Notice2022-23846
Actions Regarding the Commission's Policy on Price Index Formation and Transparency, and Indices Referenced in Natural Gas and Electric Tariffs
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 2, 2022
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Abstract
On April 21, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) revised its price index policy set forth in its Policy Statement on Natural Gas and Electric Price Indices (Revised Policy Statement). In order to comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act requirements on Policy Statements, the Commission is establishing a new information collection, FERC-549E, (Price Index Data Providers and Developers) OMB No. 1902-New, to reflect the burden to implement the policy changes in the Revised Policy Statement and to reflect the unreported burden arising from the prior policy statements. The Commission is also seeking comment on the burden and cost related to complying with the Revised Policy Statement.
Full Text
<html>
<head>
<title>Federal Register, Volume 87 Issue 211 (Wednesday, November 2, 2022)</title>
</head>
<body><pre>
[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 211 (Wednesday, November 2, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66173-66175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2022-23846]
[[Page 66173]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. PL20-3-000]
Actions Regarding the Commission's Policy on Price Index
Formation and Transparency, and Indices Referenced in Natural Gas and
Electric Tariffs
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of policy statement.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: On April 21, 2022, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission) revised its price index policy set forth in its Policy
Statement on Natural Gas and Electric Price Indices (Revised Policy
Statement). In order to comply with Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act requirements on Policy Statements, the
Commission is establishing a new information collection, FERC-549E,
(Price Index Data Providers and Developers) OMB No. 1902-New, to
reflect the burden to implement the policy changes in the Revised
Policy Statement and to reflect the unreported burden arising from the
prior policy statements. The Commission is also seeking comment on the
burden and cost related to complying with the Revised Policy Statement.
DATES: Send comments on or before December 2, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Comments, identified by docket number, may be filed in the
following ways. Electronic filing through <a href="https://www.ferc.gov">https://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.
The Comment Procedures Section of this document contains more
detailed filing procedures.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Evan Oxhorn (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington,
DC 20426, (202) 502-8183, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#074271666929487f6f687569476162756429606871"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="672211060949281f0f081509270102150449000811">[email protected]</span></a>.
Eric Primosch (Technical Information), Office of Energy Policy and
Innovation, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-6483, <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#6623140f054836140f0b0915050e260003140548010910"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="f2b7809b91dca2809b9f9d81919ab294978091dc959d84">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. On April 21, 2022, the Commission issued an order in the above-
captioned proceeding.\1\ Upon further consideration, we determine that
the reference in the Revised Policy Statement to the existing
information collection FERC-549 was in error. That information
collection is already in use for a matter unrelated to the Revised
Policy Statement.\2\ The Commission should have referenced an
information collection for the prior policy statements.\3\ However,
when the Commission issued the prior policy statements, the orders did
not provide a Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) burden estimate.\4\ In
order to comply with Office of Management and Budget (OMB) PRA
requirements on Policy Statements, the Commission is establishing a new
information collection, FERC-549E, (Price Index Data Providers and
Developers) OMB No. 1902-New, to reflect the burden to implement the
policy changes in the Revised Policy Statement and to reflect the
unreported burden arising from the prior policy statements. The
Commission is also seeking comment on the burden and cost as shown in
this order related to complying with the Revised Policy Statement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Actions Regarding the Commission's Pol'y Statement on Price
Index Formation & Transparency, & Indices Referenced in Nat. Gas &
Elec. Tariffs, 87 FR 25,237 (Apr. 21, 2022), 179 FERC ] 61,036
(2022) (Revised Policy Statement).
\2\ See FERC-549, NGPA Section 311 Transactions and NGA Blanket
Certificate Transactions, OMB Control No. 1902-0086.
\3\ Pol'y Statement on Nat. Gas & Elec. Price Indices, 104 FERC
] 61,121, clarified, Order on Clarification of Pol'y Statement on
Nat. Gas & Elec. Price Indices, 105 FERC ] 61,282 (2003), clarified,
Order Further Clarifying Pol'y Statement on Nat. Gas & Elec. Price
Indices, 70 FR 41,002 (July 15, 2005), 112 FERC ] 61,040 (2005)
(prior policy statements).
\4\ Id.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. We clarify that the term ``burden'' as used in paragraphs 24,
29, 36, 37, 47, 56, 58, and 97, as well as the header for section II.c
(following paragraph 47), of the Revised Policy Statement is not
intended to incorporate the statutory definition of burden contained in
5 CFR 1320.3(b) (2021).\5\ Rather, the term ``burden'' as used in those
paragraphs and section header refers to the practical effect of the
Revised Policy Statement on entities that have been voluntarily
reporting to the Commission. That is, while the Commission's statements
on burden properly indicated that changes in the Revised Policy
Statement would reduce the actual ``burden'' on data providers--as that
term is commonly understood, those statements did not incorporate the
statutory definition of the term ``burden.'' Nonetheless, the statutory
definition of ``burden'' contained in 5 CFR 1320.3(b) (2021) is
incorporated in paragraph 110 of the Revised Policy Statement and into
the new FERC-549E.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ Revised Policy Statement, 87 FR 25,237, 179 FERC ] 61,036.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Because we are establishing a new information collection herein,
this order corrects the Commission's statements in the Revised Policy
Statement related to burden, due to burden now being implemented and
reported in the FERC-549E information collection. The Revised Policy
Statement's effective date remains December 31, 2022.
