[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 4, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23145-23146]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E5-2154]


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

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC05-603-001, FERC-603]


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

April 27, 2005.
AGENCY:  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Notice.

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

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 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 no comments in response to an earlier Federal Register notice 
of March 14, 2005 (70 FR 12461-62) and has made this notation in its 
submission to OMB.

DATES:  Comments on the collection of information are due by May 28, 
2005.

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-
4650. A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Office of the Executive Director, ED-33, 
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. IC05-603-001.
    Documents filed electronically via the Internet must be prepared 
in, MS Word, Portable Document Format, Word Perfect 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:

[[Page 23146]]

Description

    The information collection submitted for OMB review contains the 
following:
    1. Collection of Information: FERC-603 ``Critical Energy 
Infrastructure Information.''
    2. Sponsor: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
    3. Control No.: 1902-0197.
    The Commission is now requesting that OMB approve 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: The information is 
used by the Commission to implement procedures for gaining access to 
critical energy infrastructure information (CEII) that would not 
otherwise be available under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 
U.S.C. 552). On February 21, 2003, the Commission issued Order No. 630 
(68 FR 9857-9873), and then issued subsequent Order Nos. 630-A (68 FR 
46456-60), and 649 (69 FR 48386-91) to address the appropriate 
treatment of CEII in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist 
attacks and to restrict unrestrained general access due to the ongoing 
terrorism threat. These steps enable the Commission to keep sensitive 
infrastructure information out of the public domain, decreasing the 
likelihood that such information could be used to plan or execute 
terrorist attacks. The process adopted in these orders is a more 
efficient alternative for handling request for previously public 
documents than FOIA.
    The Commission has defined CEII to include information about 
existing or proposed critical infrastructure that (i) relates to the 
production, generation, transportation, transmission, or distribution 
of energy; (ii) could be useful to a person planning an attack on 
critical infrastructure, (iii) is exempt from mandatory disclosure 
under the Freedom of Information Act, and (iv) does not simply give the 
location of the critical infrastructure. Critical infrastructure means 
existing and proposed systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, 
the incapacity or destruction of which would negatively affect 
security, economic security, public health or safety, or any 
combination of those matters. A person seeking access to CEII may file 
a request for that information by providing information about their 
identity and reason for the need for the information. Through this 
process, the Commission is able to review the requester's need for the 
information against the sensitivity of the information. The Commission 
implements these requirements in 18 CFR 388.113 of its regulations.
    5. Respondent Description: The respondent universe currently 
comprises all entities requesting access to CEII information submitted 
to or issued by the Commission.
    6. Estimated Burden: 46 total hours, 182 respondents (average per 
year), 1 response per respondent, and .25 hours per response (average).
    7. Estimated Cost Burden to respondents: The estimated total cost 
to respondents is $2,392. The cost per respondent = $13. (46 hours @$52 
hourly rate / 182).

    Statutory Authority 15 U.S.C. 717, et seq., 16 U.S.C. 791a, et 
seq., section 313(b) of the Federal Power Act, 16 U.S.C. 824l(b) and 
section 19(b) of the Natural Gas Act, 15 U.S.C. 717r(b).

Linda Mitry,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-2154 Filed 5-3-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P