[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 217 (Thursday, November 7, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57663-57664]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-28667]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket Nos. EA-127 and EA-128]
Applications to Export Electricity; Southwestern Public Service
Company & Quixx Corporation
AGENCY: Office of Fossil Energy, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of application.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: Southwestern Public Services Company (SPS) and Quixx
Corporation (Quixx) have submitted applications to export electric
energy to Mexico pursuant to section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act.
DATES: Comments, protests or requests to intervene must be submitted on
or before December 9, 1996.
ADDRESSES: Comments, protests or requests to intervene should be
addressed as follows: Office of Coal & Electricity (FE-52), Office of
Fuels Programs. Office of Fossil Energy, Department of Energy, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20585 (FAX 202-586-0678).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: William H. Freeman (Program Office)
202-586-9629 or Michael Skinker (Program Attorney) 202-586-6667.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Exports of electricity from the United
States to a foreign country are regulated and require authorization
under section 202(e) of the Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C.
Sec. 824a(e)) .
On October 11, 1996, SPS and Quixx each filed an application with
the Office of Fossil Energy (FE) of the Department of Energy (DOE) for
authorization to export electric energy to Mexico pursuant to section
202(e) of the FPA. SPS is an electric utility with primary retail sales
to customers in Texas and New Mexico and having its principal place of
business in Amarillo, Texas. Quixx, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SPS,
has no native load customers, but is involved in non-utility power
generation projects, such as exempt wholesale generators and qualifying
facilities. Quixx's principal place of business is also Amarillo,
Texas.
The electric energy SPS and Quixx propose to sell to Mexico would
be sold to Comision Federal de Electricidad (CFE ), the national
electric utility of Mexico, and would be delivered to Mexico using El
Paso Electric Company's (EPE) 115-kilovolt (kV) lines at Ascarate,
Texas, and Diablo, New Mexico. The construction, operation, and
maintenance of these international transmission lines was previously
authorized by Presidential Permit Nos. PP-48, as amended, and PP-92,
respectively.
On October 29, 1996, the Secretary of Energy signed Delegation
Order No. 0204-163, which delegated and assigned to the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority to carry out such functions
vested in the Secretary to regulate access to, and the rates, terms and
conditions for, transmission services over these EPE facilities. This
authority was delegated to FERC for the sole purpose of authorizing
FERC to take any actions necessary to effectuate open access
transmission over the United States portion of EPE's electric
transmission lines connecting the Diablo and Ascarate substations in
the United States with the Insurgentes and Riverena substations in
Mexico. Notice and a copy of the Delegation Order were published in the
Federal Register on November 1, 1996, at 61 FR 56525.
Procedural Matters
Any persons desiring to become parties to these proceedings or be
heard by filing comments or protests to these applications should file
a petition to intervene, comment or protest at the address provided
above in accordance with Secs. 385.211 or 385.214 of the
[[Page 57664]]
FERC's Rules of Practice and Procedures (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214).
Fifteen copies of such petitions and protests should be filed with the
DOE on or before the date listed above. Comments on the application by
Quixx should be clearly marked with Docket No. EA-127. Comments on
SPS's request to export to Mexico should be clearly marked with Docket
No. EA-128. Additional copies are to be filed directly with: Michael E.
Small, Wright & Talisman, P.C., 1200 G Street, N.W., Suite 600,
Washington, D.C. 20005 and Louis Ridings, President, Quixx Corporation,
6th & Tyler, Suite 1510, P.O. Box 12033, Amarillo, Texas 79101.
A final decision will be made on these applications after the
environmental impacts have been evaluated pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), and a determination is made by
the DOE that the proposed actions will not adversely impact on the
reliability of the U.S. electric power supply system.
Copies of these applications will be made available, upon request,
for public inspection and copying at the address provided above.
Issued in Washington, DC, on November 1, 1996.
Anthony J. Como,
Director, Office of Coal & Electricity, Office of Fuels Programs,
Office of Fossil Energy.
[FR Doc. 96-28667 Filed 11-6-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
