[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 66 (Thursday, April 5, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18082-18083]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8377]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC01-556-001, FERC Form 556]


Information Collection Submitted for Review and Request for 
Comments

March 30, 2001.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of submission for review by the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) has 
submitted the energy information collection listed in this notice to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under provisions 
of section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 
104-13). Any interested person may file comments on the collection of 
information directly with OMB and should address a copy of those 
comments to the Commission as explained below. The Commission received 
no comments in response to an earlier Federal Register notice of 
January 24, 2001 (66 FR 7635). The Commission has noted this fact in 
its submission to OMB.

[[Page 18083]]


DATES: Comments regarding this collection of information are best 
assured of having their full effect if received on or before May 7, 
2001.

ADDRESSES: Address comments to Office of Management and Budget, Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Desk Officer, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, 
DC 20503. A copy of the comments should also be sent to Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 
Attention: Mr. Michael Miller, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 
20426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Miller may be reached by 
telephone at (202) 208-1415, by fax at (202) 273-0873, and by e-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description

    The energy information collection submitted to OMB for review 
contains:
    1. Collection of Information: FERC Form 556 ``Congeneration and 
Small Power Production''.
    2. Sponsor: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
    3. Control No.: OMB No. 1902-0075. The Commission is now requesting 
that OMB approve a three-year extension of the current expiration date, 
with no changes to the existing collection. This is a mandatory 
information collection requirement.
    4. Necessity of Collection of Information: Submission of the 
information is necessary to fulfill the requirements of section 3 of 
the Federal Power Act (FPA), and sections 201 and 210 of the Public 
Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA). The reporting 
requirements associated with FERC Form 556 are codified at 18 CFR 
131.80 and Part 292 of the Commission's regulations.
    FERC Form 556 requires owners and/or operators of small power 
production or cogeneration facilities who seek qualifying status for 
their facilities, to file the information requested in Form 556 either 
as an application to the Commission for certification as a qualifying 
facility (QF) or to use Form 556 as a notice of self certification.
    A primary objective of PURPA is conservation of energy through the 
efficient use of resources in the generation of electric power. One 
means of achieving this objective is to encourage electric power 
production by cogeneration facilities which make use of reject heat 
associated with commercial and industrial processes, and by small power 
production facilities which use waste and renewable resources as fuel. 
PURPA, through the establishment of various regulatory benefits, 
encourages the development of small power production facilities which 
meet certain technical and corporate criteria. PURPA benefits afforded 
QFs include exemption from certain corporate, accounting, reporting and 
rate regulation under the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 
(PUHCA), certain state laws, and in certain instances, regulation under 
the FPA. Additionally, other benefits afforded to QFs are in the form 
of requirements for electric utilities to: (1) Make avoided cost 
information and system capacity needs available to the public; (2) 
purchase energy and capacity from QFs at the utility's avoided cost of 
power (ie. the cost to the purchasing utility to generate the power 
itself or as the cost to purchase it from another source; (3) sell 
backup, maintenance and other power services to QFs at rates based on 
the cost of rendering the services; (4) provide certain interconnection 
and transmission services priced on a nondiscriminatory basis; and (5) 
operate in ``parallel'' with interconnected QFs so that they may be 
electronically synchronized with electric utility grids. The 
information submitted enables the Commission to carry out its 
responsibilities in implementing the statutory provisions of both the 
EPA and PURPA by determining whether a facility meets the necessary 
requirements and is entitled to various PURPA benefits.
    Respondent Description: The respondent universe currently comprises 
on average, 100 entities subject to the Commission's jurisdiction.
    6. Estimated Burden: 400 total burden hours, 100 respondents, 1 
response annually, 4 hours per response (average).
    7. Estimated Cost Burden to Respondents: 400 hours2,080 
hours per year  x  $115,357 per year = $22,184 average cost per 
respondent $222.

    Statutory Authority: Sections 201 and 210 of the Public Utility 
Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) (16 U.S.C. 796 as amended 
and 16 U.S.C. 824a-3) and sections 3 of the Federal Power Act (16 
U.S.C. 796).

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-8377 Filed 4-4-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M