Notice2021-24860
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-519, FERC-545, FERC-546, FERC-549C, and FERC-732); Comment Request; Extension
Primary source
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Published
November 15, 2021
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Abstract
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-519, (Application under Federal Power Act Section 203); FERC-545, (Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal)); FERC-546, (Certification of Qualifying Facility (QF) Status for a Small Power Production or Cogeneration Facility); FERC-549C, (Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines); FERC-732, (Electric Rate Schedule and Tariffs: Long-Term Firm Transmission Rights in Organized Electricity Markets). The above five collections are a part of a combined notice only and are not being combined into one OMB Collection number.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 217 (Monday, November 15, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 217 (Monday, November 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63010-63015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24860]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC22-2-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-519, FERC-545,
FERC-546, FERC-549C, and FERC-732); 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-519, (Application under Federal Power Act
Section 203); FERC-545, (Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal));
FERC-546, (Certification of Qualifying Facility (QF) Status for a Small
Power Production or Cogeneration Facility); FERC-549C, (Standards for
Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines); FERC-732,
(Electric Rate Schedule and Tariffs: Long-Term Firm Transmission Rights
in Organized Electricity Markets). The above five collections are a
part of a combined notice only and are not being combined into one OMB
Collection number.
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due January 14,
2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket
No. IC22-2-000) by one of the following methods:
Electronic filing through <a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>, is preferred.
<bullet> Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable
native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture
format.
<bullet> For those unable to file electronically, comments may be
filed by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery:
[cir] Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Addressed to: Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First
Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
[cir] Hand (Including Courier) Delivery: Deliver to: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in
accordance with submission guidelines at: <a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>. For user
assistance, contact FERC Online Support by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d9bfbcabbab6b7b5b0b7bcaaaca9a9b6abad99bfbcabbaf7beb6af"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ef898a9d8c80818386818a9c9a9f9f809d9baf898a9d8cc1888099">[email protected]</span></a>, 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 <a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f9bd988d98ba959c988b98979a9cb9bfbcabbad79e968f"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3f7b5e4b5e7c535a5e4d5e515c5a7f797a6d7c11585049">[email protected]</span></a>, telephone at (202) 502-8663.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. FERC-519
Title: FERC-519, Application under Federal Power Act Section
203.\1\
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\1\ 16 U.S.C. 824b.
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OMB Control No.: 1902-0082.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-519 information
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: The Commission requires that public utility officers must
seek authorization under amended section 203(a)(1)(B) of the Federal
Power Act (FPA) to merge or consolidate, directly or indirectly, its
facilities subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission, or any part
thereof, with the facilities of any other person, or any part thereof,
that are subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission and have a value
in excess of $10 million, by any means
[[Page 63011]]
whatsoever. In addition, as required by the Act, the Commission
establishes a requirement to submit a notification filing for mergers
or consolidations by a public utility if the facilities to be acquired
have a value in excess of $1 million and such public utility is not
required to secure Commission authorization under amended section
203(a)(1)(B). The information collected under the FERC-519 enables the
Commission to meet its statutory responsibilities regarding public
utility disposition, merger, consolidation of facilities, purchase, or
acquisition oversight and enforcement in accordance with the FPA as
referenced above. Without this information, FERC would be unable to
meet these responsibilities. The required information includes
descriptions of corporate attributes of the party or parties to the
proposed transaction (e.g. a sale, lease, or other disposition, merger,
or consolidation of facilities, or purchase of other acquisition of the
securities of a public utility and the facilities or other property
involved in the transaction), statements about effect of the
transaction, and the applicant's proof that the transaction will be
consistent with the public interest. It will enable the Commission to
meet its statutory responsibilities regarding its FPA section 203
oversight of public utility dispositions, mergers, or consolidation of
facilities, and associated oversight and enforcement responsibilities
under the FPA as referenced above. The required information to be
collected in the notification filing (established by the addition of 18
CFR part 33.12) for certain transactions includes descriptions of
corporate attributes of the party or parties to the transaction and the
facilities involved. FPA section 203 requires a filing on the occasion
that a public utility proposes to dispose of jurisdictional facilities,
merge such facilities, or acquire the securities of another public
utility. Public Utilities consist of:
<bullet> Corporate;
<bullet> Information Technology Management;
<bullet> General Accounting;
<bullet> Personnel and Payroll;
<bullet> Transportation;
<bullet> Tariffs and Rates;
<bullet> Insurance;
<bullet> Operations and Maintenance;
<bullet> Plant and Depreciation;
<bullet> Purchase and Stores;
<bullet> Revenue Accounting and Collection;
<bullet> Tax;
<bullet> Treasury; and
<bullet> Miscellaneous.
