[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 240 (Thursday, December 13, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 74180-74181]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-30063]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. AD12-12-000]
Coordination Between Natural Gas and Electricity Markets; Notice
of Request for Comments and Technical Conference
Take notice that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission) staff will hold a technical conference to elicit input
pertaining to information sharing and communications issues between
natural gas and electric power industry entities. The technical
conference will take place on February 13, 2013 beginning at 9:00 a.m.
and ending at approximately 4:00 p.m. The conference will be held at
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20426. All interested persons are invited to participate
at the conference. Commission members may participate in the
conference.
On November 15, 2012, the Commission issued an order directing
further conferences and reports in the above captioned docket.\1\ In
the November 15 Order, the Commission directed staff to establish a
technical conference to identify areas in which additional Commission
guidance or regulatory changes could be considered. In advance of this
conference, interested parties are asked to file comments on the
following questions related to communications and information sharing:
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\1\ Coordination Between Natural Gas and Electricity Markets,
141 FERC ] 61,125, at P 5 (2012) (November 15 Order).
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1. During an emergency, what kind of verbal communications and data
exchanges do and should take place between the natural gas and electric
industries? What are the industries' current ``best practices'' for
these communications? How can today's best practices be improved? What
should the Commission do, if anything, to facilitate the application of
best practices between the industries?
2. Please provide specific examples of other communications
practices between the natural gas and electric industries that could be
enhanced, including any communications regarding maintenance and
construction planning, day-to-day operations, and other non-emergency
situations. In providing examples, please explain whether there are
regulatory or other barriers that would prevent good communications
such as specific Commission regulations, tariffs or contractual
provisions, legal precedents, or inadequate communications
infrastructure.
3. Should natural gas pipeline and electric utility system
operators be allowed to exchange information that is not publicly
posted? If so, what kinds of information should be permitted to be
shared and under what circumstances? If information is shared, is there
a need for enhanced protections against the improper use of the
material communicated and what protections would be appropriate? Is the
answer the same if a natural gas pipeline or its affiliate sells or
buys wholesale electric power? If there are concerns that the increased
communications might cause potential harm to industry participants,
please explain those concerns. Please consider examples of information
sharing that include both verbal and digital information.
Responses to these questions will form the basis of the agenda for
and discussion at the February 2013 technical conference on
communications and information-sharing. Comments responding to this
notice should be submitted, in Docket No. AD12-12-000, on or before
January 7, 2013. Comments may be filed electronically via the Internet.
See the instructions on the Commission's Web site http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. For assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at [email protected] or toll free at 1-866-208-3676,
or for TTY, (202) 502-8659. Although the Commission strongly encourages
electronic filing, documents may also be paper-filed. To paper-file,
mail an original and seven copies to: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
A supplemental notice will be issued prior to the technical
conference with information about the agenda and organization of the
technical conference. Those interested in attending the technical
conference are encouraged, but not required, to register by close of
business February 10, 2013. You may register at the following Web page:
https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/gas-elec-mkts-02-13-13-form.asp. Those also interested in speaking at the technical conference
should notify the Commission by January 7, 2013 by completing the
online form at the following Web page: https://www.ferc.gov/whats-new/registration/gas-elec-mkts-speaker-02-13-13-form.asp. Due to time
constraints, we may not be able to accommodate all those interested in
speaking.
The technical conference will not be transcribed. However, there
will be a free webcast of the conference. The webcast will allow
persons to listen to the technical conference, but not participate.
Anyone with Internet access who wants to listen to the conference
can do so by navigating to www.ferc.gov's Calendar of Events and
locating the technical conference in the Calendar. The technical
conference will contain a link to its webcast. The Capitol Connection
provides technical support for the webcast and offers the option of
listening to the meeting via phone-bridge for a fee. If you have any
questions, visit www.CapitolConnection.org or call 703-993-3100.\2\
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\2\ The webcast will continue to be available on the Calendar of
Events on the Commission's Web site www.ferc.gov for three months
after the conference.
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Notice is also hereby given that the discussions at the conference
may address matters at issue in the following Commission proceeding(s)
that are either pending or within their rehearing
[[Page 74181]]
period: ISO New England Inc., Docket No. ER13-356-000.
Information on the technical conference will also be posted on the
Web site http://www.ferc.gov/industries/electric/indus-act/electric-coord.asp, as well as the Calendar of Events on the Commission's Web
site, http://www.ferc.gov, prior to the conference.
Commission conferences are accessible under section 508 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. For accessibility accommodations, please
send an email to [email protected] or call toll free (866) 208-
3372 (voice) or (202) 208-1659 (TTY), or send a FAX to (202) 208-2106
with the required accommodations.
For more information about the technical conference, please
contact: Caroline Daly (Technical Information), Office of Energy Policy
and Innovation, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE., Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8931, [email protected]. Anna
Fernandez (Legal Information), Office of General Counsel, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC
20426, (202) 502-6682, [email protected]. Sarah McKinley
(Logistical Information), Office of External Affairs, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426,
(202) 502-8004, [email protected].
Dated: December 7, 2012.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2012-30063 Filed 12-12-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P