[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 162 (Thursday, August 21, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49504-49506]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-19863]
[[Page 49504]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket Nos. IC14-13-000 and IC14-15-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-510 and FERC-
549B) Comment Request
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Comment request.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, 44 USC 3507(a)(1)(D), the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission or FERC) is submitting its information
collection FERC-510 (Application for Surrender of Hydropower License)
and FERC-549B (Gas Pipeline Rates: Capacity Reports and Index of
Customers) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review of
the information collection requirements. Any interested person may file
comments directly with OMB and should address a copy of those comments
to the Commission as explained below. The Commission previously issued
notices in the Federal Register for FERC-510 (79 FR 32925, 6/9/2014)
and FERC-549B (79 FR 32929, 6/9/2014) requesting public comments. The
Commission received no comments on these collections and is making this
notation in its submittal to OMB.
Note: The Commission issued both 60-day notices for both the
FERC-510 and FERC-549B separately under different docket numbers.
Both docket numbers (IC14-13-000 and IC14-15-000) are combined in
this notice. This combination has no effect on the requirements
within each information collection.
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by September
22, 2014.
ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No.
1902-0068 (FERC-510) or 1902-0169 (FERC-549B) should be sent via email
to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs: [email protected]. Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Desk Officer. The Desk Officer may also be reached via telephone at
202-395-4718.
A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in
Docket No. IC14-13-000 or IC14-15-000, 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: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at
[email protected], by telephone at (202) 502-8663, and by fax at
(202) 273-0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the information collection
requirements for all collections described below with no changes to the
current reporting requirements. Please note that each collection is
distinct from the next.
Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the collections of
information are 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 estimates of the
burden and cost of the collections of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance
the quality, utility and clarity of the information collections; and
(4) ways to minimize the burden of the collections of information on
those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
FERC-510, Application for Surrender of Hydropower License
OMB Control No.: 1902-0068.
Abstract: The information collected under the requirements of FERC-
510 is used by the Commission to implement the statutory provisions of
sections 4(e), 6 and 13 of the Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C.
sections 797(e), 799 and 806). Section 4(e) gives the Commission
authority to issue licenses for the purposes of constructing, operating
and maintaining dams, water conduits, reservoirs, powerhouses,
transmission lines or other power project works necessary or convenient
for developing and improving navigation, transmission and utilization
of power using bodies of water over which Congress has jurisdiction.
Section 6 gives the Commission the authority to prescribe the
conditions of licenses including the revocation or surrender of the
license. Section 13 defines the Commission's authority to delegate time
periods for when a license must be terminated if project construction
has not begun. Surrender of a license may be desired by a licensee when
a licensed project is retired or not constructed or natural
catastrophes have damaged or destroyed the project facilities.
FERC-510 is the application for the surrender of a hydropower
license. The information is used by Commission staff to determine the
broad impact of such surrender. The Commission will issue a notice
soliciting comments from the public and other agencies and conduct a
careful review of the application before issuing an order for Surrender
of a License. The order is the result of an analysis of the information
produced, i.e., economic, environmental concerns, etc., which is
examined to determine if the application for surrender is warranted.
The order implements the existing regulations and is inclusive for
surrender of all types of hydropower licenses issued by FERC and its
predecessor, the Federal Power Commission. The Commission implements
these mandatory filing requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations
(CFR) under 18 CFR 6.1-6.4.
Type of Respondent: Private or Municipal Hydropower Licensees.
Estimate of Annual Burden: The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
[[Page 49505]]
FERC-510, Application for Surrender of Hydropower License
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Total annual
Annual number Total number Average burden burden hours & Cost per
Number of respondents (1) of responses of responses & cost per total annual respondent ($)
per respondent (1)*(2)=(3) response \1\ cost (5)/(1)
(2) (4) (3)*(4)=(5)
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16.............................. 1 16 10 160 $705
$705 $11,280
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\1\ We estimate that the salary and skill mix is similar to that of Commission employees. The average hourly
cost of $70.50 (for salary plus benefits) is used. The estimates for cost per response are derived using the
following formula: Average Burden Hours per Response * $70.50 per Hour = Average Cost per Response.
FERC-549B, Gas Pipeline Rates: Capacity Reports and Index of Customers
OMB Control No.: 1902-0169
Abstract: The information collected under the requirements of FERC-
549B includes both the Index of Customers (IOC) report under Commission
regulations at 18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 284.13(c) and three
capacity reporting requirements. One of these is in Commission
regulations at 18 CFR 284.13(b) and requires reports on firm and
interruptible services. The second is at 18 CFR 284.13(d)(1) and
requires pipelines make information on capacity and flow information
available on their Internet Web sites. The third is at 18 CFR
284.13(d)(2) and requires an annual filing of peak day capacity.
Capacity Reports Under 284.13(b) and 284.13(d)(1)
On April 4, 1992, in Order No. 636 (RM91-11-000), the Commission
established a capacity release mechanism under which shippers could
release firm transportation and storage capacity on either a short- or
long-term basis to other shippers wanting to obtain capacity. Pipelines
posted available firm and interruptible capacity information on their
electronic bulletin boards (EBBs) to inform potential shippers.
On August 3, 1992, in Order No. 636-A (RM91-11-002), the Commission
determined through staff audits, that the efficiency of the capacity
release mechanism could be enhanced by standardizing the content and
format of capacity release information and the methods by which
shippers accessed this information, which pipelines posted to their
EBBs
On March 29, 1995, through Order 577 (RM95-5-000), the Commission
amended Sec. 284.243(h) of its regulations to allow shippers the
ability to release capacity without having to comply with the
Commission's advance posting and bidding requirements.
On February 9, 2000, in Order No. 637 (RM98-10-000), to create
greater substitution between different forms of capacity and to enhance
competition across the pipeline grid, the Commission revised its
capacity release regulations regarding scheduling, segmentation and
flexible point rights, penalties, and reporting requirements. This
resulted in more reliable capacity information availability and price
data that shippers needed to make informed decisions in a competitive
market as well as to improve shipper's and the Commission's ability to
monitor the market for potential abuses.
Peak Day Annual Capacity Report Under 284.13(d)(2)
18 CFR 284.13(d)(2) requires an annual peak day capacity report of
all interstate pipelines, including natural gas storage only companies.
This report is generally a short report showing the peak day design
capacity or the actual peak day capacity achieved, with a short
explanation, if needed. The regulation states:
An interstate pipeline must make an annual filing by March 1 of
each year showing the estimated peak day capacity of the pipeline's
system, and the estimated storage capacity and maximum daily delivery
capability of storage facilities under reasonably representative
operating assumptions and the respective assignments of that capacity
to the various firm services provided by the pipeline.
This annual report/filing is publicly available, while other more
specific interstate pipeline and storage capacity details are filed as
CEII, such as the Annual System Flow Diagram (FERC-567) which are not
publicly available.
Index of Customers Under 284.13(c)
In Order 581, issued September 28, 1995 (Docket No. RM95-4-000),
the Commission established the IOC quarterly information requirement.
This Order required the reporting of five data elements in the IOC
filing: the customer name, the rate schedule under which service is
rendered, the contract effective date, the contract termination date,
and the maximum daily contract quantity, for either transportation or
storage service, as appropriate.
In a notice issued separate from Order 581 in Docket No. RM95-4-
000, issued February 29, 1996, the Commission, through technical
conferences with industry, determined that the IOC data reported should
be in tab delimited format on diskette and in a form as proscribed in
Appendix A of the rulemaking. In a departure from past practice, a
three-digit code, instead of a six-digit code, was established to
identify the respondent.
In Order 637, issued February 9, 2000 (Docket Nos. RM98-10-000 and
RM98-12-000), the Commission required the filing of: the receipt and
delivery points held under contract and the zones or segments in which
the capacity is held, the common transaction point codes, the contract
number, the shipper identification number, an indication whether the
contract includes negotiated rates, the names of any agents or asset
managers that control capacity in a pipeline rate zone, and any
affiliate relationship between the pipeline and the holder of capacity.
It was stated in the Order that the changes to the Commission's
reporting requirements would enhance the reliability of information
about capacity availability and price that shippers need to make
informed decisions in a competitive market as well as improve shippers'
and the Commission's ability to monitor marketplace behavior to detect,
and remedy anti-competitive behavior. Order 637 required a pipeline
post the information quarterly on its Internet Web sites instead of on
the outdated EBBs.
Type of Respondent: Respondents for this data collection are
interstate pipelines subject to FERC regulation under the Natural Gas
Act and those entities defined as Hinshaw Pipelines under the Natural
Gas Policy Act.
Estimate of Annual Burden: The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
[[Page 49506]]
FERC-549B (Gas Pipeline Rates: Capacity Reports and Index of Customers)
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Total annual
Number of Annual number Total number Average burden burden hours & Cost per
respondents of responses of responses & cost per total annual respondent ($)
(1) per respondent (1)*(2)=(3) response \2\ cost (5)/(1)
(2) (4) (3)*(4)=(5)
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Capacity Reports under 284.13(b) & 284.13(d)(1)......... 185 6 1,110 145 160,950 61,335
$10,222.50 $11,346,975
93049344Peak Day Annual Capacity Report under 185 1 185 10 1,850 705
284.13(d)(2)........................................... $705 $130,425
Index of Customers under 284.13(c)...................... 185 4 740 3 2,220 846
$211.50 $156,510
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Total............................................... .............. .............. 2,035 .............. 165,020 62,886
$11,633,910
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\2\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the following formula: Average Burden Hours per Response * $70.50 per hour. This cost is based
on the average FERC employee salary. We assume (based upon consultation of subject matter experts for this industry) that respondents to this
collection are similarly compensated in terms of salary and benefits.
Dated: August 15, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-19863 Filed 8-20-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P