Applications for Permits to Site Interstate Elec. Transmission Facilities, RM22-7-000

• Court: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
• Citation: 181 FERC ¶ 61, 205
• Docket Number: RM22-7-000
• Parties: Applications for Permits to Site Interstate Electric Transmission Facilities
• Decision Date: 15 December 2022

181 FERC ¶ 61,205

Applications for Permits to Site Interstate Electric Transmission Facilities

No. RM22-7-000

United States of America, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

December 15, 2022

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposes to revise its existing regulations governing applications for permits to site electric transmission facilities under section 216 of the Federal Power Act, as amended by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

DATES: Comments are due [INSERT DATE 90 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

ADDRESSES: Comments, identified by docket number, may be filed in the following ways. Electronic filing through http://www.ferc.gov is preferred.

• Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture format.

• For those unable to file electronically, comments may be filed by U.S. Postal Service mail or by hand (including courier) delivery.

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o Mail via U.S. Postal Service only: Addressed to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of the Secretary, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.

o For delivery via any other carrier (including courier): Deliver to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of the Secretary, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852. The Comment Procedures section of this document contains more detailed filing procedures.

The Comment Procedures section of this document contains more detailed filing procedures.

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NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING TABLE OF CONTENTS

Paragraph Numbers

I. Background ....................................................................................................................... 2.

A. Energy Policy Act of 2005 and FPA Section 216 ..................................................... 2.

B. Order No. 689 ............................................................................................................. 9.

C. Piedmont & California Wilderness Judicial Decisions ........................................... 11.

D. IIJA Amendments to FPA Section 216 .................................................................... 14.

II. Discussion ...................................................................................................................... 17.

A. Commission Jurisdiction and State Siting Proceedings ........................................... 17.

1. IIJA Amendments to FPA Section 216(b)(1)(C) ................................................. 18.

2. Commencement of Pre-filing ............................................................................... 19.

B. Eminent Domain Authority and Applicant Efforts to Engage with Landowners and Other Stakeholders ........................................................................................................ 24.

C. Environmental Justice Public Engagement Plan ...................................................... 30.

D. Other Proposed Revisions to 18 CFR Part 50 .......................................................... 32.

1. Section 50.1 - Definitions .................................................................................... 32.

2. Section 50.3 - Filing and Formatting Requirements ........................................... 34.

3. Section 50.4 - Stakeholder Participation .............................................................. 35.

4. Section 50.5 - Pre-filing Procedures .................................................................... 40.

5. Section 50.6 - General Content of Applications .................................................. 42.

6. Section 50.7 - Application Exhibits ..................................................................... 44.

7. Section 50.11 - General Permit Conditions ......................................................... 46.

8. Proposed Clarifying Revisions to 18 CFR Part 50 ............................................... 48.

E. Regulations Implementing NEPA ............................................................................ 49.

1. Tribal Resources Resource Report ....................................................................... 63.

2. Environmental Justice Resource Report ............................................................... 65.

3. Air Quality and Environmental Noise Resource Report ...................................... 68.

4. Visual Resources ................................................................................................... 72.

5. Additional Proposed Revisions to 18 CFR 380.16 .............................................. 74.

6. Proposed Revisions to 18 CFR 380.13 and 380.14 .............................................. 83.

III. Information Collection Statement ............................................................................... 84.

IV. Environmental Analysis .............................................................................................. 98.

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V. Regulatory Flexibility Act ............................................................................................ 99.

VI. Comment Procedures ................................................................................................. 103.

VII. Document Availability ............................................................................................. 106.

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Before Commissioners: Richard Glick, Chairman; James P. Danly, Allison Clements, Mark C. Christie, and Willie L. Phillips.

NOTICE OF PROPOSED RULEMAKING

1. On November 15, 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) became law.^[1] The IIJA, among other things, amended section 216 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), which provides for Federal siting of electric transmission facilities und er certain circumstances. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) proposes to amend 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.

1. Background

A. Energy Policy Act of 2005 and FPA Section 216

2. The authority to site electric transmission facilities has traditionally resid ed solely with the States. However, the August 8, 2005 enactment of the Energy Policy Act of

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2005 (EPAct 2005)^[2] 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 d ivid ed 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 permits DOE to designate certain transmission-constrained or congested geographic areas as national interest electric transmission corrid ors (National Corrid ors). 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.

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;^[3] (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;^[4] or (C) a State commission or entity with siting authority has withheld approval of the facilities for more than one year after an

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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.^[5]

4. In addition, before issuing a permit, sections 216(b)(2) through (6) required the Commission 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.^[6]

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).^[7] Federal and State-owned land was expressly excluded from the purview of section 216(e) and thus could not be acquired via eminent domain.^[8]

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6. Section 216(h)(2) designated DOE as the lead agency for purposes of coordinating all Federal authorizations and related environmental reviews needed to construct proposed electric transmission facilities. To ensure timely and efficient reviews and permit decisions, under section 216(h)(4)(A), DOE is required to establish prompt and binding intermediate milestones and ultimate deadlines for all Federal reviews and...