Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725B); Comment Request, 36800-36803 [2015-15652]
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 123 / Friday, June 26, 2015 / Notices
b. Date and Time of Meeting: July 7,
2015; at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time (1:00
p.m. Central Time).
c. Place: Telephone conference with
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
(Corps) and Rye Development, LLC, on
behalf of FFP Missouri 2, LLC.
d. FERC Contact: Jeanne Edwards at
jeanne.edwards@ferc.gov, or (202) 502–
6181.
e. Purpose of Meeting: To discuss the
comments filed by the Corps on May 12,
2015 concerning the operations of the
proposed projects listed above.
f. A summary of the meeting will be
prepared and filed in the Commission’s
public file for the projects.
g. All local, state, and federal
agencies, Indian tribes, and other
interested parties are invited to
participate by telephone. Please contact
Jeanne Edwards at jeanne.edwards@
ferc.gov, or (202) 502–6181, by close of
business Friday, July 2, 2015, to R.S.V.P.
and receive specific instructions on how
to participate.
Dated: June 19, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–15654 Filed 6–25–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
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Combined Notice of Filings #2
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric corporate
filings:
Docket Numbers: EC15–157–000.
Applicants: Pennsylvania Electric
Company, Metropolitan Edison
Company, Jersey Central Power & Light
Co., FirstEnergy Transmission, LLC,
Mid-Atlantic Interstate Transmission,
LLC.
Description: Application for
Authorization Pursuant to Sections
203(A)(1)(A) and 203(A)(2) of the
Federal Power Act and Request for
Waivers of Certain Filing Requirements
of Pennsylvania Electric Company, et al.
Filed Date: 6/19/15.
Accession Number: 20150619–5129.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/10/15.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric rate
filings:
Docket Numbers: ER15–1345–001.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.,
South Mississippi Electric Power
Association.
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Description: Compliance filing: 2015–
06–19_SMEPA RTO Adder Compliance
Filing to be effective 6/1/2015.
Filed Date: 6/19/15.
Accession Number: 20150619–5068.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/10/15.
Docket Numbers: ER15–1657–001.
Applicants: SEPG Energy Marketing
Services, LLC.
Description: Tariff Amendment:
Supplement to MBR Application to be
effective 7/6/2015.
Filed Date: 6/19/15.
Accession Number: 20150619–5060.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/10/15.
Docket Numbers: ER15–1714–000.
Applicants: Targray Americas Inc.
Description: Supplement to May 14,
2015 Targray Americas Inc. tariff filing.
Filed Date: 6/19/15.
Accession Number: 20150619–5128.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/10/15.
Docket Numbers: ER15–1952–000.
Applicants: Pavant Solar LLC.
Description: Baseline eTariff Filing:
Initial Baseline—Pavant Solar LLC to be
effective 8/1/2015.
Filed Date: 6/19/15.
Accession Number: 20150619–5087.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/10/15.
Docket Numbers: ER15–1953–000.
Applicants: Tucson Electric Power
Company.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
Certificates of Concurrence to be
effective 9/1/2011.
Filed Date: 6/19/15.
Accession Number: 20150619–5167.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/10/15.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric securities
filings:
Docket Numbers: ES15–35–000.
Applicants: Kingsport Power
Company.
Description: Application under
Section 204 of the Federal Power Act for
Authorization to Issue Securities of
Kingsport Power Company.
Filed Date: 6/19/15.
Accession Number: 20150619–5165.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 7/10/15.
The filings are accessible in the
Commission’s eLibrary system by
clicking on the links or querying the
docket number.
Any person desiring to intervene or
protest in any of the above proceedings
must file in accordance with Rules 211
and 214 of the Commission’s
Regulations (18 CFR 385.211 and
§ 385.214) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern
time on the specified comment date.
Protests may be considered, but
intervention is necessary to become a
party to the proceeding.
eFiling is encouraged. More detailed
information relating to filing
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requirements, interventions, protests,
service, and qualifying facilities filings
can be found at: https://www.ferc.gov/
docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For
other information, call (866) 208–3676
(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659.
Dated: June 19, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–15648 Filed 6–25–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. IC15–6–000]
Commission Information Collection
Activities (FERC–725B); Comment
Request
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, DOE.
