FERC-598 60-day notice

68424

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 221 / Monday, November 17, 2014 / Notices

the Small Business Administration
(SBA) to maintain information about
SBIR/STTR awards issued through the
two programs. This data will be
provided by DOE based on information
collected from SBIR/STTR awardees.
This data will be used by DOE, SBA,
and Congress to assess the commercial
impact of these two programs; (5)
Annual Estimated Number of
Respondents: 2,500; (6) Annual
Estimated Number of Total Responses:
2,500; (7) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: 2,500; (8) Annual
Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping
Cost Burden: $120,000.
Statutory Authority: Section 9 of the
Small Business Act, as amended, codified at
15 U.S.C. 638(g).
Issued in Washington, DC, on November
10, 2014.
Manny Oliver,
SBIR/STTR Programs Director, Office of
Science, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2014–27134 Filed 11–14–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. IC15–1–000]

Commission Information Collection
Activities (FERC–598, FERC–716);
Consolidated Comment Request;
Extension
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of information
collections and request for comments.
AGENCY:

In compliance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, 44 USC
3506(c)(2)(A), the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (Commission or
FERC) is soliciting public comment on
the requirements and burden 1 of the
information collections described
below.
DATES: Comments on the collections of
information are due January 16, 2015.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
(identified by Docket No. IC15–1–000)
by either of the following methods:
• eFiling at Commission’s Web site:
http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
efiling.asp

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SUMMARY:

1 The Commission defines burden as the total
time, effort, or financial resources expended by
persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or
provide information to or for a Federal agency. For
further explanation of what is included in the
information collection burden, reference 5 Code of
Federal Regulations 1320.3.

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• Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
Secretary of the Commission, 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
Please reference the specific
collection number and/or title in your
comments.
Instructions: All submissions must be
formatted and filed in accordance with
submission guidelines at: http://
www.ferc.gov/help/submissionguide.asp. For user assistance contact
FERC Online Support by email at
[email protected], or by phone
at: (866) 208–3676 (toll-free), or (202)
502–8659 for TTY.
Docket: Users interested in receiving
automatic notification of activity in this
docket or in viewing/downloading
comments and issuances in this docket
may do so at http://www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/docs-filing.asp.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Brown may be reached by email
at [email protected], telephone
at (202) 502–8663, and fax at (202) 273–
0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the information collection
requirements for all collections
described below with no changes to the
current reporting requirements. Please
note that each collection is distinct from
the next.
Comments: Comments are invited on:
(1) Whether the collections of
information are necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
Commission, including whether the
information will have practical utility;
(2) the accuracy of the agency’s
estimates of the burden and cost of the
collections of information, including the
validity of the methodology and
assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance
the quality, utility and clarity of the
information collections; and (4) ways to
minimize the burden of the collections
of information on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
FERC–598, Self-Certification for Entities
Seeking Exempt Wholesale Generator
Status or Foreign Utility Company
Status
OMB Control No.: 1902–0166.
Abstract: The Commission uses the
data in the FERC–598 information
collection to implement the statutory
provisions of Title XII, subchapter F of
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct
2005).2
2 Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109–58,
119 Stat. 594 (2005)

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EPAct 2005 repealed the Public
Utility Holding Company Act of 1935
(PUHCA 1935) in its entirety, and
adopted in its place the Public Utility
Holding Company Act of 2005 (PUHCA
2005). This change enabled the
Commission to exempt from the
requirements of PUHCA 2005 the
holding companies that hold
responsibility over wholesale generators
from PUHCA 2005 on a case-by-case
basis. The Commission amended its
regulations (in Order No. 667 3) to add
procedures for self-certification by
entities seeking exempt wholesale
generator (EWG) and Foreign Utility
Company (FUCO) status. This selfcertification is similar to the process
available to entities that seek qualifying
facility status.
An EWG is a ‘‘person engaged
directly, or indirectly through one or
more affiliates . . . and exclusively in
the business of owning or operating, or
both owning and operating, all or part
of one or more eligible facilities and
selling electric energy at wholesale.’’ 4 A
FUCO is a company that ‘‘owns or
operates facilities that are not located in
any state and that are used for the
generation, transmission, or distribution
of electric energy for sale or the
distribution at retail of natural or
manufactured gas for heat, light, or
power, if such company: (1) Derives no
part of its income, directly or indirectly,
from the generation, transmission, or
distribution of electric energy for sale or
the distribution at retail of natural or
manufactured gas for heat, light, or
power, within the United States; and (2)
neither the company nor any of its
subsidiary companies is a public-utility
company operating in the United
States.’’
An EWG, FUCO, or its representative
seeking to self-certify its status must file
with the Commission a notice of selfcertification demonstrating that it
satisfies the definition of EWG or FUCO.
In the case of EWGs, the person filing
a notice of self-certification must also
file a copy of the notice of selfcertification with the state regulatory
authority of the state in which the
facility is located and that person must
also represent to the Commission in its
submission that it has filed a copy of the
notice with the appropriate state
regulatory authority.5
3 Repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company
Act of 1935 and Enactment of the Public Utility
Holding Company Act of 2005, 70 FR 75592 (2005),
order on rehearing, Order 667–A, 71 FR 28446
(2006), order on rehearing, Order 667–B, 71 FR
42750 (2006), order on rehearing, Order 667–C, 118
FERC 61133 (2007).
4 18 CFR 366.1.
5 18 CFR 366.7.

