Supporting Statement B-OE-417

Supporting Statement B

for the

Electric Emergency Incident and Disturbance Report

OE-417

OMB NUMBER 1901-0288

November 2011

Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability

U.S. Department of Energy

Washington, DC 20585

COLLECTION OF INFORMATION EMPLOYING STATISTICAL METHODS

B.1 Respondent Universe

This survey covers the entire universe of entities responsible for electrical operations and security oversight. The respondent universe is all electric utilities with those that are certified (by NERC) as Balancing Authorities and Reliability Coordinators designated as the primary filer.

Respondents submit their information to the DOE Watch Office. There are 131 balancing authorities, plus 13 U.S. reliability coordinators centers in the contiguous United States. There are 3,276 utilities in the 50 States, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and Guam that could report. Most will not have any need during the calendar year to file a report covering normal electrical outage events. Cyber attacks and other physical threat actions or attempts could happen at a rate higher than electrical operational problems. These events represent law enforcement and national security issues. Getting a notification represents an achievement of an important policy objective for the Federal Government.

For those electric utilities located in the United States, but for whom control area oversight responsibilities are handled by electrical systems located across an international border, those U.S.-based utilities will be required to file the Form OE-417. A foreign utility handling U.S. control area responsibilities, may wish to file this information voluntarily to the DOE. Any U.S. based utility in this international situation needs to inform DOE that these filings will come from a foreign-based electric system.

B.2 Statistical Methodology

There is no methodology applied. All incidents meeting the threshold requirements must be reported.

B.3 Methods to Maximize Response Rates

All potential reporting entities will be sent letters notifying them of their reporting responsibilities. In addition, DOE will send e-mails or make telephone calls to the entities if it learns of an incident or disturbance that an entity has not yet reported. If no response occurs, correspondence is sent from the DOE to high level management officials in the respondent entity requesting submission of the appropriate information.

B.4 Tests of Procedures

DOE has talked with NERC and other respondents about the redevelopment of the OE-417. Their comments have been considered in the design of the form submitted for approval.

B.5 Additional Information

For additional information concerning OE-417, please contact Brian Copeland at (202) 586-1178 or at [email protected]. For information concerning this request for OMB approval, please contact the DOE Paperwork Reduction Act Officer, Christina Rouleau, at 301-903-6227 or at [email protected].