(a) General rule. Except as provided in paragraph (d) of this section, if an applicant amends its filed application as described in paragraph (b) of this section, the date of acceptance of the application under § 4.32(f) is the date on which the amendment to the application was filed.

(b) Paragraph (a) of this section applies if an applicant:

(1) Amends its filed license or preliminary permit application in order to change the status or identity of the applicant or to materially amend the proposed plans of development; or

(2) Amends its filed application for exemption from licensing in order to materially amend the proposed plans of development, or

(3) Amends its filed application in order to change its statement of intent of whether or not it will seek benefits under section 210 of PURPA, as originally filed under § 4.32(c)(1).

(c) An application amended under paragraph (a) is a new filing for:

(1) The purpose of determining its timeliness under § 4.36 of this part;

(2) Disposing of competing applications under § 4.37; and

(3) Reissuing public notice of the application under § 4.32(d)(2).

(d) If an application is amended under paragraph (a) of this section, the Commission will rescind any acceptance letter already issued for the application.

(e) Exceptions. This section does not apply to:

(1) Any corrections of deficiencies made pursuant to § 4.32(e)(1);

(2) Any amendments made pursuant to § 4.37(b)(4) by a State or a municipality to its proposed plans of development to make them as well adapted as the proposed plans of an applicant that is not a state or a municipality;

(3) Any amendments made pursuant to § 4.37(c)(2) by a priority applicant to its proposed plans of development to make them as well adapted as the proposed plans of an applicant that is not a priority applicant;

(4) Any amendments made by a license or an exemption applicant to its proposed plans of development to satisfy requests of resource agencies or Indian tribes submitted after an applicant has consulted under § 4.38 or concerns of the Commission; and

(5)(i) Any license or exemption applicant with a project located at a new dam or diversion who is seeking PURPA benefits and who:

(A) Has filed an adverse environmental effects (AEE) petition pursuant to § 292.211 of this chapter; and

(B) Has proposed measures to mitigate the adverse environmental effects which the Commission, in its initial determination on the AEE petition, stated the project will have.

(ii) This exception does not protect any proposed mitigative measures that the Commission finds are a pretext to avoid the consequences of materially amending the application or are outside the scope of mitigating the adverse environmental effects.

(f) Definitions. (1) For the purposes of this section, a material amendment to plans of development proposed in an application for a license or exemption from licensing means any fundamental and significant change, including but not limited to:

(i) A change in the installed capacity, or the number or location of any generating units of the proposed project if the change would significantly modify the flow regime associated with the project;

(ii) A material change in the location, size, or composition of the dam, the location of the powerhouse, or the size and elevation of the reservoir if the change would:

(A) Enlarge, reduce, or relocate the area of the body of water that would lie between the farthest reach of the proposed impoundment and the point of discharge from the powerhouse; or

(B) Cause adverse environmental impacts not previously discussed in the original application; or

(iii) A change in the number of discrete units of development to be included within the project boundary.

(2) For purposes of this section, a material amendment to plans of development proposed in an application for a preliminary permit means a material change in the location of the powerhouse or the size and elevation of the reservoir if the change would enlarge, reduce, or relocate the area of the body of water that would lie between the farthest reach of the proposed impoundment and the point of discharge from the powerhouse.

(3) For purposes of this section, a change in the status of an applicant means:

(i) The acquisition or loss of preference as a state or a municipality under section 7(a) of the Federal Power Act; or

(ii) The loss of priority as a permittee under section 5 of the Federal Power Act.

(4) For purposes of this section, a change in the identity of an applicant means a change that either singly, or together with previous amendments, causes a total substitution of all the original applicants in a permit or a license application.