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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 221 / Monday, November 17, 2014 / Notices
Submission of the information
collected by FERC–598 is necessary for
the Commission to carry out its
responsibilities under EPAct 2005.6 The
Commission implements its
responsibilities through the Code of

Federal Regulations (CFR) Title 18 Part
366. These filing requirements are
mandatory for entities seeking to selfcertify their EWG or FUCO status.
Type of Respondent: EWGs and
FUCOs.

68425

Estimate of Annual Burden: The
Commission estimates the annual public
reporting burden for the information
collection as:

FERC–598 (SELF-CERTIFICATION FOR ENTITIES SEEKING EXEMPT WHOLESALE GENERATOR STATUS OR FOREIGN UTILITY
COMPANY STATUS)
Number of
respondents

Annual
number of
responses per
respondent

Total number
of responses

Average
burden & cost
per response 7

Total annual
burden hours
& total annual
cost

Cost per
respondent
($)

(1)

(2)

(1) * (2) = (3)

(4)

(3) * (4) = (5)

(5) ÷ (1)

EWGs/FUCOs ..........................................

102

1

102

FERC–716, Good Faith Requests for
Transmission Service and Good Faith
Responses by Transmitting Utilities
Under Sections 211(a) and 213(a) of the
Federal Power Act (FPA) 8

if the negotiations between the
transmission requestor and the
transmitting utility are unsuccessful.
For the initial process, the information
is not filed with the Commission.
However, the request and response may
be analyzed as a part of a Section 211
action. The Commission may order
transmission services under the
authority of FPA 211.
The Commission’s regulations in the
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), 18
CFR 2.20, provide standards by which
the Commission determines if and when
a valid good faith request for
transmission has been made under

OMB Control No.: 1902–0170.
Abstract: The Commission uses the
information collected under the
requirements of FERC–716 to
implement the statutory provisions of
Sections 211 and Section 213 of the
Federal Power Act as amended and
added by the Energy Policy Act 1992.
FERC–716 also includes the
requirement to file a Section 211 request

6
$423

612
$43,146

$423

section 211 of the FPA. By developing
the standards, the Commission sought to
encourage an open exchange of data
with a reasonable degree of specificity
and completeness between the party
requesting transmission services and the
transmitting utility. As a result, 18 CFR
2.20 identifies 12 components of a good
faith estimate and 5 components of a
reply to a good faith request.
Type of Respondent: Transmission
Requestors and Transmitting Utilities
Estimate of Annual Burden: The
Commission estimates the annual public
reporting burden for the information
collection as:

FERC–716 (GOOD FAITH REQUESTS FOR TRANSMISSION SERVICE AND GOOD FAITH RESPONSES BY TRANSMITTING
UTILITIES UNDER SECTIONS 211(a) AND 213(a) OF THE FEDERAL POWER ACT (FPA))
Number of
respondents

Annual
number of
responses per
respondent

Total number
of responses

Average
burden & cost
per response 9

Total annual
burden hours
& total annual
cost

Cost per
respondent
($)

(1)

(2)

(1) * (2) = (3)

(4)

(3) * (4) = (5)

(5) ÷ (1)

Information exchange between parties ....

3

1

3

100
$7050

300
$21,150

$7050

Application submitted to FERC if parties’
negotiations are unsuccessful ..............

3

1

3

2.5
$176.25

7.5
$528.75

$176.25

........................

........................

6

........................

307.5
$21,678.75

$7,226.25

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Total ..................................................

6 42

U.S.C. 16451 et seq.
estimates for cost per response are derived
using the following formula: Average Burden Hours
per Response * $70.50 per Hour = Average Cost per
Response. The cost per hour figure is the FERC
average salary plus benefits. Subject matter experts
found that industry employment costs closely
7 The

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resemble FERC’s regarding the FERC–598
information collection.
8 Previously titled ‘‘Transmission Services (Good
Faith Request, Response by Transmitting Utility,
and Application) under Sections 211 and 213a of
the Federal Power Act’’.

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9 The estimates for cost per response are derived
using the following formula: Average Burden Hours
per Response * $70.50 per Hour = Average Cost per
Response. The cost per hour figure is the FERC
average salary plus benefits. Subject matter experts
found that industry employment costs closely
resemble FERC’s regarding the FERC–716
information collection.

