[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 103 (Wednesday, May 31, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24963-24965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-11194]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC17-7-000]


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

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Energy.

ACTION: Comment request.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or 
FERC) is submitting its information collection [FERC-725T, Mandatory 
Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System: TRE Reliability 
Standards] 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 (82 FR 14215, 3/17/2017) requesting 
public comments. The Commission received no comments on the FERC-
725Tand is making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by June 30, 
2017.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No. 
1902-0273 (FERC-725T) 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 202-395-4718.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in 
Docket No. IC17-7-000, 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

[[Page 24964]]

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-725T [Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System: 
TRE Reliability Standards]

    OMB Control No.: 1902-0273.
    Abstract: Reliability Standard BAL-001-TRE-01 applies to entities 
registered as Generator Owners (GOs), Generator Operators (GOPs), and 
Balancing Authorities (BAs) within the Texas Reliability Entity region.
    Regional Reliability Standard BAL-001-TRE-01 is more comprehensive 
than the existing continent-wide Reliability Standards addressing 
frequency response, BAL-001-0.1a and BAL-003-0.1b in that the regional 
standard includes additional requirements and applies to generator 
owners and generator operators as well as balancing authorities. The 
expanded applicability of the regional Reliability Standard, thus, 
increases the reporting burden for entities that operate within the 
ERCOT \1\ Interconnection.
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    \1\ Electric Reliability Council of Texas.
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    The information collection requirements entail the setting or 
configuration of the Control System software, identification and 
recording of events, data retention, and submitting frequency 
measurable events to the compliance enforcement authority (Regional 
Entity or NERC).
    Submitting frequency measurable events. As per Requirement R1, the 
BA has to identify and post information regarding Frequency Measurable 
Events (FME). Further, the BA has to calculate and report to the 
Compliance Enforcement Authority data related to Primary Frequency 
Response (PFR) performance of each generating unit/generating facility.
    Data retention. The BA, GO, and GOP shall keep data or evidence to 
show compliance, as identified below, unless directed by its Compliance 
Enforcement Authority to retain specific evidence for a longer period 
of time as part of an investigation. Compliance audits are generally 
about three years apart.
     The BA shall retain a list of identified Frequency 
Measurable Events and shall retain FME information since its last 
compliance audit for Requirement R1, Measure M1.
     The BA shall retain all monthly PFR performance reports 
since its last compliance audit for Requirement R2, Measure M2.
     The BA shall retain all annual Interconnection minimum 
Frequency Response calculations, and related methodology and criteria 
documents, relating to time periods since its last compliance audit for 
Requirement R3, Measure M3.
     The BA shall retain all data and calculations relating to 
the Interconnection's Frequency Response, and all evidence of actions 
taken to increase the Interconnection's Frequency Response, since its 
last compliance audit for Requirements R4 and R5, Measures M4 and M5.
     Each GOP shall retain evidence since its last compliance 
audit for Requirement R8, Measure M8.
     Each GO shall retain evidence since its last compliance 
audit for Requirements R6, R7, R9 and R10, Measures M6, M7, M9 and M10.

Modification to Governor Controller Setting/Configuration (to be 
removed from the FERC-725T information collection). This category of 
response burden is being removed from FERC-725T. The ``Modification to 
Governor Controller Setting/Configuration'' category was a one-time 
requirement related to implementation of the BAL-001-TRE-01 Reliability 
Standard. Each GO was required to set its governor settings according 
to Requirement R6. In order to modify its settings, the GO had to 
generate governor test reports, governor setting sheets, and/or 
performance monitoring reports. The burden (912 hours) associated with 
this category was averaged over 2014-2016 \2\. The response 
requirements included in this category were complete within 18 months 
of the effective date of the standard \3\ or by 10/1/2015. Due to 
completion, the corresponding 304 annual burden hours are now being 
removed.
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    \2\ The total annual figure for this response category was 304 
hours.
    \3\ The effective date of the standard was 4/1/2014.
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    Type of Respondent: NERC Registered entities (specifically 
balancing authorities, generator owners, generator operators).
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \4\ The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
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    \4\ Burden is defined 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.
    \5\ The estimates for cost per hour are based on 2015 wage 
figures and derived as follows:
     $64.29/hour, the average salary plus benefits per 
engineer (from Bureau of Labor Statistics at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm).
     $37.75/hour, the salary plus benefits per information 
and record clerks (from Bureau of Labor Statistics at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm).
    All calculated wage figures within the burden table are rounded 
to the nearest dollar.
    \6\ BA (balancing authority)
    \7\ BA (balancing authority), GO (generator owner), and GOP 
(generator operator)
    \8\ Rounded from $75.50.

                            FERC-725T (Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System: TRE Reliability Standards)
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                                                  Annual  number
                                     Number of     of  responses   Total number    Average burden  and cost   Total annual  burden hours     Cost per
                                    respondents         per        of responses        per  response \5\         and total  annual cost     respondent
                                                    respondent                                                                                  ($)
                                             (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4).......................  (3) * (4) = (5)...........       (5) / (1)
                                                                             (3)
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Maintenance and Submission of              \6\ 1               1               1  16 hrs.; $1,029...........  16 hrs.; $1,029...........          $1,029
 Event Log Data.
Evidence Retention..............         \7\ 130               1             130  2 hrs.; $76 \8\...........  260 hrs.; $9,815..........             $76
                                 ------------------------------------------------                            -------------------------------------------
    Total.......................  ..............  ..............             131  ..........................  276 hrs.; $10,844.........  ..............
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[[Page 24965]]

    Dated: May 24, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-11194 Filed 5-30-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P