[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 63 (Thursday, April 1, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17134-17135]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E4-726]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC03-423-001, FERC Form-423]


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

March 26, 2004.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; DOE.

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 reinstatement of this information collection 
requirement. 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 comments from two entities in 
response to an earlier Federal Register notice of February 13, 2003 (68 
FR 7353-54) and has responded to their comments in its submission to 
OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by April 30, 
2004.

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. 
Comments to OMB should be filed electronically, c/o [email protected] and include the OMB Control No. as a point of 
reference. The Desk Officer may be reached by telephone at 202-395-
7856. 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. IC03-423-001.
    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://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 are available for review at the Commission or may be 
viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov, using the 
``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three 
digits in the docket number field to access the document. For 
assistance, contact 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:

[[Page 17135]]

    1. Collection of Information: FERC Form 423 ``Monthly Report on the 
Cost and Quality of Fuels for Electric Plants.''
    2. Sponsor: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
    3. Control No.: 1902-0024.
    The Commission is now requesting that OMB approve and reinstate 
with a three-year extension of the expiration date, with no changes to 
the existing collection. The information filed with the Commission is 
mandatory.
    4. 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 Sections 
205-206 of the Federal Power Act as amended by Section 208 of the 
Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). The Commission uses the 
information to collect basic cost and quality of fuels data at electric 
generating plants on the FERC Form 423, and has used such data to 
conduct fuel reviews, rate investigations and to track market changes 
and trends in the electric wholesale market. The data is also used by 
other government agencies to track the supply, disposition and prices 
of fuel, to conduct environmental assessments, and by electric market 
participants and the public to assess the competitive market place. 
Monthly evaluation of the Form 423 data makes it possible to discern 
instances in which a utility's fuel costs deviate significantly from 
existing market prices. Such deviations may be significant since fuel 
costs are a significant share of the costs that underline a utility's 
rates. And, depending on the results of the evaluation, the Commission 
can either accept a utility's proposed rate as filed, or suspend the 
proposed rate and set the matter for hearing. The data has helped to 
identify the effects of the quality of fuel, market conditions, and the 
origin of production on fuel prices, which can signal possible 
procurement inefficiencies. The Commission implements the filing 
requirements in the Code of Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR Parts 
141.61.
    5. Respondent Description: The respondent universe currently 
comprises 76 companies (on average per year) subject to the 
Commission's jurisdiction.
    6. Estimated Burden: 7,008 total hours, 584 respondents (average 
per year), 12 responses per respondent, and 1 hour per response 
(average).
    7. Estimated Cost Burden to respondents: 7,008 hours / 2080 hours 
per years x $107,185 per year = $135,991. The cost per respondent is 
equal to $155,655.

    Statutory Authority: Sections 205-206 of the FPA (16 U.S.C. 824d 
and e) and Section 208 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act 
(PURPA), (16 U.S.C. 2601 et. al.)

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E4-726 Filed 3-31-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P