[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 200 (Wednesday, October 16, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55313-55314]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-22530]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC19-35-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-515) Comment 
Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.

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 (PRA), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission 
or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved 
information collection, FERC-515 (Declaration of Intention).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due December 16, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC19-35-
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: FERC-515 (Declaration of Intention).
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0079.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-515 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting 
requirements.
    Abstract: The Commission uses the information collected under the 
requirements of FERC-515 to implement the statutory provisions of 
Section 23(b) of the Federal Power Act (FPA).\1\ Section 23(b) 
authorizes the Commission to make a determination as to whether it has 
jurisdiction over a proposed water project \2\ not affecting navigable 
waters \3\ but across, along, over, or in waters over which Congress 
has jurisdiction under its authority to regulate commerce with foreign 
nations

[[Page 55314]]

and among the several States. Section 23(b) requires that any person 
intending to construct project works on such waters must file a 
declaration of their intention with the Commission. If the Commission 
finds the proposed project will have an impact on interstate or foreign 
commerce, then the entity intending to construct the project must 
obtain a Commission license or exemption before starting 
construction.\4\
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    \1\ 16 U.S.C. 817.
    \2\ Dams or project works (16 U.S.C. 817).
    \3\ See 16 U.S.C. 796 (8) for the definition of ``Navigable 
Waters.''
    \4\ Upon a finding of non-jurisdictional by the Commission, and 
if the project does not utilize surplus water or waterpower from a 
government dam and no public lands or reservations are affected, 
permission is granted upon compliance with State laws.
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    The information is collected in the form of a written application, 
containing sufficient details to allow the Commission staff to research 
the jurisdictional aspects of the project. This research includes 
examining maps and land ownership records to establish whether or not 
there is Federal jurisdiction over the lands and waters affected by the 
project. A finding of non-jurisdictional by the Commission eliminates a 
substantial paperwork burden for the applicant who might otherwise have 
to file for a license or exemption application. The Commission 
implements these filing requirements under 18 CFR part 24.
    Type of Respondents: Persons intending to construct project works 
on certain waters described above.
    Estimate of Annual Burden. \5\ The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden and cost \6\ for the information collection as:
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    \5\ 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.
    \6\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the 
following formula: Average Burden Hours per Response * $80.00/hour = 
Average cost/response. The figure is the 2019 FERC average hourly 
cost (for wages and benefits) of $80.00 (and an average annual 
salary of $167,091/year). Commission staff is using the estimate for 
FERC average wages and benefits because we consider resources 
completing the FERC-515 to be compensated at rates similar to FERC 
employees.

                                       FERC-515--Declaration of Intention
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                               Annual  number                                      Total annual
                                of  responses   Total  number   Average burden    burden hours &     Cost per
    Number of respondents            per        of  responses  hours & cost ($)    total annual   respondent ($)
                                 respondent                      per response       cost  ($)
(1)                                       (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4).............  (3) * (4) = (5)       (5) / (1)
                                                          (3)
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6............................               1               6  80 hrs.;........  480 hrs.;......          $6,400
                                                               $6,400..........  $38,400........
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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 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 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: October 9, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-22530 Filed 10-15-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P