[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 97 (Friday, May 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27589-27591]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-10694]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC21-24-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-537); Comment 
Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.

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[[Page 27590]]

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-537 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: 
Construction, Acquisition, and Abandonment).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due July 20, 2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket 
No. IC21-24-000) by one of the following methods:
    Electronic filing through http://www.ferc.gov is preferred.
     Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable 
native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture 
format.
     For those unable to file electronically, comments may be 
filed by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery:
    [cir] Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Addressed to: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First 
Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
    [cir] Hand (including courier) Delivery: Deliver to: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 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-537 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, 
Acquisition, and Abandonment).
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0060.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-537 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
    Abstract: The FERC-537 information collection requires natural gas 
companies to file information with FERC in order for the Commission to 
determine if the requested certificate should be authorized. Section 7 
of the Natural Gas Act \1\ requires natural gas companies to obtain 
Commission approval before constructing, extending, or abandoning 
facilities or service. The Commission implements section 7 primarily 
under regulations at 18 CFR part 157, subpart A. In addition, some 
regulations at 18 CFR part 284 are involved.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 7f7f.
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    When the Commission grants a request to construct or extend 
pipeline facilities or service, it issues a certificate of public 
convenience and necessity.
    The data generally required to be submitted in a certificate filing 
consists of identification of the company and responsible officials, 
factors considered in the location of the facilities and the impact on 
the area for environmental considerations. Also, to be submitted are 
the following, as applicable to the specific request:
     Flow diagrams showing the design capacity for engineering 
design verification and safety determination;
     Cost of proposed facilities, plans for financing, and 
estimated revenues and expenses related to the proposed facility for 
accounting and financial evaluation; or
     Existing and proposed storage capacity and pressures and 
reservoir engineering studies for requests to increase storage 
capacity.
    Applications for an order authorizing abandonment of facilities or 
service must contain a statement providing in detail the reasons for 
the requested abandonment and must contain exhibits listed at 18 CFR 
157.18, as well as an affidavit showing the consent of existing 
customers. With some exceptions, such applications also must include an 
environmental report.
    Applicants filing in accordance with 18 CFR part 157, subpart A 
(either for a certificate or for abandonment) generally must make a 
good-faith effort to provide notice of the application to all affected 
landowners, towns, communities, and government agencies.
    Certain self-implementing construction and abandonment programs do 
not require the filing of applications. However, those types of 
programs do require the filing of annual reports, so many less 
significant actions can be reported in a single filing/response and 
less detail would be required. Additionally, requests for an increase 
of pipeline capacity must include a statement that demonstrates 
compliance with the Commission's Certificate Policy Statement by making 
a showing that the cost of the expansion will not be subsidized by 
existing customers and that there will not be adverse economic impacts 
to existing customers, competing pipelines or their customers, nor to 
landowners and to surrounding communities.
    The Commission reviews and analyses the information filed under the 
regulations subject to FERC-537 to determine whether to approve or deny 
the requested authorization. If the Commission failed to collect these 
data, it would lose its ability to review relevant information to 
determine whether the requested certificate should be authorized.
    Type of Respondents: Jurisdictional 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. Refer to 
5 CFR 1320.3 for additional information.
    \3\ Changes to estimated number of respondents were based on 
average number of respondents over the past three years.
    \4\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the 
following formula: Average Burden Hours per Response * $83.00/hour = 
Average cost/response. The figure is the 2021 FERC average hourly 
cost (for wages and benefits) of $83.00 (and an average annual 
salary of $172,329/year). Commission staff is using the FERC average 
salary because we consider any reporting requirements completed in 
response to the FERC-537 to be compensated at rates similar to the 
work of FERC employees.
    \5\ Each of the figures in this column are rounded to the 
nearest dollar.
    \6\ A Certificate Abandonment Application would require waiver 
of the Commission's capacity release regulations in 18 CFR 284.8; 
therefore this activity is associated with Interstate Certificate 
and Abandonment Applications.

[[Page 27591]]



                                   FERC-537 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition, and Abandonment) 3
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                                                  Annual number
                                    Number of     of responses     Total number    Average burden &  cost   Total annual burden  hours &     Cost per
                                   respondents   per respondent    of responses       per response \4\           total annual cost        respondent ($)
                                            (1)             (2)  (1) * (2) = (3)  (4)....................  (3) * (4) = (5)..............     (5) / (1) 5
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18 CFR 157.5-.11 (Interstate                 31            1.39               43  500 hrs.; $41,500......  21,500 hrs; $1,784,500.......         $57,565
 Certificate and Abandonment
 Applications).
18 CFR 157.53 (Pipeline Purging/              1               1                1  50 hrs.; $4,150........  50 hrs.; $4,150..............           4,150
 Testing Exemptions).
18 CFR 157.201-.209; 157.211;                24           2.125               51  200 hrs.; $16,600......  10,200 hrs.; $846,600........          35,275
 157.214-.218 (Blanket
 Certificates Prior to Notice
 Filings).
18 CFR 157.201-.209; 157.211;               162               1              162  50 hrs.; $4,150........  8,100 hrs.; $672,300.........           4,150
 157.214-.218 (Blanket
 Certificates--Annual Reports).
18 CFR 284.11 (NGPA Section 311              75               1               75  50 hrs.; $4,150........  3,750 hrs.; $311,250.........           4,150
 Construction--Annual Reports).
18 CFR 284.8 6 (Request for                  31            1.39               43  10 hrs.: $830..........  430 hrs.; $35,690............          830.00
 Waiver of Capacity Release
 Regulations).
18 CFR 284.13(e) and 284.126(a)               2               1                2  30 hrs.; $2,490........  60 hrs.; $4,980..............           2,490
 (Interstate and Intrastate
 Bypass Notice).
18 CFR 284.221 (Blanket                       1               1                1  100 hrs.; $8,300.......  100 hrs.; $8,300.............           8,300
 Certificates).
18 CFR 284.224 (Hinshaw Blanket               1               1                1  75 hrs.; $6,225........  75 hrs.; $6,225..............           6,225
 Certificates).
18 CFR 157.5-.11; 157.13-.20                 11            1.36               15  75 hrs.; $6,225........  1,125 hrs.; $93,375..........           8,489
 (Non-facility Certificate or
 Abandonment Applications.
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    Total......................  ..............  ..............              394  .......................  45,390 hrs.; $3,767,370......  ..............
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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.

    Dated: May 14, 2021.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-10694 Filed 5-20-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P