In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for 3 years.
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
04/30/2013
36 Months From Approved
05/31/2010
20
0
200
600
0
6,000
37,009
0
720,000
The information collected in the FERC-730 is necessary for the Commission to evaluate its incentive rates policies, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of these policies. The FERC-730 filing requirement allows the Commission to track the progress of electric transmission projects that have been granted incentive-based rates, providing an accurate assessment of the state of the industry with respect to transmission investment, and ensuring that incentive rates are effective in encouraging the development of appropriate transmission infrastructure.
To promote the development of needed energy infrastructure, Congress enacted section 1241 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Attachment A), which added a new section 219 to the Federal Power Act (FPA) (Attachment B). Section 219 of the FPA required that the Commission issue a rule allowing incentive-based rate treatments to promote capital investment in the enlargement, improvement, maintenance, and operation of transmission facilities.
To comply with these FPA requirements, the Commission issued Order No. 679 (Attachment C) in 2006. Order 679 allowed public utilities participating in interstate commerce to apply for certain incentives, including: (1) a rate of return on equity sufficient to attract new investment in transmission facilities, (2) 100% of prudently incurred Construction Work in Progress (CWIP) in rate base, (3) recovery of prudently incurred pre-commercial operations costs, (4) accelerated depreciation, (5) hypothetical capital structure, and (6) recovery of 100% of prudently incurred costs of transmission facilities that are cancelled or abandoned due to factors beyond the control of the public utility.
The CommissionÂs incentive rates policies under Order No. 679 aim to ensure reliability and reduce the cost of delivered power by decreasing transmission congestion. The Commission created FERC-730 to better inform its incentive rate policies, ensuring that they encourage appropriate infrastructure development and meet the requirements of FPA section 219. FERC-730 is an annual filing requirement for utilities that have been granted incentive-based rates.
Utilities must file the following information in FERC-730: actual monetary investment for the most recent calendar year; planned investments for the next five years; and a project-by-project listing that includes each project planned for investment over the next five years and specifies expected completion date, percentage completion as of the filing date, and any reasons for delay. The filing requirements of FERC-730 are codified under 18 CFR §35.35(h) (Attachment D).
There is an administrative change in burden associated with this information collection. In the previous final rule that was submitted to and approved by OMB, the entire universe of possible respondents (200) was inadvertently listed as the annual estimated number of respondents per year. Based on the experience of the last two years and the actual number of filings received, the number of respondents has been decreased to 20.
$3,911
No
No
Uncollected
Uncollected
No
Uncollected
Patricia Morris 202 208-6990
Reginfo record details
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
issued 2 3 2010___20100203-3028.doc
FERC-730, Report of Transmission Investment Activity