[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 196 (Thursday, October 9, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61068-61072]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-24057]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC14-16-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-537, FERC-
725F, FERC-725I); Consolidated Comment Request; Extension
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of information collections and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, 44 USC 3506(c)(2)(A), the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the
requirements and burden \1\ of the information collections described
below.
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\1\ The Commission defines burden 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.
DATES: Comments on the collections of information are due December 8,
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2014.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC14-16-
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.
Please reference the specific collection number and/or title in
your comments.
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
[[Page 61069]]
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], telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at (202)
273-0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the information collection
requirements for all collections described below with no changes to the
current reporting requirements. Please note that each collection is
distinct from the next.
Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the collections of
information are 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 estimates of the
burden and cost of the collections of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance
the quality, utility and clarity of the information collections; and
(4) ways to minimize the burden of the collections of information on
those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
FERC-537, Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition and
Abandonment
OMB Control No.: 1902-0060.
Abstract: The information collected under the requirements of FERC-
537 is used by the Commission to implement the statutory provisions of
the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA) \2\ and the Natural Gas Act
(NGA). \3\ Under Section 7(c) of the NGA, natural gas pipeline
companies must obtain Commission authorization to undertake the
construction or extension of any facilities, or to acquire or operate
any such facilities or extensions. A natural gas company must also
obtain Commission approval under Section 7(b) of the NGA prior to
abandoning any jurisdictional facility or service. Under the NGA and
the NGPA, interstate and intrastate pipelines must also obtain
authorization for certain transportation and storage services and
arrangements, particularly a Part 284, Subpart G--Blanket
Certificate.\4\
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\2\ 15 U.S.C. 3301-3432.
\3\ 15 U.S.C. 717-717w.
\4\ 18 CFR 284.8.
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The information collected is necessary to certificate interstate
pipelines engaged in the transportation and sale of natural gas, and
the construction, acquisition, and operation of facilities to be used
in those activities, to authorize the abandonment of facilities and
services, and to authorize certain NGPA transactions. If a certificate
is granted, the natural gas company can construct, acquire, or operate
facilities, plus engage in interstate transportation or sale of natural
gas. Conversely, approval of an abandonment application permits the
pipeline to cease service and/or discontinue the operation of such
facilities. Authorization under NGPA Section 311(a) allows the
interstate or intrastate pipeline applicants to render certain
transportation services.
The data required to be submitted consists of identification of the
company and responsible officials, factors considered in the location
of the facilities and the detailed impact on the project area for
environmental considerations. Also to be submitted are the following:
Flow diagrams showing proposed design capacity for
engineering design verification and safety determination;
Commercial and economic data presenting the basis for the
proposed action; and
Cost of the proposed facilities, plans for financing, and
estimated revenues and expenses related to the proposed facility for
accounting and financial evaluation.
The Commission implements these filing requirements in the Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR Parts 157.5-.11; 157.13-.20;
157.53; 157.201-.209; 157.211; 157.214-.218; 284.8; 284.11; 284.126;
284.221; 284.224.
Type of Respondent: Natural Gas Pipelines.
Estimate of Annual Burden: The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
FERC-537--Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition, and Abandonment
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Annual number of Average burden Total annual
Number of responses per Total number of hours & cost per burden hours & Cost per
respondents respondent responses response \5\ total annual cost respondent ($)
(1) (2) (1)*(2) = (3) (4) (3)*(4) = (5) (5) / (1)
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389 1.2 467 133 62,111 $11,257
$9,377 $4,379,059
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A more granular breakdown of the average burden hour figure (i.e.
133 hours per response) follows:
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\5\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the
following formula: Average Burden Hours per Response * $70.50 per
Hour = Average Cost per Response. The cost per hour figure is the
FERC average salary. Subject matter experts found that industry
employment costs closely resemble FERC's regarding the FERC-537
information collection.
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Number of Number of Avg. hours per
Regulation section 18 CFR . . . Regulation topic respondents responses response
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157.5-.11; & 157.13-.20............ Interstate certificate and 149 82 500
abandonment applications.
157.53............................. Exemptions................. 149 0.5 100
157.201-.209; 157.211; 157.214-.218 Blanket Certificates prior 149 46 200
notice filings.
157.201-.209; 157.211; 157.214-.218 Blanket Certificates-- 198 294 50
annual reports.
284.11............................. NGPA Sec. 311 Construction-- 198 294 50
annual reports.
