(a) Except as otherwise provided in this part or ordered by the Commission or its authorized representative, the provisions of this part apply to:

(1) Any project licensed under Part I of the Federal Power Act;

(2) Any unlicensed constructed project for which the Commission has determined that an application for license must be filed under Part I of the Act; and

(3) Any project exempted from licensing under Part I of the Federal Power Act, pursuant to subparts J or K of part 4 of this chapter, to the extent that the Commission has conditioned the exemption on compliance with any particular provisions of this part.

(b) The provisions of this part apply to a project that uses a Government dam only with respect to those project works, lands, and waters specifically licensed by the Commission.

(a) If any term, condition, article, or other provision in a project license is similar to any provision of this part, the licensee must comply with the relevant provision of this part, unless the Commission or the Director of the Office of Energy Projects determines that compliance with the relevant provision of the license will better protect life, health, or property.

(b) A licensee may request from the Director of the Office of Energy Projects a ruling on the applicability to its actions of any provision of its license that is similar to a provision of this part. A ruling by the Director may be appealed under § 385.207 of this chapter.

(a) General rule. For purposes of this part, terms defined in section 3 of the Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 796, have the same meaning as they have under the Act.

(b) Definitions. The following definitions apply for the purposes of this part:

(1) Applicant means any person, state, or municipality that has applied for a license for an unlicensed, constructed project and any owner of an unlicensed, constructed project for which the Commission has determined that an application for license must be filed.

(2) Owner means any person, state, or municipality, or combination thereof, that has a real property interests in a water power project sufficient to operate and maintain the project works.

(3) Authorized Commission representative means the Director of the Office of Energy Projects, the Director of the Division of Dam Safety and Inspections, the Regional Engineer, or any other member of the Commission staff whom the Commission may specifically designate.

(4) Condition affecting the safety of a project or project works means any condition, event, or action at the project which might compromise the safety, stability, or integrity of any project work or the ability of any project work to function safely for its intended purposes, including navigation, water power development, or other beneficial public uses, including recreation; or which might otherwise adversely affect life, health, or property. Conditions affecting the safety of a project or project works include, but are not limited to:

(i) Unscheduled rapid draw-down of impounded water;

(ii) Failure of, misoperation of, or failure to operate when attempted any facility that controls the release or storage of impounded water, such as a gate or a valve;

(iii) Failure or unusual movement, subsidence, or settlement of any part of a project work;

(iv) Unusual concrete deterioration or cracking, including development of new cracks or the lengthening or widening of existing cracks;

(v) Internal erosion, piping, slides, or settlements of materials in any dam, foundation, abutment, dike, or embankment;

(vi) Significant slides or settlements of materials in areas adjacent to reservoirs;

(vii) Significant damage to slope protection;

(viii) Unusual instrumentation readings;

(ix) New seepage or leakage or significant gradual increase in pre-existing seepage or leakage;

(x) Sinkholes;

(xi) Security incidents (physical and/or cyber);

(xii) Natural disasters, such as floods, earthquakes, or volcanic activity;

(xiii) Overtopping of any dam, abutment, or water conveyance;

(xiv) Any other signs of instability of any project work.

(5) Constructed project means any project with an existing dam.

(6) Dam means any structure for impounding or diverting water.

(7) Development means that part of a project comprising an impoundment and its associated dams, forebays, water conveyance facilities, power plants, and other appurtenant facilities. A project may comprise one or more developments.

(8) Modification means any activity, including repair or reconstruction, that in any way changes the physical features of the project from the state reflected in the plans or drawings or other documents filed with the Commission.

(9) Project emergency means an impending or actual sudden release of water at the project caused by natural disaster, accident, or failure of project works.

(10) Regional Engineer means the person in charge of the Commission's regional office for the region (Atlanta, Chicago, Portland, New York, or San Francisco) where a particular project is located.

(11) Water conveyance means any canal, penstock, tunnel, flowline, flume, siphon, or other project work, constructed or natural, which facilitates the movement of water for the generation of hydropower, environmental benefit, or other purpose required by the project license.

