[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 148 (Friday, August 1, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45231-45232]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-19599]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC03-585-001, FERC-585]


Commission Information Collection Activities, Proposed 
Collection; Comment Request; Submitted for OMB Review

July 25, 2003.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of Section 3507 of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507, the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission (Commission) has submitted the information 
collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review and extension of the current expiration date. Any interested 
person may file comments 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 May 16, 2003 (68 FR 26590-91) and has made this notation in its 
submission to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by August 25, 
2003.

ADDRESSES: Address comments on the collection of information to the 
Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. 
The Desk Officer may be reached by fax at 202-395-7285 or by e-mail at 
[email protected]. A copy of the comments 
should also be sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office 
of the Executive Director, ED-30, Attention: Michael Miller, 888 First 
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. Comments may be filed either in paper 
format or electronically. Those persons filing electronically do not 
need to make a paper filing. For paper filings, such comments should be 
submitted to the Office of the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, NE. Washington, DC 20426 and should refer 
to Docket No. IC03-585-001.
    Documents filed electronically via the Internet must be prepared in 
WordPerfect, MS Word, Portable Document Format, or ASCII format. To 
file the document, access the Commission's Web site at http://

[[Page 45232]]

www.ferc.gov and click on ``Make an E-filing,'' and then follow the 
instructions for each screen. First time users will have to establish a 
user name and password. The Commission will send an automatic 
acknowledgment to the sender's E-mail address upon receipt of comments. 
User assistance for electronic filings is available at 202-502-8258 or 
by e-mail to [email protected]. Comments should not be submitted to the 
e-mail address.
    All comments may be viewed, printed or downloaded remotely via the 
Internet through FERC's homepage using the FERRIS link. User assistance 
for FERRIS and the FERC's Web site during business hours by contacting, 
FERC Online Support at [email protected] or toll free at (866) 
208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Miller may be reached by 
telephone at (202) 502-8415, by fax at (202) 273-0873, and by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description

    The information collection submitted for OMB review contains the 
following:
    1. Collection of Information: FERC-585 ``Reporting of Electric 
Energy Shortages and Contingency Plans under PURPA 206.''
    2. Sponsor: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
    3. Control No. 1902-0138.
    The Commission is now requesting that OMB approve a three-year 
extension of the expiration date, with no changes to the existing 
collection. The information filed with the Commission is mandatory. 
Requests for confidential treatment of the information are provided for 
under Section 388.112 of the Commission's regulations.
    1. Necessity of the Collection of Information: Submission of the 
information is necessary to enable the Commission to carry out its 
responsibilities in implementing the statutory provisions of Section 
206 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) (Pub. 
L. 95-617, 92 Stat. 3117) which amended Section 202 of the Federal 
Power Act by adding subsection (g). Section 202(g) requires public 
utilities to report to the Commission, and appropriate State agencies, 
any unanticipated shortages of electric energy or capacity which would 
affect the utility's ability to serve its wholesale customers and to 
report and periodically revise, their contingency plans for such 
occurrences which would equitably accommodate both retail and wholesale 
customers.
    The Commission uses the contingency plan information to evaluate 
and formulate appropriate options for action in the event an 
anticipated shortage is reported or materializes. The Commission also 
uses this information ensure itself and firm power wholesale customers 
that both are kept informed about utility contingency plans and 
anticipated shortages of energy and capacity and to ensure that direct 
and indirect customers would be treated without undue prejudice or 
disadvantage during actual shortages.
    If the contingency plan data is not provided, the statutory 
provisions of the FPA and PUPRA will not have been complied with, and 
information will not be available to assess whether utilities have 
planned for shortage conditions and/or developed plans with due 
consideration for equitable customer treatment, as required by the 
established statute. The Commission implements these filing 
requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR part 
294.
    5. Respondent Description: The respondent universe currently 
comprises approximately 170 public utilities. In the normal course of a 
public utility's operations, contingency plans are prepared and usually 
reviewed and updated periodically. However, the burden on each utility 
will vary primarily with respect to the number and size of wholesale 
customers and utility system customers supplied by the reporting 
utility. The number of respondents is based on the actual number of 
responses that were received by the Commission since the last OMB 
submission.
    6. Estimated Burden: 511 total hours, 7 respondents (average), 1 
response per respondent, 73 hours per response (average).
    7. Estimated Cost Burden to respondents: 511 hours/2080 hours per 
years x $117,041 per year = $28,753.

    Statutory Authority: Sections 206 of the Public Utility 
Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, 16 U.S.C. 2601 (Pub. L. 95-617) and 
Section 202 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824a (g)).

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-19599 Filed 7-31-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P