate other updates and clarifications to provide for the efficient and timely review of permit applications. <FTNT> <SU>1</SU>  Public Law 117-58, sec. 40105, 135 Stat. 429 (2021). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>2</SU>  16 U.S.C. 824p. </FTNT> <HD SOURCE="HD1">I. Background</HD> <HD SOURCE="HD2">A. Energy Policy Act of 2005 and FPA Section 216</HD> 2. The authority to site electric transmission facilities has traditionally resided solely with the States; however, the enactment of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005)  <SU>3</SU> <FTREF/> established a limited Federal role in electric transmission siting by adding section 216 to the FPA. Under section 216, Federal siting authority for electric transmission facilities (as defined in that section) is divided between the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Commission. Section 216(a) directs DOE, on a triennial basis, to conduct a study and issue a report on electric transmission congestion and authorizes DOE to designate certain transmission-constrained or congested geographic areas as national interest electric transmission corridors (National Corridors). Section 216(b) authorizes the Commission in certain instances to issue permits for the construction or modification of electric transmission facilities in areas that DOE has designated as National Corridors. <FTNT> <SU>3</SU>  Public Law 109-58, sec. 1221, 119 Stat. 594 (Aug. 8, 2005) (amended 2021). </FTNT> 3. As originally enacted in EPAct 2005, section 216(b)(1) authorized the Commission to issue permits to construct or modify electric transmission facilities in a National Corridor if it found that: (A) a State in which such facilities are located lacks the authority to approve the siting of the facilities or consider the interstate benefits expected to be achieved by the proposed construction or modification of transmission facilities in the State;  <SU>4</SU> <FTREF/> (B) the permit applicant is a transmitting utility but does not qualify to apply for a permit or siting approval in a State because the applicant does not serve end-use customers in the State;  <SU>5</SU> <FTREF/> or (C) a State commission or entity with siting authority has withheld approval of the facilities for more than one year after an application is filed or one year after the designation of the relevant National Corridor, whichever is later, or the State conditions the construction or modification of the facilities in such a manner that the proposal will not significantly reduce transmission congestion in interstate commerce or is not economically feasible. <SU>6</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>4</SU>  16 U.S.C. 824p(b)(1)(A) (prior to the IIJA amendment in 2021). Instances in this rule citing the statute prior to the IIJA amendment in 2021 are noted by a parenthetical for clarity. </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>5</SU>   <E T="03">Id.</E> 824p(b)(1)(B). </FTNT> <FTNT> <SU>6</SU>   <E T="03">Id.</E> 824p(b)(1)(C) (prior to the IIJA amendment in 2021). </FTNT> 4. In addition, sections 216(b)(2) through (6) required the Commission, before issuing a permit, to find that the proposed facilities: (1) will be used for the transmission of electricity in interstate commerce; (2) are consistent with the public interest; (3) will significantly reduce transmission congestion in interstate commerce and protect or benefit consumers; (4) are consistent with sound national energy policy and will enhance energy independence; and (5) will maximize, to the extent reasonable and economical, the transmission capabilities of existing towers or structures. <SU>7</SU> <FTREF/> <FTNT> <SU>7</SU>   <E T="03">Id.</E> 824p(b)(2)-(6). </FTNT> 5. Section 216(e) authorized a permit holder, if unable to reach agreement with a property owner, to use eminent domain to acquire the necessary right-of-way for the construction or modification of transmission facilities for which the Commission has issued a permit under section 216(b). <SU>8</SU> <FTREF/> Federal and State-owned land was expressly excluded from the purview of sect ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━ Preview showing 10k of 471k characters. Full document text is stored and available for version comparison. ━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━