[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 10, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11541-11542]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04665]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC26-2-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-915) 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, FERC-915 (Public
Utility Market-Based Rate Authorization Holders--Records Retention
Requirements), will be submitted to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review. There are no proposed changes to the record retention
requirements.
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due April 9, 2026.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC-915 to OMB through https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRA/icrPublicCommentRequest?ref_nbr=202601-1902-007. You can also visit https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain
and use the drop-down under ``Currently under Review'' to select the
``Federal Energy Regulatory Commission'' where you can see the open
opportunities to provide comments. Comments should be sent within 30
days of publication of this notice.
Please submit a copy of your comments to the Commission via email
to [email protected]. You must specify the Docket No. (IC26-2-000)
and the FERC Information Collection number (FERC-915) in your email. If
you are unable to file electronically, comments may be filed by USPS
mail or by hand (including courier) delivery:
Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street
NE, Washington, DC 20426.
All other delivery methods: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, MD 20852.
Docket: To view comments and issuances in this docket, please visit
https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kayla Williams, (202) 502-6468.
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC-915, Public Utility Market-Based Rate Authorization
Holders--Records Retention Requirements.
OMB Control No.: 1902-0250.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-915 information
collection requirements with no changes to the current record retention
requirements.
Abstract: In accordance with the Federal Power Act, the Department
of Energy Organization Act (DOE Act), and the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(EPAct 2005), the Commission regulates the transmission and wholesale
sales of electricity in interstate commerce, monitors and investigates
energy markets, uses civil penalties and other means against energy
organizations and individuals who violate FERC rules in the energy
markets, administers accounting and financial reporting regulations,
and oversees the conduct of regulated companies.
The Commission imposes the FERC-915 record retention requirements
(18 CFR 35.41(d)) on applicable sellers to retain, for a period of five
years, all data and information upon which they bill the prices charged
for ``electric energy or electric energy products sold pursuant to
Seller's market-based rate tariff, and the prices it reported for use
in price indices.''
The record retention period of five years is necessary due to the
importance of records related to any investigation of possible
wrongdoing and related to assuring compliance with the codes of conduct
and the integrity of the market. The requirement is also necessary to
ensure consistency with the rule prohibiting market manipulation
(adopted in Order No. 670) \1\ and the generally applicable statute of
limitations where the Commission seeks civil penalties for violations
of the Anti-Manipulation Rules or other rules, regulations, or orders
to which the price data may be relevant.
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\1\ Prohibition of Energy Market Manipulation, Order No. 670, 71
FR 4244 (Jan. 26, 2006), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,202 (2006).
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Type of Respondent: Sellers, as that term is defined in 18 CFR
35.36.
[[Page 11542]]
Estimate of Annual Burden: \2\ The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden and cost \3\ (rounded) for the information
collection as follows:
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Annual number Annual cost
Number of of responses Total number of Average burden & cost Total annual burden hours per
FERC requirement respondents per responses per response & cost respondent
respondent ($)
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (3) (4)..................... (3) * (4) = (5)............ (5) / (1)
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FERC-915........................ 2,510 1 2,510 1 hr.; $36.............. 2,510 hrs.; $90,360........ $36
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Total....................... .............. .............. 2,510 ........................ 2,510 hrs.; $90,360........ ..............
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In addition, there are records storage costs. For all respondents,
we estimate a total of 65,000 cu. ft. of records in off-site storage.
Based on an approximate storage cost of $0.24 per cubic foot, we
estimate total annual storage cost to be $15,600.00 (or $6.22 annually
per respondent). The total annual cost for all respondents (burden cost
plus off-site storage) is $100,940.00 (or $85,340 + $15,600); the
average total annual cost per respondent is $40.22 ($6.22 + $34.00).\4\
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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, refer to 5 CFR 1320.3.
\3\ The estimated hourly cost (for wages plus benefits) provided
in this section are based on the figures posted by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS) for the Utilities section available (at
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm)--April 2025. The
hourly estimates for salary plus benefits are: File Clerk
(Occupation code: 43-4071), $35.94 an hour, rounded to an hourly
cost to $36.
\4\ Given that the Commission has found (1) that Sellers use
standard computer-based methods to store the retained information
automatically on electronic media and (2) that storage space needed
costs pennies per Gigabyte, estimating burden and storage assuming
use of traditional paper records provides an extreme boundary on the
estimated costs.
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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: March 5, 2026.
Carlos D. Clay,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2026-04665 Filed 3-9-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P