[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 156 (Tuesday, August 13, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40038-40039]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-17250]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC19-34-000]


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

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission 
or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved 
information collection, FERC-725J (Definition of the Bulk Electric 
System) which will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for a review of the information collection requirements.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due October 15, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC19-34-
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

[[Page 40039]]

at [email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at 
(202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: FERC-725J (Definition of the Bulk Electric System).
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0259.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725J with no 
changes to the current reporting requirements.
    Abstract: On December 20, 2012, the Commission issued Order No. 
773, a Final Rule approving NERC's modifications to the definition of 
bulk electric system and the Rules of Procedure exception process to be 
effective July 1, 2013. On April 18, 2013, in Order No. 773-A, the 
Commission largely affirmed its findings in Order No. 773. In Order 
Nos. 773 and 773-A, the Commission directed NERC to modify the 
definition of bulk electric system in two respects: (1) Modify the 
local network exclusion (exclusion E3) to remove the 100 kV minimum 
operating voltage to allow systems that include one or more looped 
configurations connected below 100 kV to be eligible for the local 
network exclusion; and (2) modify the exclusions to ensure that 
generator interconnection facilities at or above 100 kV connected to 
bulk electric system generators identified in inclusion I2 are not 
excluded from the bulk electric system.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ Revisions to Electric Reliability Organization Definition of 
Bulk Electric System and Rules of Procedure, Order No. 773, 141 FERC 
61,236 (2012); order on reh'g, Order No. 773-A, 143 FERC 61,053 
(2013); order on reh'g and clarification, 144 FERC 61,174 (2013); 
aff'd sub nom., People of the State of New York and the Pub. Serv. 
Comm'n of New York v. FERC, No. 13-2316 (2d. Cir. 2015). On June 13, 
2013, the Commission granted NERC's request for extension of time 
and extended the effective date for the revised definition of bulk 
electric system and the Rules of Procedure exception process to July 
1, 2014. Revisions to Electric Reliability Organization Definition 
of Bulk Electric System and Rules of Procedure, 143 FERC 61,231, at 
P 13 (2013). On March 20, 2014, the Commission approved NERC's 
revisions to the definition of bulk electric system and determined 
the revisions either adequately address the Commission's Order Nos. 
773 and 773-A directives or provide an equally effective and 
efficient approach. See order approving revised definition, 146 FERC 
] 61,199 (2014).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Type of Respondents: Generator owners, distribution providers, 
other NERC-registered entities.
    Estimate of Annual Burden.\2\ The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden and cost \3\ for the information collection as:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ 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. See 5 
CFR 1320 for additional information on the definition of information 
collection burden.
    \3\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is based on 
the figures for May 2018 posted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics 
for the Utilities sector (available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm) and updated March 2019 for benefits 
information (at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm). The 
hourly estimates for salary plus benefits are:
    --Legal (code 23-0000), $142.86
    --File Clerks (code 43-4071), $34.50
    --Electrical Engineer (code 17-2071), $68.17
    The average hourly burden cost for this collection is $81.84 
[($142.86 + $34.50 + $68.17) / 3 = $81.84] and is rounded to $82.00 
an hour.

                                                   FERC-725J (Definition of the Bulk Electric System)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                Annual number
                                  Number of     of responses    Total number    Average burden (hrs.) &     Total annual burden hours &      Cost per
                                 respondents   per respondent   of responses     cost ($) per response         total annual cost ($)      respondent ($)
                                          (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4)......................  (3) * (4) = (5)...............       (5) / (1)
                                                                          (3)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generator Owners,                          20               1              20  94 hrs.; $7,708..........  1,880 hrs.; $154,160..........          $7,708
 Distribution Providers, and
 Transmission Owners
 (Exception Request).
All Registered Entities                   186               1             186  350 hrs.; $28,700........  65,100 hrs.; $5,338,200.......          28,700
 (Implementation Plans and
 Compliance).
Local Distribution                          1               1               1  92 hrs.; $7,544..........  92 hrs.; $7,544...............           7,544
 Determinations.
                              --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total....................  ..............  ..............             207  .........................  67,072 hrs.; $5,499,904.......  ..............
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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 estimates 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 7, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-17250 Filed 8-12-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P