[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 12 (Wednesday, January 19, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3005-3006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-183]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC05-561-000; FERC-561]


Commission Information Collection Activities, Proposed 
Collection; Comment Request; Extension

January 7, 2005.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information collection and request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: Incompliance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(a) of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), the Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is soliciting public comment 
on the specific aspects of the information collection described below.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by March 14, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the proposed collection of information can be 
obtained from the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/hard-fil-elec.asp or click on ``Documents and Filing'', 
``Hardcopy filing'' and then ``Electric''. Written comments may be 
submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Attn: Michael 
Miller, Office of the Chief Information Officer, CI-1, 888 First Street 
NE., Washington, DC 20426. Comments may be filed either in paper format 
or electronically. Those parties filing electronically do not need to 
make a paper filing. For paper filings, the original and 14 copies of 
such comments should be submitted to the Office of the Secretary, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426 and refer to Docket No. IC05-561-000.
    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 
acknowledgement to the sender's e-mail address upon receipt of 
comments.
    All comments may be viewed, printed or downloaded remotely via the 
Internet through FERC's homepage using the eLibrary link. For user 
assistance, contact [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].

SUPPLEMEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information collected under the 
requirements of FERC-561 ``Annual Report of Interlocking Positions'' 
(OMB No. 1902-0099) is used by the Commission to implement the 
statutory provisions of Section 305 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), as 
amended by Title II, section 211 of the Public Utility Regulatory 
Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) (16 U.S.C. 825d). Submission of FERC-561 
satisfies the FPA section 305(b) and (c) annual reporting requirements 
for public utility officers and directors to report officer and 
director positions they hold with financial institutions, insurance 
companies, utility equipment providers, utility fuel providers and a 
utility's top twenty customers of electric energy. FPA section 
305(c)(3)(A) defines the public utilities who are required to file. FPA 
section 305(c)(2) requires that the filed information be made available 
to the public. FPA section 305(c)(1) requires an annual filing deadline 
of April 30th. The necessary filing information, the required filers, 
the requirement to make the information available to the public and the 
filing deadline are mandated by the FPA. The Commission is not 
empowered to amend or waive these statutory requirements. Requirement 
the Commission has the authority to amend, such as format of the filing 
itself, and the number of required copies are found at 18 CFR 46.1 and 
131.31.
    The information is collected by the Commission to identify persons 
holding interlocking position between public utilities and possible 
conflicts of interest. Through this process, the Commission is able to 
review and exercise oversight of interlocking directorates of public 
utilities and their related activities. Specifically, the Commission 
must determine that individuals in utility operations holding two 
positions at the same time would adversely affect the public interest. 
The Commission can employ enforcement proceedings when violations and 
omissions of the Act's provisions occur. The compliance with these 
requirements is mandatory.
    Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
current expiration date, with no changes to the existing collection of 
data.
    Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection is 
estimated as:

[[Page 3006]]



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    Number of          Number of       Average burden     Total annual
   respondents       responses  per      hours  per       burden hours
  annually  (1)     respondent  (2)     response  (3)      (1)x(2)x(3)
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           1649                  1                .25               412
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    The estimated total cost to respondents is $21,516. (412 hours 
divided by 2,080 hours per year per employee times $108,558 per year 
average per employee = $21,516.) The cost per respondent is $13.
    The reporting burden includes the total time, effort, or financial 
resources expended to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide 
the information including: (1) Reviewing instructions; (2) developing, 
acquiring, installing, and utilizing technology and systems for the 
purposes of collecting, validating, verifying, processing, maintaining, 
disclosing and providing information; (3) adjusting the existing ways 
to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; 
(4) training personnel to respond to a collection of information; (5) 
searching data sources; (6) completing and reviewing the collection of 
information; and (7) transmitting, or otherwise disclosing the 
information.
    The estimate of cost for respondents is based upon salaries for 
professional and clerical support, as well as direct and indirect 
overhead costs. Direct costs include all costs directly attributable to 
providing this information, such as administrative costs and the cost 
for information technology. Indirect or overhead costs are costs 
incurred by an organization in support of its mission. These costs 
apply to activities which benefit the whole organization rather than 
any one particular function or activity.
    Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Commission, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology e.g. permitting electronic submission of 
responses.

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
 [FR Doc. E5-183 Filed 1-18-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P