[[Page 61070]]
284.8.............................. Capacity Release--record 0 N/A 75
keeping.
284.126(a)&(c)..................... Intrastate bypass, semi- 37 48 30
annual transportation &
storage--reports.
284.221............................ Blanket Certificates--one \6\ 0 N/A 100
time filing, inc. new
tariff and rate design
proposal.
284.224............................ Hinshaw Blanket 5 5 75
Certificates.
157.5-.11; & 157.13-.20............ Non-facility certificate or 0 N/A 75
abandonment applications.
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TOTALS......................... ........................... \1\ 389 467 \2\ 133
distinct average,
entities. weighted.
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\1\ Distinct entities.
\2\ Average weighted.
FERC-725F, Mandatory Reliability Standards for Nuclear Plant Interface
Coordination
OMB Control No.: 1902-0249.
Abstract: The Commission requires the information collected by the
FERC-725F to implement the statutory provisions of section 215 of the
Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C. 824o). On August 8, 2005, the
Electricity Modernization Act of 2005, which is Title XII, Subtitle A,
of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), was enacted into law.\7\
EPAct 2005 added a new section 215 to the FPA, which required a
Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to develop
mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards, which are subject to
Commission review and approval. Once approved, the Reliability
Standards may be enforced by the ERO subject to Commission oversight,
or the Commission can independently enforce Reliability Standards.\8\
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\6\ The number for these filings is accounted for in other
regulatory categories in FERC-537.
\7\ Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58, Title XII,
Subtitle A, 119 Stat. 594, 941 (2005), 16 U.S.C. 824o.
\8\ 16 U.S.C. 824o(e)(3).
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On February 3, 2006, the Commission issued Order No. 672,
implementing section 215 of the FPA.\9\ Pursuant to Order No. 672, the
Commission certified one organization, North American Electric
Reliability Corporation (NERC), as the ERO. The Reliability Standards
developed by the ERO and approved by the Commission apply to users,
owners and operators of the Bulk-Power System as set forth in each
Reliability Standard.
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\9\ Rules Concerning Certification of the Electric Reliability
Organization; and Procedures for the Establishment, Approval, and
Enforcement of Electric Reliability Standards, Order No. 672, FERC
Stats. & Regs. ] 31,204, order on reh'g, Order No. 672-A, FERC
Stats. & Regs. ] 31,212 (2006).
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On November 19, 2007, NERC filed its petition for Commission
approval of the Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination Reliability
Standard, designated NUC-001-1. In Order No. 716, issued October 16,
2008, the Commission approved the standard while also directing certain
revisions.\10\ Revised Reliability Standard, NUC-001-2, was filed with
the Commission by NERC in August 2009 and subsequently approved by the
Commission January 21, 2010.\11\
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\10\ Mandatory Reliability Standard for Nuclear Plant Interface
Coordination, Order No. 716, 125 FERC ] 61,065, at P 189 & n.90
(2008), order on reh'g, Order No. 716-A, 126 FERC ] 61,122 (2009).
\11\ North American Electric Reliability Corporation, 130 FERC ]
61,051 (2010). When the revised Reliability Standard was approved
the Commission did not go to OMB for approval. It is assumed that
the changes made did not substantively affect the information
collection and therefore a formal submission to OMB was not needed.
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The purpose of Reliability Standard NUC-001-2 is to require
``coordination between nuclear plant generator operators and
transmission entities for the purpose of ensuring nuclear plant safe
operation and shutdown.'' \12\ The Nuclear Reliability Standard applies
to nuclear plant generator operators (generally nuclear power plant
owners and operators, including licensees) and ``transmission
entities,'' defined in the Reliability Standard as including a nuclear
plant's suppliers of off-site power and related transmission and
distribution services. To account for the variations in nuclear plant
design and grid interconnection characteristics, the Reliability
Standard defines transmission entities as ``all entities that are
responsible for providing services related to Nuclear Plant Interface
Requirements (NPIRs),'' and lists eleven types of functional entities
(heretofore described as ``transmission entities'') that could provide
services related to NPIRs.\13\
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\12\ See Reliability Standard NUC-001-2 at http://www.nerc.com/files/NUC-001-2.pdf.
\13\ The list of functional entities consists of transmission
operators, transmission owners, transmission planners, transmission
service providers, balancing authorities, reliability coordinators,
planning authorities, distribution providers, load-serving entities,
generator owners and generator operators.
