[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 240 (Thursday, December 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74180-74181]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30063]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. AD12-12-000]


 Coordination Between Natural Gas and Electricity Markets; Notice 
of Request for Comments and Technical Conference

    Take notice that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission) staff will hold a technical conference to elicit input 
pertaining to information sharing and communications issues between 
natural gas and electric power industry entities. The technical 
conference will take place on February 13, 2013 beginning at 9:00 a.m. 
and ending at approximately 4:00 p.m. The conference will be held at 
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426. All interested persons are invited to participate 
at the conference. Commission members may participate in the 
conference.
    On November 15, 2012, the Commission issued an order directing 
further conferences and reports in the above captioned docket.\1\ In 
the November 15 Order, the Commission directed staff to establish a 
technical conference to identify areas in which additional Commission 
guidance or regulatory changes could be considered. In advance of this 
conference, interested parties are asked to file comments on the 
following questions related to communications and information sharing:
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    \1\ Coordination Between Natural Gas and Electricity Markets, 
141 FERC ] 61,125, at P 5 (2012) (November 15 Order).
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    1. During an emergency, what kind of verbal communications and data 
exchanges do and should take place between the natural gas and electric 
industries? What are the industries' current ``best practices'' for 
these communications? How can today's best practices be improved? What 
should the Commission do, if anything, to facilitate the application of 
best practices between the industries?
    2. Please provide specific examples of other communications 
practices between the natural gas and electric industries that could be 
enhanced, including any communications regarding maintenance and 
construction planning, day-to-day operations, and other non-emergency 
situations. In providing examples, please explain whether there are 
regulatory or other barriers that would prevent good communications 
such as specific Commission regulations, tariffs or contractual 
provisions, legal precedents, or inadequate communications 
infrastructure.
    3. Should natural gas pipeline and electric utility system 
operators be allowed to exchange information that is not publicly 
posted? If so, what kinds of information should be permitted to be 
shared and under what circumstances? If information is shared, is there 
a need for enhanced protections against the improper use of the 
material communicated and what protections would be appropriate? Is the 
answer the same if a natural gas pipeline or its affiliate sells or 
buys wholesale electric power? If there are concerns that the increased 
communications might cause potential harm to industry participants, 
please explain those concerns. Please consider examples of information 
sharing that include both verbal and digital information.
    Responses to these questions will form the basis of the agenda for 
and discussion at the February 2013 technical conference on 
communications and information-sharing. Comments responding to this 
notice should be submitted, in Docket No. AD12-12-000, on or before 
January 7, 2013. Comments may be filed electronically via the Internet. 
See the instructions on the Commission's Web site http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. For assistance, please contact FERC Online 
Support at [email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676, 
or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages 
electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file, 
mail an original and seven copies to: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
    A supplemental notice will be issued prior to the technical 
conference with information about the agenda and organization of the 
technical conference. Those interested in attending the technical 
conference are encouraged, but not required, to register by close of 
business February 10, 2013. You may register at the following Web page: 
https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/gas-elec-mkts-02-13-13-form.asp. Those also interested in speaking at the technical conference 
should notify the Commission by January 7, 2013 by completing the 
online form at the following Web page: https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/gas-elec-mkts-speaker-02-13-13-form.asp. Due to time 
constraints, we may not be able to accommodate all those interested in 
speaking.
    The technical conference will not be transcribed. However, there 
will be a free webcast of the conference. The webcast will allow 
persons to listen to the technical conference, but not participate.
    Anyone with Internet access who wants to listen to the conference 
can do so by navigating to www.ferc.gov's Calendar of Events and 
locating the technical conference in the Calendar. The technical 
conference will contain a link to its webcast. The Capitol Connection 
provides technical support for the webcast and offers the option of 
listening to the meeting via phone-bridge for a fee. If you have any 
questions, visit www.CapitolConnection.org or call 703-993-3100.\2\
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    \2\ The webcast will continue to be available on the Calendar of 
Events on the Commission's Web site www.ferc.gov for three months 
after the conference.
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    Notice is also hereby given that the discussions at the conference 
may address matters at issue in the following Commission proceeding(s) 
that are either pending or within their rehearing

[[Page 74181]]

period: ISO New England Inc., Docket No. ER13-356-000.
    Information on the technical conference will also be posted on the 
Web site http://www.ferc.gov/industries/electric/indus-act/electric-coord.asp, as well as the Calendar of Events on the Commission's Web 
site, http://www.ferc.gov, prior to the conference.
    Commission conferences are accessible under section 508 of the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations, please 
send an email to [email protected] or call toll free (866) 208-
3372 (voice) or (202) 208-1659 (TTY), or send a FAX to (202) 208-2106 
with the required accommodations.
    For more information about the technical conference, please 
contact: Caroline Daly (Technical Information), Office of Energy Policy 
and Innovation, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street 
NE., Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8931, [email protected]. Anna 
Fernandez (Legal Information), Office of General Counsel, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 
20426, (202) 502-6682, [email protected]. Sarah McKinley 
(Logistical Information), Office of External Affairs, Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426, 
(202) 502-8004, [email protected].

    Dated: December 7, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-30063 Filed 12-12-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P