[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 225 (Friday, November 20, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74335-74337]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-25676]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC20-25-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-717); Comment 
Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of extension information collection and request for 
comments.

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[[Page 74336]]

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 extension to the information 
collection, FERC-717 (Standards for Business Practices and 
Communication Protocols for Public Utilities), which will be submitted 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due December 21, 
2020.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on the information collections to OMB 
through www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Attention: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the OMB Control 
Number (1902-0173) in the subject line of your comments. Comments 
should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in 
Docket No. IC20-25-000, by any of the following methods:
     eFiling at Commission's Website: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
     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 July 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:
    OMB submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance with 
submission guidelines at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Using the 
search function under the Currently Under Review field, select Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission; click submit, and select comment to the 
right of the subject collection.
    FERC 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-717, Standards for Business Practices and Communication 
Protocols for Public Utilities.
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0173.
    Type of Request: Three-year approval of the FERC-717 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting 
requirements.\1\
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    \1\ This notice does not address the NOPR for RM05-29 and RM05-
30.
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    Abstract: This notice pertains to a requirement that Tranmission 
Providers \2\ provide certain information regarding their transmission 
operations on an Open Access Same-Time Information System (OASIS). This 
requirement was established because the Commission has determined that 
Transmission Customers \3\ must have simultaneous access to the same 
information available to the Transmission Provider in order to receive 
nondiscriminatory transmission services in accordance with section 205 
of the Federal Power Act.\4\
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    \2\ Under 18 CFR 37.3(a), a Transmission Provider is any public 
utility that owns, operates, or controls facilities used for the 
transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce.
    \3\ Under 18 CFR 37.3(b), a Transmission Customer is any 
eligible customer (or its designated agent) that can or does execute 
a gtransmission service agreement or can or does receive 
transmission service.
    \4\ 16 U.S.C. 824d.
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    Regulations at 18 CFR part 37 authorize Transmission Providers to 
operate an OASIS either individually or jointly with other Transmission 
Providers. Thse regulations also provide that a Transmission Provider 
may delegate this responsibility to a Responsible Party \5\ such as 
another Transmission Provider, an Independent System Operator, a 
Regional Tranmission Group, or a Regional Reliability Council.
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    \5\ Under 18 CFR 37.3(c), a Responsible Party is a Transmission 
Provider or an agent to whom the Transmission Provider has delegated 
the responsibility of meeting any of the requirements of 18 CFR part 
37.
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    The information that must be posted at OASIS sites is listed at 18 
CFR 37.6. The required postings include business practices, 
communication protocols, transfer capacity, transmission service 
products, and prices. Some of the required business practices and 
communication protocols are incorporated by reference at 18 CFR 38.1.
    The 60-day notice was published on September 14, 2020 (85 FR 56595) 
and no comments were received during the comment period.
    Type of Respondents: Transmission Providers and Responsible 
Parties.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \6\ The Commission's burden estimate 
accounts for the likely double-counting of responses in previous 
information collection requests, which did not recognize that a 
Transmission Provider may operate an OASIS site jointly with another 
Transmission Provider, or may delegate the relevant responsibilities to 
a Responsible Party. The responses submitted at present are our best 
estimate.
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    \6\ 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 CFR 1320.3.

                             FERC-717, Standards for Business Practices and Communication Protocols for Public Utilities \7\
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                                                      Annual number
Information collection requirements     Number of     of responses    Total number    Average burden hours & cost per      Total annual burden hours &
                                       respondents   per respondent   of responses              response \8\                    total annual cost
                                                (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4)..............................  (3) * (4) = (5)
                                                                                (3)
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FERC-717 (renewal).................             162               1             162  30 hrs.; $2,490..................  4,860 hrs.; $403,380
FERC-717 (compliance with                       165               1             165  10 hrs.; \10\ $830...............  1,650 hrs.; $136,950
 standards, one-time burden) \9\.
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    Total..........................  ..............  ..............             327  .................................  6,510 hrs.; $540,330
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[[Page 74337]]

    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\ This collection includes the one-time burden of 10 hrs. 
(over a 3 year period of time) for the Final Rule RM05-25,05-26,05-
27 [ICR Reference No: 202002-1902-006] and will not affect the NOPR 
RM05-5-29, 05-30 issued in the Federal Register on 9/04/2020 and has 
not been submitted to OMB to date.
    \8\ The Commission staff thinks that the average respondent for 
this collection is similarly situated to the Commission, in terms of 
salary plus benefits. Based upon FERC's FY 2020 annual average of 
$172,329, (for salary plus benefits), the average hourly cost is 
$83/hour.
    \9\ FERC-717 corresponds to OMB Control No. 1902-0173 that 
identifies the information collection associated with Standards for 
Business Practices and Communication Protocols for Public Utilities.
    \10\ The 30-hour estimate was developed in the Final Rule in 
Docket No. RM05-5-025, -026, and -027 (Order 676-I), which was 
issued on 2/4/2020 and published in the Federal Register on 2/25/
2020 (85 FR 10571 (FERC-717, 165 * 30 = 4,950 hrs./3 = 1,650 hrs./
year)

    Dated: November 16, 2020.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2020-25676 Filed 11-19-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P