[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 20, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16214-16215]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-6649]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC12-3-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-598); Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Energy.

ACTION: Comment request.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D), the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (Commission or FERC) is submitting the information 
collection FERC-598, Self Certification for Entities Seeking Exempt 
Wholesale Generator or Foreign Utility Company Status, 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 
(77 FR 97, 1/3/2012) requesting public comments. FERC received no 
comments on the FERC-598 and is making this notation in its submittal 
to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by April 19, 
2012.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No. 
1902-0166, should be sent via email to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs: [email protected]. Attention: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. The Desk Officer may also be 
reached via telephone at 202-395-4718.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, identified by the Docket No. IC12-3-000, by 
either of the following methods:
     eFiling at Commission's Web Site: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
     Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in 
accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. For user assistance contact FERC Online Support 
by email at [email protected], or by phone at: (866) 208-3676 
(toll-free), or (202) 502-8659 for TTY.
    Docket: Users interested in receiving automatic notification of 
activity in this docket or in viewing/downloading comments and 
issuances in this docket may do so at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/docs-filing.asp.

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:
    Title: FERC-598, Self Certification for Entities Seeking Exempt 
Wholesale Generator or Foreign Utility Company Status.
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0166.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-598 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
    Abstract: The Commission uses the information collected under the 
requirements of FERC-598, ``Self Certification for Entities Seeking 
Exempt Wholesale Generator or Foreign Utility Company Status'' (OMB 
Control No. 1902-0166), to implement the statutory provisions of Title 
XII, subchapter F of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005).\1\
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    \1\ Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58, 119 Stat. 594 
(2005) (codified at 42 U.S.C. 16451, et seq.)
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    EPAct 2005 repealed the Public Utility Holding Company Act (PUHCA) 
of 1935 in its entirety, including section 32. This repeal enabled the 
Commission to exempt wholesale generators from PUHCA 1935 on a case-by-
case basis. The Commission amended its regulations (in Order No. 667 
\2\) to add procedures for self-certification by entities seeking 
exempt wholesale generator (EWG) and foreign utility company (FUCO) 
status. Moreover, Order No. 667 implemented the repeal of PUHCA 1935 
and the supplementary enactment of PUHCA 2005. This self-certification 
is similar to the process available to entities that seek qualifying 
facility status.
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    \2\ Repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 and 
Enactment of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 2005, 70 FR. 
75,592 (2005), FERC Statutes and Regulations ] 31,197 (2005) Order 
on reh'g, 71 FR 28,446 (2006), FERC Statutes and Regulations ] 
31,213 (2006), order on reh'g, 71 FR 42,750 (2006), FERC Statutes 
and Regulations ] 31,224 (2006), order on reh'g, FERC ] 61,133 
(2007).
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    An EWG is a ``person engaged directly, or indirectly through one or 
more affiliates * * * and exclusively in the business of owning or 
operating, or both owning and operating, all or part of one or more 
eligible facilities and selling electric energy at wholesale.'' \3\ A 
FUCO is a company that ``owns or operates facilities that are not 
located in any state and that are used for the generation, 
transmission, or distribution of electric energy for sale or the 
distribution at retail of natural or manufactured gas for heat, light, 
or power, if such company: (1) Derives no part of its income, directly 
or indirectly, from the generation, transmission, or distribution of 
electric energy for sale or the distribution at retail of natural or 
manufactured gas for heat, light, or power, within the United States; 
and (2) neither the company nor any of its subsidiary companies is a 
public-utility

[[Page 16215]]

company operating in the United States.'' \4\
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    \3\ 18 CFR 366.1.
    \4\ 18 CFR 366.1.
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    An exempt EWG or FUCO or its representative may file with the 
Commission a notice of self certification demonstrating that it 
satisfies the definition of exempt wholesale generator or foreign 
utility company. In the case of EWGs, the person filing a notice of 
self certification must also file a copy of the notice of self 
certification with the state regulatory authority of the state in which 
the facility is located and that person must also represent to the 
Commission in its submission that it has filed a copy of the notice 
with the appropriate state regulatory authority.\5\
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    \5\ 18 CFR 366.7.
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    A submission of the information is necessary for the Commission to 
carry out its responsibilities under EPAct 2005.\6\ The Commission 
implements its responsibilities through the Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR) Title 18 Part 366. These filing requirements are mandatory.
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    \6\ 42 U.S.C. 16451 et seq.
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    Type of Respondents: EWGs and FUCOs.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \7\ The Commission estimates the total 
Public Reporting Burden for this information collection as:
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    \7\ Burden is defined as the total time, effort, or financial 
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. For 
further explanation of what is included in the information 
collection burden, reference 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.

               FERC-598 (IC12-3-000): Self Certification for Entities Seeking Exempt Wholesale Generator or Foreign Utility Company Status
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                                                                                         Number of     Total number of   Average burden  Estimated total
                                                                        Number of      responses per   responses (A) x     hours per      annual burden
                                                                     respondents (A)   respondent (B)     (B) = (C)       response (D)      (C) x (D)
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EWG/FUCOs..........................................................             102                1              102                6              612
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    The total estimated annual cost burden to respondents is $41,890 
[612 hours / 2080 \8\ hours/year = 0.29423 years * $142,372 \9\ = 
$41,890].
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    \8\ 2080 hours = 40 hours/week * 52 weeks (1 year)
    \9\ Average annual salary per employee in 2011.
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    Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the 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 and 
cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.

    Dated: March 14, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-6649 Filed 3-19-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P