[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 215 (Thursday, November 5, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70606-70607]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-24552]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC21-3-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-725d); 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 a renewal of currently approved 
information collection, FERC-725D (Facilities Design, Connections and 
Maintenance Reliability Standards).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due January 4, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC21-3-
000) by one of the following methods:
     eFiling at Commission's Website: http://www.ferc.gov.
     U.S. Postal Service Mail: Persons unable to file 
electronically may mail similar pleadings to the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426
     Effective 7/1/2020, delivery of filings other than by 
eFiling or the U.S. Postal Service should be delivered to Health and 
Human Services, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
    Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in 
accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov. For user 
assistance, contact FERC Online Support by email at 
[email protected], or by phone at (866) 208-3676 (toll-free).
    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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  Ellen Brown may be reached by email 
at [email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: FERC-725D,\1\ Facilities Design, Connections and Maintenance 
Reliability Standards.
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    \1\ This renewal is being submitted to extend the OMB expiration 
date and will not have an effect on the Docket No. RD20-4 that is 
being addressed separately.
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    OMB Control No.: 1902-0247.
    Type of Request: Three-year approval of the FERC-725D information 
collection requirements, with no changes to the reporting or 
recordkeeping requirements. (There are adjustments to the estimates to 
update the totals that represent the numbers reflected in the NERC 
Compliance Registry as of July 17, 2020.)
    Abstract: On August 8, 2005, The Electricity Modernization Act of 
2005, which is Title XII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), 
was enacted into law. EPAct 2005 added a new section 215 to the Federal 
Power Act (FPA), which requires a Commission-certified Electric 
Reliability Organization (ERO) to develop mandatory and enforceable 
Reliability Standards, subject to Commission review and approval. Once 
approved, the Reliability Standards may be enforced by the ERO, subject 
to Commission oversight, or by the Commission independently. Section 
215 of the FPA requires a Commission-certified ERO to develop mandatory 
and enforceable Reliability Standards, subject to Commission review and 
approval. Once approved, the Reliability Standards may be enforced by 
the ERO subject to Commission oversight or by the Commission 
independently. In 2006, the Commission certified NERC (now called the 
North American Electric Reliability Corporation) as the ERO pursuant to 
section 215 of the FPA. On March 16, 2007 (pursuant to section 215(d) 
of the FPA), the Commission issued Order No. 693, approving 83 of the 
107 initial Reliability Standards filed by NERC. In the intervening 
years, numerous changes have been made to update, eliminate, or 
establish various Reliability Standards.
    The information collected by FERC-725D is required to implement the 
statutory provisions of section 215 of the Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 
U.S.C. 824c). Pursuant to section 215 of the Federal Power Act 
(FPA),\2\ in Order 836,\3\ the commission approved the following 
standards, FAC-001-2 (Facility Interconnection Requirements), FAC-002-2 
(Facility Interconnection Requirements) FAC-001-3 (Facility 
Interconnection Requirements). Reliability Standard FAC-001-2 requires 
each transmission owner and applicable generator owner to document 
facility interconnection requirements, and to make them available upon 
request to entities seeking to interconnect. In addition, Reliability 
Standard FAC-001-2 requires each transmission owner and applicable 
generator owner to include procedures for coordinating studies to 
determine the impact of interconnecting facilities on existing 
interconnections as well as on affected systems.
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    \2\ 16 U.S.C. 824(o).
    \3\ Order 836 in Docket No. RM16-13 was issued on 9/20/2017 and 
is posted at https://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/opennat.asp?fileID=14684897.
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    Reliability Standard FAC-002-2 requires each transmission planner 
and each planning coordinator to study the reliability impact of 
interconnecting new--or materially modifying existing--generation, 
transmission, or electricity end-user facilities on affected systems. 
In particular, Reliability Standard FAC-002-2 requires transmission 
planners and planning coordinators to perform steady-state, short-
circuit, and dynamic studies to evaluate system performance under both 
normal and contingency conditions. In addition, Reliability Standard 
FAC-002-2 requires each generator owner seeking to interconnect, each 
transmission owner, each distribution provider, and each load-serving 
entity that is seeking to interconnect new--or materially modifying 
existing--transmission facilities or end-user facilities to coordinate 
and cooperate on studies with its transmission planner and planning 
coordinator. Reliability Standard FAC-001-3 (Transmission Owners) are 
set out to avoid adverse impacts on the reliability of the Bulk 
Electric System, Transmission Owners and applicable Generator Owners 
must document and make Facility interconnection requirements available 
so that entities seeking to interconnect will have the necessary 
information.
    Type of Respondents: PA/PC, TP, TO, DP, & GO.\4\
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    \4\ PA = Planning Authority; PC = Planning Coordinator; TO = 
Transmission Owner; GO = Generator Owner; DP = Distribution 
Provider; TP = Transmission Provider.

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[[Page 70607]]

    Estimate of Annual Burden \5\ and Cost: \6\ The Commission 
estimates an increase (adjustment) in the annual public reporting 
burden for the FERC-725D that follow the two standards FAC-001-3 and 
FAC-002-2. FAC-002-2 which increased from 1,206 to 1,542 and FAC-001-3 
(Formerly FAC-001-2) which has no change, remains at 161 responses. 
1,542 responses + 161 responses for at total of 1,703 responses, as 
shown below in the table:
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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. For 
further explanation of what is included in the information 
collection burden, refer to 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
    \6\ Commission staff estimates that the industry's skill set and 
cost (for wages and benefits) for FERC-725D are approximately the 
same as the Commission's average cost. The FERC 2020 average salary 
plus benefits for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is $172,329/
year (or $83.00/hour). See footnote 4.

                            FERC-725D: Mandatory Reliability Standards: FAC (Facilities, Design, Connections, and Maintenance)
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                                                Annual  number                                                                                Average
                                  Number of      of  responses   Total number     Average burden  hours   Total annual  burden hours and   annual  cost
                               respondents \7\        per        of responses    and cost  per response          total annual cost              per
                                                  respondent                                                                                respondent
                                           (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4).....................  (3) * (4) = (5)...............       (5) / (1)
                                                                           (3)
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Annual Reporting and                     1,703               1           1,703  270 hrs.; $22,410.......  459,810 hrs.; $38,164,230.....         $22,410
 Recordkeeping (PA/PC, TP,
 TO, DP, & GO).
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    Total FERC-725D..........            1,703               1           1,703  270 hrs.; $22,410.......  459,810 hrs.; $38,164,230.....          22,410
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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 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.
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    \7\ The total number of planning authorities, transmission 
planners and transmission owners, generator owners and distribution 
providers equals 1,703.

    Dated: October 30, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-24552 Filed 11-4-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P