(12) Owner's Dam Safety Program means the written document that formalizes a licensee's dam safety program, including, but not limited to, the licensee's dam safety policies; objectives; expectations; responsibilities; training program; communication, coordination, and reporting; record keeping; succession planning; continuous improvement; and audits and assessments.

(13) Hazard potential for any dam or water conveyance is a classification based on the potential consequences in the event of failure or misoperation of the dam or water conveyance, and is subdivided into categories (e.g., Low, Significant, High).

(i) High hazard potential generally indicates that failure or misoperation will probably cause loss of human life.

(ii) Significant hazard potential generally indicates that failure or misoperation will probably not cause loss of human life but may have some amount of economic, environmental, or other consequences.

(iii) Low hazard potential generally indicates that failure or misoperation will probably not cause loss of human life but may have some amount of economic, environmental, or other consequences, typically limited to project facilities.

(14) Act means the Federal Power Act.

(a) Administrative responsibility. The Director of the Office of Energy Projects is responsible for administering the Commission's project safety program and reports directly to the Chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

(b) Supervisory authority of the Regional Engineer or other authorized representative. (1) Any water power project and the construction, operation, maintenance, use, repair, or modification of any project works are subject to the inspection and the supervision of the Regional Engineer or any other authorized Commission representative for the purpose of:

(i) Achieving or protecting the safety, stability, security, and integrity of the project works or the ability of any project work to function safely for its intended purposes, including navigation, water power development, or other beneficial public uses; or

(ii) Otherwise protecting life, health, or property.

(2) For the purposes set forth in paragraph (b)(1) of this section, a Regional Engineer or other authorized Commission representative may:

(i) Test or inspect any water power project or project works or require that the applicant or licensee perform such tests or inspections or install monitoring instruments;

(ii) Require an applicant or a licensee to submit reports or information, regarding:

(A) The design, construction, operation, maintenance, use, repair, or modification of a water power project or project works; and

(B) Any condition affecting the safety of a project or project works or any death, serious injuries, or rescues that occur at, or might be attributable to, the water power project;

(iii) Require an applicant or a licensee to modify:

(A) Any emergency action plan filed under subpart C of this part;

(B) Any Owner's Dam Safety Program filed under subpart F of this part;

(C) Any plan of corrective measures, including related schedules, submitted after the report of an independent consultant pursuant to § 12.36 or § 12.38 or any other inspection report; or

(D) Any public safety plan filed under § 12.52(b).

(iv) Require an applicant or licensee to take any other action with respect to the design, construction, operation, maintenance, repair, use, or modification of the project or its works that is, in the judgment of the Regional Engineer or other authorized Commission representative, necessary or desirable.

(v) Establish the time for an applicant or licensee to provide a schedule for or to perform any actions specified in this paragraph.

(c) Appeal, stay, rescission, or amendment of order or directive. (1) Any order or directive issued under this part by a Regional Engineer or other authorized Commission representative may be appealed to the Commission under § 385.207 of this chapter.

(2) Any order or directive issued under this part by a Regional Engineer or other authorized Commission representative is immediately effective and remains in effect until:

(i) The Regional Engineer or other authorized Commission representative who issued the order or directive rescinds or amends that order or directive or stays its effect; or

(ii) The Commission stays the effect of the order or directive, or amends or rescinds the order or directive on appeal.

(3) An appeal or motion for rescission, amendment, or stay of any order or directive issued under this part must contain a full explanation of why granting the appeal or the request for rescission or amendment of the order or directive, or for stay for the period requested, will not endanger life, health, or property.

(d) Failure to comply. If a licensee fails to comply with any order or directive issued under this part by the Commission, a Regional Engineer, or other authorized Commission representative, the licensee may be subject to sanctions, including, but not limited to, civil penalties, orders to cease generation, or license revocation.

A licensee or applicant must use sound and prudent engineering practices in any action relating to the design, construction, operation, maintenance, use, repair, or modification of a water power project or project works.