Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-576); Comment Request; Submitted for OMB Review, 27128-27129 [E9-13236]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 108 (Monday, June 8, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27128-27129]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-13236]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC09-576-001]


Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-576); Comment 
Request; Submitted for OMB Review

June 1, 2009.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of section 3507 of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507, the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) has submitted the 
information collection described below to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review of the information collection requirements. Any 
interested person may file comments directly with OMB and should 
address a copy of those comments to the Commission as explained below. 
The Commission received no comments in response to the Federal Register 
notice (74 FR 6273, 2/6/09) and has made this notation in its 
submission to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by July 8, 
2009.

ADDRESSES: Address comments on the collection of information to the 
Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. 
Comments to OMB should be filed electronically, c/o oira_submission@omb.eop.gov and include OMB Control No. 1902-0004 as a point 
of reference. The OMB Desk Officer may be reached by telephone at 202-
395-4638.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission and should refer to Docket No. IC09-576-001. 
Comments may be filed either electronically or in paper format. Those 
persons filing electronically do not need to make a paper filing. 
Documents filed electronically via the Internet must be prepared in an 
acceptable filing format and in compliance with the FERC submission 
guidelines. Complete filing instructions and acceptable filing formats 
are available at https://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide/electronic-media.asp. To file the document electronically, access the Commission's 
Web site and click on Documents & Filing, E-Filing (https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp), and then follow the instructions 
for each screen. First time users will have to establish a user name 
and password. The Commission will send an automatic acknowledgement to 
the sender's e-mail address upon receipt of comments.
    For paper filings, an original and 2 copies of the comments should 
be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of 
the Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, and should 
refer to Docket No. IC09-576-001.
    All comments may be viewed, printed or downloaded remotely via the 
Internet through FERC's homepage using the ``eLibrary'' link. For user 
assistance, contact ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov or toll-free at (866) 
208-3676 or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by 
telephone at (202) 502-8663, by fax at (202) 273-0873, and by e-mail at 
ellen.brown@ferc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The FERC is requesting comments on the FERC-
576 (Report of Service Interruptions; OMB Clearance No. 1902-0004). 
Under the Natural Gas Act (NGA) (Pub. L. 75 688) (15 U.S.C. 717-717w), 
a natural gas company must obtain Commission authorization to engage in 
the transportation, sale or exchange of natural gas in interstate 
commerce. The Commission is also empowered to oversee continuity of 
service in the transportation of natural gas in interstate commerce. 
The information collected under FERC-576 notifies the Commission of: 
(1) Serious interruptions to service, and (2) damage to jurisdictional 
natural gas facilities due to natural disaster or terrorist activity, 
that creates the potential for serious delivery problems on the 
pipeline's own system or the pipeline grid.

[[Page 27129]]

    Filings in accordance with the provisions of section 4(d) of the 
Natural Gas Act (NGA) (15 U.S.C. 717c) are to contain information 
necessary to advise the Commission when a change in service has 
occurred. Under section 7(d) of the NGA (15 U.S.C. 717f), the 
Commission may issue a temporary certificate in cases of emergency to 
assure maintenance of adequate service or to serve particular 
customers, without notice or hearing.
    The FERC-576 initial reports are submitted by e-mail to 
pipelineoutage@ferc.gov or by facsimile transmission. Title 18 Code of 
Federal Regulations (CFR) section 260.9(b) requires that a report of 
service interruption or damage to natural gas facilities state the: (1) 
Location of the service interruption or damage to natural gas pipeline 
or storage facilities; (2) nature of any damage to pipeline or storage 
facilities; (3) specific identification of the facilities damaged; (4) 
time the service interruption or damage to the facilities occurred; (5) 
customers affected by the service interruption or damage to the 
facilities; (6) emergency actions taken to maintain service; and (7) 
company contact and telephone number. (In response to these reports, 
the Commission may contact the pipeline to determine the estimated 
duration of the outage, and if necessary, authorize emergency 
transportation or re-construction of facilities to alleviate the 
problem.) The company also reports to the Commission when pipeline 
throughput or storage deliverability has been restored.
    Failure by the Commission to collect this information would mean 
that it is unable to monitor and evaluate our regulated energy 
infrastructure, and remain apprised of the critical status of 
operations and reliability of interstate pipelines.
    In coordination with the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 
FERC has reviewed the pipeline damage reporting requirements. FERC and 
DOT have concluded that there is minimal duplication between the data 
collected here and that collected by DOT under 49 CFR 191. The intent, 
timing, and the information collected serve different needs, and a 
common reporting form is not appropriate.
    Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
current expiration date, with no change to the existing requirements.
    Burden Statement: Annual reporting burden for this collection is 
estimated as:

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                                                     Number of       Number of    Average burden   Total annual
         FERC Data Collection--FERCt-576            respondents    responses per     hours per        burden
                                                     annually       respondent       response        hours\1\
                                                             (1)             (2)             (3)     (1) x (2) x
                                                                                                             (3)
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Submittal to FERC of the original e-mail and                  40           \2\ 2               1          \2\ 80
 follow-up e-mail \2\...........................
Submittal of damage report to state commissions.              40               1            0.25              10
Submittal to FERC of copy of DOT incident report              40               1            0.25              10
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    The estimated cost burden to respondents \3\ is $6,307 (100 hours x 
$63.07 per hour = $6,307).
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    \1\ The burden and cost figures may not be exact, due to 
rounding. For these calculations, the number of hours an employee 
works each year is 2,080.
    \2\ This includes the original e-mail, plus the follow-up e-mail 
(sent when throughput or storage deliverability has been restored).
    \3\ Based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics' figures for wage 
estimates within `NAICS 486200, Pipeline Transportation of Natural 
Gas' (posted at https://www.bls.gov/oes/2008/may/naics4_486200.htm, 
for May 2008), the average hourly cost being used for these 
calculations is $63.07. The total estimated cost burden provided 
here ($6,307) updates and replaces the estimate (of $6,076.15) 
provided in the 60-day Notice issued on 1/29/09.
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    The reporting burden includes the total time, effort, or financial 
resources expended to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide 
the information including: (1) Reviewing instructions; (2) developing, 
acquiring, installing, and utilizing technology and systems for the 
purposes of collecting, validating, verifying, processing, maintaining, 
disclosing and providing information; (3) adjusting the existing ways 
to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; 
(4) training personnel to respond to a collection of information; (5) 
searching data sources; (6) completing and reviewing the collection of 
information; and (7) transmitting, or otherwise disclosing the 
information.
    The estimate of cost for respondents is based upon salaries for 
professional and clerical support, as well as direct and indirect 
overhead costs. Direct costs include all costs directly attributable to 
providing this information, such as administrative costs and the cost 
for information technology. Indirect or overhead costs are costs 
incurred by an organization in support of its mission. These costs 
apply to activities which benefit the whole organization, rather than 
any one particular function or activity.
    Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed 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 estimates of the burden of 
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of 
responses.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-13236 Filed 6-5-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P