[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 124 (Thursday, June 26, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36309-36310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-14451]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC08-523-001, FERC-523]


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

June 19, 2008.
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 February 26, 2008 (73 FR 10236-10237) and has made this notation in 
its submission to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by July 21, 
2008.

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. (1902-0043) as a 
point of reference. The Desk Officer may be reached by telephone at 
202-395-7345. A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of the Executive Director, ED-34, 
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 Secretary of 
the Commission, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426 and should refer to Docket No. IC08-523-001. 
Documents filed electronically via the Internet must be prepared in an 
acceptable filing format and in compliance with the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission submission guidelines. Complete filing 
instructions and acceptable filing formats are available at (http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide/electronic-media.asp). To file the 
document electronically, access the Commission's Web site and click on 
Documents & Filing, E-Filing (http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp), 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].

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 131 prescribe 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      Average burden    Total annual
              Number of responses annually  (1)                 responses per      hours per       burden hours
                                                               respondent  (2)   response  (3)     (1)x(2)x(3)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Number of hours an employee works each year.
    \2\ Average annual salary per employee 3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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

[[Page 36310]]

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 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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E8-14451 Filed 6-25-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P