[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 54 (Wednesday, March 20, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10308-10310]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-05208]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC19-17-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form No. 60, 
FERC-61, and FERC-555A); Consolidated Comment Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of information collections 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 soliciting public comment on the requirements and burden of 
the information collections described below.

DATES: Comments on the collections of information are due May 20, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC19-17-
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.
    Please reference the specific collection number and/or title in 
your comments.
    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], telephone at (202) 502-8663, and 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 the three collections are 
distinct.
    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 Form No. 60 1 (Annual Report of Centralized Service 
Companies), FERC-61 (Narrative Description of Service Company 
Functions), and FERC-555A (Preservation of Records Companies and 
Service Companies Subject to PUHCA)
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    \1\ The Form No. 60 is also part of a Commission Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) issued on January 17, 2019 in Docket No. 
RM19-12 that includes 10 information collections. See Revisions to 
the Filing Process for Commission Forms, 166 FERC ] 61,027 (2019). 
The NOPR proposes to change the format of the information that is 
being collected from a Commission-distributed software application 
called Visual FoxPro (VFP) to a standard built on eXtensible 
Business Reporting Language (XBRL). Under the NOPR, the Commission 
is not proposing to change the information currently collected in 
the Form No. 60 (or in any of the VFP Forms), but rather to change 
the format of the information that is being collected from VFP to 
XBRL. Because there can be only one pending item per OMB Control No. 
pending OMB review at one time, the Form No. 60 is represented in 
the RM19-12 NOPR process as the ``Form No. 60-A.''
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    OMB Control No.: 1902-0215.
    Abstract: In accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 
2005), the Commission implemented the repeal of the Public Utility 
Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA 1935) and implemented the provisions 
of a newly enacted Public Utility Holding Company Act 2005 (PUHCA 
2005). Pursuant to PUHCA 2005, the Commission requires centralized 
service companies to file the Form No. 60, unless the company is 
exempted or granted a waiver pursuant to the Commission's regulations. 
The information collected in Form No. 60

[[Page 10309]]

enables better monitoring for cross-subsidization, and aids the 
Commission in carrying out its statutory responsibilities. In addition, 
centralized service companies are required to follow the Commission's 
preservation of records requirements for centralized service companies.

FERC Form No. 60

    Form No. 60 is an annual reporting requirement for centralized 
service companies set forth in 18 CFR 366.23. The report's function is 
to collect financial information (including balance sheet, assets, 
liabilities, billing and charges for associated and non-associated 
companies) from centralized service companies subject to the 
Commission's jurisdiction. Unless the Commission exempts or grants a 
waiver pursuant to 18 CFR 366.3 and 366.4 to the holding company 
system, every centralized service company in a holding company system 
must prepare and file electronically with the FERC the Form No. 60, 
pursuant to the General Instructions in the form.

FERC-61

    FERC-61 is a filing requirement for service companies in holding 
company systems (including special purpose companies) that are 
currently exempt or granted a waiver of FERC's regulations and would 
not have to file the FERC Form No. 60. Instead, those service companies 
are required to file, on an annual basis, a narrative description of 
the service company's functions during the prior calendar year (FERC-
61). In complying, a holding company may make a single filing on behalf 
of all of its service company subsidiaries.

FERC-555A

    The Commission's regulations prescribe a mandated preservation of 
records requirements for holding companies and service companies 
(unless otherwise exempted by FERC). This requires them to maintain and 
make available to FERC, their books and records. The preservation of 
records requirement provides for uniform records retention by holding 
companies and centralized service companies subject to PUHCA 2005.
    Data from the FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A provide a 
level of transparency that: (1) Helps protect ratepayers from pass-
through of improper service company costs, (2) enables the Commission 
to review and determine cost allocations (among holding company 
members) for certain non-power goods and services, (3) aids the 
Commission in meeting its oversight and market monitoring obligations, 
and (4) benefits the public, both as ratepayers and investors. In 
addition, the Commission's audit staff uses these records during 
compliance reviews and special analyses.
    If data from the FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A were not 
available, it would be difficult for the Commission to meet its 
statutory responsibilities under EPAct 1992, EPAct of 2005, and PUHCA 
2005, and the Commission would have fewer of the regulatory mechanisms 
necessary to ensure transparency and protect ratepayers.
    Type of Respondent: Centralized service companies
    Estimate of Annual Burden: The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden for the information collection as:

  FERC Form No. 60 (Annual Report of Centralized Service Companies), FERC-61 (Narrative Description of Service Company Functions), and FERC-555A (Preservation of Records Holding Companies and
                                                                               Service Companies Subject to PUHCA)
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                                                          Annual  number
                                             Number of     of  responses   Total number     Average Burden & cost per response \2\     Total annual burden hours & total annual      Cost per
                                            respondents   per respondent   of responses                                                                  cost                     respondent ($)
                                                     (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4).......................................  (3) * (4) = (5)...........................   (5) / (1) \3\
                                                                                     (3)
rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Form No. 60 \4\.........................              39               1              39  75 hrs.; $4,749...........................  2,925 hrs.; $185,211......................           4,749
Form No. 61 \5\.........................              78               1              78  0.5 hrs.; $19.84..........................  39 hrs.; $1,548...........................           19.84
Form No. 555A \6\.......................             117               1             117  1,080 hrs.; $36,061.......................  126,360 hrs.; $4,219,160..................          36,061
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    Total Paperwork Burden..............  ..............  ..............             234  ..........................................  129,324 hrs.; $4,405,919..................  ..............
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    \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\ For the FERC Form No. 60, the $63.32 hourly cost figure 
comes from the average cost (wages plus benefits) of a utility 
management analyst (Occupation Code 13-1111) and an accountant 
(Occupation Code 13-2011) as posted on the Bureau of Labor 
Statistics (BLS) website (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm).
    \5\ For the FERC-61, the $39.68 hourly cost figure comes from 
the cost of a records clerk (Occupation Code 43-4199) as posted on 
the BLS website (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm).
    \6\ For the FERC-555A, the $33.39 hourly cost figure comes from 
the average cost (wages plus benefits) of a file clerk (Occupation 
Code 43-4071) as posted on the BLS website (http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm).

                                    FERC-555A Record Rentention Requirements
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                                                                                                   Total annual
                                                                   Total number      Cost per     burden hours &
                                                                  of respondents    respondent     total annual
                                                                                                       costs
                                                                     (1) * (2) =             (4)     (3) * (4) =
                                                                             (3)                             (5)
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Paper Storage...................................................             117         $387.60      $45,349.20
Electronic Storage..............................................             117           15.25        1,784.25
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[[Page 10310]]

 
    Total Storage Burden........................................             117  ..............       47,133.45
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    Total Annual Cost: $4,409,919 (Paperwork Burden) + $47,133.45 
(Record Retention) = $4,453,052.45.
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    \7\ Each of the 117 entities is assumed to have both paper and 
electronic record retention.
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    A more accurate breakdown of the FERC-60/61/555A cost categories 
follows:
    Labor Cost: The total estimated annual cost for labor burden to 
respondents is $4,405,919 [$185,211 (FERC Form No. 60) + $1,548 (FERC-
61) + $4,219,160 (FERC-555A)].
    FERC Form No. 60: 2925 hours (75 hours x 39 respondents) * $63.32/
hour = $185,211.
    FERC-61: 39 hours (.5 hours x 78 respondents) * $39.68/hour = 
$1,548.
    FERC-555A: 126,360 hours (1080 hours x 117 respondents) * $33.39/
hour = $4,219,160.
    Storage Cost: \8\ In addition to the labor (burden cost provided 
above) the table reflects an additional cost for record retention and 
storage:
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    \8\ Internal analysis assumes 50% paper storage and 50% 
electronic storage.
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     Paper storage costs (using an estimate of 60 cubic feet x 
$6.46 per cubic foot): $387.60 per respondent annually. Total annual 
paper storage cost to industry ($387.60 x 117 respondents): $45,349.20. 
This estimate assumes that a respondent stores the same volume of paper 
as it did in the past and that the cost of such storage has not 
changed. We expect that this estimate should trend downward over time 
as more companies move away from paper storage and rely more heavily on 
electronic storage.
     Electronic storage costs: $15.25 per respondent annually. 
Total annual electronic storage cost to industry ($15.25 x 117 
respondents): $1,784.25. This calculation retains the previous estimate 
that storage of 1GB per year cost of $15.25. We expect that this 
estimate should trend downward over time as the cost of electronic 
storage technology, including cloud storage, continues to decrease. For 
example, external hard drives of approximately 500GB are available for 
approximately $50. In addition, cloud storage plans from multiple 
providers for 1TB of storage (with a reasonable amount of requests and 
data transfers) are available for less than $35 per month.

    Dated: March 14, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-05208 Filed 3-19-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P