ACTION: Comment request.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C.
3507(a)(1)(D), the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (Commission or
FERC) is submitting its information
collection [FERC–725B, Mandatory
Reliability Standards for Critical
Infrastructure Protection] 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
previously issued a Notice in the
Federal Register (80 FR 21230, 4/17/
2015) requesting public comments. The
Commission received one public
comment on the FERC725B. The public
comment and FERC’s response are
provided later in this notice.
DATES: Comments on the collection of
information are due by July 27, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB,
identified by the OMB Control No.
1902–0248, should be sent via email to
the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs: oira_submission@omb.gov
Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission Desk Officer. The Desk
Officer may also be reached via
telephone at 202–395–0710.
A copy of the comments should also
be sent to the Commission, in Docket
No. IC15–6–000, by either of the
following methods:
• eFiling at Commission’s Web site:
https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
efiling.asp.
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 123 / Friday, June 26, 2015 / Notices
• Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
Secretary of the Commission, 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
Instructions: All submissions must be
formatted and filed in accordance with
submission guidelines at: https://
www.ferc.gov/help/submissionguide.asp. For user assistance contact
FERC Online Support by email at
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or by phone
at: (866) 208–3676 (toll-free), or (202)
502–8659 for TTY.
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 https://www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/docs-filing.asp.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Brown may be reached by email
at DataClearance@FERC.gov, by
telephone at (202) 502–8663, and by fax
at (202) 273–0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC–725B, Mandatory
Reliability Standards for Critical
Infrastructure Protection
OMB Control No.: 1902–0248
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the FERC–725B information
collection requirements with no changes
to the reporting requirements.
Abstract: The information collected
by the FERC–725B, Reliability
Standards for Critical Infrastructure
Protection, is required to implement the
statutory provisions of Section 215 of
the Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C.
824o).
On January 18, 2008, the Commission
issued order 706,1 approving eight
Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP)
Reliability Standards submitted by the
North American Electric Reliability
Corporation (NERC) for Commission
approval. The CIP version 1 Reliability
Standards, (CIP–002–1 through CIP–
009–1),2 require certain users, owners,
and operators of the Bulk-Power System
to comply with specific requirements to
safeguard critical cyber assets. These
standards help protect the nation’s
Bulk-Power System against potential
disruptions from cyber-attacks. The CIP
Reliability Standards include one actual
reporting requirement and several
recordkeeping requirements.
Specifically, CIP–008–1 requires
responsible entities to report cyber
security incidents to the Electricity
Sector-Information Sharing and
Analysis Center (ES–ISAC). In addition,
the eight CIP Reliability Standards
require responsible entities to develop
various policies, plans, programs, and
procedures. However, the CIP
Reliability Standards do not require a
responsible entity to report to the
Commission, ERO or Regional Entities,
the various policies, plans, programs
and procedures. Nonetheless, a showing
of the documented policies, plans,
programs and procedures is required to
demonstrate compliance with the CIP
Reliability Standards.
The Commission approved minor
changes in CIP versions 2 and 3
Reliability Standards on September 30,
2009, and March 31, 2010,3
respectively. On April 19, 2012, the
Commission issued Order No. 761,
approving the CIP version 4 Standards
(CIP–002–4 through CIP–009–4) and an
implementation plan that scheduled
their enforcement to begin October 1,
2014.4 The fundamental change in the
CIP version 4 Standards was that all
subject entities would use the same
‘bright line’ criteria to determine which
of the facilities they owned were subject
to the required policies, plans, programs
and procedures (which remained nearly
the same as for prior versions).
On November 22, 2013, the
Commission issued Order No. 791,
approving the CIP version 5 Standards
(CIP–002–5 through CIP–009–5, CIP–
010–1 and CIP–011–1) and the proposed
implementation plan. The CIP version 5
Standards are currently scheduled to be
implemented and enforceable beginning
April 2016. Order No. 791 eliminated
the enforceability of the CIP version 4
Standards. The Commission also
approved nineteen new or revised
definitions associated with the CIP
version 5 Standards for inclusion in the
Glossary of Terms Used in NERC
Reliability Standards (NERC Glossary).
