[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 241 (Thursday, December 16, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78703-78704]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-31564]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC10-542-001, FERC-542]


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

December 9, 2010.
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 U.S.C. 3507, the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission (FERC or the Commission) has submitted the 
information collection described below to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and extension 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 August 2010 (75 FR 45609) and has 
notified OMB of this in its submission.

DATES: Further comments on this collection of information are due by 
January 18, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Address further comments on this 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 1902-0070 
for 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. IC10-542-001. 
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

[[Page 78704]]

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, 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. IC10-
542-001.
    Users interested in receiving automatic notification of activity in 
FERC Docket Number IC10-542 may do so through eSubscription at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp. 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 e-mail 
at [email protected], by telephone at (202) 502-8663, and by fax 
at (202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information collected under the 
requirements of FERC-542 ``Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Tracking'' (OMB No. 
1902-0070) is used by the Commission to implement the statutory 
provisions of Title IV of the Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA), 15 U.S.C. 
3301-3432, and Sections 4, 5 and 16 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) (P.L. 
75-688) (15 U.S.C. 717-717w). These statutes empower the Commission to 
collect natural gas transmission cost information from interstate 
natural gas transporters for the purpose of verifying that these costs, 
which are passed on to pipeline customers, are just and reasonable.
    Interstate natural gas pipeline companies are required by the 
Commission to track their transportation-associated costs to allow for 
the Commission's review and, where appropriate, approve the pass-
through of these costs to pipeline customers. These FERC-542 tracking 
filings are accountings of the cost of (1) Research, development, and 
deployment expenditures; (2) annual charge adjustments; and (3) 
periodic rate adjustments.
ACTION: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
FERC-542 reporting requirements, with the burden and cost estimates 
published in its August 2010 Notice. There is no change to the 
reporting requirements.
    Burden Statement: The public reporting burden for this collection 
is estimated as:

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                                                          Number of      Average burden
        FERC data collection           Annual number    responses per      hours per       Total annual burden
                                       of respondents     respondent        response              hours
                                                 (1)              (2)              (3)   (1) x (2) x (3)
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FERC-542............................              95              3.5               40   13,300
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    The FERC's estimated cost burden to respondents is $881,598 (13,300 
hours/2080 hours \1\ times $137,874 \2\). The cost per respondent is 
$9,280.
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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, 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 estimate 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 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. 2010-31564 Filed 12-15-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P