[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 162 (Tuesday, August 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42282-42284]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-18002]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC18-13-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-537); Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of 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-537 (Gas Pipeline 
Certificates: Construction, Acquisition, and Abandonment) 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 on May 21, 2018, requesting public comments. The 
Commission received two comments on the FERC-537 and is making this 
notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by September 
20, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No. 
1902-0060, 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 202-395-8528.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in 
Docket No. IC18-13-000, 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-537 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, 
Acquisition, and Abandonment).
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0060.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-537 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
    Abstract: The FERC-537 information collection requires natural gas 
companies to file the necessary information with FERC in order for the 
Commission to determine if the requested certificate should be 
authorized. Certain self-implementing construction and abandonment 
programs do not require the filing of applications. However, those 
types of programs do require the filing of annual reports, so many less 
significant actions can be reported in a single filing/response and 
less detail would be required.
    The data required to be submitted in a normal certificate filing 
consists of identification of the company and responsible officials, 
factors considered in the location of the facilities and the impact on 
the area for environmental considerations. Also to be submitted are the 
following, as applicable to the specific request:
     Flow diagrams showing the design capacity for engineering 
design verification and safety determination;
     Cost of proposed facilities, plans for financing, and 
estimated revenues and expenses related to the proposed facility for 
accounting and financial evaluation.
     Existing and proposed storage capacity and pressures and 
reservoir

[[Page 42283]]

engineering studies for requests to increase storage capacity;
     An affidavit showing the consent of existing customers for 
abandonment of service requests.
    Additionally, requests for an increase of pipeline capacity must 
include a statement that demonstrates compliance with the Commission's 
Certificate Policy Statement by making a showing that the cost of the 
expansion will not be subsidized by existing customers and that there 
will not be adverse economic impacts to existing customers, competing 
pipelines or their customers, nor to landowners and to surrounding 
communities.
    Type of Respondents: Natural gas companies.
    Responses to public comments:
    To the comment received from Ms. Joanne Collins on 5/30/2018, FERC 
responds:

    Commenter points out that the collection of data and information 
from applicants requesting authorization to construct and operate 
natural gas pipelines can create a secondary burden on the general 
citizenry to learn about the Commission's rules and process; and 
further to perhaps take costly and time consuming efforts to 
participate in the Commission's proceedings. The Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 was not intended to measure this type of secondary 
burden; only the primary burden on those applicant entities to 
collect and compile the information necessary for the Government to 
make an informed decision and take appropriate action. The 
Commission has multiple ways, times, and methods for the general 
citizenry to appropriately input their views on the Commission's 
rules and process, or its individual proceedings.

    To the comment received from Ms. Laurie Lubsen on 6/4/2018, FERC 
responds:

    Commenter concurs in the collection of information necessary for 
the Commission to make an informed decision and take appropriate 
action is appropriate, but does not want less information that is 
needed to not be collected solely because it is a burden on those 
seeking authorizations. We confirm that all the information required 
by FERC-537 continues to be necessary and that no data collections 
have been revised in this current review on FERC-537. Commenter 
notes that automated ways to collect information, such as eFiling 
are good, as long as they are not ultimately required of all fliers.

    Estimate of Annual Burden: \1\ The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
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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. Refer to 
5 CFR 1320.3 for additional information.
    \2\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the 
following formula: Average Burden Hours per Response * $79.00/hour = 
Average cost/response. The figure is the 2018 FERC average hourly 
cost (for wages and benefits) of $79.00 (and an average annual 
salary of $164,820/year). Commission staff is using the FERC average 
salary because we consider any reporting requirements completed in 
response to the FERC-537 to be compensated at rates similar to the 
work of FERC employees.
    \3\ Each of the figures in this column are rounded to the 
nearest dollar.
    \4\ This figure was derived from 135 responses / 129 respondents 
= 1.046 or ~1.05 responses/respondent.
    \5\ This figure was derived from 84 responses / 83 respondents = 
1.012 or ~1.01 responses/respondent.
    \6\ One-time filings, new tariff and rate design proposal, or 
request for exemptions.
    \7\ This figure was derived from 7 responses / 5 respondents = 
1.4 responses/respondent.
    \8\ The 335 responses are derived from 214 individual 
respondents.

                                                        FERC-537 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition, and Abandonment)
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                                                            Annual number
                                              Number of     of responses    Total number    Average burden and cost per response     Total annual burden hours and total annual      Cost per
                                             respondents   per respondent   of responses                     \2\                                        cost                      respondent ($)
                                                      (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4)...................................  (3) * (4) = (5)..............................   (5) / (1) \3\
                                                                                      (3)
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18 CFR 157.5-.11 (Interstate Certificate               52            1.19              62  500 hrs.; $39,500.....................  31,000; $2,449,000...........................         $47,096
 and Abandonment Applications.
18 CFR 157.53 (Pipeline Purging/Testing                 1               1               1  50 hrs.; $3,950.......................  50 hrs.; $3,950..............................           3,950
 Exemptions).
18 CFR 157.201-.209; 157.211; 157.214-                 21            1.86              39  200 hrs.; $15,800.....................  7,800 hrs.; $616,200.........................          29,343
 .218 (Blanket Certificates Prior to
 Notice Filings).
18 CFR 157.201-.209; 157.211; 157.214-                129        \4\ 1.05             135  50 hrs.; $3,950.......................  6,750 hrs.; $533,250.........................           4,134
 .218 (Blanket Certificates--Annual
 Reports).
18 CFR 284.11 (NGPA Section 311                        83        \5\ 1.01              84  50 hrs.; $3,950.......................  4,200 hrs.; $331,800.........................           3,998
 Construction--Annual Reports).
18 CFR 284.8.............................             178               0               0  N/A...................................  N/A..........................................             N/A

[[Page 42284]]

 
18 CFR 284.13(e) and 284.126(a)                         2               1               2  30 hrs.; $2,370.......................  60 hrs.; $4,740..............................           2,370
 (Interstate and Intrastate Bypass
 Notice).
18 CFR 284.221 (Blanket Certificates) \6\               5         \7\ 1.4               7  100 hrs.; $7,900......................  700 hrs.; $55,300............................          11,060
18 CFR 224 (Hinshaw Blanket Certificates)               2               1               2  75 hrs.; $5,925.......................  150 hrs.; $11,850............................           5,925
18 CFR 157.5-.11; 157.13-.20 (Non-                      3               1               3  75 hrs.; $5,925.......................  225 hrs.; $17,775............................           5,925
 facility Certificate or Abandonment
 Applications.
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    Total................................  ..............  ..............         \8\ 335  ......................................  50,935 hrs.; $4,023,865......................  ..............
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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.

    Dated: August 14, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-18002 Filed 8-20-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P