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FERC-725F information collection requirements include establishing
and maintaining interface agreements, including record retention
requirements. These agreements are not filed with FERC but with the
appropriate entities as established by the Reliability Standard.
Type of Respondent: Nuclear operators, nuclear plants, transmission
entities.
Estimate of Annual Burden: The Commission estimates the average
annual burden for this information collection as:
[[Page 61071]]
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Average burden Total annual
Annual number Total number hours & cost burden hours & Cost per
FERC-725F Number of respondents of responses of responses per response total annual respondent ($)
per respondent \14\ cost
(1)......................... (2) (1)*(2) = (3) (4) (3)*(4) = (5) (5) / (1)
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New agreements (Reporting)................ 10 nuclear operators + 20 1 30 1,080 32,400 $79,736
transmission entities. $79,736 $2,392,092
New Agreements (Record Keeping)........... 10 nuclear operators + 20 1 30 108 3,240 3,133
transmission entities. $3,133 $93,992
Modifications to agreements (Reporting)... 65 nuclear plants + 130 2 390 66.67 26,000 9,844
transmission entities \15\. $4,922 $1,919,581
Modifications to Agreements (Record 65 nuclear plants + 130 2 390 6.67 2,600 387
Keeping). transmission entities. $193 $75,426
Total................................. ............................ \16\ 420 .............. 64,240 .............. ..............
$4,481,091
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FERC-725I, Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Northeast Power
Coordinating Council
OMB Control No.: 1902-0258.
Abstract: This information collection relates to two FERC approved
Protection and Control (PRC) regional Reliability Standards: PRC-002-
NPCC-01--Disturbance Monitoring, and PRC-006-NPCC-1--Automatic
Underfrequency Load-Shedding. These Northeast Power Coordinating
Council (NPCC) regional Reliability Standards require respondents to
provide recording capability necessary to monitor the response of the
Bulk-Power System to system disturbances, including scheduled and
unscheduled outages; requires each reliability coordinator to establish
requirements for its area's dynamic disturbance recording needs;
establishes disturbance data reporting requirements; and requires
planning coordinators to incrementally gather data, run studies, and
analyze study results to design or update the UFLS programs that are
required in the regional Reliability Standard in addition to the
requirements of the NERC Reliability Standard PRC-006-1.\17\
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\14\ The cost for reporting requirements is $73.83/hour and is
based on a composite loaded (wage plus benefits) average wage for an
electrical engineer, attorney, and administrative staff. The cost
for record keeping is $29.01 and is based on the loaded wage for a
file clerk. The wages are generated from Burueau of Labor Statistics
data retrieved September, 2014 from http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm. The loaded wage is calculated using BLS data
indicating, as of Sept 1, 2014, that wages make up 69.9% of total
salary (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm).
\15\ This figure of 130 transmission entities is based on the
assumption that each agreement will be between 1 nuclear plant and 2
transmission entities (65 times 2 = 130). However, there is some
double counting in this figure because some transmission entities
may be party to multiple agreements with multiple nuclear plants.
The double counting does not affect the burden estimate and the
correct number of unique respondents will be reported to OMB. The
actual number of unique entities subject to this collection is 143.
\16\ The recordkeeping ``responses'' are considered to be part
of (i.e. to be contained within the same quantity as) the Reporting
responses leading to a total number of unique responses of 420 (390
+ 30 = 420).
\17\ The burden estimates for Reliability Standard PRC-006-1 are
included in Order No. 763 (Final Rule in RM11-20) and covered in
FERC-725A (OMB Control No. 1902-0244). OMB approved those
requirements on 7/9/2012 (ICR Reference No. 201204-1902-001).
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Reliability Standard PRC-002-NPCC-01 introduced several new
mandatory and enforceable requirements for the applicable entities.
However, when FERC approved this standard NPCC had (and continues to
have) criteria \18\ and published guidance \19\ addressing similar
requirements that the Reliability Standard made mandatory. Thus, it is
usual and customary for affected entities within NPCC to create,
maintain and store some of the same or equivalent information
identified in Reliability Standard PRC-002-NPCC-01. Therefore, many of
the requirements contained in PRC-002-NPCC-01 do not impose new burdens
on the affected entities.\20\
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\18\ Disturbance Monitoring Equipment Criteria (Aug. 2007),
available at https://www.npcc.org/Standards/Criteria/A-15.pdf
(Disturbance Monitoring Criteria).
\19\ Guide for Application of Disturbance Recording Equipment
(Sept. 2006), available at https://www.npcc.org/Standards/Guides/B-26.pdf (Application Guide).
