[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 160 (Thursday, August 20, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42061-42062]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-19926]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC09-714-001]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-714); Comment 
Request; Submitted for OMB Review

August 13, 2009.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Notice.

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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 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 22913, 5/15/2009) and has made this notation in its 
submission to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by September 
21, 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 1902-0140 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. IC09-714-001. 
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 website 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 Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, and should 
refer to Docket No. IC09-714-001.
    All comments may be viewed, printed or downloaded remotely via the 
Internet through FERC's homepage using the ``eLibrary'' link. For user 
assistance,

[[Page 42062]]

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: FERC-714 (Annual Electric Balancing 
Authority Area and Planning Area Report (formerly called ``Annual 
Electric Control and Planning Area Report''), OMB No. 1902-0140) is 
used by the Commission to implement Sections 4, 202, 207, 210, 211-213, 
304, 309 and 311 of the Federal Power Act (FPA) as amended (49 Stat. 
838: 16 U.S.C. 791 a-825r), Section 3(4) of Public Utility Regulatory 
Policies Act of 1978, 26 U.S.C. 2602 and sections 1211, 1221, 1231, 
1241 and 1242 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Pub. L. 109-58) (119 
Stat. 594). The filing requirements are found at 18 CFR 141.51. The 
information allows the Commission to analyze power system operations, 
to estimate the effect of changes in power system operations that 
result from the installation of a new generating unit or plant, 
transmission facilities, energy transfers between systems and/or new 
points of interconnections. The analyses also serve to correlate rates 
and charges, assess reliability and other operating attributes in 
regulatory proceedings, monitor market trends and behaviors, and 
determine the competitive impacts of proposed mergers, acquisitions and 
dispositions.
    Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
current expiration date for the FERC-714, with no changes to the 
reporting requirements.
    Burden Statement: There has been an administrative change in the 
burden estimate due to: (1) An informal, limited survey of respondents 
in order to obtain improved estimates of both the burden and cost, (2) 
a change in the number of filers resulting from the formation of 
regional transmission organizations (and other similar entities) 
encompassing numerous former Control Areas (Balancing Authority Areas), 
and (3) the switch to an all-electronic filing in 2007 (from a paper 
and diskette filing). Public reporting burden for this collection is 
estimated as follows.

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                                                                                                        Total
                                                     Number of        Number of      Average burden     annual
              FERC data collection                  respondents     responses per      hours per        burden
                                                    annually (1)    respondent (2)    response (3)      hours
                                                                                                     (1)x(2)x(3)
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FERC-714........................................             215                1           87 \1\   18,705 \1\
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[Note: These figures may not be exact, due to rounding.]

    The total estimated annual cost burden \1\ to respondents is 
$885,155 (215 respondents x $4,117 per respondent).
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    \1\ These figures are based on a limited survey of 8 
respondents. The average estimated annual burden per respondent (and 
filing) is 87 hours.
    Using the number of hours spent by each specific job title or 
level, the estimated annual staff cost was calculated based on the 
nationwide average annual salary for various levels of engineers, 
found in the Occupational Outlook Handbook (2008-09 Edition) [posted 
on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos027.htm]. The estimated average annual staff cost for preparing 
the FERC-714 was $3,603. The respondents surveyed had additional 
costs of $514, on average per year. Therefore the total estimated 
average annual cost per respondent is $4,117.
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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 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. E9-19926 Filed 8-19-09; 8:45 am]
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