[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 104 (Tuesday, June 2, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26383-26385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-12701]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC09-556-001]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-556); Comment 
Request; Submitted for OMB Review

May 26, 2009.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of section 3507 of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 USC 3507, the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) has submitted the 
information collection described below to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review of the information collection requirements. 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 the Federal Register 
notice (74FR7679, 2/19/2009) and has made this notation in its 
submission to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by July 6, 
2009.

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 OMB Control Number 1902-0075 as a 
point of reference. The Desk Officer may be reached by telephone at 
202-395-4638.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission and should refer to Docket No. IC09-556-001. 
Comments may be filed either electronically or in paper format. Those 
persons filing electronically do not need to make a paper filing. 
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.asp. To file the document 
electronically, access the Commission's Web site, click on Documents & 
Filing, E-Filing (http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp), and 
then follow the instructions for each screen. New 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.
    For paper filings, an original and 2 copies of the comments should 
be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of 
the Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, and should 
refer to Docket No. IC09-556-001.
    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: Ellen Brown may be reached by 
telephone at (202) 502-8663, by fax at (202) 273-0873, and by e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Commission uses the FERC Form No. 556 
(Cogeneration and Small Power Production, OMB Control Number 1902-0075) 
to implement the statutory

[[Page 26384]]

provisions in Federal Power Act (FPA) section 3 (16 USC 792-828c) and 
sections 201 and 210 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act 
(PURPA) of 1978 (16 USC 2601). These statutes authorize the Commission 
to encourage cogeneration and small power production and to prescribe 
such rules as necessary in order to carry out these statutory 
directives. Commission regulations pertaining to FERC Form No. 556 can 
be found in 18 CFR 131.80 and 18 CFR Part 292.
    A primary objective of PURPA, as indicated in section 2 of the FPA, 
is the conservation of energy through efficient use of energy resources 
and facilities by electric utilities. One means of achieving this goal 
is to encourage production of electric power by cogeneration facilities 
which make use of reject heat associated with commercial or industrial 
processes, and by small power production facilities which use other 
wastes and renewable resources as fuel. Congress, through PURPA, 
established various regulatory benefits to encourage the development of 
small power production facilities and cogeneration facilities which 
meet certain technical and corporate criteria. Facilities that meet 
these criteria are deemed qualifying facilities (QFs).
    The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), and in particular 
section 1253(a), added section 210(m) to the PURPA providing, among 
other things, for termination of the requirement that an electric 
utility enter into a new contract or obligation to purchase electric 
energy from qualifying cogeneration facilities and qualifying small 
power production facilities, if the Commission finds that the QF has 
nondiscriminatory access to one of three categories of markets defined 
in section 210(m)(1)(A), (B) or (C). Thus, to relieve an electric 
utility of its mandatory purchase obligation under PURPA, the 
Commission has to identify which, if any, markets meet the criteria 
contained in 210(m)(1)(A), (B) or (C), and, if such markets are 
identified, it must determine whether QFs have nondiscriminatory access 
to those markets.
    In 18 CFR Part 292, the Commission provides: (1) QF certification 
criteria, (2) QF application information, (3) a description of some of 
the benefits afforded QFs, and (4) transaction obligations that 
electric utilities have with respect to QFs.
    Among the PURPA benefits identified in Part 292, are the 
requirements for electric utilities: (1) To make avoided cost 
information and system capacity needs available to the public; (2) to 
purchase energy and capacity from QFs favorably priced on the basis of 
the avoided cost of the power that is displaced by the QF power (i.e., 
the incremental cost to the purchasing utility if it had generated the 
displaced power or purchased it from another source); (3) to sell 
backup, maintenance, and other power services to QFs at rates based on 
the cost of rendering the services; (4) to provide certain 
interconnection and transmission services priced on a nondiscriminatory 
basis; and (5) to operate in ``parallel'' with other interconnected QFs 
so that they may be electrically synchronized with electric utility 
grids.
    A blank FERC Form No. 556 may be downloaded from the Commission's 
Web site at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/hard-fil.asp#556. Click on 
the Electric tab, then click the Form No. 556 link, and choose from an 
MS Word or RTF format (in the Downloads & Links column). Examples of 
filings may be viewed through the Commission's eLibrary system. Click 
on the red eLibrary link found at the top of any of the Commission's 
web pages, and choose General Search. Under Class/Type Info, choose 
Type: Qualifying Facility Application or PURPA Energy Utility Filing; 
then click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.
    Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
current expiration date, with no change to the existing reporting 
requirements in FERC-556.
    Burden Statement: The estimated annual public reporting burden and 
cost for FERC-556 follow.

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                                                     Number of       Number of    Average burden
                    FERC-556                        respondents    responses per     hours per     Total annual
                                                     annually       respondent       response      burden hours
                                                             (1)             (2)             (3)     (1)x(2)x(3)
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FERC Certification..............................               4               1              20              80
Self Certification..............................             820               1               3            2460
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    Total.......................................             824  ..............  ..............            2540
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    The estimated total cost to respondents \1\ is $156,670.36 [2,540 
hours divided by 2,080 hours per year, times $128,297 equals 
$156,670.36]. The average cost per respondent is $190.13.
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    \1\ The average employee works 2,080 hours per year. The 
estimated average annual cost per employee is $128,297.
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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, 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 estimates 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

[[Page 26385]]

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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-12701 Filed 6-1-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P