[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 163 (Tuesday, August 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52646-52647]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-21453]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC11-588-001]


Commision Information Collection Activities [FERC-588]; Comment 
Request; Submitted for OMB Review

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 (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 (76 FR 30928, 
05/27/2011) requesting public comments. FERC received no comments on 
the FERC-588 and has made this notation in its submission to OMB.

DATES: Comments in consideration of the collection of information are 
due September 22, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be filed either electronically (eFiled) or in 
paper format, and should refer to Docket No. IC11-588-001. Documents 
must be prepared in an acceptable filing format and in compliance with 
Commission submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. eFiling instructions are available at: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. First time users must follow 
eRegister instructions at: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/eregistration.asp, to establish a username and password before eFiling. 
The Commission will send an automatic acknowledgement to the sender's 
e-mail address upon receipt of eFiled comments. Commenters making an 
eFiling should not make a paper filing. Commenters that are not able to 
file electronically must send an original of their comments to: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First 
Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    Users interested in receiving automatic notification of activity in 
this docket may do so through eSubscription at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/esubscription.asp. In addition, all comments and FERC 
issuances may be viewed, printed or downloaded remotely through FERC's 
eLibrary at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp, by searching 
on Docket No. IC11-588. For user assistance, contact FERC Online 
Support by e-mail at [email protected], or by phone at: (866) 
208-3676 (toll-free), or (202) 502-8659 for TTY.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by e-mail 
at [email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at 
(202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information collected under the 
requirements of FERC-588, ``Emergency Natural Gas Transportation, Sale 
and Exchange Transactions'' (OMB No. 1902-0144), is used by the 
Commission to implement the statutory provisions of Sections 7(c) of 
the Natural Gas Act (NGA) (Pub. L. 75-688) (15 USC 717-717w) and 
provisions of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA), 15 USC 3301-
3432. Under the NGA, a natural gas company must obtain Commission 
approval to engage in the transportation, sale or exchange of natural 
gas in interstate commerce. However, Section 7(c) exempts from 
certificate requirements ``temporary acts or operations for which the 
issuance of a certificate will not be required in the public 
interest.'' The NGPA also provides for non-certificated interstate 
transactions involving intrastate pipelines and local distribution 
companies.
    A temporary operation, or emergency, is defined as any situation in 
which an actual or expected shortage of gas supply would require an 
interstate pipeline company, intrastate pipeline, or local distribution 
company, or Hinshaw pipeline to curtail deliveries of gas or provide 
less than the projected level of service to the customer. The natural 
gas companies which provide the temporary assistance to the companies 
which are having the ``emergency'' must file the necessary information 
described in Part 284, Subpart I of the Commission's Regulations with 
the Commission so that it may determine if their assisting transaction/
operation qualifies for exemption. The assisting company may or may not 
be under the Commission's jurisdiction and if their assisting actions 
qualify for the exemption, they will not become subject to the 
Commission's jurisdiction for such actions.
    A report within forty-eight hours of the commencement of the 
transportation, sale or exchange, a request to extend the sixty-day 
term of the emergency transportation, if needed, and a termination 
report are required. The data required to be filed for the forty-eight 
hour report is specified by 18 CFR 284.270.
    Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year approval of the 
collection of data. This is a mandatory information collection 
requirement.
    Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection is 
estimated as follows:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Number of          Number of       Average burden     Total annual
   respondents       responses per        hours per     burden hours (1)
   annually (1)      respondent (2)     response (3)       x (2) x (3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
              8                  1                  8                64
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The estimated total cost to respondents is $4,381 (64 hours divided 
by 2,080 hours per employee per year times $142,372 per year average 
salary per employee = $4,381 (rounded)). The estimated annual cost per 
respondent is $548 (rounded).
    The above hour and cost estimates are different than what was in 
the public notice published May 27, 2011. In that notice, the 
Commission erroneously used an average burden hours per response of 10 
hours instead of 8 hours that is used here. By using the correct burden 
hour figure, the Commission notes that total annual burden and cost are 
less by 16 hours less and $1,095 as compared to the numbers in the May, 
2011 notice. The corrected estimates are consistent with the burden 
estimates in the last submission to OMB.

[[Page 52647]]

    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.

    Dated: August 16, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-21453 Filed 8-22-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P