74 FR 67 pgs. 16197-16198 - Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-585); Comment Request; Submitted for OMB Review
Type: NOTICEVolume: 74Number: 67Pages: 16197 - 16198
Docket number: [Docket No. IC09-585-001]
FR document: [FR Doc. E9-8045 Filed 4-8-09; 8:45 am]
Agency: Energy Department
Sub Agency: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC09-585-001]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-585); Comment Request; Submitted for OMB Review
April 2, 2009.
AGENCY:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
In compliance with the requirements of section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 USC 3507, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) has submitted the information collection described below 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 received no comments in response to the Federal Register notice (74 FR 5150, 1/29/09) and has made this notation in its submission to OMB.
DATES:
Comments on the collection of information are due by May 12, 2009.
ADDRESSES:
Address comments on the collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. Comments to OMB should be filed electronically, c/o oira_submission@omb.eop.gov and include OMB Control Number 1902-0138 as a point of reference. The Desk Officer may be reached by telephone at 202-395-4638.
A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and should refer to Docket No. IC09-585-001. Comments may be filed either electronically or in paper format. Those persons filing electronically do not need to make a paper filing. Documents filed electronically via the Internet must be prepared in an acceptable filing format and in compliance with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission submission guidelines. Complete filing instructions and acceptable filing formats are available at http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide/electronic-media.asp . To file the document electronically, access the Commission's Web site and click on Documents Filing, E-Filing ( http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp ), and then follow the instructions for each screen. First time users will have to establish a user name and password. The Commission will send an automatic acknowledgement to the sender's e-mail address upon receipt of comments.
For paper filings, an original and 2 copies of the comments should be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, and should refer to Docket No. IC09-585-001.
All comments may be viewed, printed or downloaded remotely via the Internet through FERC's homepage using the "eLibrary" link. For user assistance, contact fercolinesupport@ferc.gov or toll-free at (866) 208-3676 or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Brown may be reached by telephone at (202) 502-8663, by fax at (202) 273-0873, and by e-mail at ellen.brown@ferc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The information collected under the requirements of FERC-585 "Reporting of Electric Energy Shortages and Contingency Plans under PURPA" (OMB No. 1902-0138) is used by the Commission to implement the statutory provisions of section 206 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1979 (PURPA) Public Law 95-617, 92 Stat. 3117. Section 206 of PURPA amended the Federal Power Act (FPA) by adding a new subsection (g) to section 202, under which the Commission by rule, was to require each public utility to (1) report to the Commission and appropriate state regulatory authorities of any anticipated shortages of electric energy or capacity which would affect the utility's capability to serve its wholesale customers; and (2) report to the Commission and any appropriate state regulatory authority with a contingency plan that would outline what circumstances might give rise to such occurrences.
In Order No. 575, the Commission modified the reporting requirements in 18 CFR 294.101(b) to provide that, if a public utility includes in its rates schedule, provisions that: (a) During electric energy and capacity shortages it will treat firm power wholesale customers without undue discrimination or preference; and (b) it will report any modifications to its contingency plan for accommodating shortages within 15 days to the appropriate state regulatory agency and to the affected wholesale customers, then the utility need not file with the Commission an additional statement of the contingency plan for accommodating such shortages. This revision merely changed the reporting mechanism; the public utility's contingency plan would be located in its filed rate rather than in a separate document.
In Order No. 659, the Commission modified the reporting requirements in 18 CFR 294.101(e) to provide that the means by which public utilities must comply with the requirements to report shortages and anticipated shortages is to submit this information electronically using the Office of Electric Reliability's pager system at emergency@ferc.gov in lieu of submitting an original and two copies with the Secretary of the Commission.
The Commission uses the information to evaluate and formulate an appropriate option for action in the event an unanticipated shortage is reported and/or materializes. Without this information, the Commission and State agencies would be unable to: (1) Examine and approve or modify utility actions, (2) prepare a response to anticipated disruptions in electric energy, and (3) ensure equitable treatment of all public utility customers under the shortage situations. The Commission implements these filing requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR Part 294.
Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the current expiration date, with no change to the existing requirements.
Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated as:
| FERC-585 | Number of respondents annually | Number of responses per respondent | Average burden hours per response | Total annual burden hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (1)×(2)×(3) | |
| Contingency Plan | 1 | 1 | 73 | 73 |
| Capacity Shortage | 1 | 1 | 0.25 | 0.25 |
Estimated annual cost to respondents is $4,518.15 (73.25 hours/2080 hours1times $128,2972= $4,518.15).
Footnotes:
1 The number of hours an employee works each year is estimated to be 2,080.
2 The average annual salary per employee is estimated to be $128,297.
The reporting burden includes the total time, effort, or financial resources expended to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide the information including: (1) Reviewing instructions; (2) developing, acquiring, installing, and utilizing technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, verifying, processing, maintaining, disclosing and providing information; (3) adjusting the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; (4) training personnel to respond to a collection of information; (5) searching data sources; (6) completing and reviewing the collection of information; and (7) transmitting, or otherwise disclosing the information.
The estimate of cost for respondents is based upon salaries for professional and clerical support, as well as direct and indirect overhead costs. Direct costs include all costs directly attributable to providing this information, such as administrative costs and the cost for information technology. Indirect or overhead costs are costs incurred by an organization in support of its mission. These costs apply to activities which benefit the whole organization rather than any one particular function or activity.
Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed 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 of the proposed collections of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-8045 Filed 4-8-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P