[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 219 (Tuesday, November 15, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68480-68481]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-24816]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC22-33-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-547); Comment 
Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

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-547 (Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund Report 
Requirements), which will be submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due December 15, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC-547 to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) through www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, 
Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. Please 
identify the OMB Control Number 1902-0084 (Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund 
Report Requirements) 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. 
IC22-33-000 and FERC-547) to the Commission as noted below. Electronic 
filing through https://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:
    [ssquf] Mail via U.S. Postal Service only, addressed to: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First 
Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
    [ssquf] Hand (including courier) delivery to: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
    Please reference the specific collection number(s) (FERC-547) and/
or title(s) (Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund Report Requirements) in your 
comments.
    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: https://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

[[Page 68481]]

comments and issuances in this docket may do so at https://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: Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund Report Requirements.
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0084.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-547 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting 
requirements.
    Abstract: The Commission uses FERC-547 (Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund 
Report Requirements) to implement the statutory refund provisions 
governed by Sections 4 and 16 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA).\1\ Section 
4 authorizes the Commission to order a refund (with interest) for any 
portion of a natural gas company's increased rate or charge found to be 
unjust or unreasonable. Refunds may also be instituted by a natural gas 
company as a stipulation to a Commission-approved settlement agreement 
or a provision under the company's tariff. Section 16 of the NGA 
authorizes the Commission to prescribe rules and regulations necessary 
to administer its refund mandates. The Commission's refund reporting 
requirements are located in 18 CFR 154.501 (Refund Obligations) and 
154.502 (Reports).
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 717-717w.
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    The Commission uses the data collected in FERC-547 to monitor 
refunds owed by natural gas companies to ensure that the flow-through 
of refunds owed by these companies are made as expeditiously as 
possible and to assure that refunds are made in compliance with the 
Commission's regulations.
    Type of Respondents: Natural gas companies.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \2\ Refund obligations occur following a 
Commission determination of unjust or unreasonable rates. Due to the 
nature of determinations on an ad hoc basis, the Commission estimate is 
based on the average number of refund obligations. 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. For 
further explanation of what is included in the information 
collection burden, reference 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
    \3\ FERC staff estimates that industry costs for salary plus 
benefits are similar to Commission costs. The cost figure is the 
FY2022 FERC average annual salary plus benefits ($188,992/year or 
$91/hour).

                                                FERC-547--Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund Report Requirements
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                                         Number of                          Average burden  hours &                                          Cost per
        Number of respondents          responses per  Total number  of   average cost \3\  per response   Total annual  burden hours  &     respondent
                                        respondent        responses                   ($)                    total  annual cost  ($)            ($)
(1)                                              (2)   (1) x (2) = (3)  (4)............................  (3) x (4) = (5)................     (5) / (1) =
                                                                                                                                                     (6)
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22..................................               2                44  2 hrs.; $182...................  88 hrs.; $8,008................            $364
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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: November 8, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-24816 Filed 11-14-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P