The CIP version 5 Standards identify
and categorize Bulk Electric System
(BES) Cyber Systems using a new
methodology based on whether a BES
Cyber System has a Low, Medium, or
High Impact on the reliable operation of
the bulk electric system. At a minimum,
a BES Cyber System must be categorized
as a Low Impact asset. Once a BES
Cyber System is categorized, a
responsible entity must comply with the
associated requirements of the CIP
version 5 Standards that apply to the
impact category. The CIP version 5
Standards include 12 requirements with
new cyber security controls, which
address Electronic Security Perimeters
(CIP–005–5), Systems Security
Management (CIP–007–5), Incident
Reporting and Response Planning (CIP–
008–5), Recovery Plans for BES Cyber
Systems (CIP–009–5), and Configuration
Change Management and Vulnerability
Assessments (CIP–010–1).
Type of Respondents: Entities
registered with the North American
Electric Reliability Corporation.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 5 There
are three items presenting burden
associated with CIP Reliability
Standards in the following section.
• The first table illustrates burden
associated with CIP version 5 Reliability
Standards.
• The second table illustrates burden
associated with CIP version 3 and 4
Reliability Standards.
• The third item (bulleted list) is a
sum of the total burden for all active
CIP-related Reliability Standards (i.e.
CIP Versions 3–5).
ANNUAL BURDEN RELATED TO CIP RELIABILITY STANDARDS (VERSION 5)
Classes of entity’s facilities requiring
CIP
Group A .............................................
Group B .............................................
Group B .............................................
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Groups of registered entities
Low ...................................................
Low ...................................................
Medium .............................................
1 Mandatory Reliability Standards for Critical
Infrastructure Protection, Order No. 706, 122 FERC
¶ 61,040.
2 Every version of the CIP Reliability Standards
may be found on the NERC Web site at https://
www.nerc.com/pa/Stand/
Reliability%20Standards%20Complete%20Set/
RSCompleteSet.pdf.
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Number of
entities
41
1,058
260
3 129 FERC ¶ 61,236 (2009) (approving Version 2
of the CIP Reliability Standards); North American
Electric Reliability Corp., and 130 FERC ¶ 61,271
(2010) (approving Version 3 of the CIP Reliability
Standards).
4 Version 4 Critical Infrastructure Protection
Reliability Standards, Order No. 761, 77 FR 24,594
(Apr. 25, 2012), 139 FERC ¶ 61,058 (2012), order
denying reh’g, 140 FERC ¶ 61,109 (2012).
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Total hours
in year 1
(hours)
2,540
554,392
128,960
Total hours
in year 2
(hours)
2,540
554,392
64,896
Total hours
in year 3
(hours)
564
110,032
64,896
5 The Commission defines burden 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. For
further explanation of what is included in the
information collection burden, reference 5 Code of
Federal Regulations 1320.3.
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ANNUAL BURDEN RELATED TO CIP RELIABILITY STANDARDS (VERSION 5)—Continued
Classes of entity’s facilities requiring
CIP
Groups of registered entities
Group
Group
Group
Group
C
C
C
C
Number of
entities
Total hours
in year 1
(hours)
Total hours
in year 2
(hours)
Total hours
in year 3
(hours)
............................................
............................................
............................................
............................................
Low ...................................................
Medium (New) ..................................
Low (Blackstart) ...............................
Medium or High ................................
316
78
283
316
165,584
1,248
22,640
257,856
165,584
19,136
6 ¥206,024
131,456
32,864
19,136
6 ¥206,024
131,456
Total ...........................................
...........................................................
........................
1,133,220
731,980
152,924
The total annual burden (related to CIP
Version 5 only) is 672,708 hours when
averaging Years 1–3 [(1,133,220 hours +
731,980 hours + 152,924 hours) ÷ 3 =
672,708 hours]. The total annual cost
averaged over Years 1–3 is $50,883,633
(672,708 hours * $75.64 7 =
$50,883,633).
Regarding CIP standards unaffected
by CIP Version 5, the estimated burden
has been adjusted to account for a
reduction in affected entities.8 The
applicable estimate related to CIP
Version 3 and 4 standards (related to the
active components) is provided in the
table below. (For display purposes, the
numbers in the tables below have been
rounded, however exact figures were
used in the calculations.)
