In accordance with 5 CFR 1320,the revised information collection is approved. The terms of the previous clearance remain in effect, including the expiration date of 05/31/2016. The agency has offered to continue to monitor actual burden hours on respondents and to adjust estimates accordingly upon resubmission.
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
05/31/2016
05/31/2016
05/31/2016
16
0
16
58,782
0
58,782
0
0
0
RM14-20. [This ICR requests approval of non-substantive changes in the final rule in Docket RM14-20.] FERC issued this Final Rule in RM14-20 (Order 798, issued 7/17/2014) to make minor changes to its regulations. This Final Rule amends the requirements of 18 C.F.R. § 4.39(a) pertaining to the format and dimensions of maps and drawings submitted to the Commission by applicants and licensees in the Commission's hydropower program. Specifically, the amendments: 1) remove the requirement that applicants and licensees submit copies of certain project maps and drawings in microfilm format on aperture cards; and 2) change the minimum and maximum dimensions applicable to submitted maps and drawings.
These amendments modernize the regulations to reflect technological advances and the manner in which the majority of filers currently submit their drawings, and to relieve burdens placed on applicants and licensees (who formerly may have had to request a waiver to file in this format or size). For further info., see the non-substantive justification available in "Supplementary Documents." [There will be 3 separate ICRs related to this final rule, one each for FERC-500, FERC-505, and FERC-512.]
FERC-505, in general. The information collected by the FERC-505 is in the format of a written application for a license or exemption and is used by the Commission staff to determine the broad impact of the license application. Commission staff conducts systematic reviews of the prepared application with supplemental documentation provided by the solicitation of comments from other agencies and the public. These comments are received through the issuance of public notice and open meetings. These reviews ensure that the Federal Power Act, as amended by other statutory provisions, is formally administered to ensure compliance by the licensees. Greater environmental scrutiny, as well as a decision making process characterized by shared authorities, has assisted the development and utilization of hydro-power as an essential renewable resource within the nation's energy mix. Projects coming up for re-license in the next several decades were originally licensed before the enactment of ECPA, the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments of 1972 (the Clean Water Act), and the Coastal Zone Management Act.
After an application is filed, the Federal agencies with responsibilities under the FPA and other statutes, the states, Indian tribes, and other participants have opportunities to request additional studies and provide comments and recommendations. Federal agencies with mandatory conditioning authority also provide their conditions. The Commission staff may ask for additional information that it needs for its environmental analysis. All of this information is considered in the Commission staff's environmental review under NEPA. After a license is issued, the Commission monitors the licensee's compliance with the license conditions throughout the term of the license.
Submission of the data is necessary to fulfill the requirements of the FPA in order for the Commission to make the required finding that the proposal is economically, technically, and environmentally sound, and is best adapted to a comprehensive plan for improving/developing a waterway or waterways.
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.
RM14-20_500_505_512_non-subst state_9-4-14.docx
16 USC 797a.pdf
FERC-505, Application for License/Relicense for Water Projects with 5 MW or Less Capacity