FERC-549C, (NOPR in RM96-1-042) Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines

Forms and Documents

Document Name	Status
43 USC 1331.pdf Supplementary Document	2021-04-15
42 USC 7101-7352.pdf Supplementary Document	2021-04-15
NOPR (published).pdf Supplementary Document	2021-04-15
RM96-1-042 NOPR (Issued).docx Supplementary Document	2021-04-15
RM96-1-042 NAESB FERC-545 FERC-549C supporting statement.docx Supporting Statement A	2021-04-15
18 CFR 284.pdf Supplementary Document	2021-04-15
15 USC 3301-3432.pdf Supplementary Document	2021-04-15
15 USC 717-717z.pdf Supplementary Document	2021-04-15

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Document Title	Status
246843	RM96-1-042 NOPR (Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines) averaged Years 1-3	New
233968	RM96-1-041 Final Rule (Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines) averaged Years 1-3	Unchanged
23211	Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines	Unchanged
216316	RM14-2-000 Final Rule (Implementation of New Standards)	Unchanged

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 1902-0174	ICR Reference No: 202012-1902-003
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 201810-1902-013
Agency/Subagency: FERC	Agency Tracking No: FERC-549C
Title: FERC-549C, (NOPR in RM96-1-042) Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 04/16/2021

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	02/28/2022
Responses	723	545
Time Burden (Hours)	66,050	48,250
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

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Abstract: 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 has divided its efforts among four quadrants, including two retail quadrants, a wholesale electric quadrant, and the WGQ. The 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. The Final Rule in RM96-1-041 requires interstate natural gas pipelines to make a one-time tariff filing to reflect the changes in the updated NAESB standards in FERC-545. The Commission reviews the FERC-549C materials to determine whether proposed transportation and sales rates and terms and conditions of service are just and reasonable. The Commission uses the information to monitor rates and terms and conditions of service related to jurisdictional transportation, natural gas storage, and unbundled sales activities of jurisdictional companies. In addition to fulfilling the Commission’s obligations under the NGA, the information enables the Commission to monitor the activities and evaluate transactions of the natural gas industry to ensure competitiveness and improved efficiency of the industry’s operations.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 15 USC 717-717z Name of Law: Natural Gas Act
   US Code: 15 USC 3301-3432 Name of Law: Natural Gas Policy Act
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
1902-AF80	Proposed rulemaking	86 FR 12879	03/05/2021

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Federal Register Notices & Comments

Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 4

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
RM14-2-000 Final Rule (Implementation of New Standards)
RM96-1-041 Final Rule (Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines) averaged Years 1-3
RM96-1-042 NOPR (Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines) averaged Years 1-3
Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines

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ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	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	723	545	0	178	0	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	66,050	48,250	0	17,800	0	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Changing Regulations

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

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: Program Implementation will cause and increase of responses and burden hours to amend the Commission’s regulations at 18 CFR 284.12(a) to incorporate by reference the latest version (Version 3.2) of seven business practice standards applicable to interstate natural gas pipelines adopted by NAESB’s WGQ.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $178,804

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     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? No

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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: 04/16/2021

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