[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 38 (Tuesday, February 26, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10236-10237]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3566]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC08-523-000, FERC-523]


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

February 20, 2008.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

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. No. 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 April 25, 
2008.

ADDRESSES: Copies of sample filings of the proposed information 
collection 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 Office of the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426 and refer to Docket No. 
IC08-523-000.
    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, choose the Documents & Filings tab, click on eFiling, 
then follow the instructions given. 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 
assistant, 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].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information collection under the 
requirements of FERC-523 ``Applications for Authorization of Issuance 
of Securities.''
    Under Federal Power Act (FPA) section 204, 16 U.S.C. 824c:

no public utility or licensee shall issue any security, or assume 
any obligation or liability as guarantor, indorser, surety, or 
otherwise in respect of any security of another person, unless and 
until, and then only to the extent that, upon application by the 
public utility, the Commission by order authorized such issue or 
assumption of the liability. The Commission shall make such order if 
it finds that such issue or assumption (a) is for lawful object, 
within the corporate purposes of the applicant and compatible with 
the public interest, which is necessary or appropriate for or 
consistent with the proper performance by the applicant of service 
as a public utility and which will not impair its ability to perform 
that service, and (b) is reasonably necessary or appropriate for 
such purposes.* * *

    The Commission uses the information contained in filings to 
determine its acceptance and/or rejection for granting applications for 
authorization to either issue securities or to assume an obligation or 
liability by the public utilities and their licensees who make these 
applications.
    The Commission implements this statute through its regulations, 
which are found at 18 CFR Part 34; sections 131.43 and 131.50 of 18 CFR 
Part 131prescribe the required format for the filings. The information 
is filed electronically.
    Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
current expiration date with no changes to the current reporting 
requirements.
    Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection is 
estimated as:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Number of          Number of       Average burden     Total annual
    responses        responses  per      hours  per       burden hours
  annually  (1)     respondent  (2)     response  (3)      (1)x(2)x(3)
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            60                  1                88              5280
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The estimated total cost to respondents is $320,821 [5,280 hours 
divided by 2080 hours \1\ times $126,384 \2\ equals $320,821]. The cost 
of filing FERC-523, per respondent, is $5,347 (rounded-off).
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    \1\ Number of hours an employee works each year.
    \2\ Average annual salary per employee.
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    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, using 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 filing instructions and requirements; 
(4) training personnel to respond to this collection of information; 
(5) searching data sources; (6) completing and reviewing the collection 
of information; and (7) transmitting, or otherwise disclosing the 
information. The cost estimate 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

[[Page 10237]]

whole organization rather than any one particular function or activity.
    Comments are invited on the accuracy of the agency's burden 
estimate of the proposed information collection, including the validity 
of the methodology and assumptions used to calculate the reporting 
burden; and ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the 
information to be collected.

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-3566 Filed 2-25-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P