[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 102 (Thursday, May 28, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30448-30449]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-12863]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. RD15-2-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725G); Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Energy.

ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D) and the Office of Management and 
Budget's implementing regulations, the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the 
information collection, FERC-725G (Mandatory Reliability Standards for 
the Bulk-Power System: PRC Standards), as modified in this docket. The 
Commission previously published a notice in the Federal Register (80 FR 
13528, 3/16/2015) requesting public comments. The Commission received 
no comments and is making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments regarding the proposed revision to this information 
collection must be received on or before June 29, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Comments, identified by Docket Number RD15-2, may be filed 
in the following ways:
     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.

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: 
    Title: FERC-725G (Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-
Power System: PRC Standards).
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0252.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725G information 
collection requirements as modified in Docket No. RD15-2.
    Abstract: The Commission is submitting Reliability Standard PRC-
006-2 to OMB under FERC-725G \1\ for review of the reporting and 
recordkeeping requirements.
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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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    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),

[[Page 30449]]

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.''
    Reliability Standard PRC-006-2 was approved on 3/4/2015 in a 
Delegated Order.\7\
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    \7\ The Order in Docket No. RD15-2 is available at http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/opennat.asp?fileID=13793463.
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    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: \8\ Our estimate below regarding the 
number of respondents is based on the NERC compliance registry as of 
May 5, 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, develop corrective action plans and 
schedules to perform assessments of 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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    \8\ 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 additional information, see 5 CFR 1320.3.
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    Estimates for the additional burden and cost imposed by the order 
in Docket No. RD15-2-000 follow.\9\
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    \9\ 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.
    \10\ The number of respondents is based on the NERC compliance 
registry as January 30, 2015.
    \11\ 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).
     $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.
    \12\ The requirements include: Requirement R15 and Measure M15 
and evidence retention (planning coordinator that conducts 
underfrequency load shedding design assessment under Requirements 
R4, R5, or R12 and determines underfrequency 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).

                                                            FERC-725G, as Modified in RD15-2
                                                             [Due to approval of PRC-006-2]
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                                                              Annual
                                                            number of      Total
                                      Number and type of    responses    number of    Average  burden per    Total annual burden     Total annual cost
                                       respondent \10\         per       responses     response  (hours)           (hours)                  \11\
                                                            respondent
                                    (1)..................          (2)  (1)*(2)=(3)  (4)..................  (3)*(4)=(5)..........  ($)
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Reporting and recordkeeping         80 planning                      1           80  52 hrs. (47 hrs. for   4,160 hrs. (3,760      $285,783 ($274,179
 requirements \12\.                  coordinators.                                    reporting              hrs. for reporting     for reporting
                                                                                      requirements, and 5    requirements, and      requirements, and
                                                                                      hrs. for record        400 hrs. for record    $11,604 for record
                                                                                      retention              retention              retention
                                                                                      requirements).         requirements).         requirements).
    Total.........................  80 planning            ...........  ...........  .....................  4,160................  $285,783.
                                     coordinators.
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    Dated: May 21, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-12863 Filed 5-27-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P