In accordance
with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for 3
years.
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 Commissions 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
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