[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49724-49725]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20515]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC19-30-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-920); Comment 
Request

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

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-920 [Electric 
Quarterly Reports (EQR)] 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 July 8, 2019 
requesting public comments. The Commission received no comments and is 
making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by October 23, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No. 
1902-0255, should be sent via email to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs: [email protected]. Attention: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission Desk Officer.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in 
Docket No. IC19-30-000, 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-920 [Electric Quarterly Reports (EQR)].
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0255.
    Abstract: The Commission originally set forth the EQR filing 
requirements in Order No. 2001 (Docket No. RM01-8-000, issued April 25, 
2002, at http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/search/intermediate.asp?link_file=yes&doclist=2270047). Order No. 2001 
required public utilities to electronically file EQRs summarizing 
transaction information for short-term and long-term cost-based sales 
and market-based rate sales and the contractual terms and conditions in 
their agreements for all jurisdictional services.\1\ The Commission 
established the EQR reporting requirements to help ensure the 
collection of information needed to perform its regulatory functions 
over transmission and sales, while making data more useful to the 
public and allowing public utilities to better fulfill their 
responsibility under FPA section 205(c) to have rates on file in a 
convenient form and place. As noted in Order No. 2001, the EQR data is 
designed to ``provide greater price

[[Page 49725]]

transparency, promote competition, enhance confidence in the fairness 
of the markets, and provide a better means to detect and discourage 
discriminatory practices.''
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    \1\ Revised Public Utility Filing Requirements, Order No. 2001, 
67 FR 31043 (May 8, 2002), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,127, reh'g 
denied, Order No. 2001-A, 100 FERC ] 61,074, reh'g denied, Order No. 
2001-B, 100 FERC ] 61,342, order directing filing, Order No. 2001-C, 
101 FERC ] 61,314 (2002), order directing filing, Order No. 2001-D, 
102 FERC ] 61,334, order refining filing requirements, Order No. 
2001-E, 105 FERC ] 61,352 (2003), order on clarification, Order No. 
2001-F, 106 FERC ] 61,060 (2004), order revising filing 
requirements, Order No. 2001-G, 72 FR 56735 (Oct. 4, 2007), 120 FERC 
] 61,270, order on reh'g and clarification, Order No. 2001-H, 73 FR 
1876 (Jan. 10, 2008), 121 FERC ] 61,289 (2007), order revising 
filing requirements, Order No. 2001-I, 73 FR 65526 (Nov. 4, 2008), 
125 FERC ] 61,103 (2008).
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    Since issuing Order No. 2001, the Commission has provided guidance 
and refined the reporting requirements, as necessary, to reflect 
changes in the Commission's rules and regulations.\2\ The Commission 
also adopted an Electric Quarterly Report Data Dictionary, which 
provides in one document the definitions of certain terms and values 
used in filing EQR data.\3\
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    \2\ See, e.g., Revised Public Utility Filing Requirements for 
Electric Quarterly Reports, 124 FERC ] 61,244 (2008) (providing 
guidance on the filing of information on transmission capacity 
reassignments in EQRs); Notice of Electric Quarterly Reports 
Technical Conference, 73 FR 2477 (Jan. 15, 2008) (announcing a 
technical conference to discuss changes associated with the EQR Data 
Dictionary).
    \3\ Order No. 2001-G, 120 FERC ] 61,270 (2007).
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    To increase transparency broadly across all wholesale markets 
subject to the Commission's jurisdiction, the Commission issued Order 
No. 768 in 2012.\4\ Order No. 768 required market participants that are 
excluded from the Commission's jurisdiction under the Federal Power Act 
section 205 (non-public utilities) and have more than a de minimis 
market presence to file EQRs with the Commission. In addition, Order 
No. 768 revised the EQR filing requirements to build upon the 
Commission's prior improvements to the reporting requirements and 
further enhance the goals of providing greater price transparency, 
promoting competition, instilling confidence in the fairness of the 
markets, and providing a better means to detect and discourage anti-
competitive, discriminatory, and manipulative practices.
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    \4\ Order No. 768, 77 FR 61896 (Oct. 11, 2012), FERC Stats. & 
Regs. ] 31,336 (2012).
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    EQR information allows the public to assess supply and demand 
fundamentals and to price interstate wholesale market transactions. 
This, in turn, results in greater market confidence, lower transaction 
costs, and ultimately supports competitive markets. In addition, the 
data filed in the EQR strengthens the Commission's ability to exercise 
its wholesale electric rate and electric power transmission oversight 
and enforcement responsibilities in accordance with the Federal Power 
Act. Without this information, the Commission would lack some of the 
data it needs to examine and approve or modify electric rates.
    Type of Respondent: Public utilities, and non-public utilities with 
more than a de minimis market presence.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \5\ The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
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    \5\ ``Burden'' is 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, refer to Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
    The cost is based on FERC's 2019 average FTE (full-time 
equivalent) cost (wages plus benefits) of $80.00/hour. The 
Commission staff believes the FERC FTE cost for wages plus benefits 
is representative of the corresponding cost for the industry 
respondents.

                                   FERC-920: Electric Quarterly Reports (EQR)
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                                  Annual number of                                           Total annual burden
      Number of respondents         responses per     Total number of   Average burden hrs.     hours & total
                                     respondent          responses      & cost per response      annual cost
(1)                                            (2)     (1) * (2) = (3)  (4)................  (3) * (4) = (5)
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2,595...........................                 4              10,380  18.1 hrs.; $1,448..  187,878 hrs.;
                                                                                              $15,030,240
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    Dated: September 18, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-20515 Filed 9-20-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P