Type of Respondents: Public utility officers regulated by the FPA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \2\ The Commission estimates the total
annual burden and cost \3\ for this information collection as follows:
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\2\ ``Burden'' is 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
\3\ Commission staff estimates that the industry's skill set and
cost (for wages and benefits) for FERC-519 are approximately the
same as the Commission's average cost. The FERC 2021 average salary
plus benefits for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is $180,703/
year (or $87.00/hour).
FERC-519: Application Under Federal Power Act Section 203
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Annual
number of
Number of responses Total number Average burden & cost per Total annual burden hours Cost per
respondents per of responses response (total annual cost) respondent
respondent
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (4)............................. (3) * (4) = (5)................ (5) / (1)
(3)
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FERC-519 (FPA Section 203 131 1 131 324.43 hr.\5\; $28,225.41....... 42,500.33 hrs.; $3,697,528.71.. $28,225.41
Filings) \4\.
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2. FERC-545
Title: FERC-545, Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal)
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\4\ Commission staff estimates that approximately 26 section 203
filings will change from full section 203 filings to the
notification filing described above and will take one burden hour to
complete. The number of respondents and responses is based on
Commission staff's estimate that 13 percent of the approximately 200
section 203 filings received will be affected. This represents a
significant reduction in burden hours.
\5\ With this amendment each of the 26 affected entities and
their related filings (i.e., the entities that now only have to file
the section 203 notification filings) is reduced to 1 hour.
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OMB Control No.: 1902-0154.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-545 information
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: FERC-545 is required to implement Sections 4, 5, and 16
of the Natural Gas Act (NGA), (15 U.S.C. 717c, 717d, and 717o). NGA
Sections 4, 5, and 16 authorize the Commission to inquire into rate
structures and methodologies and to set rates at a just and reasonable
level. Specifically, a natural gas company must obtain Commission
authorization for all rates and charges made, demanded, or received in
connection with the transportation or sale of natural gas in interstate
commerce.
Under the NGA, a natural gas company's rates must be just and
reasonable and not unduly discriminatory or preferential. The
Commission may act under different sections of the NGA to effect a
change in a natural gas company's rate. When the Commission reviews
rate increases that a natural gas company has proposed, it is subject
to the requirement of Section 4(e) of the NGA. Under Section 4(e), the
natural gas company bears the burden of proving that its proposed rates
are just and reasonable. On the other hand, when the Commission seeks
to impose its own rate determination, it must do so in compliance with
Section 5(a) of the NGA. Under Section 5, the Commission must first
establish that its alternative rate proposal is both just and
reasonable.
Section 16 of the NGA states that the Commission ``shall have the
power to perform any and all acts, and to prescribe, issue, make,
amend, and rescind such orders, rules, and regulations as it may find
necessary or appropriate to carry out provisions of [the NGA].'' In
other words, Section 16 of the NGA grants the Commission the power to
define accounting, technical and trade terms, prescribe forms,
statements, declarations or reports and to prescribe rules and
regulations.
Pipelines adjust their tariffs to meet market and customer needs.
The Commission's review of these proposed changes is required to ensure
rates remain just and reasonable and that services are not provided in
an unduly or preferential manner. The Commission's regulations in 18
CFR part 154 specify what changes are
[[Page 63012]]
allowed and the procedures for requesting Commission approval.
