[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25431-25432]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10258]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket Nos. RM07-16-000 and RM01-5-000]


Revised Information Collection Activities (FERC-545, FERC-549, 
and FERC-550); Comment Request

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) 
is submitting three information collections to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review of the changes to the information 
collection requirements relating to the application of the Commission's 
revised Company Registration procedures to interstate and intrastate 
natural gas pipelines and interstate oil pipelines. The Commission 
issued a Notice in the Federal Register, 78 FR 10,614 (February 14, 
2013), requesting public comments by April 15, 2013. FERC received no 
comments and is making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments regarding the revised information collections must be 
received on or before May 31, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB should be identified with the OMB 
Control Nos. 1902-0154 (FERC-545), 1902-0086 (FERC-549), and 1902-0089 
(FERC-550) and 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 Nos. RM07-16 and RM01-5, 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.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The revisions to these collections of 
information relate to the application of the Commission's revised 
Company Registration procedures to interstate and intrastate natural 
gas pipelines and interstate oil pipelines.
    These procedures will replace the use of random-number generated 
passwords to authenticate access to a company registration account with 
a superior method of authentication. Under the revised procedures, each 
regulated natural gas pipeline and oil pipeline will be able to 
maintain a list of eRegistered agents whom the pipeline has authorized 
to submit a particular type of filing. Implementation of these changes 
will provide increased flexibility for regulated entities to manage 
their company registration accounts and to designate agents to make 
filings at the Commission. These changes also will reduce the need for 
pipelines to institute measures to protect password integrity, 
including the need to request new passwords if existing passwords are 
compromised.\1\ At the conference on April 16, 2013, Commission staff 
made a presentation on the proposed changes. The Staff presentation and 
instructional video, are available on the Commission's Web site.\2\ The 
first filings under the revised company registration system are 
scheduled to be made beginning no sooner than 7/12/2013.
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    \1\ A general description of the procedures can be found in the 
Commission's order in Filing Via the Internet, Docket Nos. RM07-16-
000 and RM01-5-000, 142 FERC ] 61,097 (2013) (http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13174100) and in 
Revisions to Electric Quarterly Report Filing Process, Order No. 
770, 77 Fed. Reg. 71,288 (Nov. 30, 2012), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 
31,338, at PP 30 and 33-36 (2012) (Docket No. RM12-3-000). On March 
8, 2013, the Commission issued a Notice of Technical Conference in 
this proceeding, available at http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/opennat.asp?fileID=13199806.
    \2\ See http://www.ferc.gov/EventCalendar/Files/20130412144329-CompanyRegistrationPresentation.pdf and http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/etariff/company-reg/company-reg-04-16-13.htm.
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    OMB's regulations \3\ require approval of certain information 
collection requirements that impose identical reporting or 
recordkeeping requirements on ten or more persons. Without 
consideration of potential cost savings in reduced password management 
and requests for new passwords, the one-time burden on interstate and 
intrastate natural gas and oil pipelines to transition to the revised 
system is

[[Page 25432]]

estimated to be one hour per respondent at a cost of $35.99/hour for 
support staff.\4\
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    \3\ 5 CFR 1320 (2012).
    \4\ The estimated burden on electric utilities for compliance 
with this requirement was included in Order No. 770, 77 FR 71,288 
(Nov. 30, 2012), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,338, at PP 58-62 (2012) 
(Docket No. RM12-3-000) and is incorporated in FERC-920, Electric 
Quarterly Report, OMB Control No. 1902-0255. Those reporting 
requirements are currently pending review at OMB in ICR No. 201302-
1902-003.
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    Information Collection Costs: The Commission estimates the average 
annual burden and cost of compliance with these regulations to be the 
following: \5\
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    \5\ The estimated number of respondents and related totals for 
hours and cost have been updated since the Notice issued on 2/8/2013 
(at http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/opennat.asp?fileID=13174410).

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                                                                     Hours per
                                                     Number of      response (1
                 Data collection                    respondents    response per     Total hours   Total cost \7\
                                                        \6\         respondent)
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FERC-545--NGA Pipelines.........................             169               1             169          $6,082
FERC-549--NGPA Pipelines........................             107               1             107           3,851
FERC-550--Oil Pipelines.........................             193               1             193           6,946
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    We estimate \\that pipelines will have the initial implementation 
burden of one hour and may annually review or make revisions to their 
list of designated agents. The total annual burden and cost for all of 
the 469 respondents (for FERC-545, -549, and -550) for this requirement 
are: 469 hours or $16,879.
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    \6\ As of April 5, 2013.
    \7\ Hourly average cost ($35.99/hour) was calculated using 
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Occupational Employment Statistics 
data for May 2011 (for NAICS 221100--Electric Power Generation, 
Transmission and Distribution, at http://bls.gov/oes/current/naics4_221100.htm#00-0000) for the support staff.
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    Title: FERC-545, Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal), OMB 
Control No. 1902-0154; FERC-549, Gas Pipeline Rates: NGPA Title III 
Transactions and Part 341, OMB Control No. 1902-0086; and FERC-550, Oil 
Pipeline Rates: Tariff Filings, OMB Control No. 1902-0089.
    Action: Revised and new company registration information 
requirements.
    Respondents: Interstate and intrastate natural gas pipelines and 
interstate oil pipelines.
    Frequency of Responses: One-time initial implementation and 
periodic updates as needed.
    Need for Information: The changes are being implemented to enhance 
the security of natural gas and oil pipelines' company registration 
accounts and to provide pipelines with an enhanced ability to manage 
filing permissions.
    Internal Review: We have reviewed the changes and determined that 
the changes are necessary, conforming to the Commission's need for 
efficient information collection, communication, and management within 
the energy industry. We have assured ourselves, by means of internal 
review, that there is specific, objective support for the burden 
estimates associated with the information collection requirements.
    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: April 25, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-10258 Filed 4-30-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P