[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 178 (Monday, September 15, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54974-54975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-21954]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Agency Information Collection Extension

AGENCY: Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), 
Department of Energy.

ACTION: Agency Information Collection Activities: Information 
Collection Extension with Changes; Notice and Request for Comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, 
pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, intends to extend with 
changes for three years with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 
Department of Energy Form OE-417, ``Emergency Electric Incident and 
Disturbance Report.'' Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall 
have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of 
the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.

DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be 
received on or before November 14, 2014. If you anticipate difficulty 
in submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in 
ADDRESSES as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to OE-417 Survey Manager, 
Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, OE-40, 1000 
Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585, Reference: OE-417 2014 
Renewal. Comments may be sent by fax at 202-586-2623, or by email at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to OE-417 Survey Manager, Office of Electricity Delivery 
and Energy Reliability, OE-40, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., 
Washington, DC 20585, [email protected]; the proposed form can be 
accessed at: http://www.oe.netl.doe.gov/oe417.aspx.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains:
    (1) OMB No.: 1901-0288; (2) Information Collection Request Title: 
Electric Emergency Incident and Disturbance Report; (3) Type of 
Request: Three-year extension with changes; (4) Purpose: The Federal 
Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-275, 15 U.S.C. 761 et 
seq.) and the DOE Organization Act (Pub. L. 95-91, 42 U.S.C. 7101 et 
seq.) requires the DOE to carry out a centralized, comprehensive, and 
unified energy information program. This program collects, analyzes, 
and disseminates information on energy resource reserves, production, 
demand, technology, and related economic and statistical information. 
This information is used to assess the adequacy of energy resources to 
meet near and longer-term domestic demands.
    The Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE), as 
part of its effort to comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), provides the general public and 
other Federal agencies the opportunities to comment on collections of 
energy information conducted by OE. Any comments received help the DOE 
to prepare data requests that maximize the utility of the information 
collected and to assess the impact of collection requirements on the 
public. Also, the DOE will later seek the approval of this collection 
of this information by the Office of

[[Page 54975]]

Management and Budget (OMB) under section 3507(a) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995.
    The DOE collects information on the generation, distribution, and 
transmission of electric energy. The DOE also collects information on 
emergency situations in the electric energy supply systems so that 
appropriate Federal emergency response measures can be implemented in a 
timely and effective manner.
    The purpose of this notice is to seek public comment on the revised 
Form OE-417 ``Electric Emergency Incident and Disturbance Report'', 
which is used to report electric emergency incidents and disturbances 
to the DOE. The OE-417 reports enable the DOE to monitor electric 
emergency incidents and disturbances in the United States (including 
all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin 
Islands, and the U.S. Trust Territories) so that the Government may 
help prevent the physical or virtual disruption of the operation of any 
critical infrastructure.
    Currently, OE uses Form OE-417 to monitor major system incidents on 
the electric power systems, assess power generating capacity in the 
event of a significant disruption, and to conduct after-action non-
regulatory investigations on significant interruptions of electric 
power. The information is used to meet DOE national-security 
responsibilities and requirements as set forth in the U.S. Department 
of Homeland Security's National Response Framework. The information may 
also be used in developing legislative recommendations/reports to 
Congress and coordinating Federal efforts regarding activities such as 
incidents/disturbances in critical infrastructure protection, the 
continuity of electric industry operations, and the continuity of 
operations. The information submitted may also be used by OE to analyze 
significant power interruptions of electric power from a non-regulatory 
perspective.
    (4a) Proposed Changes to Information Collection: OE is considering 
making the following changes during this recertification cycle:
    (a) OE intends to protect the data submitted on Schedule 2 of the 
OE-417 under the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical 
Efficiency Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-347, 44 U.S.C. 3501 note)(CIPSEA). 
The information reported on Schedule 2 will be kept confidential and 
used for exclusively statistical purposes. This differs from the 
previous confidentiality provisions that were used to protect 
information reported in this schedule.
    In the past, information was protected to the extent that it 
satisfied the criteria for exemption under the Freedom of Information 
Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552, the DOE regulations, 10 CFR 1004.11, 
implementing the FOIA, and the Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. 1905. These 
laws permitted the information to be used for any non-statistical 
purposes such as administrative, regulatory, law enforcement, or 
adjudicatory purposes. Under CIPSEA, the information will not be used 
for these non-statistical purposes and the information would be used 
for exclusively statistical purposes.
    (b) In applying CIPSEA to protect information reported in Schedule 
2, OE will no longer accept submissions of OE-417 forms via email to 
limit disclosure of confidential information. Respondents will still be 
able to submit event reports via phone or via fax to the DOE Emergency 
Operations Center (EOC) which functions 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 
365 days a year.
    (c) Adjusting the responses requested in Question 19 and Question 
20 to be more generic and the removal of current form Question 21 and 
Question 22.
    The online filing system will now be the default submission method 
for submitting OE-417 forms during events. Information submitted on 
Schedule 1 of the OE-417 will still be considered public, with public 
summaries posted on the OE Web site. The online filing system will be 
upgraded to transmit public information collected on Schedule 1 of the 
OE-417 to other organizations, such as the North American Electric 
Reliability Corporation (NERC), as needed.
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 2,924;
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 300;
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 5061 hours;
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $0. 
There are no additional costs to respondents associated with the survey 
other than the costs associated with the burden hours.

    Statutory Authority:  Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93-275, codified at 15 U.S.C. 
772(b).

    Issued in Washington, DC, on September 8, 2014.
Patricia A. Hoffman,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy 
Reliability.
[FR Doc. 2014-21954 Filed 9-12-14; 8:45 am]
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