The Commission uses information in FERC-545 to examine rates,
services, and tariff provisions related to natural gas transportation
and storage services. The following filing categories are subject to
FERC-545: (1) Tariff Filings--filings regarding proposed changes to a
pipeline's tariff (including Cost Recovery Mechanisms for Modernization
of Natural Gas Facilities filings in Docket No. PL15-1) and any related
compliance filings; (2) Rate Filings--rate-related filings under NGA
sections 4 and 5 and any related compliance filings and settlements;
(3) Informational Reports; (4) Negotiated Rate and Non-Conforming
Agreement Filings; (5) North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB)
(RM96-1-042) Version 3.2; and (6) Market-Based Rates for Storage
Filings (Part 284.501-505).
Type of Respondents: Natural gas pipelines under the jurisdiction
of NGA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \6\ The public reporting burden has
increased for this information collection due to normal fluctuations in
industry and the inclusion of tariff filings in compliance with Order
No. 587-Z. On July 15, 2021, in Docket No. RM96-1-042, the Commission
amended its regulations to incorporate by reference the North American
Energy Standards Board (NAESB) Wholesale Quadrant Version 3.2
standards. The revisions made by NAESB Version 3.2 are designed to
enhance the natural gas industries' cyber security measures.
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\6\ 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.
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The Commission estimates the annual public reporting burden and
cost for the information collection as follows:
FERC-545: Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal)
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Average
number of Cost per
Number of responses Total number Average burden and cost per Total annual burden hours and respondent
respondents per of responses response \7\ total annual cost ($)
respondent
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (4)............................. (3) * (4) = (5)................ (5) / (1)
(3)
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Tariff Filings................ 109 2.768 301.712 211 hrs.; $20,467............... 63,661.232 hrs.; $6,175,139.50. $56,652.66
Rate Filings.................. 32 2 64 354 hrs.; $34,338............... 22,656 hrs.; $2,197,632........ 56,980
Informational Reports......... 100 1.770 177 235 hrs.; $22,795............... 41,595 hrs.; $4,034,715........ 40,347.15
Negotiated Rates & Non- 69 11 759 233 hrs.; $22,601............... 176,847 hrs.; $17,154,159...... 248,611
Conforming Agreement Filings.
Market-Base Rates for Storage 2 1 2 230 hrs.; $22,310............... 460 hrs.; $44,620.............. 22,310
Filings.
NAESB (version 3.2) one time 178 1 178 3.33 hrs.; $323.01.............. 592.74 hrs.; $57,495.78........ 323.01
over 3 years carried over
from RM96-1-42.
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Total..................... ........... ........... 1,482 ................................ 305,811.97 hrs.; $29,663,761.28 ...........
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3. FERC-546
Title: FERC-546, Certificated Rate Filings: Gas Pipeline Rates.
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\7\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) provided in
this section is based on the salary figures for May 2021 posted by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector (available
at <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm</a>) and scaled to
reflect benefits using the relative importance of employer costs for
employee compensation from June 2021 (available at <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm">https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm</a>). The hourly estimates for
salary plus benefits are:
Computer and Information Systems Manager (Occupation Code: 11-
3021), $103.61.
Computer and Information Analysts (Occupation Code: 15-
1120(1221), $67.99.
Electrical Engineer (Occupation Code: 17-2071), $72.15.
Legal (Occupation Code: 23-0000), $142.25.
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits), weighting all of
these skill sets evenly, is $96.50. We round it to $97/hour.
