[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 6 (Tuesday, January 9, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1654-1655]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-518]


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

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC01-719A-000, FERC-719A]


Proposed Information Collection and Request for Comments

January 3, 2001.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Request for Office of Management and Budget Emergency 
Processing of proposed information collection and request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is 
providing notice of its request to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for emergency processing of a proposed collection of information 
in connection with the California natural gas markets, and is 
soliciting public comment on that information collection.

DATES: The Commission and OMB must receive comments on or before 
January 10, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to: (1) Michael Miller, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, CI-1, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426. Mr. Miller may be reached by 
telephone at (202) 208-1415 and by e-mail at

[[Page 1655]]

[email protected]; and (2) Amy Farrell, FERC Desk Officer, Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
Room 10202 NOEB, 725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503 20426. Ms. 
Farrell may be reached by telephone at (202) 395-7318 or by fax at 
(202) 395-7285.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mary Morton, Office of the General 
Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. Ms. Morton may be 
reached by telephone at (202) 208-0642 and by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Natural Gas Act directs the Commission 
to ensure just and reasonable rates for transportation and wholesale 
sales of natural gas. See 15 USC 717c(a). To enable the Commission to 
fulfill this duty, the Natural Gas Act also authorizes the Commission 
to conduct investigations of, and collect information from public 
utilities. See 15 USC 717g, 717i, and 717m.
    On December 7, 2000, San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E), 
which provides natural gas and electricity to 1.2 million customers in 
San Diego County, filed a complaint with the Commission. See San Diego 
Gas & Electric Company, Docket No. RP01-180-000. SDG&E is asking the 
Commission to take certain steps on an emergency basis to remedy what 
SDG&E describes as the lack of workable competition in the California 
natural gas market. The Commission published notice of the complaint in 
the Federal Register and set a deadline of December 13, 2000, for 
comments. Numerous parties have filed comments.
    In response to SDG&E's complaint, the Commission must determine if 
rates for transportation and wholesale sales of natural gas in 
California are just and reasonable, and, if they are not, which 
remedies are appropriate. The information provided so far by SDG&E and 
the intervening parties is not adequate to make these determinations. 
Therefore, the Commission is requesting additional information from the 
major natural gas marketers in California. These requests are subject 
to the Paperwork Reduction Act, which requires OMB to review certain 
federal reporting requirements. 44 USC 3507. Prices for natural gas in 
California have suddenly risen to levels significantly higher than 
those in other parts of the country. These price increases come at the 
start of a winter predicted to be much colder than average, in 
combination with an ongoing electricity emergency in California. 
Therefore, the Commission has requested emergency processing of this 
proposed information collection.
    The Commission will refer to the reports being requested as 
``California Natural Gas Marketers' Reports.'' Respondents would 
provide a one-time-only Report no later than January 16, 2001. The 
Reports would contain the following information for each gas sales 
transaction made at or into the California market during the months of 
November and December, 2000.
    The contract's identification number;
    The date the contract was entered into;
    The identity of the buyer;
    The volumes sold and/or transported;
    The contract price;
    The term of the contract;
    The transportation component versus the gas commodity component;
    The interstate pipeline that provided transportation; and
    The maximum Part 284 transportation rate applicable to the 
contract. For contracts with a price equal to or greater than $15 per 
Dth, respondents would also provide:
    A copy of the contract;
    A copy of each associated upstream contract for transportation or 
gas purchase; and
    The point where the respondent took title to the gas.
    Fifteen marketers would be subject to this reporting requirement. 
The Commission estimates that it would take each respondent no more 
than 24 hours to generate the Report. Therefore, the total number of 
hours it would take to comply with the reporting requirement would be 
360. The Commission estimates a cost of $50 per hour, based on salaries 
for professional and clerical staff, as well as direct and indirect 
overhead costs. Therefore, costs for each respondent would be $1,200, 
and total costs to comply with this request would be $18,000.
    The Commission has submitted this reporting requirement to OMB for 
approval. OMB's regulations describe the process that federal agencies 
must follow in order to obtain OMB approval of reporting requirement. 
See 5 CFR part 1320. The standards for emergency processing of 
information collections appear at 5 CFR 1320.13. If OMB approves a 
reporting requirement, then it will assign an information collection 
control number to that requirement. If a request for information 
subject to OMB review has not been given a valid control number, then 
the recipient is not required to respond.
    OMB requires federal agencies seeking approval of reporting 
requirements to allow the public an opportunity to comment on the 
proposed reporting requirement. 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(1)(iv). Therefore, the 
Commission is soliciting comment on: (1) Whether the collection of the 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the Commission's 
estimate of the burden of the collection of this information, including 
the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) The quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) How to 
minimize the burden of the collection of this information on 
respondents, including the use of appropriate automated electronic, 
mechanical, or other forms of information technology.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-518 Filed 1-8-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M