[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 128 (Wednesday, July 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55235-55236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-14672]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC24-22-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-537); 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-537 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: 
Construction, Acquisition, and Abandonment).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due September 3, 
2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket 
No. IC24-22-000) 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 
submitted to FERC as follows:
    [cir] Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE, 
Washington, DC 20426.
    [cir] All other services (including courier): Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the 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: Jean Sonneman may be reached by email 
at [email protected], telephone at (202) 502-6362.

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 is in place for the 
Commission to carry out its responsibilities under section 7 of the 
Natural Gas Act (NGA). Section 7 of the NGA \1\ requires natural gas 
companies to obtain Commission approval before constructing, extending, 
or abandoning facilities or service. The Commission reviews and 
analyses the information filed under the FERC-537 to determine whether 
to approve or deny the requested authorization. After reviewing the 
supplied information, the Commission may grant a request to construct 
or extend pipeline facilities or service by issuing a certificate of 
public convenience and necessity. 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.
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    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 717f.
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    The Commission implements section 7 of the NGA under regulations at 
18 CFR part 157.
    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. As applicable to the 
specific request, applicants may provide:
     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

[[Page 55236]]

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.
    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 annual burden
                                        Number of     of responses      Total number of     Average burden & cost   hours & total annual     Cost per
                                       respondents   per respondent        responses           per response \4\             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 (rounded).........  500 hrs.; $50,000....  21,500 hrs;                   $69,355
 Certificate and Abandonment                                                                                        $2,150,000.
 Applications).
18 CFR 157.53 (Pipeline Purging/                  1               1  1....................  50 hrs.; $5,000......  50 hrs.; $5,000......           5,000
 Testing Exemptions).
18 CFR 157.201-.209; 157.211;                    30           2.125  63.75................  200 hrs.; $20,000....  12,750 hrs.;                   42,500
 157.214-.218 (Blanket Certificates                                                                                 $1,275,000.
 Prior to Notice Filings).
18 CFR 157.201-.209; 157.211;                   176               1  176..................  50 hrs.; $5,000......  8,800hrs.; $880,000..           5,000
 157.214-.218 (Blanket
 Certificates--Annual Reports).
18 CFR 284.11 (NGPA Section 311                  75               1  75...................  50 hrs.; $5,000......  3,750 hrs.; $375,000.           5,000
 Construction--Annual Reports).
18 CFR 284.8 \6\ (Request for                    31            1.39  43 (rounded).........  10 hrs.; $1,000......  430 hrs.; $43,000....           1,390
 Waiver of Capacity Release
 Regulations).
18 CFR 284.13(e) and 284.126(a)                   2               1  2....................  30 hrs.; $3,000......  60 hrs.; $6,000......           3,000
 (Interstate and Intrastate Bypass
 Notice).
18 CFR 284.221 (Blanket                           1               1  1....................  100 hrs.; $10,000....  100 hrs.; $10,000....          10,000
 Certificates).
18 CFR 284.224 (Hinshaw Blanket                   2               1  2....................  75 hrs.; $7,500......  150 hrs.; $15,000....           7,500
 Certificates).
18 CFR 157.5-.11; 157.13-.20 (Non-               11            1.36  15...................  75 hrs.; $7,500......  1,125 hrs.; $112,500.          10,227
 facility Certificate or
 Abandonment Applications.
Project based Labor wages..........              22               1  22...................  15 hrs. $1,500.......  330 hrs. $33,000.....           1,500
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    Total..........................  ..............  ..............  444 (rounded)........  .....................  49,045 hrs.;           ..............
                                                                                                                    $4,539,000.
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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 * $100.00/hour 
= Average cost/response. The figure is the 2024 FERC average hourly 
cost (for wages and benefits) of 100.00 (and an average annual 
salary of $207,786/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: June 27, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2024-14672 Filed 7-2-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P