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68426

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 221 / Monday, November 17, 2014 / Notices

Dated: November 7, 2014.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014–27056 Filed 11–14–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. RD14–12–000]

Proposed Agency Information
Collection
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, DOE.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.
AGENCY:

The Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (Commission)
invites public comment in Docket No.
RD14–12–000 on a proposed change to
a collection of information that the
Commission is developing for
submission to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.

SUMMARY:

Comments regarding this
proposed information collection must
be received on or before January 16,
2015.

DATES:

Comments, identified by
docket number, may be filed in the
following ways:
• Electronic Filing through http://
www.ferc.gov. Documents created
electronically using word processing

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ADDRESSES:

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software should be filed in native
applications or print-to-PDF format and
not in a scanned format.
• Mail/Hand Delivery: Those unable
to file electronically may mail or handdeliver an original of their comments to:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
Secretary of the Commission, 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Brown may be reached by email
at [email protected], telephone
at (202) 502–8663, and fax at (202) 273–
0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
proposed information collection
changes in Docket No. RD14–12–000
relate to the proposed Reliability
Standards FAC–001–2 (Facility
Interconnection Requirements) and
FAC–002–2 (Facility Interconnection
Studies), developed by the North
American Electric Reliability
Corporation (NERC), and submitted to
the Commission for approval. The
Commission received NERC’s petition to
approve the proposed Reliability
Standards on August 22, 2014.
NERC summarizes the FAC group of
standards as follows:
The Facility Design, Connections, and
Maintenance (‘‘FAC’’) Reliability Standards
address topics such as facility
interconnection requirements, facility
ratings, system operating limits, and transfer
capabilities.1

In its petition, NERC also summarizes
the proposed Reliability Standards’
applicability and requirements:
Proposed Reliability Standard FAC–001–2
requires that Transmission Owners and
applicable Generator Owners document and
make Facility interconnection requirements
available so that entities seeking to
interconnect have the necessary information.
Proposed Reliability Standard FAC–002–2
ensures that the reliability impact of
interconnecting new or materially modified
Facilities is studied. Collectively, proposed
Reliability Standards FAC–001–2 and FAC–
002–2 ensure that there is appropriate
coordination and communication regarding
the interconnection of Facilities, which
improves the reliability of the Bulk-Power
System.2

Finally, NERC also states that the
proposed Reliability Standards improve
1 NERC
2 Id.

PO 00000

Petition at 3.
at 3.

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Sfmt 4703

reliability, clarify requirement language
and eliminate redundant or unnecessary
requirements.3
Burden Statement: Commission staff
analyzed the proposed and currently
enforced Reliability Standards and has
concluded that proposed Reliability
Standards merely clarify or eliminate
redundancies and thus, the information
collection requirements have not
changed. Accordingly, the net overall
burden and respondent universe 4
remain unchanged, when compared to
the burden of the existing standards
being replaced.5
The Commission intends to submit a
request for approval to OMB under the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) related
to the proposed Reliability Standards.
For PRA purposes, the information
collection requirements in proposed
Reliability Standards FAC–001–2 and
FAC–002–2 are identified as FERC–
725D and OMB Control Number 1902–
0247.
The annual reporting burden for the
implementation of Reliability Standards
FAC–001–2 and FAC–002–2 is
estimated as follows.
3 Id.

at 4.
affected entities for FAC–001–2 are
Transmission Owners (TO) and applicable
Generator Owners (GO). The affected entities for
FAC–002–2 are Transmission Planners (TP),
Planning Coordinators (PC), Generator Owners
(GO), Transmission Owners (TO), Distribution
Providers (DP), and Load-Serving Entities (LSE).
Note that Planning Coordinator (PC) is the new
name for Planning Authority—a term still used in
NERC’s Compliance Registry.
5 The burden for the preceding versions of the
standards being replaced was included in: (a)
FERC–725M (OMB Control No. 1902–0263) for
FAC–001–1, and (b) FERC–725A (OMB Control No.
1902–0244) for FAC–002–1.
6 The number of respondents is based on the
NERC Compliance Registry as of September 24,
2014. Although 2,163 entities are registered as TO,
DP, LSE, or GO, we expect at the most 216 entities
(ten percent) will seek to interconnect and go
through the study phase that may require
coordination in any given year.
7 The estimates for cost per hour are derived as
follows:
• $72.92/hour, the average of the salary plus
benefits for a manager ($84.96/hour) and an
electrical engineer ($60.87/hour), from Bureau of
Labor and Statistics at http://bls.gov/oes/current/
naics3_221000.htm, as of 9/4/2014
• $29.01/hour, based on a Commission staff
study of record retention burden cost.
4 The

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