[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 14, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11196-11197]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05102]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC18-2-000]


Commision Information Collection Activities (FERC-725Y), Comment 
Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of extension of information collection and request for 
comments.

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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-725Y, Mandatory 
Reliability Standards (Personnel Performance, Training, and 
Qualifications), 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 published a Notice in the Federal 
Register on 12/26/2017 requesting public comments. The Commission 
received no comments on the FERC-725Y information collection and is 
making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by April 13, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No. 
1902-0279, 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. IC18-2-000, by either of the following methods:
     eFiling at Commission's website: 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: 
    Title: FERC-725Y, Mandatory Reliability Standard (Personnel 
Performance, Training, and Qualifications).
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0279.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725Y information 
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
    Abstract: The FERC-725Y information collection is intended to help 
ensure the safe and reliable operation of the interconnected grid 
through the retention of suitably trained and qualified personnel in 
positions that can impact the reliable operation of the Bulk-Power 
System. The Commission uses the FERC-725Y to implement the 
Congressional mandate of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 to develop 
mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards to better ensure the 
reliability of the nation's Bulk-Power System. FERC-725Y will ensure 
that personnel performing or supporting real-time operations on the 
Bulk Electric System (BES) are trained using a systematic approach. The 
Reliability Standard requires entities to maintain records subject to 
review by the Commission and NERC to ensure compliance with the 
Reliability Standard.
    The Reliability Standard requires entities to maintain records 
subject to review by the Commission and NERC to ensure compliance with 
the Reliability Standard. This Reliability Standard contains of five 
Requirements:
     R1 requires reliability coordinators, balancing 
authorities, and transmission operators to develop and implement a 
training program for system operators.
     R2 requires transmission owners to develop and implement a 
training program for system operators.
     R3 requires reliability coordinators, balancing 
authorities, transmission operators and transmission owners to verify 
the capabilities of their identified personnel.
     R4 requires reliability coordinators, balancing 
authorities, transmission operators and transmission owners to provide 
those personnel with emergency operations training using simulation 
technology.
     R6 requires applicable generator operators to develop and 
implement training for certain of their dispatch personnel at a 
centrally located dispatch center.
    Type of Respondents: Transmission owners and generator owners.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \1\ Our estimate below regarding the 
number of respondents is based on the NERC compliance registry as of 
September 29, 2017. According to the NERC compliance registry, NERC has 
registered 176 transmission operators, 331 transmission owners and 890 
generator operators.
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    \1\ 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.
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    The Commission estimates the additional annual reporting burden and 
cost as follows:

[[Page 11197]]



                                                           FERC-725Y in Docket No. IC18-2-000
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                                                          Annual number
                                  Number and type of      of responses    Total number    Avg. burden & cost per  Total annual burden hours    Cost per
                                   respondents \2\       per respondent   of responses         response \3\          & total annual cost      respondent
                              (1)......................             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4)....................  (3) * (4) = (5)..........    (5) / (1)
                                                                                    (3)
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Annual Evaluation and Update  TO (331), GOP (890)......               1       \4\ 1,064  6 hrs.; $408.72 hr.....  6,384 hrs.; $434,878.....       $68.12
 of Training Program and
 Task List.
Retention of Records........  TO (331), GOP (890)......               1       \4\ 1,064  10 hrs.; $408.90 hr....  10,640 hrs.; $435,070....        40.89
Verification and Retention    TO (331).................               1             331  10 hrs.; $408.90 hr....  3,310 hrs.; $135,346.....        40.89
 of Evidence of capabilities
 of personnel [R3, M3,
 C1.2], and Creation and
 Retention of Records on
 Simulation Training.
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    Total...................  .........................  ..............  ..............  .......................  20,334 hrs.; $1,005,294..  ...........
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    Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the collection of 
information is 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 estimate of the burden and 
cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
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    \2\ TO = Transmission Owner; GOP = Generator Operator.
    \3\ The estimates for cost per response are loaded hourly wage 
figure (includes benefits) is based on the average of three 
occupational categories for 2016 found on the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics website (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm): 
Electrical Engineer (Occupation Code: 17-2071): $68.12; Office and 
Administrative Support (Occupation Code: 43-0000): $40.89.
    \4\ Some transmission owners are also generator operators. To 
eliminate double counting some entities, this figure reflects the 
number of unique entities (1064) within the group of TOs and GOPs. 
That approach is used throughout the table.

    Dated: March 6, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-05102 Filed 3-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P