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OMB Control No.: 1902-0155.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-546 information
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: The Commission reviews the FERC-546 materials to decide
whether to approve rates and tariff changes associated with an
application for a certificate under Natural Gas Act (NGA) section 7(c)
(15 U.S.C. 717). Additionally, FERC reviews FERC-546 materials in NGA
section 4(f) (15 U.S.C. 717), storage applications, to evaluate an
applicant's market power and determine whether to grant market-based
rate authority to the applicant. The Commission uses the information in
FERC-546 to monitor jurisdictional transportation, natural gas storage,
and unbundled sales activities of interstate natural gas pipelines and
Hinshaw \8\ pipelines. In addition to fulfilling the Commission's
obligations under the NGA, the FERC-546 enables the Commission to
monitor the activities and evaluate transactions of the natural gas
industry, ensure competitiveness, and improve efficiency of the
industry's operations. In summary, the Commission uses the information
to:
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\8\ Hinshaw pipelines are those that receive all out-of-state
gas from entities within or at the boundary of a state if all the
natural gas so received is ultimately consumed within the state in
which it is received, 15 U.S.C. 717(c). Congress concluded that
Hinshaw pipelines are ``matters primarily of local concern,'' and so
are more appropriately regulated by pertinent state agencies rather
than by FERC. The Natural Gas Act section 1(c) exempts Hinshaw
pipelines from FERC jurisdiction. A Hinshaw pipeline, however, may
apply for a FERC certificate to transport gas outside of state
lines.
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<bullet> ensure adequate customer protections under NGA section
4(f);
<bullet> review rate and tariff changes filed under NGA section
7(c) for certification of natural gas pipeline transportation and
storage services;
<bullet> provide general industry oversight; and
<bullet> supplement documentation during the pipeline audits
process.
Failure to collect this information would prevent the Commission
from monitoring and evaluating transactions and operations of
jurisdictional pipelines and performing its regulatory functions.
Type of Respondents: Jurisdictional pipeline companies and storage
operators.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \9\ The Commission estimates the burden
and cost for this information collection as follows:
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\9\ ``Burden'' is 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
[[Page 63013]]
FERC-546 (Certificated Rate Filings: Gas Pipeline Rates)
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Annual
Annual number of Total number Cost per
number of responses of responses Average burden and cost per Total annual burden hours and respondent
respondents per (rounded) response \10\ (rounded) total annual cost (rounded) ($)
respondent (rounded)
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (4)............................. (3) * (4) = (5)................ (5) / (1)
(3)
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Pipeline Certificate Filings 47 \11\ 1.595 74.965 500 hrs.; $41,652............... 37,482.50 hrs.; $3,122,442.18.. $66,434.94
and Storage Applications.
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4. FERC-549C
Title: FERC-549C, Standards for Business Practices of Interstate
Natural Gas Pipelines.
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\10\ The hourly cost (for salary plus benefits) uses the figures
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2021, for positions
involved in the reporting and recordkeeping requirements. These
figures include salary (<a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm</a>) and benefits <a href="http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm">http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm</a>) and are:
Electrical Engineer (Occupation Code: 17-2071; $72.15/hour).
Management Analyst (Occupation Code: 13-1111; $68.39/hour).
Accounting (Occupation Code: 13-2011; $57.41/hours).
Computer and Mathematical (Occupation Code: 15-0000; $65.73/
hour).
Legal (Occupation Code: 23-0000; $142.25/hour).
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is calculated
weighting each of the previously mentioned wage categories as
follows: $72.15/hour (0.4) + $68.39/hour (0.2) + $57.41/hour (0.1) +
$65.73/hour (0.1) + $142.25/hour (0.2) = $83.304/hour. The
Commission rounds this figure to $83/hour.
\11\ This figure was calculated by dividing the total number of
responses ( ) by the total number of respondents (47). The resulting
figure was then rounded to the nearest thousandth place.
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OMB Control No.: 1902-0174.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-549C information
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: The business practice standards under FERC-549C are
required to carry out the Commission's policies in accordance with the
general authority in sections 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 16, and 20 of the
Natural Gas Act (NGA),\12\ and sections 311, 501, and 504 of the
Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA).\13\ The Commission adopted these
business practice standards in order to update and standardize the
natural gas industry's business practices and procedures in addition to
improving the efficiency of the gas market and the means by which the
gas industry conducts business across the interstate pipeline grid.
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\12\ 15 U.S.C. 717c-717w.
\13\ 15 U.S.C. 3301-3432.
