Notice2025-00232
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-545); Comment Request; Extension
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
January 8, 2025
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 545: Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non- Formal).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 5 (Wednesday, January 8, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 8, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1476-1478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00232]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC25-5-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-545); 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 545: Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-
Formal).
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due March 10,
2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket
No. IC25-5-000) by one of the following methods:
[[Page 1477]]
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
submitted to FERC as follows:
[cir] Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426.
[cir] All other services (including courier): Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the 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#dfb9baadbcb0b1b3b6b1baacaaafafb0adab9fb9baadbcf1b8b0a9"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ccaaa9beafa3a2a0a5a2a9bfb9bcbca3beb88caaa9beafe2aba3ba">[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: Kayla Williams may be reached by email
at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#eda98c998cae81888c9f8c838e88adaba8bfaec38a829b"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="2165405540624d444053404f424461676473620f464e57">[email protected]</span></a>, telephone at (202) 502-6468.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC-545: Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-formal)
OMB Control No.: 1902-0154
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-545 information
collection requirements with no changes to the 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. FERC-545 consists of: (1) Tariff Filings which are filings
regarding proposed changes to a pipeline's tariff and any related
compliance filings; (2) Rate Filings which are rate-related filings
under NGA sections 4 and 5 and any related compliance filings and
settlements; (3) Informational Reports, for example, annual
reconciliation reports.; (4) Negotiated Rates and Non-Conforming
Agreement Filings; (5) North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB)
Filings; (6) Market-Based Rates for Storage Filings; and (6) the Labor-
Wage Policy which allows jurisdictional entities to include wages
consistent with project-area standards in cost-of-service rates filed
with the Commission where the record supports that outcome.
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 rates. 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. These types of filings
are referred to as general section 4 rate cases. In the proceedings,
the Commission reviews a pipeline's rates and services. A pipeline can
file a general section 4 rate case anytime it wishes, provided the
pipeline did not agree otherwise in a settlement. A pipeline must
demonstrate that the new rates it proposes to charge are just and
reasonable. When a rate increase filing is made pursuant to section 4,
the application is typically suspended and set for hearing by a
Commission Order. 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 and demonstrate that a pipeline's existing rate is no longer
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.
Commission 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 regulation in 18 CFR
part 154 specifies what changes are allowed and the procedures for
requesting Commission approval.
Type of Respondents: Jurisdictional natural gas companies.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \1\ The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
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\1\ 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. Refer to
5 CFR 1320.3 for additional information.
FERC-545: Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal)
[No change]
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Average number Total annual burden Cost per
Number of of responses Total number of Average burden & cost hours & total annual respondent
respondents per respondent responses per response \2\ cost ($)
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (3)........ (4).................... (3) * (4) = (5)....... (5) / (1)
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Tariff Filings...................... 141 3 423.................... 211 hrs.; $22,999...... 89,253 hrs.; $68,997
$9,728,577.
Rate Filings........................ 19 2 38..................... 354 hrs.; $38,586...... 13,452 hrs.; 77,172
$1,466,268.
Informational Reports............... 80 2 160.................... 235 hrs.; $25,615...... 37,600 hrs.; 51,230
$4,098,400.
Negotiated Rates & Non-Conforming 75 8 600.................... 233 hrs.; $25,397...... 139,800 hrs.; 203,176
Agreement Filings. $15,238,200.
Market-Base Rates for Storage 2 1 2...................... 230 hrs.; $25,070...... 460 hrs.; $50,140..... 25,070
Filings.
NAESB (version 3.2) one time over 3 59.33 1 59.33.................. 10 hrs.; $1,090........ 593.30 hrs.; 1,090
years carried over from RM96-1-042 $64,669.70.
\3\.
[[Page 1478]]
Labor-Wage Policy \4\............... 11 1 11..................... 15 hrs.; $1,635........ 165 hrs.; $17,985..... 1,635
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Total (Including Section 4 Rate ........... .............. 1,293 (rounded)........ ....................... 281,323 hrs. ...........
Cases). (rounded);
$30,664,240.
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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; 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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\2\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) provided in
this section is based on the salary figures for May 2024 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 March 2024 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), $115.47; Computer and Information
Analysts (Occupation Code: 15-1210), $80.10; Electrical Engineer
(Occupation Code: 17-2071), $79.31; Legal (Occupation Code: 23-
0000), $162.66. The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits)
weighting all of the above skill sets evenly, is $109.38. We round
it to $109/hour.
\3\ At the time of this notice for extension request, Docket No.
RM96-1-043 was issued by the Commission on November 22, 2024. The
Order updated the requirement to reflect the Wholesale Gas Quadrant
(WGQ) 4.0 standards. OMB has not yet approved this modification as
it has not published in the Federal Register, which is required for
Information Collection Requests (ICRs) to be submitted. However, to
prevent a lapse in the approval of the existing collection's
expiration date, the Commission is publishing this Notice with the
currently approved burden estimates that involve the NAESB standards
(59.33 responses). The updated burden estimates for the NAESB
revisions will increase the burden to 64.33 (rounded) responses,
which is the average number of responses per annum.
\4\ Project-Area Wage Standards in the Labor Cost Component of
Cost-of-Service Rates under Docket No. PL24-1-000 was issued on
March 21, 2024, which allows jurisdictional entities to include
wages consistent with project-area standards in cost-of-service
rates filed with the Commission where the record supports that
outcome.
Dated: January 2, 2025.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-00232 Filed 1-7-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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