BURDEN RELATED TO CIP RELIABILITY STANDARDS (VERSION 3 AND VERSION 4) 9
Number of
respondents
Annual
number of
responses
per
respondent
Total number
of responses
Average
burden &
cost per
response
Total
annual
burden hours
& total
annual cost
Cost per respondent
($)
(1)
(2)
(1) * (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
(5) ÷ (1)
1,415
1
1,415
10 383
$28,937
11 541,334
$40,946,496
$28,937
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The following items represent the
estimated total annual burden for
FERC–725B and includes all burden
associated with CIP Reliability
Standards.12
• Number of respondents: 1,415 (Not
all entities with CIP-related functions
will be obligated to comply with every
CIP reliability standard.)
• Total Annual Burden Hours:
1,214,042
• Total Annual Cost: $91,830,137
(1,214,042 hours * $75.64 =
$91,830,137)
• Average Cost per Respondent:
$64,898 13 ($91,830,137 ÷ 1,415 entities
= $64,898).
Public comments received about the
FERC–725B information collection:
FERC received one comment from
Robert S. Lynch and Associates. The
comment pertained to the the burden
and cost of responding to a Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request related
to the FERC–725B and the information
collection not being safeguarded against
a request under the FOIA.
FERC’s response to the public
comment: The burden related to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
safeguarding of information collection
activities against a request under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
request does not have a direct collection
cost burden on the regulated entities
and, thus, is not included in the
reported cost burden.
However, to the data vulnerability
issue raised by the commenter, the
information collected as related to the
CIP Reliability Standards is generally
protected from FOIA requests because it
is retained by the regulated entities
themselves and not the Commission.
For compliance and enforcement
activities of the CIP Reliability
Standards, Section 215 of the Federal
Power Act (FPA) 14 required the
Commission to appoint an Electric
Reliability Organization (ERO). The
Commission appointed NERC. The ERO
and its designated assignees, generally
in exercising its compliance and
enforcement activities under Section
215 of the FPA, only reviews the
information collected by the regulated
entities and only takes possession of the
information required to process the
enforcement actions. The Commission,
in furtherance of the Commission’s
statutory responsibility under Section
215 of the FPA, reviews and approves
enforcement actions undertaken by ERO
and, in doing so, does receive
information collected related to CIP
Reliability Standards. However, the
information that is received by the
Commission for performing its statutory
oversight responsibilities is generally
devoid of specific sensitive information.
Therefore, FERC does not find it
6 These figures (in the context of this table)
represent a removal of requirements and burden for
Group C (Blackstart) respondents in Years 2 and 3
due to CIP Version 5 changes. Since these numbers
are stated as negative figures, they represent a
reduction in OMB-approved burden estimate.
7 The estimates for cost per response are derived
using the following formula: Average Burden Hours
per Response * $75.64 per Hour = Average Cost per
Response. The hourly cost figure comes from May
2014 data on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site
(https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm).
The figure is a mathematical average of the cost of
wages and benefits related to legal services
($129.68), technical employees ($58.17), and
administrative support ($39.12).
8 The estimate has been decreased from 1,475 to
1,415. The NERC Compliance Registry indicated
that as of 1/14/2015, 1,415 entities were registered
for at least one CIP-related function/responsibility.
9 Reliability Standards CIP–002–3, CIP003–3,
CIP–004–3a, CIP–005–3a, CIP–006–3a, CIP–007–3c,
CIP–008–3, and CIP–009–3.
10 This figure is rounded for display in the table.
The actual number is 382.56813 and is used in the
calculations above.
11 This figure is rounded for display in the table.
The actual number is 541,333.91 and is used in the
calculations above.
12 CIP Versions 3 and 4 (remaining components
of Version 3 and 4), and 5.
13 This figure is rounded. The actual number is
64,897.623.
14 16 U.S.C. 824o.
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Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 123 / Friday, June 26, 2015 / Notices
necessary to make any changes to the
collection at this time.
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: June 19, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–15652 Filed 6–25–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket Nos. CP15–22–000; CP15–24–000]
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Dominion Transmission, Inc.; Notice of
Availability of the Environmental
Assessment for the Proposed St.
Charles Transportation and Keys
Energy Projects
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) has prepared an
environmental assessment (EA) for the
St. Charles Transportation and Keys
Energy Projects (Projects), proposed by
Dominion Transmission, Inc.
