[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 18 (Thursday, January 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4888-4890]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1715]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC11-537-001]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-537); Comment 
Request; Submitted for OMB Review

January 20, 2011.
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 issued a Notice in the Federal Register (75 FR 64301, 
10/19/2010) requesting public comments. FERC received no comments on 
the FERC-537 and has made this notation in its submission to OMB.\1\
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    \1\ OMB will not make a decision on this proceeding until after 
30 days from the time it is received.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by February 
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28, 2011.

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 Created by OMB should be filed electronically, c/o [email protected] and include OMB Control Number 1902-0060 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. IC11-537-001. 
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 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. IC11-
537-001.
    Users interested in receiving automatic notification of activity in 
FERC Docket Number IC11-537 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-537, ``Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, 
Acquisition, and Abandonment'' (OMB Control No. 1902-0060), is used by 
the Commission to implement the statutory provisions of the Natural Gas 
Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA), 15 U.S.C. 3301-3432, and the Natural Gas Act 
(NGA) (15 U.S.C. 717-717w). Under the NGA, natural gas pipeline 
companies must obtain Commission authorization to undertake the 
construction or extension of any facilities, or to acquire or operate 
any such facilities or extensions in accordance with Section 7(c) of 
the NGA. A natural gas company must also obtain Commission approval 
under Section 7(b) of the NGA prior to

[[Page 4889]]

abandoning any jurisdictional facility or service. Under the NGA and 
the NGPA, interstate and intrastate pipelines must also obtain 
authorization for certain transportation and storage services and 
arrangements, particularly a Part 284, Subpart G--Blanket Certificate 
(18 CFR 284.8).
    The information collected is necessary to certificate interstate 
pipelines engaged in the transportation and sale of natural gas, and 
the construction, acquisition, and operation of facilities to be used 
in those activities, to authorize the abandonment of facilities and 
services, and to authorize certain NGPA transactions. If a certificate 
is granted, the natural gas company can construct, acquire, or operate 
facilities, plus engage in interstate transportation or sale of natural 
gas. Conversely, approval of an abandonment application permits the 
pipeline to cease service and/or discontinue the operation of such 
facilities. Authorization under NGPA Section 311(a) allows the 
interstate or intrastate pipeline applicants to render certain 
transportation services.
    The data required to be submitted consists of identification of the 
company and responsible officials, factors considered in the location 
of the facilities and the detailed impact on the project area for 
environmental considerations. Also to be submitted are the following:
     Flow diagrams showing proposed design capacity for 
engineering design verification and safety determination;
     Commercial and economic data presenting the basis for the 
proposed action; and
     Cost of the proposed facilities, plans for financing, and 
estimated revenues and expenses related to the proposed facility for 
accounting and financial evaluation.

The Commission implements these filing requirements in the Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR 157.5-.11; 157.13-.20; 157.53; 
157.201-.209; 157.211; 157.214-.218; 284.8; 284.11; 284.126; 284.221; 
284.224.\2\
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    \2\ Sections 284.223 and 284.227 have been removed from this 
Notice since they have no reporting or records burden.
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    Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
FERC-537 reporting requirements.
    Burden Statement: The first table shows a summary of the burden for 
this collection. Because the nature of the various filings that are 
covered by FERC-537 are so varied, another table has been included to 
give a more detailed description of the various elements of this burden 
estimate:
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    \3\ From detailed table: No. of Filings/No. of Respondents, or 
775/225 = 3.44
    \4\ A weighted average based on the information provided in the 
detailed table.

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                                                               Average  number
                                                 Number of       of responses   Average  burden    Total annual
            FERC data collection                respondents     per respondent     hours per       burden hours
                                                                     \3\          response \4\
                                                         (1)              (2)              (3)      (1)x(2)x(3)
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FERC-537....................................             225             3.44              133          102,942
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    Details for FERC-537, ``Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, 
Acquisition, and Abandonment,'' based on Fiscal Year 2010 information 
and records:

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                                                                                                 Avg. hours to
Regulation section 18 CFR * * *     Regulation topic         Number of      Number of filings   prepare a filing
                                                            respondents        or responses      or application
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157.5-.11; & 157.13-.20........  Interstate certificate                                    82                500
                                  and abandonment
                                  applications.
157.53.........................  Exemptions............  75 companies (25                  10                100
                                                          different).
157.201-.209; 157.211; 157.214-  Blanket Certificates                                      45                200
 .218.                            prior notice filings.
157.201-.209; 157.211; 157.214-  Blanket Certificates--  145 companies                    336                 50
 .218.                            annual reports.         (145 different).
284.11.........................  NGPA Sec. 311
                                  Construction--annual
                                  reports.
284.8..........................  Capacity Release--      168..............                168                 75
                                  recordkeeping.
284.126 (a)&(c)................  Intrastate bypass,      50 companies ( 50                100                 30
                                  semi annual             different).
                                  transportation &
                                  storage--reports.
284.221........................  Blanket Certificates--  20...............                 20                100
                                  one time filing, inc.
                                  new tariff and rate
                                  design proposal.
284.224........................  Hinshaw Blanket         2 ( 2 different).                  2                 75
                                  Certificates.
157.5-.11; & 157.13-.20........  Non-facility            9 ( 3 different).                 12                 75
                                  certificate or
                                  abandonment
                                  applications.
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    TOTALS.....................  ......................  225 different....                775           \1\ 133
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\1\ Average, weighted.

    The total estimated annual cost burden to respondents is $6,823,570 
(102,942 hours/2,080 hours \5\ per year, times $137,874 \6\).
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    \5\ Estimated number of hours an employee works each year.
    \6\ Estimated average annual cost 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;

[[Page 4890]]

(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 collections 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. 2011-1715 Filed 1-26-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P