[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 110 (Wednesday, June 10, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27521-27522]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-13542]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC09-916-001]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-916); Comment 
Request; Submitted for OMB Review

June 3, 2009.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Energy.

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 (74FR 15471, 4/6/2009) and has made this notation in its 
submission to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by July 10, 
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 1902-0224 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. IC09-916-001. 
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/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.
    For paper filings, an original and 2 copies of the comments should 
be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of 
the

[[Page 27522]]

Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, and should 
refer to Docket No. IC09-916-001.
    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 is requesting comments on the 
record retention requirements of FERC-916,\1\ ``Record Retention 
Requirements for Pipelines Providing Unbundled Sales Service, and 
Persons Holding Blanket Marketing Certificates,'' OMB Control No. 1902-
0224. The FERC-916 record retention requirements are contained in 18 
CFR 284.288(b) and 284.403(b).
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    \1\ FERC-916 was formerly called ``FERC-916(549),'' with the 
intent of consolidating the FERC-916 into the FERC-549 (OMB Control 
No. 1902-0086). FERC has decided not to consolidate the FERC-916 
into the FERC-549, so this Notice deals only with the FERC-916 
requirements.
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    The Commission's regulations at 18 CFR 284.288 and 284.403 provide 
that applicable sellers of natural gas adhere to a code of conduct when 
making gas sales in order to protect the integrity of the market. The 
Commission imposes the FERC-916 record retention requirement on 
applicable sellers to ``retain, for a period of five years, all data 
and information upon which it billed the prices it charged for natural 
gas it sold pursuant to its market based sales certificate or the 
prices it reported for use in price indices.'' FERC uses the FERC-916 
records to monitor the jurisdictional transportation activities and 
unbundled sales activities of interstate natural gas pipelines and 
blanket marketing certificate holders.
    The record retention period of five years is necessary due to the 
importance of records related to any investigation of possible 
wrongdoing and related to assuring compliance with the codes of conduct 
and the integrity of the market. The requirement is necessary to ensure 
consistency with the rule prohibiting market manipulation (regulations 
adopted in Order No. 670, implementing the EPAct 2005 anti-manipulation 
provisions) \2\ and the generally applicable five-year statute of 
limitations where the Commission seeks civil penalties for violations 
of the anti-manipulation rules or other rules, regulations, or orders 
to which the price data may be relevant.
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    \2\ 18 CFR 1c.1 and 1c.2, 71 FR 4,244 (2006).
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    Failure to have this information available would mean the 
Commission is unable to perform its regulatory functions and to monitor 
and evaluate transactions and operations of interstate pipelines and 
blanket marketing certificate holders.
    Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
current expiration date for the FERC-916, with no changes to the 
requirements.
    Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection is 
estimated at:

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                                        Number of        Number of     Average  burden
         FERC  requirements            respondents     responses per      hours per        Total annual burden
                                         annually        respondent        response               hours
                                                (1)              (2)              (3)           (1) x (2) x (3)
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FERC-916...........................             222                1                1                       222
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    The estimated total annual cost to respondents includes hours for 
labor (222 hrs. at $17 per hour, for a labor cost of $3,774) and record 
storage costs (using an estimated 12,548 cu. ft of records in off-site 
storage, for a total record storage cost of $81,051). The total annual 
cost (labor plus off-site record storage) is $84,825; the total annual 
cost per respondent is $382.
    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 collections of 
information are 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 collections 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.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-13542 Filed 6-9-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P