FERC-500, Application for License/Relicense for Water Projects with More than 5 Megawatt (MW) Capacity

Forms and Documents

Document Name	Status
IC16-4_500_542_FR pub 30day 2016-06368.pdf Supplementary Document	2016-03-22
FERC-500-supporting statement final 3-17-2016_pra review_5-24-2016.doc Supporting Statement A	2016-05-24
500_regulations3-17-16.docx Supplementary Document	2016-03-17
IC16-4_30day 500_542_20160316-3029.doc Supplementary Document	2016-03-17
IC16-4_500_542_60day_FR2015-31970.pdf Supplementary Document	2016-02-12
16 USC 799.pdf Supplementary Document	2012-12-14
16 USC 797a.pdf Supplementary Document	2012-12-14
16 USC 798.pdf Supplementary Document	2012-12-14
16 USC 792.pdf Supplementary Document	2012-12-14

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Document Title	Status
43997	FERC-500, Application (or Modification) for License/Relicense for Water Projects with Greater than 5 MW Capacity	Modified
220658	FERC-500, Comprehensive Plans	New
220657	FERC-500, Annual Conveyance Reports	New

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 1902-0058	ICR Reference No: 201602-1902-007
Status: Historical Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 201407-1902-005
Agency/Subagency: FERC	Agency Tracking No: FERC-500
Title: FERC-500, Application for License/Relicense for Water Projects with More than 5 Megawatt (MW) Capacity
Type of Information Collection: Extension without change of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Approved with change	Conclusion Date: 05/24/2016
	Date Received in OIRA: 03/22/2016
Terms of Clearance: In accordance with 5 CFR 1320,the revised information collection is approved.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	05/31/2019	36 Months From Approved	05/31/2016
Responses	83	0	6
Time Burden (Hours)	321,506	0	635,037
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

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Abstract: FERC-500, in general. Most of the information collected by the FERC-500 is in the format of a written application for a license/relicense 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 hydropower as an essential renewable resource within the nation's energy mix. Projects coming up for relicense 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. FERC-500 also includes comprehensive plans submitted by governmental and tribal entities, as well as annual conveyance reports. 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.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 16 USC 791a et seq. Name of Law: Federal Power Act
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	80 FR 79322	12/21/2015
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	81 FR 15300	03/22/2016
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 3

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
FERC-500, Application (or Modification) for License/Relicense for Water Projects with Greater than 5 MW Capacity
FERC-500, Annual Conveyance Reports
FERC-500, Comprehensive Plans

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ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Approved	Previously Approved	Change Due to New Statute	Change Due to Agency Discretion	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate	Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses	83	6	0	0	77	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	321,506	635,037	0	0	-313,531	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: FERC has reviewed the number of the license/re-license applications submitted during FY2012-2015 as well as the actual cost figures provided there by the filers; updated estimates for the number of annual responses and the average burden and cost per response are discussed below. The reporting requirements have not changed. The change in number of estimated responses and burden is based on: 1. actual filings during FY2012-2015, and 2. the associated actual costs reported by those filers in license/re-license applications. FERC then converted the cost figures reported by the filers to burden hours, using the estimated average hourly cost of wages plus benefits. Based on that data, the estimated annual number of license/re-license applications is increased to 9 (from 6), and the estimated average hourly burden per response is being reduced to 35,705.52 (from 105,839). An applicant for a license/re-license is required to include an estimate of their cost to prepare the license application, which would include nearly all of the reporting requirements in FERC-500. Because the requirements for an exemption application are largely the same as that of a license application, the license application costs are a good estimate of the exemption application costs and of the overall burden of preparing license and exemption applications for projects greater than 5 MW. To estimate the total annual burden for the upcoming three years, we averaged the reported license/re-license application costs for proposed projects greater than 5 MW filed in FY 2012 through FY 2015. The average burden cost per application for a major license/re-license over the period FY 2012 through FY 2015 was approximately $2,570,797 . We estimate a cost (salary plus benefits) of $72/hour. Using this hourly cost estimate, the average burden for each major license/re-license application filed from FY 2012 to FY 2015 is 35,706 hours (a decrease from the previous estimate of 105,839.5 hours each). As described in this supporting statement, the decrease (of 66%) in the number of average burden hours per response for license/relicense applications for major projects is due to having more accurate data which was provided by the actual industry filers. In addition, FERC has improved estimates for the annual number of conveyance reports and comprehensive plans and added them as separate ICs under this ICR.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $2,695,995

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: 03/22/2016

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