79 FR 221 pgs. 68426-68427 - Proposed Agency Information Collection
Type: NOTICEVolume: 79Number: 221Pages: 68426 - 68427
Pages: 68426, 68427Docket number: [Docket No. RD14-12-000]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2014-27055 Filed 11-14-14; 8:45 am]
Agency: Energy Department
Sub Agency: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. RD14-12-000]
Proposed Agency Information Collection
AGENCY:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.
ACTION:
Notice and request for comments.
SUMMARY:
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) invites public comment in Docket No. RD14-12-000 on a proposed change to a collection of information that the Commission is developing for submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
DATES:
Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before January 16, 2015.
ADDRESSES:
Comments, identified by docket number, may be filed in the following ways:
• Electronic Filing through http://www.ferc.gov. Documents created electronically using word processing software should be filed in native applications or print-to-PDF format and not in a scanned format.
• Mail/Hand Delivery: Those unable to file electronically may mail or hand-deliver an original of their comments to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Brown may be reached by email at DataClearance@FERC.gov, telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at (202) 273-0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
The proposed information collection changes in Docket No. RD14-12-000 relate to the proposed Reliability Standards FAC-001-2 (Facility Interconnection Requirements) and FAC-002-2 (Facility Interconnection Studies), developed by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and submitted to the Commission for approval. The Commission received NERC's petition to approve the proposed Reliability Standards on August 22, 2014.
NERC summarizes the FAC group of standards as follows:
The Facility Design, Connections, and Maintenance ("FAC") Reliability Standards address topics such as facility interconnection requirements, facility ratings, system operating limits, and transfer capabilities.1
Footnotes:
1 NERC Petition at 3.
In its petition, NERC also summarizes the proposed Reliability Standards' applicability and requirements:
Proposed Reliability Standard FAC-001-2 requires that Transmission Owners and applicable Generator Owners document and make Facility interconnection requirements available so that entities seeking to interconnect have the necessary information. Proposed Reliability Standard FAC-002-2 ensures that the reliability impact of interconnecting new or materially modified Facilities is studied. Collectively, proposed Reliability Standards FAC-001-2 and FAC-002-2 ensure that there is appropriate coordination and communication regarding the interconnection of Facilities, which improves the reliability of the Bulk-Power System.2
Footnotes:
2 Id. at 3.
Finally, NERC also states that the proposed Reliability Standards improve reliability, clarify requirement language and eliminate redundant or unnecessary requirements.3
Footnotes:
3 Id. at 4.
Burden Statement: Commission staff analyzed the proposed and currently enforced Reliability Standards and has concluded that proposed Reliability Standards merely clarify or eliminate redundancies and thus, the information collection requirements have not changed. Accordingly, the net overall burden and respondent universe4remain unchanged, when compared to the burden of the existing standards being replaced.5
Footnotes:
4 The affected entities for FAC-001-2 are Transmission Owners (TO) and applicable Generator Owners (GO). The affected entities for FAC-002-2 are Transmission Planners (TP), Planning Coordinators (PC), Generator Owners (GO), Transmission Owners (TO), Distribution Providers (DP), and Load-Serving Entities (LSE). Note that Planning Coordinator (PC) is the new name for Planning Authority-a term still used in NERC's Compliance Registry.
5 The burden for the preceding versions of the standards being replaced was included in: (a) FERC-725M (OMB Control No. 1902-0263) for FAC-001-1, and (b) FERC-725A (OMB Control No. 1902-0244) for FAC-002-1.
The Commission intends to submit a request for approval to OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) related to the proposed Reliability Standards. For PRA purposes, the information collection requirements in proposed Reliability Standards FAC-001-2 and FAC-002-2 are identified as FERC-725D and OMB Control Number 1902-0247.
The annual reporting burden for the implementation of Reliability Standards FAC-001-2 and FAC-002-2 is estimated as follows.
Footnotes:
6 The number of respondents is based on the NERC Compliance Registry as of September 24, 2014. Although 2,163 entities are registered as TO, DP, LSE, or GO, we expect at the most 216 entities (ten percent) will seek to interconnect and go through the study phase that may require coordination in any given year.
7 The estimates for cost per hour are derived as follows:
• $72.92/hour, the average of the salary plus benefits for a manager ($84.96/hour) and an electrical engineer ($60.87/hour), from Bureau of Labor and Statistics at http://bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm, as of 9/4/2014
• $29.01/hour, based on a Commission staff study of record retention burden cost.
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| Number and type of respondent6 | Annual number of responses per respondent | Total number of responses | Average burden per response (hours) | Total annual burden (hours) | Total annual cost7 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (1) | (2) | (1)*(2) = (3) | (4) | (3)*(4) = (5) | ($) | |
| FAC-001-2 | ||||||
| Documentation & updates | GO 5 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 80 | $5,833.60 |
| TO 332 | 1 | 332 | 16 | 5312 | 387,351.04 | |
| Record Retention | GO 5 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 145.05 |
| TO 332 | 1 | 332 | 1 | 332 | 9,631.32 | |
| FAC-002-2 | ||||||
| Study | PC, TP 183 | 1 | 183 | 32 | 5856 | 427,019. 52 |
| Record Retention | PC, TP 183 | 1 | 183 | 1 | 183 | 5,308.83 |
| Coordination | TO, DP, LSE, GO 216 | 1 | 216 | 16 | 3456 | 252,011.52 |
| Record Retention | TO, DP, LSE, GO 216 | 1 | 216 | 1 | 216 | 6,266.16 |
| Total | 1,093,567.04 | |||||
The total estimated annual burden cost to respondents is: $1,093,567.04.
Dated: November 7, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-27055 Filed 11-14-14; 8:45 am]
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