FERC-539 30-day (issued)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket Nos.IC19-33-000]

COMMISSION INFORMATION COLLECTION ACTIVITIES

(FERC-539)

COMMENT REQUEST; EXTENSION

(August 27, 2019)

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved information collection, FERC-539 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: Import & Export Related Applications).

DATES: Comments on the collections of information are due [INSERT DATE 60 DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC19-33-000) 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 CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by e-mail at [email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at (202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: FERC-539 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: Import & Export Related Applications)

OMB Control No.: 1902-0062

Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-539 with no changes to the current reporting requirements.

Abstract: Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) (15 U.S.C. 717-717w) provides, in part, that “…no person shall export any natural gas from the United States to a foreign country or import any natural gas from a foreign country without first having secured and order from the Commission authorizing it to do so.” The 1992 amendments to Section 3 of the NGA concern importation or exportation from/to a nation which has a free trade agreement with the United States, and requires that such importation or exportation: (1) Shall be deemed to be a “first sale”, i.e., not a sale for a resale, and (2) Shall be deemed to be consistent with the public interest, and applications for such importation or exportation shall be granted without modification or delay.

With the ratification of the North American Free Trade Agreement and the

Canadian Free Trade Agreement, the Federal regulatory focus on construction,

operation, and siting of import and export facilities increased significantly.

Estimate of Annual Burden.¹ The Commission estimates the annual public reporting burden for the information collection as:

FERC-539, Gas Pipeline Certificates: Import & Export Related Applications
Number of Respondents (1)	Number of Responses Per Respondent (2)	Total Number of Responses (1) * (2) = (3)	Average Burden Hours & Average Cost2 per Response ($) (4)	Total Annual Burden Hours & Total Annual Cost ($) (3) * (4) = (5)	Cost per Respondent ($) (5) ÷ (1) = (6)
6	2	12	15 hours; $1,200	180 hours; $14,400	$2,400

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.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

1 Burden is defined 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. See 5 CFR 1320 for additional information on the definition of information collection burden.

2 The Commission staff estimates that industry is similarly situated in terms of hourly cost (for wages plus benefits). Based on the Commission’s FY (Fiscal Year) 2019 average cost (for wages plus benefits), $80.00/hour is used.