76 FR 103 pgs. 30927-30928 - Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-516A), Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension
Type: NOTICEVolume: 76Number: 103Pages: 30927 - 30928
Docket number: [Docket No. IC11-516A-000]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2011-13153 Filed 5-26-11; 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. IC11-516A-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-516A), Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Extension
AGENCY:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.
ACTION:
Notice.
SUMMARY:
In compliance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(a) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is soliciting public comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described below.
DATES:
Comments in consideration of the collection of information are due July 26, 2011.
ADDRESSES:
Commenters must send an original of their comments to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426. Comments may be filed either on paper or on CD/DVD, and should refer to Docket No. IC11-516A-000. Documents must be prepared in an acceptable filing format and in compliance with Commission submission guidelines at http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp . eFiling and eSubscription are not available for Docket No. IC11-516A-000, due to a system issue.
All comments and FERC issuances may be viewed, printed or downloaded remotely through FERC's eLibrary at http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp , by searching on Docket No. IC11-516A. For user assistance, contact FERC Online Support by e-mail at ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or by phone at: (866) 208-3676 (toll-free), or (202) 502-8659 for TTY.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Brown may be reached by e-mail at DataClearance@FERC.gov , telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at (202) 273-0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The information collected under the requirements of FERC-516A, "Small Generator Interconnection Agreements" (OMB No. 1902-2003), is used by the Commission to enforce the statutory provisions of sections 205 and 206 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), as amended by Title II, section 211 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA)(16 U.S.C. 825d). FPA sections 205 and 206 require the Commission to remedy undue discriminatory practices within interstate electric utility operations.
The Commission amended its regulations in 2005 with Order No. 2006 to require public utilities that own, control, or operate facilities used for the transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce to amend their Open Access Transmission Tariffs (OATTs) to include a Commission-approved pro forma interconnection procedures document and a standard interconnection agreement for the interconnection of generating facilities having a capacity of no more than 20 MW (Small Generators).1
Footnotes:
1 Standardization of Small Generator Interconnection Agreements and Procedures, Order No. 2006, 70 FR 34189 (May 12, 2005), FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,180 (2005).
Prior to Order No. 2006, the Commission's policy had been to address interconnection issues on a case-by-case basis. Although a number of transmission providers had filed interconnection procedures as part of their OATTs, many industry participants remained dissatisfied with existing interconnection policies and procedures. With an increasing number of interconnection-related disputes, it became apparent that the case-by-case approach was an inadequate and inefficient means to address interconnection issues. This prompted the Commission to adopt, in Order No. 2006, a single set of procedures for jurisdictional transmission providers and a single uniformly applicable interconnection agreement for transmission providers to use in interconnecting with Small Generators.
With the incorporation of these documents in their OATTs, there is no longer a need for transmitting utilities to file case-by-case interconnection agreements and procedures with the Commission. However, on occasion, circumstances warrant non-conforming agreements or a situation-specific set of procedures. These non-conforming documents must be filed in their entirety with the Commission for review and action.
The information collected is in response to a mandatory requirement. The Commission implements these filing requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR part 35, 35.28(f).
Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the current expiration date, with no changes to the existing collection of data.
Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated as:
| Number of respondents annually | Number of responses per respondent | Average burden hours per response | Total annual burden hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | (2) | (3) | (1) × (2) × (3) |
| 238 (maintenance of documents) | 1 | 1 | 238 |
| 40 (filing of conforming agreements) | 1 | 25 | 1,000 |
| Totals | 1,238 |
The estimated burden of the continued requirement to maintain the procedures and agreement documents in transmission providers' OATTs is reflected herein as is the filing of non-conforming interconnection procedures and agreements that occur on occasion. The estimated total cost to respondents is $84,739 (rounded). [1,238 hours divided by 2,080 hours2per year, times $142,3723equals $84,739]. The average cost per respondent is $305 (rounded).
Footnotes:
2 Number of hours an employee works each year.
3 Average annual salary, benefits, and overhead per employee.
The reporting burden includes the total time, effort, or financial resources expendedto generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide the information including: (1) Reviewinginstructions; (2) developing, acquiring, installing, and utilizing technology and systems forthe purposes of collecting, validating, verifying, processing, maintaining, disclosing andproviding information; (3) adjusting the existing ways to comply with any previouslyapplicable instructions and requirements; (4) training personnel to respond to a collection ofinformation; (5) searching data sources; (6) completing and reviewing the collection ofinformation; and (7) transmitting, or otherwise disclosing the information.
The estimate of cost for respondents is based upon salaries for professional andclerical support, as well as direct and indirect overhead costs. Direct costs include all costsdirectly attributable to providing this information, such as administrative costs and the costfor information technology. Indirect or overhead costs are costs incurred by an organizationin support of its mission. These costs apply to activities, which benefit the wholeorganization rather than any one particular function or activity.
Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed collection of information isnecessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whetherthe information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimateof the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of themethodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of theinformation to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection ofinformation on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated,electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms ofinformation technology e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses.
Dated: May 20, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-13153 Filed 5-26-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P