Proposed Allocation of the Post-2000 Resource PoolPick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, Eastern Division

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Western Area Power Administration

Proposed Allocation of the Post-2000 Resource Pool--Pick-Sloan

Missouri Basin Program, Eastern Division

AGENCY: Western Area Power Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Allocation.

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SUMMARY: Western Area Power Administration (Western), a Federal power

marketing agency of the Department of Energy, hereby announces its

Post-2000 Resource Pool Proposed Allocation of Power to fulfill the

requirements of Subpart C--Power Marketing Initiative of the Energy

Planning and Management Program Final Rule, 10 C.F.R. Sec. 905. The

Post-2000 Resource Pool Proposed Allocation of Power is Western's

implementation of Subpart C--Power Marketing Initiative of the Energy

Planning and Management Program Final Rule. Western's call for

applications for power was published in the Federal Register at 61 FR

2817, January 29, 1996, and revised and clarified in the Federal

Register at 61 FR 28574, June 5, 1996. Western published the Final

Post-2000 Resource Pool Allocation Procedures in the Federal Register

at 61 FR 41142, August 7, 1996.

Applications for power were accepted at Western's Upper Great

Plains Customer Service Region until close of business on July 5, 1996.

The Proposed Allocation of Power published herein is the result of

those applications. Only comments relevant to the proposed allocations

will be accepted during this period. A Federal Register notice of the

final allocations of power will address the comments received during

the comment period.

DATES: The comment period on the Proposed Allocation of Power will

begin August 30, 1996 and will end October 7, 1996. To be assured of

consideration, all written comments must be sent by certified or return

receipt requested U.S. mail and received by the end of the comment

period. Western will hold public information forums and public comment

forums on the Proposed Allocation of Power on September 18, 19, and 20,

1996, at the following locations and times:

September 18, 1996

Hilton Sioux Hotel, 707 Fourth St., Sioux City, Iowa

Information forum--1 p.m. (not to exceed 2 hours)

Comment forum--immediately following the information forum

September 19, 1996

Kelly Inn, 1-29 and Main Avenue, Fargo, North Dakota

Information forum--1 p.m. (not to exceed 2 hours)

Comment forum--immediately following the information forum

September 20, 1996

Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza, 505 North 5th Street, Rapid City, South

Dakota

Information forum--9 a.m. (not to exceed 2 hours)

Comment forum--immediately following the information forum

All comments regarding the Proposed Allocation of Power should be

directed to the following address: Mr. Gerald C. Wegner, Regional

Manager, Upper Great Plains Customer Service Region, Western Area Power

Administration, P.O. Box 35800, Billings, MT 59107-5800.

All documentation developed or retained by Western for the purpose

of developing the Proposed Allocation of Power will be available for

inspection and copying at the Upper Great Plains Customer Service

Region located at the above address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Robert J. Harris, Power Marketing

Manager, Upper Great Plains Customer

[[Page 45958]]

Service Region, Western Area Power Administration, P.O. Box 35800,

Billings, MT 59107-5800, (406) 247-7394.

After all public comments have been thoroughly considered, Western

will prepare and publish the Final Allocation of Power in the Federal

Register.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Western published final procedures on August

7, 1996, at 61 FR 41142, to implement Subpart C--Power Marketing

Initiative of the Energy Planning and Management Program Final Rule, 10

C.F.R. Sec. 905. The Energy Planning and Management Program (Program),

which was developed in part to implement section 114 of the Energy

Policy Act of 1992, became effective on November 20, 1995. Subpart C of

the Program provides for the establishment of project-specific resource

pools and the allocation of power from these pools to new preference

customers. Those final procedures, in conjunction with the Eastern

Division, Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program Final Post-1985 Marketing

Plan (Post-1985 Marketing Plan) (45 FR 71860), will establish the

framework for allocating power from the resource pool to be established

for the Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program--Eastern Division (P-SMBP-

ED).

Proposed Allocation of Power

Written comments on the Proposed Allocation of Power must be sent

by certified or return receipt requested U.S. mail at the address set

forth above by close of business on October 7, 1996. Western will

respond to the comments received on the Proposed Allocation of Power

and publish its final allocations after the end of the public comment

period. New utility customers', nonutility customers', and Native

American tribes' contracts may be entered into by Western after

publication of that notice.

Western proposes that Native American tribes' share of the resource

pool is 80.64 percent in the summer season and 78.33 percent in the

winter season. The new utility and nonutility customers' share of the

resource pool is 19.36 percent in the summer season and 21.67 percent

in the winter season.

