FERC-542 (RM12-14, NOPR) Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Tracking

Forms and Documents

Document Name	Status
FINAL (RM12-14) NOPR Supporting Statement 3_11_2013.doc Supporting Statement A	2013-03-12
News Release on RM12-14 et al_10-18-12.doc Supplementary Document	2012-10-31
CFR-2012-title18-vol1-sec154-402.pdf Supplementary Document	2012-10-31

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Document Title	Status
23007	FERC-542, Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Tracking	Modified
204577	FERC-542: One-Time Burden from RM12-14 (over three years)	New

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 1902-0070	ICR Reference No: 201210-1902-004
Status: Historical Inactive	Previous ICR Reference No: 201012-1902-001
Agency/Subagency: FERC	Agency Tracking No: FERC-542
Title: FERC-542 (RM12-14, NOPR) Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Tracking
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Comment filed on proposed rule and continue	Conclusion Date: 03/15/2013
	Date Received in OIRA: 11/01/2012
Terms of Clearance: OMB files this comment in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.11(c) of the Paperwork Reduction Act and is withholding approval of this collection at this time. This OMB action is not an approval to conduct or sponsor an information collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The agency shall examine public comment in response to the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and will include in the supporting statement of the next ICR, to be submitted to OMB at the final rule stage, a description of how the agency has responded to any public comments on the ICR. This action has no effect on any current approvals.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	02/28/2014	36 Months From Approved	02/28/2014
Responses	333	0	333
Time Burden (Hours)	13,300	0	13,300
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

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Abstract: The FERC-542 contains the following information collections: (1) Research, development, and deployment expenditures; (2) annual charge adjustments (ACA) and (3) periodic rate adjustments. This Information Collection Request only deals with number 2, annual charge adjustments. The Commission does not propose any changes to the other information collection requirements and in this package only provides details on the annual charge adjustments. The Commission is required to "assess and collect fees and annual charges in any fiscal year in amounts equal to all of the costs incurred by the Commission in that fiscal year." To accomplish this, the Commission created the annual charges program, which is designed to recover the costs of administering the natural gas, oil, and electric programs by calculating the costs of each program, net of filing fees, and properly allocating them among the three programs. This proceeding applies only to the recovery of annual charges assessed to entities in the natural gas program. Pipelines are entitled to recover these annual charges from their customers, and they have two options for doing so. First, upon Commission approval, a Pipeline may adjust its rates annually to recover the annual charges through an ACA clause. Second, a Pipeline may seek to recover its annual charges through its general transportation rates. This proceeding proposes to modify only the first method, i.e., recovery of annual charges through an ACA clause, as it is widely used among Pipelines. Order No. 472 recognized that although the Commission generally disfavors the use of tracking mechanisms, it is appropriate that Pipelines be permitted to pass through these annual charges directly to customers. Accordingly, the Commission provided Pipelines an option of passing along the annual charges to customers through a surcharge to their transportation rates reflected in the ACA clause. The Commission's requirements for Pipelines that choose to utilize an ACA clause are codified in section 154.402 of the Commission's regulations. The one time collection of information is necessary to reduce existing regulatory burden on the natural gas pipeline industry by not requiring approximately 145 annual filings.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 15 USC 717c, 717d, 717o Name of Law: Natural Gas Act
   US Code: 15 USC 3301-3432 Name of Law: Natural Gas Policy Act
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
1902-AE59	Proposed rulemaking	77 FR 65508	10/29/2012

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Federal Register Notices & Comments

Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 2

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
FERC-542, Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Tracking
FERC-542: One-Time Burden from RM12-14 (over three years)

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Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Changing Regulations

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Reduction Due to: Changing Regulations

Short Statement: There is a one-time increase in burden (averaged over three years) which is necessary to implement the burden reduction measures (reduced number of required filings in future years) proposed in the rule.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $575,748

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Is the Supporting Statement intended to be a Privacy Impact Assessment required by the E-Government Act of 2002? No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? Uncollected

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Common Form ICR:  No

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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:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(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;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

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.

Certification Date: 11/01/2012

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