\20\ 5 CFR 1320.3(b)(2) (2011).
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Several requirements contained in regional Reliability Standard
PRC-002-NPCC-01 were entirely new responsibilities for the applicable
entities when the Commission approved the standard and each of these is
listed in the estimated annual burden section below.
Information collection burden for Reliability Standard PRC-006-
NPCC-01 is based on the time needed for planning coordinators and
generator owners to incrementally gather data, run studies, and analyze
study results to design or update the UFLS programs that are required
in the regional Reliability Standard in addition to the requirements of
the NERC Reliability Standard PRC-006-1.\21\ There is also burden on
the generator owners to maintain data.
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\21\ The burden estimates for Reliability Standard PRC-006-1 are
included in Order No. 763 (Final Rule in RM11-20) and currently
covered in FERC-725A (OMB Control No. 1902-0244). OMB approved those
requirements on 7/9/2012 (ICR Reference No. 201204-1902-001).
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Type of Respondent: Entities registered with the North American
Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) as Generator Owners,
Transmission Owners, Reliability Coordinators and Planning Coordinators
Estimate of Annual Burden: The number of respondents is based on
NERC's registry as of August 27, 2014. Entities registered for more
than one applicable function type have been accounted for in the
figures below. The Commission estimates the annual public reporting
burden for the information collection as:
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Average burden Total annual
Number of Annual number Total number hours & cost burden hours & Cost per
Information collection requirements respondents of responses of responses per response total annual Respondent ($)
per respondent \22\ cost
(1) (2) (1)*(2) = (3) (4) (3)*(4) = (5) (5) / (1)
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R13: GO \23\ and TO to have evidence it acquired and 1 1 1 10 10 $290
installed dynamic disturbance recorders and a mutually $290 $290
agreed upon implementation schedule with the RC (record
retention).............................................
[[Page 61072]]
R14.5: GO and TO to have evidence of a maintenance and 166 12 1,992 5 9,960 3,660
testing program for stand-alone disturbance monitoring $305 $607,560
equipment including monthly verification of active
analog quantities......................................
R14.7: GO and TO to record efforts to return failed 33 1 33 10 330 610
units to service if it takes longer than 90 days \24\.. $610 $20,130
R14.7: GO and TO record retention....................... 33 1 33 10 330 290
$290 $9,570
R17: RC provide certain disturbance monitoring equipment 5 1 5 5 25 305
data to the Regional Entity upon request............... $305 $1,525
R17: RC record retention................................ 5 1 5 10 50 290
$290 $1,450
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Total............................................... .............. \25\ 2,031 .............. 10,705 .............. ..............
$640,525
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\22\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the
following formula: Average Burden Hours per Response * XX per Hour =
Average Cost per Response. The hourly cost figure comes from the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm and http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm).
Record retention at a wage plus benefits cost of $29/hour and the
remaining costs are based on the wage plus benefits for an
electrical engineer at $61/hour.
\23\ For purposes of these charts, generation owner is
abbreviated to GO, transmission owner is abbreviated to TO,
reliability coordinator is abbreviated to RC, and planning
coordinator is abbreviated to PC.
\24\ We estimate that an entity will experience a unit failure
greater than 90 days once every five years. Therefore, 20 percent of
NPCC's 166 generator owners and transmission owners will experience
a unit failure of this duration each year.
\25\ The recordkeeping ``responses'' for R14.7 and R17 are
considered to be part of (i.e. to be contained within the same
quantity as) the Reporting responses leading to a total number of
unique responses of 420 (390 + 30 = 420).
Reliability Standard PRC-006-NPCC-01
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Total annual
Number of Annual number Total number Average burden burden hours & Cost per
Information collection requirements respondents of responses of responses hours & cost total annual respondent ($)
per respondent per response cost
(1) (2) (1)*(2) = (3) (4) (3)*(4) = (5) (5) / (1)
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PCs Design and document automatic UFLS program.......... 6 1 6 8 48 $488
$488 $2,928
PCs update and maintain UFLS program database........... 6 1 6 16 96 976
$976 $5,856
GOs provide documentation and data to the planning 145 1 145 16 2,320 976
coordinator............................................ $976 $141,520
GOs: record retention................................... 145 1 145 4 580 116
$116 $16,820
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Total............................................... .............. .............. 302 .............. 3,044 ..............
$167,124
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Dated: September 30, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-24057 Filed 10-8-14; 8:45 am]
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