[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 168 (Wednesday, August 30, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51589-51590]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-14402]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC06-715-000; FERC-715]


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

August 24, 2006.

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance 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 October 31, 
2006.

ADDRESSES: Copies of sample filings of the proposed collection of 
information can be obtained from the Commission's Web site (http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filings/elibrary.asp) or from the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Attn: Michael Miller, Office of the Executive 
Director, ED-34, 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 
filing, the original and 14 copies of such comments should be submitted 
to the Secretary of the Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426 and refer to 
Docket No. IC06-715-000.
    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 the Commission'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

[[Page 51590]]

telephone at (202) 502-8415, by fax at (202) 273-0873, and by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information collected under the 
requirements of FERC-715 ``Annual Transmission Planning and Evaluation 
Report'', (OMB No. 1902-0171) is mandated by section 213(b) of the 
Federal Power Act (FPA), as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 1992. 
Through section 213(b) Congress requires the Commission to collect 
annually from transmitting utilities, certain transmission system 
information and make it available to potential transmission providers, 
customers and state regulatory authorities. This information collection 
also supports the Commission's responsibilities under sections 202, 
207, 210-213, 304, 309 and 311 of the FPA, as amended (49 Stat. 838; 16 
U.S.C. 791a-825r). The Commission's FERC-715 filing requirements are 
published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 18 CFR section 
141.300.
    Through the FERC-715, the Commission gathers basic electric 
transmission system information. The Commission staff use the FERC-715 
information to evaluate available transmission capacity and assess 
transmission reliability. Electrical transmission customers and 
transmission dependent utilities use the information, in conjunction 
with other information sources, to assess transmission availability. 
Federal and private agencies use the information in transmission 
simulations to test the impact of changes to the transmission system, 
necessary to improve system functioning. FERC-715 filing instructions 
are provided on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filings/elibrary.asp. In order to assist the Commission in properly 
analyzing the information received from respondents for the FERC-715, 
several clarifications of the instructions are proposed and a copy of 
those clarifications accompanies this notice for comment. These 
clarifications are not to be considered as changes to the information 
filed with the FERC-715.
    Some or all of the information collected may be treated as Critical 
Energy Infrastructure Information (CEII) (see Order 630, OMB Control 
No. 1902-0197). CEII is information concerning proposed or existing 
critical infrastructure (physical or virtual) that:
    1. Relates to the production, generation, transmission or 
distribution of energy;
    2. Could be useful to a person planning an attack on critical 
infrastructure;
    3. Is exempt from mandatory disclosure under the Freedom of 
Information Act; and
    4. Gives strategic information beyond the location of the critical 
infrastructure.
    CEII is not available to the public. The Commission has established 
procedures for gaining access to CEII that would otherwise not be 
available under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. These 
actions are necessary to keep highly sensitive infrastructure 
information out of the public domain thus decreasing the likelihood 
that such information could be used to plan and execute terrorist 
attacks.
    Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
current expiration date, with no changes to the existing collection of 
data and only clarifications to the instructions.
    Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection is 
estimated as:

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                                                               Number of     Average  burden
              Number of respondents annually                 responses per      hours per        Total annual
                                                               respondent        response        burden hours
(1)                                                                    (2)              (3)         (1)x(2)x(3)
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183.......................................................               1              160              29,280
 
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    Estimated cost burden to respondents is $1,651,519. (29,280 hours/
2080 hours per year times $117,321 per year average per employee). The 
cost per respondent is $9,025).
    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. E6-14402 Filed 8-29-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P