(Dominion) in the above-referenced
docket. The projects involve installation
of two new compressors at the Pleasant
Valley Compressor Station in Fairfax
County, VA and appurtenant facilities
that would provide incremental firm
transportation to proposed power plants
in Charles and Prince George’s Counties,
Maryland, respectively.
The EA assesses the potential
environmental effects of the
construction and operation of the
Projects in accordance with the
requirements of the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The
FERC staff concludes that approval of
the proposed project, with appropriate
mitigating measures, would not
constitute a major federal action
significantly affecting the quality of the
human environment.
The FERC staff mailed copies of the
EA to federal, state, and local
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government representatives and
agencies; elected officials;
environmental and public interest
groups; Native American tribes;
potentially affected landowners and
other interested individuals and groups;
newspapers and libraries in the project
area; and parties to this proceeding. In
addition, the EA is available for public
viewing on the FERC’s Web site
(www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link.
A limited number of copies of the EA
are available for distribution and public
inspection at: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Public Reference Room,
888 First Street NE., Room 2A,
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502–8371.
Any person wishing to comment on
the EA may do so. Your comments
should focus on the potential
environmental effects, reasonable
alternatives, and measures to avoid or
lessen environmental impacts. The more
specific your comments, the more useful
they will be. To ensure that the
Commission has the opportunity to
consider your comments prior to
making its decision on this project, it is
important that we receive your
comments in Washington, DC on or
before July 20, 2015.
For your convenience, there are three
methods you can use to file your
comments to the Commission. In all
instances, please reference the project
docket numbers (CP15–22–000 or CP15–
24–000) with your submission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing
of comments and has expert staff
available to assist you at (202) 502–8258
or efiling@ferc.gov.
(1) You can file your comments
electronically using the eComment
feature on the Commission’s Web site
(www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. This is an easy
method for submitting brief, text-only
comments on a project;
(2) You can also file your comments
electronically using the eFiling feature
on the Commission’s Web site
(www.ferc.gov) under the link to
Documents and Filings. With eFiling,
you can provide comments in a variety
of formats by attaching them as a file
with your submission. New eFiling
users must first create an account by
clicking on ‘‘eRegister.’’ You must select
the type of filing you are making. If you
are filing a comment on a particular
project, please select ‘‘Comment on a
Filing’’; or
(3) You can file a paper copy of your
comments by mailing them to the
following address: Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Room
1A, Washington, DC 20426.
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36803
Any person seeking to become a party
to the proceeding must file a motion to
intervene pursuant to Rule 214 of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedures (18 CFR 385.214).1 Only
intervenors have the right to seek
rehearing of the Commission’s decision.
The Commission grants affected
landowners and others with
environmental concerns intervenor
status upon showing good cause by
stating that they have a clear and direct
interest in this proceeding which no
other party can adequately represent.
Simply filing environmental comments
will not give you intervenor status, but
you do not need intervenor status to
have your comments considered.
Additional information about the
project is available from the
Commission’s Office of External Affairs,
at (866) 208–FERC, or on the FERC Web
site (www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary
link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on
‘‘General Search,’’ and enter the docket
number excluding the last three digits in
the Docket Number field (i.e., CP15–22–
000 or CP15–24–000). Be sure you have
selected an appropriate date range. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at FercOnlineSupport@ferc.gov
or toll free at (866) 208–3676, or for
TTY, contact (202) 502–8659. The
eLibrary link also provides access to the
texts of formal documents issued by the
Commission, such as orders, notices,
and rulemakings.
In addition, the Commission offers a
free service called eSubscription which
allows you to keep track of all formal
issuances and submittals in specific
dockets. This can reduce the amount of
time you spend researching proceedings
by automatically providing you with
notification of these filings, document
summaries, and direct links to the
documents. Go to www.ferc.gov/docsfiling/esubscription.asp.
Dated: June 19, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–15650 Filed 6–25–15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[ER–FRL–9021–6]
Environmental Impact Statements;
Notice of Availability
Responsible Agency: Office of Federal
Activities, General Information (202)
1 See the previous discussion on the methods for
filing comments.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 123 (Friday, June 26, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36800-36803]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15652]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC15-6-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725B); Comment
Request
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.