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In various orders since 1996, the Commission has adopted
regulations to standardize the business practices and communication
methodologies of interstate natural gas pipelines proposed by the North
American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) in order to create a more
integrated and efficient pipeline industry.\14\ Generally, when and if
NAESB-proposed standards (e.g. consensus standards developed by the
Wholesale Gas Quadrant (WGQ) \15\) are approved by the Commission, the
Commission incorporates them by reference into its approval. The
process of standardizing business practices in the natural gas industry
began with a Commission initiative to standardize electronic
communication of capacity release transactions. The outgrowth of the
initial Commission standardization efforts produced working groups
composed of all segments of the natural gas industry and, ultimately,
the Gas Industry Standards Board (GISB), a consensus organization open
to all members of the gas industry was created. GISB was succeeded by
NAESB.
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\14\ This series of orders began with the Commission's issuance
of Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas
Pipelines, Order No. 587, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,038 (1996).
\15\ An accredited standards organization under the auspices of
the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
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NAESB is a voluntary non-profit organization comprised of members
from the retail and wholesale natural gas and electric industries.
NAESB's mission is to take the lead in developing standards across
these industries to simplify and expand electronic communication and to
streamline business practices. NAESB's core objective is to facilitate
a seamless North American marketplace for natural gas, as recognized by
its customers, the business community, industry participants, and
regulatory bodies. NAESB has divided its efforts among four quadrants
including two retail quadrants, a wholesale electric quadrant, and the
WGQ. The NAESB WGQ standards are a product of this effort. Industry
participants seeking additional or amended standards (to include
principles, definitions, standards, data elements, process
descriptions, and technical implementation instructions) must submit a
request to the NAESB office, detailing the change, so that the
appropriate process may take place to amend the standards.
Failure to collect the FERC-549C data would prevent the Commission
from monitoring and properly evaluating pipeline transactions and/or
meeting statutory obligations under both the NGA and NGPA.
On August 17, 2020, NAESB filed a report informing the Commission
that it had adopted and ratified WGQ Version 3.2 of its business
practice standards applicable to interstate natural gas pipelines.
Version 3.2 of the WGQ includes business practice standards developed
and modified in response to industry requests and directives from the
NAESB Board of Directors. This version also includes the standards
developed in response to the recommendations of Sandia National
Laboratory (Sandia),\16\ which in 2019 issued a cybersecurity surety
assessment of the NAESB standards sponsored by DOE (Sandia Surety
Assessment),\17\ and the standards developed to enable the use of
distributed ledger technologies when transacting the NAESB Base
Contract for Sale and Purchase of Natural Gas. The NAESB report
identifies all the changes made to the WGQ Version 3.1 Standards and
summarizes the deliberations that led to the changes being made. It
also
[[Page 63014]]
identifies changes to the existing standards that were considered but
not adopted due to a lack of consensus or other reasons.
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\16\ Sandia is a multidisciplinary national laboratory and
federally funded research and development center for the U.S.
Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security
Administration that supports numerous federal, state, and local
government agencies, companies, and organizations.
\17\ In April 2017, NAESB announced that Sandia, through funding
provided by DOE, would be performing a surety assessment of the
NAESB standards. As determined by Sandia and DOE, the purpose of the
surety assessment was to analyze cybersecurity elements within the
standards, focusing on four areas: (1) The NAESB Certification
Program for Accredited Certification Authorities, including the
Wholesale Electric Quadrant (WEQ)-012 Public Key Infrastructure
Business Practice Standards, the NAESB Accreditation Requirements
for Authorized Certificate Authorities, and the Authorized
Certification Authority Process; (2) the WEQ Open Access Same-Time
Information Systems suite of standards; (3) the WGQ and Retail
Markets Quadrant internet Electronic Transport (IET) and Quadrant
Electronic Delivery Mechanism (EDM) Related Standards Manual; and
(4) a high-level dependency analysis between the gas and electric
markets to evaluate the different security paradigms the markets
employ.
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Type of Respondents: Natural gas pipelines under the jurisdiction
of NGA and NGPA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \18\ The Commission estimates the total
annual burden and cost \19\ for this information collection as follows:
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\18\ ``Burden'' is 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations
1320.3.
