[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 46 (Thursday, March 11, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13892-13893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05067]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD21-13-000]


Climate Change, Extreme Weather, and Electric System Reliability; 
Notice of Technical Conference

    Take notice that Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) 
staff will convene a technical conference to discuss issues surrounding 
the threat to electric system reliability posed by climate change and 
extreme weather events. Commissioners may attend and participate in the 
technical conference.
    Reliable electric service is vital to the nation's economy, 
national security, and public health and safety, and prolonged power 
outages can have significant humanitarian consequences, as the nation 
recently witnessed in Texas and the south-central United States. This 
technical conference will address concerns that because extreme weather 
events are increasing in frequency,\1\ intensity, geographic expanse, 
and duration, the number and severity of weather-induced events in the 
electric power industry may also increase.\2\
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    \1\ According to a recent report from the National Oceanic and 
Atmospheric Administration, extreme weather events topping $1 
billion in estimated damages and costs are occurring with increasing 
frequency. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information 
(NCEI) U.S. Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters (2021). 
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/, https://www.doi.org/10.25921/stkw-7w73.
    \2\ See, e.g., Quadrennial Energy Review, Transforming the 
Nation's Electricity System: The Second Installment of the QER, 
January 2017 at 4-2 (``The leading cause of power outages in the 
United States is extreme weather, including heat waves, blizzards, 
thunderstorms, and hurricanes. Events with severe consequences are 
becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, and these 
events have been the principal contributors to an observed increase 
in the frequency and duration of power outages in the United 
States.'').
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    This technical conference will also address the specific challenges 
posed to electric system reliability by climate change and extreme 
weather, which may vary by region. For example, addressing the 
reliability challenges associated with wildfires may not be appropriate 
in a region where a different challenge, such as weather-driven fuel 
supply interruptions, is more likely to occur.
    Through this proceeding in Docket No. AD21-13-000, the Commission 
seeks to understand the near, medium and long-term challenges facing 
the regions of the country; how decisionmakers in the regions are 
evaluating and addressing those challenges; and whether further action 
from the Commission is needed to help achieve an electric system that 
can withstand, respond to, and recover from extreme weather events.
    The technical conference will be held on the afternoons of Tuesday, 
June 1, 2021 and Wednesday, June 2, 2021 from approximately 1 p.m. to 
5:00 p.m. Eastern Time each day. The technical conference will be held 
via teleconference (over WebEx) and will be open to the public. 
Registration for the conference is not required and there is no fee for 
attendance. A supplemental notice will be issued seeking comments prior 
to the technical conference. Following comment submissions, an 
additional supplemental notice will be issued with further details 
regarding the technical conference agenda, as well as

[[Page 13893]]

any changes in timing or logistics. Information will also be posted on 
the Calendar of Events on the Commission's website, www.ferc.gov, prior 
to the event. The conference will be transcribed. Transcripts will be 
available for a fee from Ace Reporting, (202) 347-3700.
    Commission conferences are accessible under section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations, please 
send an email to accessibility@ferc.gov, call toll-free (866) 208-3372 
(voice) or (202) 208-8659 (TTY), or send a fax to (202) 208-2106 with 
the required accommodations.
    Individuals interested in participating as panelists should self-
nominate through the WebEx registration form by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time 
on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at: https://ferc.webex.com/ferc/onstage/g.php?MTID=eff91ed43b5be08b7808828631394b5c5.
    For more information about this technical conference, please 
contact Rahim Amerkhail, 202-502-8266, rahim.amerkhail@ferc.gov for 
technical questions or Sarah McKinley, 202-502-8368, 
sarah.mckinley@ferc.gov for logistical issues.

    Dated: March 5, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-05067 Filed 3-10-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


