[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 28, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40554-40555]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-16063]


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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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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-537 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: 
Construction, Acquisition, and Abandonment), which will be submitted to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due August 27, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC-537 to OMB through 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the OMB Control Number (1902-
0060) 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.
    Please submit copies of your comments to the Commission. 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: 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 https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview.

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 the necessary information with FERC in order for the 
Commission to determine if the requested certificate should be 
authorized. The data required to be submitted in a normal 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.
     Existing and proposed storage capacity and pressures and 
reservoir engineering studies for requests to increase storage 
capacity;
     An affidavit showing the consent of existing customers for 
abandonment of service requests.
    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

[[Page 40555]]

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. The 
60-day notice published on May 21, 2021 \1\ and received no comments.
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    \1\ 86 FR 27589.
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    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.

                                  FERC-537 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition, and Abandonment) \3\
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                                                        Annual number                                             Total average  annual      Cost per
                                          Number of     of  responses   Total number    Average annual burden &   burden  hours & total     respondent
                                         respondents   per respondent   of  responses    cost per response \4\         annual  cost             ($)
                                                  (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4).....................  (3) * (4) = (5)........   (5) / (1) \5\
                                                                                  (3)
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18 CFR 157.5-.11 (Interstate                       31            1.39           43.09  500 hrs.; $41,500.......  21,545 hrs; $1,788,235.         $57,685
 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; 157.214-             24           2.125              51  200 hrs.; $16,600.......  10,200 hrs.; $846,600..          35,275
 .218 (Blanket Certificates Prior to
 Notice Filings).
18 CFR 157.201-.209; 157.211; 157.214-            162               1             162  50 hrs.; $4,150.........  8,100 hrs.; $672,300...           4,150
 .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 Waiver               31            1.39           43.09  10 hrs.; $830...........  430.90 hrs.; $35,764.70        1,153.70
 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 Certificates)               1               1               1  100 hrs.; $8,300........  100 hrs.; $8,300.......           8,300
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 (Non-                 11            1.36           14.96  75 hrs.; $6,225.........  1,122 hrs.; $93,126....           8,466
 facility Certificate or Abandonment
 Applications.
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    Total............................  ..............  ..............          394.14  ........................  45,432.90 hrs.;          ..............
                                                                                                                  $3,770,930.70.
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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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    \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 2020 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.

    Dated: July 22, 2021.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-16063 Filed 7-27-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P