\19\ Commission staff estimates that the industry's skill set
and cost (for wages and benefits) for FERC-549C are approximately
the same as the Commission's average cost. The FERC 2021 average
salary plus benefits for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is
$180,703/year (or $87.00/hour) posted by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics for the Utilities sector (available at <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm</a>).
FERC-549C: Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines
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Average
number of Cost per
Number of responses Total number Average burden & cost per Total annual burden hours & respondent
respondents per of responses response \20\ total annual cost ($)
respondent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (4)............................. (3) * (4) = (5)................ (5) / (1)
(3)
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Standards for Business 178 1 178 33.33 hrs.; $3,135.39........... 5,932.74 hrs.; $558,098.78..... $3,135.39
Practices of Interstate
Natural Gas Pipelines.
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5. FERC-732
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\20\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) provided
in this section is based on the salary figures for May 2021 posted
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector
(available at <a href="http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm#13-0000">http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm#13-0000</a>)
and scaled to reflect benefits using the relative importance of
employer costs in employee compensation from June 2021 (available at
<a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm</a>). The hourly estimates
for salary plus benefits are:
Petroleum Engineer (Occupation Code: 17-2171), $74.20.
Computer Systems Analysts (Occupation Code: 15-1120), $67.99.
Legal (Occupation Code: 23-0000), $142.25.
Economist (Occupation Code: 19-3011), $75.75.
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is calculated
weighting each of the aforementioned wage categories as follows:
$74.20 (0.3) + $142.25 (0.3) + $67.99 (0.15) + $75.75 (0.25) =
$94.07. The Commission rounds it to $90/hour.
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Title: FERC-732, Electric Rate Schedule and Tariffs: Long-Term Firm
Transmission Rights in Organized Electricity Markets.
OMB Control No.: 1902-0245.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-732 information
collection requirement with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: 18 CFR part 42 provides the reporting requirements of
FERC-732 as they pertain to long-term transmission rights. To implement
section 1233 \21\ of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005),\22\
the Commission requires each transmission organization that is a public
utility with one or more organized electricity markets to make
available long-term firm transmission rights that satisfy each of the
Commission's guidelines.\23\
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\21\ 16 U.S.C. 824.
\22\ 16 U.S.C. 824q.
\23\ 18 CFR 42.1(d).
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The FERC-732 regulations require that transmission organizations
(that are public utilities with one or more organized electricity
markets) choose one of two ways to file:
<bullet> File tariff sheets making long-term firm transmission
rights available that are consistent with each of the guidelines
established by FERC.
<bullet> File an explanation describing how their existing tariffs
already provide long-term firm transmission rights that are consistent
with the guidelines.
Additionally, the Commission requires each transmission
organization to make its transmission planning and expansion procedures
and plans available to the public. FERC-732 enables the Commission to
exercise its wholesale electric rate and electric power transmission
oversight and enforcement responsibilities in accordance with the FPA,
the Department of Energy Organization Act (DOE Act), and EPAct 2005.
Type of Respondents: Public utility with one or more organized
electricity markets.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \24\ The Commission estimates the total
burden and cost \25\ for this information collection as follows.
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\24\ 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.
\25\ FERC staff estimates that industry costs for salary plus
benefits are similar to Commission costs. The FERC 2021 average
salary plus benefits for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is
$180,703/year (or $87.00/hour) posted by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics for the Utilities sector (available at <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm">https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm</a>.)
FERC-732, Electric Rate Schedules and Tariffs: Long-Term Firm Transmission Rights in Organized Electricity Markets
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Annaul
number of Cost per
Number of responses Total number Total annual burden hours & total annual cost respondent
respondents per of responses ($) ($)
respondent
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (3) * (4) = (5)................................. (5) / (1)
(3)
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Public utility with one or more organized 1 1 \26\ 1 1,180 hrs.; $102,660............................ $102,660
electricity markets.
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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;
[[Page 63015]]
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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\26\ The ``1'' Tariff filing is a placeholder for future
fillers.
Dated: November 1, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-24860 Filed 11-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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This is legal information, not legal advice. Laws vary by jurisdiction and change frequently. Always verify current law with official sources and consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice on your specific situation.