FERC-537, Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition and Abandonment

Forms and Documents

Forms and supporting documents for this ICR

Document	Type	Status	Availability
FERC-537-539-577 supporting statement - RM26-2-001.docx	Supporting Statement A	Uploaded 2026-10-20	Available
20261015-3033_Action Launching First LNG Authorization Program.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2026-10-20	Available
20261015-3109_RM26-2-001.docx	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2026-10-20	Available
RM26-2-001 NOPR FRN.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2026-10-20	Available
20251120-3059_RM26-2-000.docx	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2026-10-20	Available
RM26-2-000 NOI FRN.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2026-10-20	Available
18 CFR Part 2 (General Policy and Interpretations).docx	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2024-09-25	Available
18 CFR 284.docx	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2024-09-25	Available
18 CFR 157.docx	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2024-09-25	Available
18 CFR 380.docx	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2024-04-09	Available
18 CFR PART 153.docx	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2024-04-09	Available
42 U.S.C. 4332.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2023-11-08	Available
15 USC 717.pdf	Supplementary Document	Uploaded 2021-07-28	Available

IC Document Collections

Information collection document groups

IC ID	Collection	Type	Status	Form
43998	Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition and Abandonment		Removed
283186	Non-facility Certificate or Abandonment Applications		New
283185	Interstate and Intrastate Bypass Notice		New
283183	Request for Waiver of Capacity Release Regulations		New
283182	NGPA Section 311 Construction - Annual Reports		New
283181	Pipeline Purging/Testing Exemptions		New
283178	Blanket Certificate - Hinshaw Pipeline Blanket Certificates		New
283177	Blanket Certificates – Transportation by Interstate Pipelines on behalf of others		New
283176	Blanket Certificates – Annual Reports		New
283175	Blanket Certificates Prior Notice Filings		New
283173	Interstate Certificate and Abandonment Applications		New
266467	Project Area Labor Wage		Unchanged

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 1902-0060	ICR Reference No: 202610-1902-003
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202409-1902-006
Agency/Subagency: FERC	Agency Tracking No: FERC-537
Title: FERC-537, Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition and Abandonment
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 10/21/2026

table that charts list comparision

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	11/30/2027	11/30/2027
Responses	443	444
Time Burden (Hours)	48,395	49,091
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

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Abstract: The FERC 537 collection includes the requirements to obtain FERC approval for construction, aquisition, or abandonment of natural gas pipelines. Under the Natural Gas Act (NGA) a natural gas company must obtain FERC authorization to engage in the transportation of natural gas in interstate commerce, to undertake the construction or extension of any facilities, or to acquire or operate any such facilities or extensions in accordance with sSection 7(c) of the NGA. A natural gas company must also obtain FERC approval under sSection 7(b) of the NGA prior to abandoning any jurisdictional facility or service. Under the Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA) (Public Law 96-621) interstate pipelines must also obtain FERC authorization for certain transportation arrangements. If a certificate is granted, the natural gas company can engage in the interstate transportation of natural gas and construct, acquire, or operate facilities. Conversely, approval of an abandonment application permits the pipeline to cease service and discontinue the operation of such facilities. Authorization under NGPA Section 311(a) allows the interstate or intrastate pipeline applicants to render certain transportation services. In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR), the Commission proposes to amend its regulations to establish procedures for authorizing activities at liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants without the need for operators to file case-specific applications or for the Commission to issue case-specific orders under sections 3 or 7 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA).1 This NOPR includes proposed revisions to Parts 2, 153, and 375 of the Commission’s regulations. The proposal includes the creation of an LNG blanket program allowing the automatic or prior notice authorization for certain activities.

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 15 USC 717-717w Name of Law: Natural Gas Act
   US Code: 15 USC 3301-3432 Name of Law: Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
1902-AG43	Proposed rulemaking	91 FR 66492	10/20/2026

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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: 11

table that charts list of burden

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Blanket Certificate - Hinshaw Pipeline Blanket Certificates
Blanket Certificates Prior Notice Filings
Blanket Certificates – Annual Reports
Blanket Certificates – Transportation by Interstate Pipelines on behalf of others
Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition and Abandonment
Interstate Certificate and Abandonment Applications
Interstate and Intrastate Bypass Notice
NGPA Section 311 Construction - Annual Reports
Non-facility Certificate or Abandonment Applications
Pipeline Purging/Testing Exemptions
Project Area Labor Wage
Request for Waiver of Capacity Release Regulations

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ICR Summary of Burden

table that charts list 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	443	444	0	-1	0	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	48,395	49,091	0	-696	0	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0	0	0	0

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

Burden Increase Due to:

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

Burden Reduction Due to: Changing Regulations

Short Statement: In this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR), the Commission proposes to amend its regulations to establish procedures for authorizing activities at liquefied natural gas (LNG) plants without the need for operators to file case-specific applications or for the Commission to issue case-specific orders under sections 3 or 7 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA).1 This NOPR includes proposed revisions to Parts 2, 153, and 375 of the Commission’s regulations. The proposal includes the creation of an LNG blanket program allowing the automatic or prior notice authorization for certain activities. This proposed rule would reduce the reporting burden because it expands exemptions to submitting a full application, as a result, there would be more entities that would not need to submit full applications and they would either submit abbreviated fillings or only report activities on an annual report (already required). The other changes to the ICs are due to FERC revising our approach to documenting the reporting burden so that it more clearly matches to regulatory requirements.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $860,416

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: 10/21/2026

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