[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.
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    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]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P