4. The burden estimates contained within the burden table labeled
FERC-549 will now be implemented in FERC-549E. The original table for
FERC-549 at paragraph 110 of the Revised Policy Statement is being
replaced with a new table for FERC-549E (below). Although the FERC-549E
shows no relative reduction in burden, that is because there was no
burden estimate prepared in 2005. Instead, FERC-549E represents an
original total burden that incorporates both the unreported burden
arising from the prior policy statements and any decrease in that
unreported burden resulting from implementation of the policy changes
in the Revised Policy Statement. The table reflecting the changes is as
follows:
[[Page 66174]]
Implementation of Burden Due to the Revised Policy Statement in Docket No. PL20-3
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual number of
Number of responses per Total number of Average burden (hrs.) & cost ($) Total annual burden hrs. & total annual cost ($)
respondents respondent responses per response
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (3) (4).................................. (3) * (4) = (5)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Burden for FERC-549E
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Data Providers (and their affiliates)-- \6\ 104 .5 52 80 hrs.; $6,960...................... 4,160 hrs.; $361,920.
perform biennial self-audit.
Data Providers (and their affiliates) \7\ 96 \8\ 249 23,904 4 hrs.; $348......................... 95,616 hrs.; $8,318,592.
that provide next-day transactions.
Data Providers (and their affiliates) \9\ 77 \10\ 12 924 4 hrs.; $348......................... 3,696 hrs.; $321,552.
that provide next-month transactions.
Grand Total for Data Providers....... ................. ................. 24,880 ..................................... 103,472 hrs.; $9,002,064.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Burden for FERC-549E
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Price Index Developers--re-certify every 6 0.14 0.84 320 hrs.; $27,840.................... 268.8 hrs.; $23,385.6.
7 yrs..
Price Index Developers--code of conduct & 6 1 6 80 hrs.; $6,960...................... 480 hrs.; $41,760.
confident.; & inform customers.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Price Index Developers--identify assessed 6 1 6 80 hrs.; $6,960...................... 480 hrs.; $41,760.
index price vs. calculated.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Grand Total for Price Index ................. ................. 12.84 ..................................... 1,228.80 hrs.; $106,905.60.
Developers.
Total Burden for FERC-549E....... ................. ................. 24,892.84 ..................................... 104,700.80 hrs.; $9,108,969.60.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. The Commission is providing the opportunity for an additional
30-day comment period. The Commission seeks comments on the burden and
cost as shown in this order related to complying with the Revised
Policy Statement.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ A total of 104 data providers (and their affiliates),
perform self-audits on the data they provide to price index
developers. This figure includes data providers (and their
affiliates) that transact solely in the next-day market, data
providers (and their affiliates) that transact solely in the next-
month market, and data providers (and their affiliates) that
transact in both the next-day and next-month market.
\7\ This figure includes data providers (and their affiliates)
that transact solely in the next-day market and in both the next-day
and next-month markets.
\8\ This figure (249 annual responses per respondent) relates to
reporting on all non-holiday trading days.
\9\ This figure includes data providers (and their affiliates)
that transact solely in the next-month market and in both the next-
day and next-month market.
\10\ Respondents who report their next-month transactions to
price index developers report their transactions once a month (or 12
times a year).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Title: FERC-549E, Price Index Data Providers and Developers.
OMB Control No.: 1902-NEW.
Respondents: Natural Gas Data Providers (Market Participants That
Report Transaction).
6. Comments are due December 2, 2022. Comments must refer to Docket
No. PL20-3-000, and must include the commenter's name, the organization
they represent, if applicable, and their address in their comments. All
comments will be placed in the Commission's public files and may be
viewed, printed, or downloaded remotely as described in the Document
Availability section below. Commenters are not required to serve copies
of their comments on other commenters.
7. The Commission encourages comments to be filed electronically
via the eFiling link on the Commission's website at <a href="http://www.ferc.gov">http://www.ferc.gov</a>. The Commission accepts most standard word processing
formats. Documents created electronically using word processing
software must be filed in native applications or print-to-PDF format
and not in a scanned format. Commenters filing electronically do not
need to make a paper filing.
8. Commenters that are not able to file comments electronically may
file an original of their comment by USPS mail or by courier or other
delivery services. For submission sent via USPS only, filings should be
mailed to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of the
Secretary, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426. Submission of
filings other than by USPS should be delivered to: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
9. No further corrections are warranted pertaining to the Revised
[[Page 66175]]
Policy Statement. FERC-552 remains the same and no changes are needed
for that collection.
By the Commission.
Issued: October 27, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-23846 Filed 11-1-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
</pre><script data-cfasync="false" src="/cdn-cgi/scripts/5c5dd728/cloudflare-static/email-decode.min.js"></script></body>
</html>Indexed from Federal Register on November 2, 2022.
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.