RD20-3 60-day (Published)

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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 74 / Thursday, April 16, 2020 / Notices

Electricity of the Department of Energy
(DOE), as required by regulations at 10
CFR 205.320 et seq., requesting DOE to
amend or, in the alternative, rescind and
reissue Presidential Permit No. PP–362
to enable the transfer of the permit from
CHPEI to its affiliate CHPE, LLC.
On October 6, 2014, DOE issued
Presidential Permit No. PP–362,
authorizing CHPEI to construct, operate,
and maintain the Champlain Hudson
Power Express Project (Project). As
described in PP–362, the Project is a
1,000 Megawatt (MW), high-voltage
direct current (HVDC), underground and
underwater merchant transmission
system that will cross the United StatesCanada international border underwater
near the Town of Champlain, New York,
extend approximately 336 miles south
through New York State, and
interconnect to facilities located in
Queens County, New York owned by
the Consolidated Edison Company of
New York. The aquatic segments of the
transmission line will primarily be
submerged in Lake Champlain and the
Hudson, Harlem, and East rivers. The
terrestrial portions of the transmission
line will primarily be buried in existing
road and railroad rights-of-way (ROW).
Since the issuance of PP–362 in 2014,
the upstream owners of CHPEI have
created a new affiliated entity, CHPE,
LLC, that will —subject to regulatory
approvals—construct, operate, and
maintain the Project. The Project’s
upstream owners intend that the assets
of CHPEI will be transferred to CHPE,
LLC.
Procedural Matters: Any person may
comment on this application by filing
such comment at the address provided
above. Any person seeking to become a
party to this proceeding must file a
motion to intervene at the address
provided above in accordance with Rule
214 of FERC’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure (18 CFR 385.214). Two (2)
copies of each comment or motion to
intervene should be filed with DOE on
or before the date listed above.
Comments and other filings
concerning this application should be
clearly marked with OE Docket No. PP–
362–1. Additional copies are to be
provided directly to Mr. Donald
Jessome, Chief Executive Officer,
Transmission Developers Inc., Pieter
Schuyler Building, 600 Broadway,
Albany, New York 12207–2283,
donald.jessome@
transmissiondevelopers.com and
Jay Ryan, Baker Botts L.L.P., 700 K
Street, NW, Washington, DC 20001,
[email protected].
Before a Presidential permit may be
issued or amended, DOE must
determine that the proposed action is in

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the public interest. In making that
determination, DOE will consider the
environmental impacts of the proposed
action (i.e., granting the Presidential
permit or amendment, with any
conditions and limitations, or denying
the permit) pursuant to the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as
amended, and determine the project’s
impact on electric reliability by
ascertaining whether the proposed
project would adversely affect the
operation of the U.S. electric power
supply system under normal and
contingency conditions, and any other
factors that DOE may also consider
relevant to the public interest. DOE also
must obtain the favorable
recommendation of the Secretary of
State and the Secretary of Defense
before taking final action on a
Presidential permit application.
This application may be reviewed or
downloaded electronically at http://
energy.gov/oe/services/electricitypolicy-coordination-andimplementation/internationalelectricity-regulatio-2. Upon reaching
the home page, select ‘‘Pending
Applications.’’
Signed in Washington, DC, on April 10,
2020.
Christopher Lawrence,
Management and Program Analyst,
Transmission Permitting and Technical
Assistance, Office of Electricity.
[FR Doc. 2020–07971 Filed 4–15–20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. RD20–3–000]

Commission Information Collection
Activities FERC–725N(1) Comment
Request; Extension
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of information collection
and request for comments.
AGENCY:

In compliance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission or FERC) is soliciting
public comment on the
proposedinformation collection FERC–
725N(1) 1 (Mandatory Reliability TPL

SUMMARY:

1 This temporary (placeholder) information
collection number is being used for Docket No.
RD20–3–000 because FERC–725N is currently
pending review at OMB on an unrelated matter.
Only one item per OMB Control No. can be pending
review at OMB at the same time.

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Standards: TPL–007–4, (Transmission
System Planned Performance for
Geomagnetic Disturbance Events)).
DATES: Comments on the collection of
information are due June 15, 2020.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
(identified by Docket No. RD20–3–000)
by either of the following methods:
• eFiling at Commission’s website:
http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
efiling.asp.
• Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
Secretary of the Commission, at Health
and Human Services, 12225 Wilkins
Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.
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).
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.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC–725N(1), Mandatory
Reliability Standards TPL–007–4,
Transmission System Planned
Performance for Geomagnetic
Disturbance Events.
OMB Control No.: 1902–TBD.
Type of Request: Approval of FERC–
725N(1) which is a temporary
placeholder for FERC–725N which is
currently at OMB for an unrelated
activity. There are no changes to the
current reporting and recordkeeping
requirements to FERC–725N.
Abstract: The proposed Reliability
Standard TPL–007–4 requires owners
and operators of the Bulk-Power System
to conduct initial and on-going
vulnerability assessments of the
potential impact of defined geomagnetic
disturbance events on Bulk- Power
System equipment and the Bulk-Power
System as a whole. Specifically, the
Reliability Standard requires entities to
develop corrective action plans for
vulnerabilities identified through
supplemental geomagnetic disturbance
vulnerability assessments and requires
entities to seek approval from the
Electric Reliability Organization of any
extensions of time for the completion of
corrective action plan items.
On August 8, 2005, Congress enacted
into law the Electricity Modernization

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Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 74 / Thursday, April 16, 2020 / Notices
Act of 2005, which is Title XII, Subtitle
A, of the Energy Policy Act of 2005
(EPAct 2005).2 EPAct 2005 added a new
section 215 to the FPA, which required
a Commission-certified Electric
Reliability Organization (ERO) to
develop mandatory and enforceable
Reliability Standards, which are subject
to Commission review and approval.
Once approved, the Reliability
Standards may be enforced by the ERO
subject to Commission oversight, or the
Commission can independently enforce
Reliability Standards.3
On February 3, 2006, the Commission
issued Order No. 672, implementing
section 215 of the FPA.4 Pursuant to
Order No. 672, the Commission certified
one organization, North American
Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC),

as the ERO.5 The Reliability Standards
developed by the ERO and approved by
the Commission apply to users, owners
and operators of the Bulk-Power System
as set forth in each Reliability Standard.
On February 7, 2020, the North
American Electric Reliability
Corporation filed a petition seeking
approval of proposed Reliability
Standard TPL–007–4 (Transmission
System Planned Performance for
Geomagnetic Disturbance Events).
NERC’s filed petition was noticed on
February 11, 2020, with interventions,
comments and protests due on or before
March 9, 2020. No interventions or
comments were received.
The DLO was issued on March 19,
2020. The standard goes in effect at
NERC on October 1,2020.

Type of Respondents: Generator
Owner, Planning Coordinator,
Distribution Provider and Transmission
Owners.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 6 Our
estimates are based on the NERC
Compliance Registry Summary of
Entities as of January 31, 2020.
The individual burden estimates
include the time needed to gather data,
run studies, and analyze study results.
These are consistent with estimates for
similar tasks in other Commissionapproved standards. Estimates for the
additional average annual burden and
cost 7 as proposed in Docket No. RD20–
3–000 follow:

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FERC–725N(1), IN DOCKET NO. RD20–3–000
Annual
number 1 of
respondents

Annual
number of
responses per
respondent

Total number
of responses

Average burden hrs. &
cost) ($) per response

Total annual burden
hours & cost ($)
(rounded)

Cost per
respondent
($)

(1)

(2)

(1) * (2) = (3)

(4)

(3) * (4) = (5)

(5) ÷ (1)

38,760 hours;
$3,100,800.
2,840 hours; $ 227,200
12,720 hours;
$1,017,600.
12,840 hours;
$1,027,200.

$3,200

67,160 hours; ..............
$5,372,800 ..................

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

GO 8 ..............................

969

1

969

40 hours; $3,200 .........

PC 9 ..............................
DP 10 .............................

71
318

1
1

71
318

40 hours; $3,200 .........
40 hours & $3,200 ......

TO 11 .............................

321

1

321

40 hours & $3,200 ......

TOTAL ...................

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

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

1,679

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

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.

Dated: April 10, 2020.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.

2 Energy Policy Act of 2005, Pub. L. 109–58, Title
XII, Subtitle A, 119 Stat. 594, 941 (codified at 16
U.S.C. 824o).
3 16 U.S.C. 824o(e)(3).
4 Rules Concerning Certification of the Electric
Reliability Organization; and Procedures for the
Establishment, Approval, and Enforcement of
Electric Reliability Standards, Order No. 672, FERC
Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,204, order on reh’g, Order No.
672–A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,212 (2006).
5 North American Electric Reliability Corp., 116
FERC ¶ 61,062, order on reh’g and compliance, 117

FERC ¶ 61,126 (2006), order on compliance, 118
FERC ¶ 61,190, order on reh’g, 119 FERC ¶ 61,046
(2007), aff’d sub nom. Alcoa Inc. v. FERC, 564 F.3d
1342 (DC Cir. 2009).
6 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.
7 Commission staff estimates that the industry’s
skill set and cost (for wages and benefits) for FERC–

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$3,200
$3,200
$3,200

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

[FR Doc. 2020–08033 Filed 4–15–20; 8:45 am]

Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. ER20–588–000]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

Midcontinent Independent System
Operator, Inc.; Notice of Technical
Conference
By order dated March 10, 2020,1 the
Commission directed staff to convene a
technical conference regarding
Midcontinent Independent System
Operator, Inc.’s (MISO) filing of
proposed revisions to its Open Access
Transmission, Energy and Operating
Reserve Markets Tariff to allow for the

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725N(1) are approximately the same as the
Commission’s average cost. The FERC 2019 average
salary plus benefits for one FERC full-time
equivalent (FTE) is $167,091/year (or $80.00/hour).
8 Generator Owner.
9 Planning Coordinator.
10 Distribution Provider.
11 Transmission Owner.
1 Midcontinent Indep. Sys. Operator, Inc., 170
FERC ¶ 61,186 (2020).

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