[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 58 (Friday, March 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16170-16172]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-06776]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC16-3-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities; (FERC-556, FERC-
606, and FERC-607); Comment Request

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Comment request.

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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), the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (Commission or FERC) is submitting its information 
collections FERC-556 (Certification of Qualifying Facility Status for a 
Small Power Production or Cogeneration Facility), FERC-606 
(Notification of Request for Federal Authorization and Requests for 
Further Information), and FERC-607 (Report on Decision or Action on 
Request for Federal Authorization) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review of the information collection requirements. Any 
interested person may file comments directly with OMB and should 
address a copy of those comments to the Commission as explained below. 
The Commission previously issued a Notice in the Federal Register (80 
FR 74101, 11/27/2015) requesting public comments. The Commission 
received no comments on the FERC-556, FERC-606, or FERC-607 and is 
making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collections of information are due by April 25, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control Nos. 
1902-0075 (FERC-556) and 1902-0241 (FERC-606 and FERC-607) should be 
sent via email to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs: 
[email protected]. Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission Desk Officer. The Desk Officer may also be reached via 
telephone at 202-395-0710.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in 
Docket No. IC16-3-000, 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.
    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 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], by telephone at (202) 502-8663, and by 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-556, Certification of Qualifying Facility Status for a Small Power 
Production or Cogeneration Facility

    OMB Control No.: 1902-0075.
    Abstract: Form No. 556 is required to implement sections 201 and 
210 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 \1\ (PURPA). 
FERC is authorized, under those sections, to encourage cogeneration and 
small power production and to prescribe such rules as necessary in 
order to carry out the statutory directives.
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    \1\ 16 U.S.C. 796, 824a-3.
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    A primary statutory objective is efficient use of energy resources 
and facilities by electric utilities. One means of achieving this goal 
is to encourage production of electric power by cogeneration facilities 
which make use of reject heat associated with commercial or industrial 
processes, and by small power production facilities which use other 
wastes and renewable resources. PURPA encourages the development of 
small power production facilities and cogeneration facilities that meet 
certain technical and corporate

[[Page 16171]]

criteria through establishment of various regulatory benefits. 
Facilities that meet these criteria are called Qualifying Facilities 
(QFs).
    FERC's regulations in 18 CFR part 292, as relevant here, specify: 
(a) The certification procedures which must be followed by owners or 
operators of small power production and cogeneration facilities; (b) 
the criteria which must be met; (c) the information which must be 
submitted to FERC in order to obtain qualifying status; and (d) the 
PURPA benefits which are available to QFs to encourage small power 
production and cogeneration.
    18 CFR part 292 also exempts QFs from certain corporate, 
accounting, reporting, and rate regulation requirements of the Federal 
Power Act,\2\ certain state laws and the Public Utility Holding Company 
Act of 2005.\3\
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    \2\ 16 U.S.C. 791, et seq.
    \3\ 42 U.S.C. 16, 451-63.
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    Type of Respondent: Facilities that are self-certifying their 
status as a cogenerator or small power producer or that are submitting 
an application for FERC certification of their status as a cogenerator 
or small power producer.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden for the information collection as:

                       FERC-556--Certification of Qualifying Facility Status for a Small Power Production or Cogeneration Facility
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                                                               Annual  number
                                                   Number of    of  responses  Total number  Average  burden hours    Total annual  burden     Cost per
                                                  respondents        per             of           and cost  per         hours  and total      respondent
                                                                 respondent      responses        response \4\            annual cost            ($)
Facility type                  Filing type                (1)             (2)   (1) * (2) =  (4)..................  (3) * (4) = (5)........    (5) / (1)
                                                                                        (3)
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Cogeneration Facility >1 MW    Self-                       54            1.25          67.5  1.5 hrs; $108........  101.25 hrs; $7,290.....         $135
 \5\.                           certification.
Cogeneration Facility >1 MW..  Application for              1            1.25          1.25  50 hrs; $3,600.......  62.5 hrs; $4,500.......        4,500
                                FERC
                                certification.
Small Power Production         Self-                    1,787            1.25         2,234  1.5 hrs; $108........  3,351hrs; $241,272.....          135
 Facility >1 MW.                certification.
Small Power Production         Application for              0            1.25             0  50 hrs; $3,600.......  0 hrs; $0..............            0
 Facility >1 MW.                FERC
                                certification.
Cogeneration and Small Power   Self-                      312            1.25           390  1.5 hrs; $108 \7\....  585 hrs; $42,120.......          135
 Production Facility <=1 MW     certification.
 (Self-Certification) \6\.
                                                --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total....................  ................         2,154  ..............         2,693  .....................  4,100 hrs; $295,182....  ...........
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FERC-606, Notification of Request for Federal Authorization and 
Requests for Further Information; FERC-607, Report on Decision or 
Action on Request for Federal Authorization
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    \4\ The burden costs are based on an FERC's 2015 average annual 
wage (and benefits) figure for a full-time employee of $149,489 
($72/hour). The Commission staff believes that industry is similarly 
situated in terms of staff costs and skill sets.
    \5\ MW = megawatt.
    \6\ Not required to file.
    \7\ The ``Cost per Response'' for the Cogeneration and Small 
Power Production Facility <= 1MW (Self-Certification) respondent 
category was incorrectly presented as $3,600 in the 60-day notice 
for the FERC-556 information collection (Docket No. IC16-3; 80 FR 
74101, 11/27/2015). The figure is corrected to $108 in this notice.
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    OMB Control No.: 1902-0241.
    Abstract: FERC-606 requires agencies and officials responsible for 
issuing, conditioning, or denying requests for federal authorizations 
necessary for a proposed natural gas project to report to the 
Commission regarding the status of an authorization request. This 
reporting requirement is intended to allow agencies to assist the 
Commission to make better informed decisions in establishing due dates 
for agencies' decisions.
    FERC-607 requires agencies or officials to submit to the Commission 
a copy of a decision or action on a request for federal authorization 
and an accompanying index to the documents and materials relied on in 
reaching a conclusion.
    The information collections can neither be discontinued nor 
collected less frequently because of statutory requirements. The 
consequences of not collecting this information are that the Commission 
would be unable to fulfill its statutory mandate under the Energy 
Policy Act of 2005 to:
     Establish a schedule for agencies to review requests for 
federal authorizations required for a project, and
     Compile a record of each agency's decision, together with 
the record of the Commission's decision, to serve as a consolidated 
record for the purpose of appeal or review, including judicial review.
    Type of Respondent: Agencies with federal authorization 
responsibilities.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden and cost \8\ (rounded) for the information 
collection as follows:
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    \8\ The cost is based on FERC's average cost (salary plus 
benefits) of $72/hour for 2015. The Commission staff believes that 
the level and skill set (as a reporting agency official, e.g., 
Environmental Program Manager or Reviewer) is comparable to FERC 
staff.

    FERC-606--(Notification of Request for Federal Authorization and Requests for Further Information), and FERC-607 (Report on Decision or Action on
                                                           Request for Federal Authorization)
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                                                      Annual number
                                        Number of     of responses    Total number     Average burden hours   Total annual  burden hours     Cost per
                                       respondents   per respondent   of responses    and cost per response      and total  annual cost   respondent ($)
                                                (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4)....................  (3) * (4) = (5)...........       (5) / (1)
                                                                                (3)
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FERC-606...........................               6               1               6  4 hrs; $288............  24 hrs; $1,728............            $288

[[Page 16172]]

 
FERC-607...........................               1               1               1  1 hr.; $72.............  1 hr.; $72................              72
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    Total..........................               7  ..............  ..............  .......................  25 hrs; $1,800............  ..............
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    Dated: March 21, 2016.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-06776 Filed 3-24-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P