[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 229 (Thursday, December 2, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68489-68490]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-26189]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC21-39-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form 580); 
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 the currently approved 
information collection, FERC Form 580 (Interrogatory on Fuel and Energy 
Purchase Practices Pursuant to Section 205 of the Federal Power Act), 
which will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for a review of the information collection requirements. The Commission 
received no comments on the 60-day notice.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due January 3, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC Form 580 to OMB through 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the OMB Control Number 1902-
0137 in the subject line. Your comments should be sent within 30 days 
of publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
    Please submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket No. 
IC21-39-000) to the Commission as noted below. 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 to: Federal Energy 
Regulatory

[[Page 68490]]

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 http://www.ferc.gov.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: FERC Form 580 (Interrogatory on Fuel and Energy Purchase 
Practices Pursuant to Section 205 of the Federal Power Act).
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0137.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC Form 580 with no 
substantive changes to the current reporting requirements. 
Administrative changes to update the form are being made, as described 
below.
    Abstract: The Commission collects FERC Form 580 information every 
other year as required under Section 205(f)(2) of the FPA,\1\ which 
provides that the Commission must review, ``not less frequently than 
every 2 years,'' practices under automatic adjustment clauses 
(AACs).\2\ As required by FPA section 205(f)(2), the Commission uses 
the information collected through the FERC Form 580 interrogatory to 
review utility purchase and cost recovery practices under AACs in order 
to ensure efficient use of resources.\3\ The Commission uses the 
information to evaluate costs in individual rate filings and to 
supplement periodic utility audits. The public also uses the 
information in this manner. Without the FERC Form 580 interrogatory, 
the Commission would not have the requisite information available to 
conduct the necessary review the FPA mandates.
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    \1\ 16 U.S.C. 824d(f)(2).
    \2\ An automatic adjustment clause is a provision of a rate 
schedule which provides for increases or decreases (or both), 
without prior hearing, in rates reflecting increases or decreases 
(or both) in costs incurred by an electric utility. For additional 
information on AACs, see the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) and 
Desk Reference for FERC Form 580 on the Commission's website.
    \3\ By using the data in FERC Form 580, the Commission is able 
to review utility purchase and cost recovery practices and ensure 
the resources are in compliance with Commission regulations in 18 
CFR 35.14.
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    Type of Respondents: The filing must be submitted by all FERC-
jurisdictional utilities owning and/or operating at least one steam-
electric generating station of 50 MW or greater capacity or having a 
majority ownership interest in a jointly-owned steam-electric 
generating station of at least 50 MW. A jurisdictional utility without 
a cost-based tariff on file with the Commission is not required to file 
the form.
    Administrative Updates to the FERC Form 580: Continuing on from the 
data collection that was requested from October 2020, the Commission 
will be issuing a request in 2022 for similar data that was authorized 
in the last renewal for FERC Form 580.\4\ The request will solicit the 
same information as the previous request, except that the years will be 
changed from 2018-2019 to 2020-2021. In this case, the updated year 
designations will appear in questions 2 through 8 of FERC Form 580, as 
well as in question 5 of the Privileged Addendum to the FERC Form 580.
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    \4\ The current OMB approval (ICR 201908-1902-015) was issued on 
April 23, 2020, and expires January 31, 2023. While that approval 
includes the timeframe for the Commission's next required use of 
FERC-580 in 2022, we are submitting this request in order to update 
(administrative updates) FERC Form 580 for the data collection in 
2022, and to request renewal of FERC-580 for another 3 years.
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    Estimate of Annual Burden.\5\ The Commission estimates the annual 
\6\ public reporting burden and cost \7\ 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 FERC Form 580 interrogatory is conducted every two 
years.
    \7\ Commission staff estimates that the industry's average 
hourly cost for this information collection is approximated by the 
FERC's average hourly cost (for wages and benefits) for 2021, or 
$87.00/hour.

                                                                      FERC Form 580
                         [Interrogatory on Fuel and Energy Purchase Practices Pursuant to Section 205 of the Federal Power Act]
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                                                                                                                                             Annual cost
                                  Number of    Annual number   Total number   Average burden and cost ($)    Total annual burden hours and       per
                                 respondents   of responses    of responses           per response               total annual cost ($)        respondent
                                              per respondent                                                                                     ($)
                                         (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4)........................  (3) * (4) = (5).................    (5) / (1)
                                                                         (3)
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Respondents with FACs \8\......           24             0.5              12  103 hrs.; $8,961.00........  1,236.0 hrs.; $107,532.00.......    $4,480.50
Respondents with AACs, but no             12             0.5               6  20 hrs.; $1,740.00.........  120.0 hrs.; $10,440.00..........       870.00
 FACs.
Respondents with no AACs and no           23             0.5            11.5  2 hrs.; $174.00............  23.0 hrs.; $2,001.00............        87.00
 FACs.
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    Total......................  ...........  ..............            29.5  ...........................  1,379.0 hrs.; $119,173.00.......  ...........
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    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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    \8\ Fuel Adjustment Clause (FAC).

    Dated: November 26, 2021.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-26189 Filed 12-1-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P