[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 52 (Thursday, March 17, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15235-15236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-05641]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC22-8-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-1000); Comment 
Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Three-year renewal 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-1000 (Request for a Medical Exception to 
the COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due May 16, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket 
No. IC22-8-000) 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 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], or telephone at (202) 502-8663.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

[[Page 15236]]

    Title: FERC-1000, Request for a Medical Exception to the COVID-19 
Vaccination Requirement.
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0320.
    Abstract: The purpose of this three-year renewal of the information 
collection is to allow the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to 
collect information from FERC employees (and their medical providers) 
applying for a medical exception to the COVID-19 Vaccination 
Requirement as specified in Part 2 of FERC Form No. 1000.\1\
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    \1\ The vaccination requirement issued pursuant to E.O. 14043, 
is currently the subject of a nationwide injunction. While that 
injunction remains in place, the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (FERC) will not process requests for a medical exception 
from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to E.O. 14043. 
FERC will also not request the submission of any medical information 
related to a request for an exception from the vaccination 
requirement pursuant to E.O. 14043 while the injunction remains in 
place. But FERC may nevertheless receive information regarding a 
medical exception. That is because, if FERC were to receive a 
request for an exception from the COVID-19 vaccination requirement 
pursuant to E.O. 14043 during the pendency of the injunction, FERC 
will accept the request, hold it in abeyance, and notify the 
employee who submitted the request that implementation and 
enforcement of the COVID-19 vaccination requirement pursuant to E.O. 
14043 is currently enjoined and that an exception therefore is not 
necessary so long as the injunction is in place. In other words, 
during the pendency of the injunction, any information collection 
related to requests for medical exception from the COVID-19 
vaccination requirement pursuant to E.O. 14043 is not undertaken to 
implement or enforce the COVID-19 vaccination requirement.
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    Consistent with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), guidance from the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force 
established pursuant to Executive Order 13991 of January 20, 2021, 
Protecting the Federal Workforce and Requiring Mask-Wearing, and 
Executive Order 14043 of September 9, 2021, Requiring Coronavirus 
Disease 2019 Vaccination for Federal Employees, the request for this 
information collection is essential to implement the Commission's 
health and safety measures regarding the federal employee medical 
exceptions to the COVID-19 mandatory vaccinations. In addition, the 
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, requires Federal Agencies to 
provide reasonable accommodations to qualified employees with 
disabilities unless that reasonable accommodation would impose an undue 
hardship on the employee's Agency. See 29 U.S.C. 791 and 29 CFR part 
1614; see also 20 CFR part 1630 and Executive Order 13164 of July 26, 
2000, Requiring Federal Agencies to Establish Procedures to Facilitate 
the Provision of Reasonable Accommodation. Section 2 of E.O. 14043 
mandates that each agency, ``implement, to the extent consistent with 
applicable law, a program to require COVID-19 vaccination for all of 
its Federal employees, with exceptions only as required by law.'' This 
medical exception form (FERC Form No. 1000) is necessary for the 
Commission to determine whether to grant medical exceptions to the 
vaccine requirement under the Rehabilitation Act.
    The information being requested helps promote the safety of the 
Federal workforce, Federal buildings, and others on site at FERC 
facilities. This collection is consistent with the COVID-19 Workplace 
Safety Agency Model Safety Principles established by the White House 
Safer Federal Workforce Task Force and guidance from the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention.
    Type of Respondent: Medical Providers.
    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 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.

                                                       FERC-1000: Request for a Medical Exception to the COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement
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                                                           Annual  number
                                              Number of     of  responses   Total  number
                                             respondents         per        of  responses     Average  burden &  cost per  response \3\       Total annual  burden hours &  total annual cost
                                                             respondent
                                                      (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4)...........................................  (3) * (4) = (5)
                                                                                      (3)
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Medical Provider.........................              24               1              24  30 minutes (\1/2\ hour); $72..................  720 minutes (12 hours); $1,728.
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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\ Cost estimates are based on industry costs for general 
internal medicine physicians (29-1216) defined by the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics. The cost figure for the general internal medicine 
physicians in 2021 was an average annual salary plus benefits of 
$300,076/year or $144/hour.

    Dated: March 11, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-05641 Filed 3-16-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P