[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 208 (Thursday, October 27, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66707-66708]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-27828]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. IC11-1-000 and IC11-1F-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-1 and FERC-
1F); 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) is submitting the 
information collections described below to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review of the information collections 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 46781, 
10/3/2011) requesting public comments. FERC received one comment on the 
FERC-1 and the FERC-1F and has provided a response in this notice as 
well as in its submission to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by November 
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 Numbers 1902-0021 (for 
FERC-1) and 1902-0029 (for FERC-1F) as a point of reference. For 
comments that pertain to only one of the collections, specify the 
appropriate collection and OMB Control Number. The Desk Officer may be 
reached by telephone at (202) 395-4718.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426. Comments may be filed either on paper or on 
CD/DVD, and should refer to Docket Nos. IC11-1-001 and IC11-1F as 
appropriate. 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 and eSubscription are 
not available for Docket No. IC11-1F-001, due to a system issue, but 
are available for Docket No. IC11-1-001.
    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 email at 
[email protected], by telephone at (202) 502-8663, and by fax at 
(202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with sections 304 and 309 of 
the Federal Power Act, FERC is authorized to collect and record data to 
the extent it considers necessary, and to prescribe rules and 
regulations concerning accounts, records and memoranda. The Commission 
may prescribe a system of accounts for jurisdictional companies and 
after notice and an opportunity for hearing may determine the accounts 
in which particular outlays and receipts will be entered, charged or 
credited.
    The Form No. 1 is a comprehensive financial and operating report 
submitted for electric rate regulation and financial audits. Major is 
defined as having (1) one million Megawatt hours or more; (2) 100 
megawatt hours of annual sales for resale; (3) 500 megawatt hours of 
annual power exchange delivered; or (4) 500 megawatt hours of annual 
wheeling for others (deliveries plus losses).
    FERC Form 1-F is designed to collect financial and operational 
information from non-major public utilities and licensees. Non-major is 
defined as having total annual sales of 10,000 megawatt-hours or more 
in the previous calendar year and not classified as Major. The 
Commission collects Form Nos. 1 and 1-F information as prescribed in 18 
CFR 141.1 and 141.2.
    Under the existing regulations FERC jurisdictional entities subject 
to its Uniform System of Accounts \1\ must annually (quarterly for the 
3Q) file with the Commission a complete set of financial statements, 
along with other selected financial and non financial data through the 
submission of FERC Forms 1, 1-F, and 3Q.\2\ The FERC Annual/Quarterly 
Report Forms provide the Commission, as well as others, with an 
informative picture of the jurisdictional entities financial condition 
along with other relevant data that is used by the Commission, as well 
as others, in making economic judgments about the entity or its 
industry.
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    \1\ See 18 CFR part 201.
    \2\ The FERC Form 3Q data collection (OMB Control No. 205) is 
not being renewed as part of this proceeding. Some information 
regarding the Form 3Q is included here as it relates to the FERC 
Forms 1 and 1F.
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    The information collected in the forms is used by Commission staff, 
state regulatory agencies and others in the review of the financial 
condition of regulated companies. The information is also used in 
various rate proceedings, industry analyses and in the Commission's 
audit programs and as appropriate, for the computation of

[[Page 66708]]

annual charges based on certain schedules contained on the forms. The 
Commission provides the information to the public, interveners and all 
interested parties to assist in the proceedings before the Commission.
    Additionally, the uniformity of information helps to present 
accurately the entity's financial condition and produces comprehensive 
data related to the entity's financial history helping to act as a 
guide for future action. The uniformity provided by the Commission's 
chart of accounts and related accounting instructions permits 
comparability and financial statement analysis of data provided by 
jurisdictional entities. Comparability of data and financial statement 
analysis for a particular entity from one period to the next, or 
between entities, within the same industry, would be difficult to 
achieve if each company maintained its own accounting records using 
dissimilar accounting methods and classifications to record similar 
transactions and events.
    The FERC Annual Report Forms provide the Commission, as well as 
others, with an informative picture of the jurisdictional entities' 
financial condition along with other relevant data that is used by the 
Commission in making economic judgments about the entity or its 
industry. For financial information to be useful to the Commission, it 
must be understandable, relevant, reliable and timely.

Public Comment and Commission Response

    The Commission received one comment from the Bureau of Economic 
Analysis (BEA) in regards to the Forms Nos. 1 and 1-F. In that comment, 
BEA requests additional reporting in Forms Nos. 1 and 1-F. BEA relies 
on this data collection for its analysis. In response, the Commission 
intends to work with BEA should there be a need to make any changes to 
this data collection.

ACTION: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the FERC 
Forms 1 and 1F reporting requirements, with no changes to the forms.
    Burden Statement: The estimated annual public reporting burden is 
reflected in the following table:

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                                              Number of         Number of      Average burden
             Data collection                 respondents      responses per       hours per       Total annual
                                              annually         respondent         response        burden hours
                                                       (1)               (2)               (3)   (1) x (2) x (3)
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Form 1..................................               209                 1             1,162           242,858
Form 1F.................................                 5                 1               116               580
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    Total...............................  ................  ................  ................           243,438
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    The total estimated annual cost burden to respondents on the FERC 
Form 1 is $12,385,758 (242,858 hours x $51/hour \3\). The average cost 
per respondent is $59,262.
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    \3\ The per hour figures were obtained from the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics National Industry-Specific Occupational and Employment 
Wage Estimates (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics4_221100.htm), 
and are based on the mean wage statistics for staff in the areas of 
management, business and financial, legal and administrative. The 
mean wage was then increased by 20% to account for benefits/
overhead.
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    The total estimated annual cost burden to respondents on the FERC 
Form 1F is $29,580 (580 hours x $51/hour \3\). The average cost per 
respondent is $5,916.
    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 collections 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 estimate 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 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).

    Dated: October 20, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-27828 Filed 10-26-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P