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In this final rule, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) amended its regulations to clarify that for any proceedings before the Commission that require a water quality certification pursuant to section 401(a)(1) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (Clean Water Act), the reasonable period of time during which the certifying authority may act on the water quality certification request is one year from the certifying authority's receipt of the request. The final rule also clarified that all Commission authorizations that have the potential to discharge into waters of the United States require a section 401 water quality certification or waiver, including, depending on the activity being proposed, authorizations associated with hydropower exemptions, amendments, and surrenders. Finally, the final rule provided updated terminology in the Commission's hydropower regulations, updated the timing of the filing requirements for the Commission's expedited hydropower licensing process, and in response to comments on the Commission's Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, removed inconsistent language from parts 5 and 7 of the Commission's regulations  (Docket No. RM24-5-000).