[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 158 (Thursday, August 15, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41708-41709]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-17524]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC19-31-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-547); Comment 
Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice 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 soliciting public comment on the currently approved 
information collection, FERC-547 (Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund Report 
Requirements).

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

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC19-31-
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], telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at (202) 
273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund Report Requirements.

[[Page 41709]]

    OMB Control No.: 1902-0084.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-547 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting 
requirements.
    Abstract: The Commission uses FERC-547 (Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund 
Report Requirements) to implement the statutory refund provisions 
governed by Sections 4, 5 and 16 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA).\1\ 
Sections 4 and 5 authorize the Commission to order a refund (with 
interest) for any portion of a natural gas company's increased rate or 
charge found to be unjust or unreasonable. Refunds may also be 
instituted by a natural gas company as a stipulation to a Commission-
approved settlement agreement or a provision under the company's 
tariff. Section 16 of the NGA authorizes the Commission to prescribe 
rules and regulations necessary to administer its refund mandates. The 
Commission's refund reporting requirements are located in 18 CFR 
154.501 and 154.502.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 717-717w.
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    The Commission uses the data to monitor refunds owed by natural gas 
companies to ensure that the flow-through of refunds owed by these 
companies are made as expeditiously as possible and to assure that 
refunds are made in compliance with the Commission's regulations.
    Type of Respondents: Natural gas companies.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \2\ The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
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    \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. For 
further explanation of what is included in the information 
collection burden, reference 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.

                            FERC-547: Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund Report Requirements
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                                                            Average burden       Total annual
                             Number of     Total number     hours & average     burden hours &       Cost per
 Number of  respondents    responses per   of responses      cost \3\ per      total annual cost    respondent
                            respondent                       response ($)             ($)               ($)
(1)                                  (2)     (1) x (2) =  (4)...............  (3) x (4) = (5)...     (5) / (1) =
                                                     (3)                                                     (6)
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19                                     2              38  2 hrs.; $160......  76 hrs.; $6,080...            $160
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\3\ FERC staff estimates that industry costs for salary plus benefits are similar to Commission costs. The cost
  figure is the FY2019 FERC average annual salary plus benefits ($167,091/year or $80/hour).

    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: July 30, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-17524 Filed 8-14-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P