[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 169 (Friday, August 30, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53742-53744]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-21200]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC13-15-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-582); Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Comment request.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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-582 (Electric Fees, Annual Charges, Waivers, and 
Exemptions) 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 (78 FR 47310, 8/5/2013) requesting public 
comments. FERC received no comments on the FERC-582 and is making this 
notation in its submittal to OMB.

    Note:  Commission staff is issuing this notice to highlight a 
change in the estimated total annual burden from what was shown in 
two recent notices. In each prior notice,\1\ FERC estimated the 
total annual burden at 114 hours. FERC has revised the estimation of 
the total annual burden to 300 hours, which better reflects past 
burden estimates for this collection. More specifically, portions of 
the total annual burden were increased from 1 hour per response to 3 
hours per response (Annual Charges) and 2 hours per response 
(Declaratory Order), consistent with estimates for this collection 
since the last time it was approved by OMB. The total number of 
respondents remained static. Further detail regarding the total 
annual burden is provided below in the ``Estimate of Annual Burden'' 
section of this notice.

    \1\ 78 FR 30912, 5/23/2013; and 78 FR 47310, 8/5/2013.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by September 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
20, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No. 
1902-0132, 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.

[[Page 53743]]

    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, identified by the Docket No. IC13-15-000, 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: Electric Fees, Annual Charges, Waivers, and Exemptions.
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0132.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-582 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
    Abstract: The information required by FERC-582 is contained within 
18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) part 381 \2\ and part 382.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ Title 18 CFR, Sections 381.105, 381.106, 381.108, 381.302, 
and 381.305.
    \3\ Title 18 CFR, Sections 382.102, 382.103, 382.105, 382.106, 
and 382.201.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Commission uses the FERC-582 to implement the statutory 
provisions of the Independent Offices Appropriation Act of 1952 (IOAA) 
\4\ which authorizes the Commission to establish fees for its services. 
In addition, the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986 (OBRA) \5\ 
authorizes the Commission to assess and collect fees and annual charges 
in any fiscal year in amounts equal to all the costs incurred by the 
Commission in that fiscal year.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ 31 U.S.C. 9701.
    \5\ 42 U.S.C. 7178.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    To comply with the FERC-582, respondents submit to the Commission 
the sum of the megawatt-hours (MWh) of all unbundled transmission 
(including MWh delivered in wheeling transactions and MWh delivered in 
exchange transactions) and the megawatt-hours of all bundled wholesale 
power sales (to the extent the bundled wholesale power sales were not 
separately reported as unbundled transmission). The data collected 
within the FERC-582 is drawn directly from the FERC Form 1 transmission 
data. The Commission sums the costs of its electric regulatory program 
and subtracts all electric regulatory program filing fee collections to 
determine the total collectible electric regulatory program costs. 
Then, the Commission uses the data submitted under FERC-582 to 
determine the total megawatt-hours of transmission of electric energy 
in interstate commerce.
    Respondents (public utilities, power marketers) subject to these 
annual charges must submit FERC-582 data to the Commission by April 30 
of each year.\6\ The Commission issues bills for annual charges to 
respondents. Then, respondents must pay the charges within 45 days of 
the Commission's issuance of the bill.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \6\ 18 CFR 382.201.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Respondents may file requests for waivers and exemptions of fees 
and charges \7\ based on need. The Commission's staff uses the filer's 
financial information to evaluate the request for a waiver or exemption 
of the obligation to pay a fee or an annual charge.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ 18 CFR 381 and 382.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Respondents may also file petitions for declaratory orders and 
requests for OGC interpretations.
    Type of Respondents: Public utilities and power marketers.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \8\ The Commission revises its estimate 
of the total Public Reporting Burden for this information collection 
as: \9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \8\ 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.
    \9\ See ``Summary'' section above for more information about the 
revision to the burden estimates as compared to recent notices.

                                            FERC-582: Electric Fees; Annual Charges; Waivers; and Exemptions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                  Number of                           Average burden
                      FERC-582 \10\                            Number of        responses per     Total number of       hours per       Estimated total
                                                              respondents         respondent         responses           response        annual burden
                                                                         (A)                (B)        (A)x(B)=(C)                (D)            (C)x(D)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual Charges...........................................                 73                  1                 73                  3                219
Declaratory Order........................................                 40                  1                 40                  2                 80
OGC Interpretation.......................................                  1                  1                  1                  1                  1
                                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    TOTAL................................................                114  .................                114  .................                300
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The total estimated annual cost burden to respondents is $21,000 
[300 hours * $70 per hour \11\ = $21,000]
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \10\ Includes requirements of:
     18 CFR 381.105 (methods of payment), 381.106 (waiver), 
381.108 (exemption), 381.302 (declaratory order), 381.303 (review of 
DOE remedial order), 381.304 (DOE denial of adjustment, and 381.305 
(OGC interpretation).
     18 CFR 382.102, 382.103, 382.105, 382.106, 382.106 
(annual charges).
    Parts not shown in the table are not shown because we don't 
expect to see any of these filings in the next three years.
    \11\ This is a loaded cost (wages plus benefits) for a full-time 
employee.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.


[[Page 53744]]


    Dated: August 23, 2013.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2013-21200 Filed 8-29-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P