Notice2021-25675
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form Nos. 60, 60A, FERC-61, and FERC-555A); Consolidated Comment Request; Extension
Primary source
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Published
November 24, 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 collections, FERC Form Nos. 60 and 60A (Annual Report of Centralized Service Companies), FERC-61 (Narrative Description of Service Company Functions), and FERC-555A (Preservation of Records Companies and Service Companies Subject to PUHCA).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 86 Issue 224 (Wednesday, November 24, 2021)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 24, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67048-67051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2021-25675]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC22-5-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form Nos. 60,
60A, FERC-61, and FERC-555A); Consolidated Comment Request; Extension
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of information collections 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 collections, FERC Form Nos. 60 and 60A (Annual Report of
Centralized Service Companies), FERC-61 (Narrative Description of
Service Company Functions), and FERC-555A (Preservation of Records
Companies and Service Companies Subject to PUHCA).
DATES: Comments on the collections of information are due January 24,
2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC22-5-000
and the form) by either of the following methods:
<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 to: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Please reference the specific collection number and/or title in
your comments.
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#bbdddec9d8d4d5d7d2d5dec8cecbcbd4c9cffbdddec9d895dcd4cd"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="761013041519181a1f181305030606190402361013041558111900">[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#2d694c594c6e41484c5f4c434e486d6b687f6e034a425b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7f3b1e0b1e3c131a1e0d1e111c1a3f393a2d3c51181009">[email protected]</span></a>, and telephone at (202) 502-8663.
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\1\ Due to expiration dates in 2019 for many of the Commission's
financial forms, the renewal work for several of the forms was in
process or pending at OMB during the 2019 Forms Refresh rulemaking
effort in Docket No. RM19-12-000. The simultaneous OMB processes
required the assignment of alternate temporary information
collection numbers (e.g., 60A) at the NOPR and/or final rule stages.
Accordingly, FERC Form No. 60A represents the additional burden
associated with the final rule in RM19-12-000. Revisions to the
Filing Process for Comm'n Forms, Order No. 859, 167 FERC ] 61,241
(2019).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:\1\
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the information collection
requirements for FERC Form Nos. 60 and 60A, FERC-61, and FERC-555A with
no changes to the current reporting requirements. Please note the three
collections (60 including 60A, 61, and 555A) are distinct.\2\
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\2\ For purposes of this notice, unless otherwise stated, FERC
Form Nos. 60 and 60A are collectively referred to as ``FERC Form No.
60.'' Because this renewal will incorporate the requirements and
burden represented by FERC Form No. 60A into FERC Form No. 60, it is
anticipated that the Commission will eventually seek to retire the
60A as duplicative.
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FERC Form No. 60 (Annual Report of Centralized Service Companies),
FERC-61 (Narrative Description of Service Company Functions), and FERC-
555A (Preservation of Records Companies and Service Companies Subject
to PUHCA)
OMB Control Nos. and Titles: 1902-0215 ((FERC Form Nos. 60 (Annual
Report of Centralized Service Companies), FERC-61 (Narrative
Description of Service Company Functions), and FERC-555A (Preservation
of Records Companies and Service Companies Subject to PUHCA)), and
1902-0308 (FERC Form No. 60A, Annual Report of Centralized Service
Companies--Modifications to FERC Form No. 60 due to Final Rule in
Docket No. RM19-12-000).
Abstract: In accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct
2005), the Commission implemented the repeal of the Public Utility
Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA 1935) and implemented the provisions
of a newly enacted Public Utility Holding Company Act 2005 (PUHCA
2005). Pursuant to PUHCA 2005, the Commission requires centralized
service companies to file FERC Form No. 60, unless the company is
exempted or granted a waiver pursuant to the Commission's regulations.
The information collected in FERC Form No. 60 enables better monitoring
for cross-subsidization, and aids the Commission in carrying out its
statutory responsibilities. In addition, centralized service companies
are required to follow the Commission's preservation of records
requirements for centralized service companies.
FERC Form No. 60
FERC Form No. 60 is an annual reporting requirement for centralized
service companies set forth in 18 CFR 366.23. The report's function is
to collect financial information (including balance sheet, assets,
liabilities, billing and charges for associated and non-associated
companies) from centralized service companies subject to the
Commission's jurisdiction. Unless the Commission exempts or grants a
waiver
[[Page 67049]]
pursuant to 18 CFR 366.3 and 366.4 to the holding company system, every
centralized service company in a holding company system must prepare
and file electronically with the Commission the FERC Form No. 60,
pursuant to the General Instructions in the form.
