[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 118 (Monday, June 21, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 33034-33035]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-15620]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

18 CFR Part 385

[Docket No. PL98-1-001]


Public Access to Information and Electronic Filing; Notice of 
Availability of Staff Issue Papers for Technical Conference

June 15, 1999.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of availability of staff issue papers for technical 
conference on electronic filing.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) notifies 
interested persons that the Commission Staff is making staff issue 
papers on major electronic filing issues available for the purpose of 
facilitating discussion of these issues at the technical conference. 
The recommendations in the issue papers are preliminary and are subject 
to revision based on input from the conference and further analysis by 
staff.

DATES: The conference will be held on Thursday, June 24, 1999, 
beginning at 9:30 a.m. The Commission published notice of the 
conference on May 26, 1999.

ADDRESSES: The technical conference will be held in the Commission 
Meeting Room at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First 
Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
Brooks Carter, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Room 42-29, Washington, 
DC 20426, (202) 501-8145, FAX: (202) 208-2425, E-Mail: 
[email protected].
Wilbur Miller, Office of the General Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Room 91-17, Washington, DC 20426, 
(202) 208-0953.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In addition to publishing the full text of 
this document in the Federal Register, the Commission also provides all 
interested persons an opportunity to inspect or copy the contents of 
this document during normal business hours in the Public Reference Room 
at 888 First Street, NE., Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426.
    The Commission Issuance Posting System (CIPS) provides access to 
the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission. CIPS can be 
accessed via Internet through FERC's Home Page (http://www.ferc.fed.us) 
using the CIPS link or the Energy Information Online icon. The full 
text of this document will be available on CIPS in ASCII and 
WordPerfect 6.1 format. User assistance is available at 202-208-2474 or 
by E-mail to CipsM[email protected].
    This document is also available through the Commission's Records 
and Information Management System (RIMS), an electronic storage and 
retrieval system of documents submitted to and issued by the Commission 
after November 16, 1981. Documents from November 1995 to the present 
can be viewed and printed. RIMS is available in the Public Reference 
Room or remotely via Internet through FERC's Homepage using the RIMS 
link or the Energy Information Online icon. User assistance is 
available at 202-208-2222, or by E-mail to RimsM[email protected].
    Finally, the complete text on diskette in WordPerfect format may be 
purchased from the Commission's copy contractor, RVJ International, 
Inc. RVJ International, Inc., is located in the Public Reference Room 
at 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20426.
    Take notice that the Commission Staff (Staff) is making available 
staff issue papers for review in advance of the technical conference on 
electronic filing. The issue papers are intended to facilitate 
discussion at the conference of major issues pertaining to the 
Commission's Electronic Filing Initiative (EFI). The conference will be 
held on Thursday, June 24, 1999, and will commence at 9:30 a.m. in the 
Commission Meeting Room of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426. The conference is open to 
all interested persons.
    Staff is convening the conference to: discuss and resolve the 
issues addressed in the issue papers; review and discuss a prototype 
for electronic filing, including any desired features or enhancements; 
discuss prototype testing; and address other electronic filing issues 
of interest to those in attendance.
    The issue papers included with this notice contain Staff's analyses 
and preliminary recommendations for major electronic filing issues, 
including:

(1) Filing Formats
(2) Citation
(3) Record Retention
(4) Official Filing Date
(5) Electronic Filing Authentication and Verification (Signatures)
(6) Document Content Standards (for Electronic Submissions)

[[Page 33035]]

(7) Electronic Filing Phase 1 Profile

    The recommendations are Staff recommendations and do not constitute 
a proposal by the Commission. The recommendations are based in part on 
an analysis of comments received in response to a request for comments 
issued in Docket No. PL98-1-000 on May 13, 1998. Staff has created a 
new link on the Commission's web site (www.ferc.fed.us) called 
``Electronic Filing Initiative.'' Through this link, interested persons 
can access all information pertinent to Docket No. PL98-1, including 
comments and materials from a previous technical conference.
    We urge persons planning to attend the conference to review the 
materials in advance and be prepared to discuss them at the conference. 
Staff will entertain requests to establish panels to facilitate 
discussion of the issues, if attendees believe this will lead to a more 
orderly discussion. If after reviewing the issues, you would like to 
participate in a discussion, please contact, Brooks Carter via e-mail 
([email protected]), FAX (202-208-2425) or telephone (202-501-
8145).
    Although this is an informal technical conference, a court reporter 
will transcribe the proceedings and make a transcript available for 
interested parties.
    The Capital Connection offers all Open and special FERC meetings 
live on the Internet as well as via telephone and satellite. For a 
reasonable fee, you can receive these meetings in your office, at home 
or anywhere in the world. To find out more about The Capitol 
Connection's live Internet, phone bridge or satellite coverage, contact 
David Reininger or Julia Morelli at (703) 933-3100 or visit Capitol 
Connection's website at www.capitolconnection.gmu.edu). The Capitol 
Connection also offers FERC Open Meetings through its Washington, D.C. 
area television service.
    In addition, National Narrowcast Network's Hearing-On-The-Line 
service covers all FERC meetings live by telephone so that interested 
persons can listen at their desks, from their homes, or from any phone, 
without special equipment. Billing is based on time on-line. Call 202-
966-2211.
    Anyone interested in purchasing videotapes of the meeting should 
call VISCOM at (703) 715-7999).
David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-15620 Filed 6-18-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M