The proposed allocations of power for new Native American customers

and the data these allocations are based upon are as follows:

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Average current western Proposed post 2000 power

Estimated service allocation

New Native American customers demand ---------------------------------------------------

kilowatts Summer Winter Summer Winter

(percent) (percent) kilowatts kilowatts

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Blackfeet Nation............................... 18,600 34 29 5,454 5,184

Cheyenne River Sioux........................... 13,500 33 29 4,094 3,762

Chippewa Cree-Rocky Boy........................ 5,000 55 44 416 643

Crow Creek..................................... 4,100 50 47 546 405

Crow........................................... 12,500 55 44 1,040 1,609

Devils Lake Sioux.............................. 7,700 22 14 3,182 3,301

Flandreau Santee Sioux......................... 2,355 55 56 196 20

Fort Belknap Indian Community.................. 6,200 28 22 2,190 2,162

Fort Peck Tribes............................... 15,300 34 31 4,486 3,958

Lower Brule Sioux.............................. 3,100 33 29 940 864

Lower Sioux.................................... 3,750 0 ........... 2,375 2,133

Northern Cheyenne.............................. 9,400 36 37 2,568 1,868

Oglala Sioux-Pine Ridge........................ 29,600 28 24 10,456 9,729

Omaha Tribe of Nebraska........................ 5,100 15 14 2,464 2,186

Ponca Tribe of Nebraska........................ 2,100 8 6 1,162 1,068

Rosebud Sioux.................................. 21,300 49 43 3,051 2,954

Santee Sioux Tribe of Nebraska................. 1,100 10 8 587 538

Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux........................ 7,500 40 38 1,749 1,415

Standing Rock Sioux............................ 12,900 30 29 4,299 3,595

Three Affiliated Tribes........................ 8,000 30 25 2,666 2,550

Turtle Mountain Chippewa....................... 18,000 35 18 5,098 6,996

Upper Sioux.................................... 1,250 42 39 267 223

White Earth Indian Reservation................. 3,500 6 7 2,006 1,745

Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.................... 3,100 10 8 1,653 1,515

Yankton Sioux.................................. 5,300 25 24 2,031 1,742

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The proposed allocations for new Native American customers were

calculated based upon the estimated demand figures set forth in the

table above. Inconsistent demand estimates were adjusted by Western.

In order to fairly distribute the benefits of Federal hydropower

among the tribes, Western calculated the proposed power allocations in

the table above in such a manner as to levelize total Federal

hydropower benefits to each of the Native American tribes. This results

in a total Federal hydropower benefit of 63.323 percent in the summer

season and 56.869 percent in the winter season to each of the tribes.

To levelize the total Federal hydropower benefits, the average current

percentage of Western service that each of the tribes receives through

their current power supplier(s) was utilized and is as shown in the

table above. For the Blackfeet Nation, Western used the weighted

average of the current percentage of Western service for the remaining

tribes. The Blackfeet Nation is served by Glacier Electric Cooperative,

which is a total requirements customer of Bonneville Power

Administration, therefore the Blackfeet Nation does not receive Western

service, but does receive the benefit of Federal hydropower.

The proposed allocations to new Native American customers set forth

in the table above are based on the P-SMBP-ED marketable resource

available at this time. If the P-SMBP-ED marketable resource is

adjusted in the future, the proposed allocations will be adjusted

accordingly.

The proposed allocations of power for new utility and nonutility

customers and the loads these allocations are based upon are as

follows:

[[Page 45959]]

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Proposed post 2000 power

1994 Summer 1994-95 allocation

New utility and nonutility customers season load Winter -------------------------

kilowatts season load Summer Winter

kilowatts kilowatts kilowatts

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Village of Emerson, NE...................................... 1,454 1,146 361 412

City of Estherville, IA..................................... 11,040 7,820 2,743 2,814

City of Randolph, NE........................................ 1,861 1,386 462 499

City of Pocahontas, IA...................................... 3,980 3,144 989 1,131

City of Madison, NE......................................... 10,034 8,759 2,493 3,152

City of South Sioux City, NE \1\............................ 24,977 21,846 5,000 5,000

City of Sergeant Bluff, IA.................................. 6,076 3,888 1,510 1,399

City of Wakefield, NE....................................... 4,717 3,667 1,172 1,320

City of Fairmont, MN........................................ 2,330 2,464 579 887

City of Marathon, IA........................................ 520 764 129 275

City of Stanton, ND......................................... 656 850 163 306

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\1\ 5,000 kW is the maximum allocation allowed under the Final Procedures.

The proposed allocations of power for new utility and nonutility

customers were calculated using Post-1985 Marketing Plan criteria.

Under the Post-1985 Marketing Plan criteria, the proposed summer

allocations are 24.84413 percent of total summer load and the proposed

winter allocations are 35.98853 percent of total winter load.

The proposed allocations for new utility and nonutility customers

set forth in the table above are based on the P-SMBP-ED marketable

resource available at this time. If the P-SMBP-ED marketable resource

is adjusted in the future, the proposed allocations will be adjusted

accordingly.

VI. Review Under the Regulatory Flexibility Act

The Regulatory Flexibility Act, 5 U.S.C. Sec. 601 et seq (Act),

requires Federal agencies to perform a regulatory flexibility analysis

if a proposed regulation is likely to have a significant economic

impact on a substantial number of small entities. Western has

determined this rulemaking relates to services offered by Western, and,

therefore, is not a rule within the purview of the Act.

VII. Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1980, 44 U.S.C.

3501-3520, Western has received approval from the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) for the collection of customer information in this

rule, under control number 1910-1200.

IX. Determination Under Executive Order 12866

DOE has determined this is not a significant regulatory action

because it does not meet the criteria of Executive Order 12866, 58 FR

51735. Western has an exemption from centralized regulatory review

under Executive Order 12866; accordingly, no clearance of this notice

by OMB is required.

Issued at Golden, Colorado, August 21, 1996.

J.M. Shafer,

Administrator.

[FR Doc. 96-22184 Filed 8-29-96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450-01-P