FERC-61
FERC-61 is a filing requirement for service companies in holding
company systems (including special purpose companies) that are
currently exempt or granted a waiver of FERC's regulations and would
not have to file FERC Form No. 60. Instead, those service companies are
required to file, on an annual basis, a narrative description of the
service company's functions during the prior calendar year (FERC-61).
In complying, a holding company may make a single filing on behalf of
all of its service company subsidiaries.
FERC-555A
The Commission's regulations prescribe a mandated preservation of
records requirements for holding companies and service companies
(unless otherwise exempted by FERC). This requires them to maintain and
make available to FERC, their books and records. The preservation of
records requirement provides for uniform records retention by holding
companies and centralized service companies subject to PUHCA 2005.
Data from FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A provide a level
of transparency that: (1) Helps protect ratepayers from pass-through of
improper service company costs, (2) enables the Commission to review
and determine cost allocations (among holding company members) for
certain non-power goods and services, (3) aids the Commission in
meeting its oversight and market monitoring obligations, and (4)
benefits the public, both as ratepayers and investors. In addition, the
Commission's audit staff uses these records during compliance reviews
and special analyses.
If data from FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A were not
available, it would be difficult for the Commission to meet its
statutory responsibilities under EPAct 1992, EPAct of 2005, and PUHCA
2005, and the Commission would have fewer of the regulatory mechanisms
necessary to ensure transparency and protect ratepayers.
XBRL, Order No. 859, and FERC Form No. 60
Previously, FERC Form No. 60 filers would transmit the information
in the form to the Commission using a software application called
Visual FoxPro (VFP). This application is no longer supported by its
developer, Microsoft Corporation. As a result, in April 2015, the
Commission issued an order announcing its intention to replace the VFP
filing format for certain Commission forms (including FERC Form No. 60)
with an eXtensible Markup Language (XML)-based filing format. On June
20, 2019, the Commission issued Order No. 859, which adopted eXtensible
Business Reporting Language (XBRL) as the standard for filing FERC Form
No. 60 and certain other Commission forms.\3\
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\3\ Revisions to the Filing Process for Comm'n Forms, Order No.
859, 167 FERC ] 61,241 (2019).
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Type of Respondent: Centralized service companies.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \4\ The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden and cost \5\ (rounded in the tables) for the
information collection as:
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\4\ Burden is defined as the total time, effort, or financial
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain,
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. The burden hours and costs are rounded for ease of
presentation.
\5\ The cost for the Form 60 and FERC-61 is based on FERC's 2021
Commission-wide average salary cost (salary plus benefits) of
$87.00/hour. The Commission staff believes the FERC FTE (full-time
equivalent) average cost for wages plus benefits is representative
of the corresponding cost for the industry respondents. For the
FERC-555A, the $35.83 hourly cost figure comes from the average cost
(wages plus benefits) of a file clerk (Occupation Code 43-4071) as
posted on the BLS website (<a href="http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm">http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm</a>).
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Total Annual Cost: $5,009,444 (Paperwork Burden) + $49,148 (Record
Retention storage cost) = $5,058,592.
A more granular breakdown of the FERC-60/61/555A cost categories
follows:
Labor Cost: The total estimated annual cost for labor burden to
respondents is $5,009,444 [$285,012 (FERC Form No. 60) + $3,520 (FERC-
61) + $4,720,912 (FERC-555A)].
FERC Form No. 60: 42 respondents x $6,786 per respondent =
$285,012.
FERC-61: 80 respondents x $44 per respondent = $3,520.
FERC-555A: 122 respondents x $38,696 per respondent = $4,720,912.
Storage Cost: \6\ In addition to the labor (burden cost provided
above), there are additional costs that represent record retention and
storage costs:
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\6\ Internal analysis assumes 50% paper storage and 50%
electronic storage.
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<bullet> Paper storage costs (using an estimate of 60 cubic feet x
$6.46 per cubic foot): $387.60 per respondent annually. Total annual
paper storage cost to industry ($387.60 x 122 respondents): $47,287.
This estimate assumes that a respondent stores the same volume of paper
as it did in the past and that the cost of such storage has not
changed. We expect that this estimate should trend downward over time
as more companies move away from paper storage and rely more heavily on
electronic storage.
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<bullet> Electronic storage costs: $15.25 per respondent annually.
Total annual electronic storage cost to industry ($15.25 x 122
respondents): $1,861. This calculation retains the previous estimate
that storage of 1GB per year is $15.25. We expect that this estimate
should trend downward over time as the cost of electronic storage
technology, including cloud storage, continues to decrease. For
example, external hard drives of approximately 500GB are available for
approximately $50. In addition, cloud storage plans from multiple
providers for 1TB of storage (with a reasonable amount of requests and
data transfers) are available for less than $35 per month.
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.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-25675 Filed 11-23-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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