BPA plans to use its Business Plan Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to support a Record of Decision (ROD) for Federal power subscriptions (Subscription) as recommended in the Final Report of the Comprehensive Review of the Northwest Energy System.

BPA's Business Plan EIS is designed to support a number of decisions, including the products and services BPA will market, rates for BPA products and services, policy direction for BPA's sale of power products, and contract terms BPA will offer for power sales. The Business Plan EIS ROD detailed BPA's decision to be market-driven. This decision provided a basic policy direction for BPA to decide a number of business issues, including the terms of power sales contracts.

As part of the process described in the subscription work plan, BPA will review the Business Plan EIS analysis for coverage of the impacts associated with the issues raised. If BPA finds a need to clarify coverage of impacts, it will proceed with a Supplement Analysis (as provided under the U.S. Department of Energy National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Procedures, 10 CFR 1021.314(c)) to determine whether no further NEPA documentation is required or the existing EIS should be supplemented. If the Supplement Analysis shows that no further NEPA documentation is required, BPA will proceed with a Subscription ROD. Otherwise, BPA will prepare and circulate a Supplemental EIS before preparing a ROD. The Supplement Analysis will be available to the public.

These concepts are illustrated in the attached figures:

• Business Plan EIS and Future Actions/NEPA Documents (.gif, 40 kb)
• NEPA Process for Subscription (.gif, 19 kb)