[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 50 (Monday, March 16, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13528-13530]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-05879]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. RD15-2-000]


Proposed Agency Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Energy.

ACTION: Notice and Request for Comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) invites 
public comment in Docket No. RD15-2-000 on a proposed change to a 
collection of information that the Commission is developing for 
submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 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,

[[Page 13529]]

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 May 15, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Comments, identified by docket number, may be filed in the 
following ways:
     Electronic Filing through http://www.ferc.gov. Documents 
created electronically using word processing software should be filed 
in native applications or print-to-PDF format and not in a scanned 
format.
     Mail/Hand Delivery: Those unable to file electronically 
may mail or hand-deliver an original of their comments to: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First 
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.

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: The Commission will submit Reliability 
Standard PRC-006-2 to OMB for review under FERC-725G (Mandatory 
Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System: PRC Standards, OMB 
Control No. 1902-0252).\1\
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    \1\ In 2012, the Commission initially approved Reliability 
Standard PRC-006-1. Automatic Underfrequency Load Shedding and Load 
Shedding Plans Reliability Standards, Order No. 763, 139 FERC ] 
61,098, order granting clarification, 140 FERC ] 61,164 (2012). The 
Commission included Reliability Standard PRC-006-1 under FERC-725A 
(OMB Control No. 1902-0244). The entire burden associated with 
Reliability Standard PRC-006-2 (for new requirements as well as 
those unchanged from PRC-006-1) will be added to FERC-725G. In the 
future, the burden (an estimated 12,672 hours) associated with 
Reliability Standard PRC-006-1 will be removed from FERC-725A, to 
remove the temporary double counting of those hours.
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    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725G information 
collection requirements with the stated changes to the current 
reporting and record retention requirements.
    Abstract: The Commission requires the information collected by the 
FERC-725G to implement the statutory provisions of section 215 of the 
Federal Power Act (FPA).\2\ On August 8, 2005, Congress enacted into 
law the Electricity Modernization Act of 2005, which is Title XII, 
Subtitle A, of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005).\3\ 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.\4\
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    \2\ 16 U.S.C. 824o (2012).
    \3\ Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. 109-58, Title XII, 
Subtitle A, 119 Stat. 594, 941 (codified at 16 U.S.C. 824o).
    \4\ 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.\5\ Pursuant to Order No. 672, the 
Commission certified one organization, North American Electric 
Reliability Corporation (NERC), as the ERO.\6\ 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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    \5\ 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).
    \6\ North American Electric Reliability Corp., 116 FERC ] 
61,062, order on reh'g and compliance, 117 FERC ] 61,126 (2006), 
order on compliance, 118 FERC ] 61,190, order on reh'g, 119 FERC ] 
61,046 (2007), aff'd sub nom. Alcoa Inc. v. FERC, 564 F.3d 1342 
(D.C. Cir. 2009).
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    In Order No. 763, the Commission approved Reliability Standard PRC-
006-1, but directed NERC to include explicit language in a subsequent 
version of the Reliability Standard clarifying that applicable entities 
are required to implement corrective actions identified by the planning 
coordinator in accordance with a schedule established by the same 
planning coordinator.
    NERC filed a petition on December 15, 2014 requesting approval of 
proposed Reliability Standard PRC-006-2 addressing the Commission's 
directive in Order No. 763. The NERC petition states that the 
``[p]roposed Reliability Standard PRC-006-2, through proposed new 
Requirement R15, and proposed enhanced language of the existing 
Requirements R9 and R10, requires the Planning Coordinator to develop a 
schedule for implementation of any necessary corrective actions, and 
requires that the applicable entities will implement these corrective 
actions according to the schedule established by the Planning 
Coordinator.''
    Type of Respondents: Planning coordinators, UFLS entities (as they 
are defined in the proposed Reliability Standard) and transmission 
owners that own elements identified in the underfrequency load shedding 
programs established by the planning coordinators.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \7\ Our estimate below regarding the 
number of respondents is based on the NERC compliance registry as of 
January 30, 2015. According to the NERC compliance registry, there are 
80 planning coordinators. The individual burden estimates are based on 
the time needed to gather data, run studies, and analyze study results 
to design or update the underfrequency load shedding programs. 
Additionally, documentation and the review of underfrequency load 
shedding program results by supervisors and management is included in 
the administrative estimations. These are consistent with estimates for 
similar tasks in other Commission approved standards.
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    \7\ 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. 5 CFR 1320.3 (2014) (explaining what is included in the 
information collection burden).
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    Estimates for the additional burden and cost imposed by the order 
in Docket No. RD15-2-000 follow.\8\
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    \8\ The only changes to Requirements R9 and R10 and associated 
measures and evidence retention in Reliability Standard PRC-006-2 
(from PRC-006-1) were enhancements to the language which do not 
impact the cost of implementation. The modifications provide 
additional clarity and do not affect burden or cost.
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[[Page 13530]]



                                                           FERC-725G, As Changed in RD15-2-000
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                                                         Annual  number   Total number
                                    Number and type of    of  responses   of responses    Average burden  per   Total annual burden   Total annual cost
                                    respondent \9\  (1)  per respondent    (1) * (2) =     response  (hours)   (hours)  (3) * (4) =       \10\  ($)
                                                               (2)             (3)                (4)                   (5)
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Requirement R15 and Measure M15    80 planning                        1              80  52 hrs. (47 hrs. for  4,160 hrs. (3,760     $285,783 ($274,179
 and evidence retention (planning   coordinators.                                         reporting             hrs. for reporting    for reporting
 coordinator that conducts under                                                          requirements, and 5   requirements, and     requirements, and
 frequency load shedding design                                                           hrs. for record       400 hrs. for record   $11,604 for record
 assessment under Requirements                                                            retention             retention             retention
 R4, R5, or R12 and determines                                                            requirements).        requirements).        requirements).
 under frequency load shedding
 program does not meet the
 performance characteristics in
 Requirement R3, develops
 corrective action plans and
 schedule for implementation by
 UFLS entities within its area).
Total............................  80 planning           ..............  ..............  ....................  4,160...............  $285,783.
                                    coordinators.
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    \9\ The number of respondents is based on the NERC compliance 
registry as January 30, 2015.
    \10\ The estimates for cost per hour (salary plus benefits) are 
based on the May 2013 figures of the Bureau of Labor and Statistics 
(posted as of February 9, 2015 at http://bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm).
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     $72.92/hour [($84.96 + $60.87)/2], the average of the 
salary plus benefits for a manager ($84.96/hour) and an electrical 
engineer ($60.87/hour), is used for the hourly cost for the reporting 
requirements associated with Requirement R15 and Measure M15.
     $29.01/hour, the salary plus benefits for a file clerk, is 
used for the hourly cost for the evidence retention requirements 
associated with Requirement R15 and Measure M15.

    Dated: March 9, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-05879 Filed 3-13-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P