Pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.11(c), OMB files this comment on this information collection request (ICR). In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, OMB is withholding approval at this time. The agency shall examine public comment in response to the 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, including comments on maximizing the practical utility of the collection and minimizing the burden.
table that charts list comparision
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
07/31/2018
36 Months From Approved
07/31/2018
491
0
491
57,803
0
57,803
0
0
0
The business practice standards under FERC-549C are required to carry out the Commission's policies in accordance with the general authority in Sections 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 16, and 20 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) (15 U.S.C. 717c-717w), and sections 311, 501, and 504 of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA) (15 U.S.C. 3301-3432). The Commission adopted these business practice standards in order to update and standardize the natural gas industry's business practices and procedures as well as to improve the efficiency of the gas market and the means by which the gas industry conducts business across the interstate pipeline grid.
In various orders since 1996, FERC has adopted regulations to standardize the business practices and communication methodologies of interstate natural gas pipelines in order to create a more integrated and efficient pipeline industry. In general, when and if NAESB-proposed standards (e.g., consensus standards developed by the Wholesale Gas Quadrant (WGQ), an accredited standards organization under the auspices of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)) are approved by FERC, the Commission incorporates them by reference into its approval. The process of standardizing business practices in the natural gas industry began with a Commission initiative to standardize electronic communication of capacity release transactions. The outgrowth of the initial Commission standardization efforts produced working groups composed of all segments of the gas industry and ultimately, the Gas Industry Standards Board (GISB), a consensus organization open to all members of the gas industry was created. GISB was succeeded by the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB).
NAESB is a voluntary non-profit organization comprised of members from the retail and wholesale natural gas and electric industries. NAESB's mission is to take the lead in developing standards across these industries to simplify and expand electronic communication, and to streamline business practices. Core to its objective is to lead to a seamless North American marketplace for natural gas, as recognized by its customers, the business community, industry participants and regulatory bodies. NAESB WGQ standards are a product of this effort. Industry participants seeking additional or amended standards (including principles, definitions, standards, data elements, process descriptions, technical implementation instructions) submit a request to the NAESB office, detailing the change, so that the appropriate process may take place to amend the standards.
In the NOPR in RM96-1-038, the Commission is proposing to approve changes to the NAESB standards. The resulting burden change is primarily related to start-up to implement these standards and regulations. The proposed changes include:
⢠modifying WGQ Standard 4.3.23 to add "Request to Purchase Releasable Capacity" as a subcategory of information contained in a transportation service provider's information posting website
⢠adding new WGQ Standard 5.3.73, containing requirements regarding requests to purchase capacity that is releasable
⢠using proprietary codes to identify the location of points of receipt and delivery and requiring pipelines to post on their websites information on each of the proprietary points (and no longer using the current common code database which industry decided is not worth the expense and effort) that can be used to determine which points are interconnecting points between pipelines
⢠approving NAESB's approach of separately reporting both "Design Capacity" and "Operating Capacity" as part of the reporting data set, because they are not synonymous and this will provide shippers and the Commission with added information. Accordingly, the Commission proposes to incorporate by reference revised WGQ Standards 0.3.18, 0.3.20, and 0.3.21, and Dataset 0.4.2, as the revised standards and dataset meet the Commission's past concerns and no longer conflict with section 284.13(d) of the Commission's regulations.
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.
RM96-1-038_549C_eCFR.docx
RM96-1-038_NAESB errata_20150707-5191.pdf
Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines