[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 41 (Monday, March 3, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11773-11775]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-04543]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. Ic14-5-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725d); 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, 44 USC 3506(c)(2)(A), the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the
currently approved information collection, FERC-725D (Facilities
Design, Connections and Maintenance Reliability Standards).
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due May 2, 2014.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC14-5-
000) by either of the following methods:
eFiling at Commission's Web site: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20426.
Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in
accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. For user assistance contact FERC Online Support
by email at [email protected], or by phone at: (866) 208-3676
(toll-free), or (202) 502-8659 for TTY.
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/docs-filing/docs-filing.asp.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at
[email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at (202)
273-0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Facilities Design, Connections and Maintenance Reliability
Standards.
[[Page 11774]]
OMB Control No.: 1902-0247.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725D information
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: The Commission requires the FERC-725D information
collection to implement the statutory provisions of Section 215 of the
Federal Power Act (FPA).\1\ On August 8, 2005, the Electricity
Modernization Act of 2005 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct
2005), was enacted into law.\2\ EPAct 2005 added a new Section 215 to
the FPA, which required a Commission-certified Electric Reliability
Organization (ERO) to develop mandatory and enforceable reliability
standards which are subject to Commission review and approval. Once
approved, the reliability standards may be enforced by the ERO subject
to Commission oversight or the Commission can independently enforce
reliability standards.\3\
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\1\ 16 U.S.C. 842o.
\2\ Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58, Title XII,
Subtitle A, 119 Stat. 594, 941 (2005), 16 U.S.C. 824o.
\3\ 16 U.S.C .824o(e)(3).
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On February 3, 2006, the Commission issued Order No. 672,
implementing Section 215 of the FPA. Pursuant to Order No. 672, the
Commission certified one organization [North American Electric
Reliability Council (NERC)] as the ERO. The reliability standards
developed by the ERO and approved by the Commission will apply to
users, owners, and operators of the Bulk-Power System (BPS) as set
forth in each reliability standard.
On November 15, 2006, NERC filed 20 revised reliability standards
and three new reliability standards for Commission approval. The
Commission addressed revisions to the 20 Reliability Standards in Order
No. 693. The Commission approved the three new reliability standards on
12/27/2007 in Order No. 705 and NERC designated them as follows:
FAC-010-1 (System Operating Limits Methodology for the
Planning Horizon)
FAC-011-1 (System Operating Limits Methodology for the
Operations Horizon)
FAC-014-1 (Establish and Communicate System Operating Limits).
Subsequently, NERC modified these standards in April of 2008 and
submitted to the Commission for approval. On 3/20/2009 the Commission
approved NERC's modifications to the FAC standards in Order No. 722 and
NERC now designates these standards as FAC-010-2, FAC-011-2, and FAC-
014-2. These three approved FAC reliability standards require planning
authorities and reliability coordinators to establish methodologies to
determine system operating limits (SOLs) for the bulk-power system in
the planning and operation horizons.
The three reliability standards do not require responsible entities
to file information with the Commission. Nor, with the exception of a
three year self-certification of compliance, do the Reliability
Standards require responsible entities to file information with the ERO
or Regional Entities. However, the Reliability Standards do require
responsible entities to develop and maintain certain information for a
specified period of time, subject to inspection by the ERO or Regional
Entities.
Reliability standard FAC-010-2 requires the planning authority to
have a documented methodology for use in developing SOLs and must
retain evidence that it issued its SOL methodology to relevant
reliability coordinators, transmission operators and adjacent planning
authorities. Further, each planning authority must self-certify its
compliance to the compliance monitor once every three years.
Reliability standard FAC-011-2 requires similar documentation by the
reliability coordinator. Reliability standard FAC-014-2 requires the
reliability coordinator, planning authority, transmission operator, and
transmission planner to verify compliance through self-certification
submitted to the compliance monitor annually. These entities must also
document that they have developed SOLs consistent with the applicable
SOL methodology and that they have provided SOLs to entities identified
in Requirement 5 of the reliability standard. Further, the planning
authority must maintain a list of multiple contingencies and their
associated stability limits.
Type of Respondents: Planning authorities, reliability
coordinators, transmission planners, and transmission operators.
Estimate of Annual Burden \4\: The Commission estimates the total
Public Reporting Burden and cost for this information collection as:
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\4\ The Commission defines burden 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.
FERC-725D--(Mandatory Reliability Standards: FAC (Facilities, Design, Connections, and Maintenance)
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Annual
number of Average Total annual Average annual
Number of responses Total number of burden hours burden hours & cost per
respondents per responses & cost per total annual respondent
respondent response\5\ cost\6\
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(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (3) (4) (3) * (4) = (5) (5) / (1)
Annual Reporting..................................... 470 1 470 295.7 138,980 $20,992
$20,992 $9,866,240
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\5\ The estimate for cost per response is derived using the following formula: Total Annual Cost (Column 5) / Total Number of Responses (Column 3) =
Average Cost per Response.
\6\ The total annual cost is derived from salary figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for two positions involved in the reporting and record-
keeping associated with this collection. These figures include salary (http://bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm) and other associated benefits (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm): Manager: $82.36/hour. Engineer: $59.62/hour. This results in an average hourly wage of
$70.99. 138,980 hours (total annual burden) * $70.99/hour = $9,866,240.
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
[[Page 11775]]
of automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Dated: February 21, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-04543 Filed 2-28-14; 8:45 am]
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