FERC-551 30 Day Notice

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. IC16-17-000]

COMMISSION INFORMATION COLLECTION ACTIVITIES (FERC-55`); COMMENT REQUEST

(Date)

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Comment request.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 USC 3507(a)(1)(D), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is submitting its information collection FERC-551 (Reporting of Flow Volume and Capacity by Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review of the information collection requirements. Any interested person may file comments directly with OMB and should address a copy of those comments to the Commission as explained below. The Commission previously issued a Notice in the Federal Register (81 FR 70671, 10/13/2016) requesting public comments. The Commission received no comments on the FERC-551 and is making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by [30 days after publication of this Notice in the Federal Register].

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No. 1902-0243, should be sent via email to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs: [email protected]. Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. The Desk Officer may also be reached via telephone at 202-395-4718.

A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in Docket No. IC16-17-000, by either of the following methods:

• eFiling at Commission’s Web Site: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.

• Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC 20426.

Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. For user assistance contact FERC Online Support by e-mail 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/docs-filing/docs-filing.asp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Ellen Brown may be reached by e-mail at [email protected], by telephone at (202) 502-8663, and by fax at (202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Reporting of Flow Volume and Capacity by Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines

OMB Control No.: 1902-0243

Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-551 information collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.

Abstract: The Commission uses FERC-551 (Reporting of Flow Volume and Capacity by Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines) to affirm the Commissions commitment to competition and transparency provisions in wholesale natural gas and electricity markets governed by Section 316 of EPAct 2005; Section 23 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) and section 284.13 of the Code of Federal Regulations. The Commission has a statutory requirement to facilitate price transparency in markets for the sale or transportation of physical natural gas in interstate commerce, having due regard for the public interest, the integrity of those markets, fair competition, and the protection of consumers.

The Commission uses the daily posting of information by interstate pipelines to provide information regarding the price and availability of natural gas to market participants, state commissions, FERC, and the public. The postings contribute to market transparency by aiding the understanding of the volumetric/availability drivers behind price movements and it provides a better picture of disruptions in interstate natural gas flows.

Type of Respondents: Natural gas companies.

Estimate of Annual Burden¹: The Commission estimates the annual public reporting burden for the information collection as:

FERC-551: Reporting of Flow Volume and Capacity by Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines
	Number of Respondents (1)	Annual Number of Responses per Respondent (2)	Total Number of Responses (1)*(2)=(3)	Average Burden & Cost Per Response2 (4)	Total Annual Burden Hours & Total Annual Cost (3)*(4)=(5)	Cost per Respondent ($) (5)÷(1)
FERC-551	169	365	61,685	0.5 hrs.; $30.22	30,842.50 hrs.; $1,864,120.70	182.5 hrs.; $11,030.30

Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) whether the collection of information is 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 estimate of the burden and cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

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.

2 The cost is based on FERC’s 2016 average cost (salary plus benefits) of $74.50/hour. The Commission staff believes that the industry’s level and skill set is comparable to FERC.