FERC-725M, Mandatory Reliability
Standard: FAC-003-5 (formerly FAC-003-4), Transmission Vegetation
Management (OMB Control No. 1902-0263) for a three-year period and
modifications due to RD-22-2 revisions. FERC-725M is an existing
data collection with reporting requirements in 18 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR), Part 40. FAC-003-5 extends NERC’s vegetation
management requirements to Generator Owners with qualifying
interconnection facilities, including requirements to create and
maintain records related to the Generator Owner’s vegetation
management work plan and performance of inspections As stated by
NERC in its Petition (dated 3/14/2016 [footnotes omitted]) in
Docket No. RD16-4, “[t]he purpose of Reliability Standard FAC-003-4
(now FAC-003-5) is to require entities to manage vegetation located
on transmission rights of way (ROW) and minimize encroachments from
vegetation located adjacent to the ROW to reduce the risk of
vegetation-related outages that could lead to Cascading. Proposed
Reliability Standard FAC-003-4 reflects revisions developed under
Project 2010-07.1 Vegetation Management to provide a revised gap
factor applied in the Gallet equation supporting the appropriate
Alternating Current Minimum Vegetation Clearance Distances
(referred to herein as “MVCD values”) stated under the Reliability
Standard. The MVCD value reflects the minimum distance between
vegetation and conductors to prevent a flash-over. This revised gap
factor was developed as a result of the 2015 Technical Report
prepared by EPRI entitled Supplemental Testing to Confirm or Refine
Gap Factor Utilized in Calculation of Minimum Vegetation Clearance
Distances (“MVCD”): Tests: Results and Analysis (“EPRI Report”)
filed at the Commission in Docket No. RM12-4-000 in compliance with
the Commission’s directive in Order No. 777. The EPRI Report, the
preliminary report preceding it, and EPRI’s recent update to the
EPRI Report filed in Docket No. RM12-4-000 are attached at Exhibit
E. As reflected in this Petition and the attached exhibits, the
EPRI test results indicated that MVCD values under currently
effective Reliability Standard FAC-003-3 might not be suitable or
sufficiently conservative in all situations. The EPRI testing
revealed that the gap factor used to determine those MVCD values
under the Gallet equation was too high for all situations with
varying tree and conductor configurations. The gap factor is a
multiplier that adjusts MVCD values for different configurations of
vegetation and conductors to avoid flashover (a lower gap factor
correlates to higher MVCD values). The EPRI tests thus led to the
conclusion that MVCD values under existing Reliability Standard
FAC-003-4 appeared low. The EPRI test results demonstrated the
Gallet equation should apply a more conservative, lower, gap factor
of 1.0 to calculate MVCD values for Reliability Standard FAC-003-5.
In the Delegated Order (dated 4/1/2022) in Docket No. RD22-2, FERC
approved the revised Reliability Standard proposed by
NERC.
US Code:
16
USC 824o Name of Law: Energy Policy Act of 2005
For 725M (FAC-003 Reliability
Standard), the change (increase in responses and decrease in
manhours) is due to agency discretion as we have updated the method
to determine affected entities and their responses. The new method
of examining entities reflects separating the types of entities
where there may have been a previous overlap. The estimate workload
by entities is expected to decrease overall as entities have
familiar with information collection and burden associated with
compliance of the standard and tools in place to reduce the overall
burden.
$8,279
No
No
No
No
No
No
No
David O'Conner 202
502-6695
No
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:
(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;
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.
RD22-2 Combined Supporting Statement-Final 9-21-2022.docx
RD22-2 30 Day notice (Published) 9-9-2022.pdf
RD22-2 One time estimate FAC-003-5 (Transmission Vegetation Management)