ACTION: Comment request.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D), the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission or FERC) is submitting its information
collection [FERC-725B, Mandatory Reliability Standards for Critical
Infrastructure Protection] 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
previously issued a Notice in the Federal Register (80 FR 21230, 4/17/
2015) requesting public comments. The Commission received one public
comment on the FERC725B. The public comment and FERC's response are
provided later in this notice.
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by July 27,
2015.
ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No.
1902-0248, should be sent via email to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs: oira_submission@omb.gov Attention: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. The Desk Officer may also be
reached via telephone at 202-395-0710.
A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in
Docket No. IC15-6-000, by either of the following methods:
eFiling at Commission's Web site: https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
[[Page 36801]]
Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE.,
Washington, DC 20426.
Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in
accordance with submission guidelines at: https://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. For user assistance contact FERC Online Support
by email at ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or by phone at: (866) 208-3676
(toll-free), or (202) 502-8659 for TTY.
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 https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/docs-filing.asp.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at
DataClearance@FERC.gov, by telephone at (202) 502-8663, and by fax at
(202) 273-0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC-725B, Mandatory Reliability Standards for Critical
Infrastructure Protection
OMB Control No.: 1902-0248
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725B information
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
Abstract: The information collected by the FERC-725B, Reliability
Standards for Critical Infrastructure Protection, is required to
implement the statutory provisions of Section 215 of the Federal Power
Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C. 824o).
On January 18, 2008, the Commission issued order 706,\1\ approving
eight Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Reliability Standards
submitted by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC)
for Commission approval. The CIP version 1 Reliability Standards, (CIP-
002-1 through CIP-009-1),\2\ require certain users, owners, and
operators of the Bulk-Power System to comply with specific requirements
to safeguard critical cyber assets. These standards help protect the
nation's Bulk-Power System against potential disruptions from cyber-
attacks. The CIP Reliability Standards include one actual reporting
requirement and several recordkeeping requirements. Specifically, CIP-
008-1 requires responsible entities to report cyber security incidents
to the Electricity Sector-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ES-
ISAC). In addition, the eight CIP Reliability Standards require
responsible entities to develop various policies, plans, programs, and
procedures. However, the CIP Reliability Standards do not require a
responsible entity to report to the Commission, ERO or Regional
Entities, the various policies, plans, programs and procedures.
Nonetheless, a showing of the documented policies, plans, programs and
procedures is required to demonstrate compliance with the CIP
Reliability Standards.
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\1\ Mandatory Reliability Standards for Critical Infrastructure
Protection, Order No. 706, 122 FERC ] 61,040.
\2\ Every version of the CIP Reliability Standards may be found
on the NERC Web site at https://www.nerc.com/pa/Stand/Reliability%20Standards%20Complete%20Set/RSCompleteSet.pdf.
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The Commission approved minor changes in CIP versions 2 and 3
Reliability Standards on September 30, 2009, and March 31, 2010,\3\
respectively. On April 19, 2012, the Commission issued Order No. 761,
approving the CIP version 4 Standards (CIP-002-4 through CIP-009-4) and
an implementation plan that scheduled their enforcement to begin
October 1, 2014.\4\ The fundamental change in the CIP version 4
Standards was that all subject entities would use the same `bright
line' criteria to determine which of the facilities they owned were
subject to the required policies, plans, programs and procedures (which
remained nearly the same as for prior versions).
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\3\ 129 FERC ] 61,236 (2009) (approving Version 2 of the CIP
Reliability Standards); North American Electric Reliability Corp.,
and 130 FERC ] 61,271 (2010) (approving Version 3 of the CIP
Reliability Standards).
\4\ Version 4 Critical Infrastructure Protection Reliability
Standards, Order No. 761, 77 FR 24,594 (Apr. 25, 2012), 139 FERC ]
61,058 (2012), order denying reh'g, 140 FERC ] 61,109 (2012).
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On November 22, 2013, the Commission issued Order No. 791,
approving the CIP version 5 Standards (CIP-002-5 through CIP-009-5,
CIP-010-1 and CIP-011-1) and the proposed implementation plan. The CIP
version 5 Standards are currently scheduled to be implemented and
enforceable beginning April 2016. Order No. 791 eliminated the
enforceability of the CIP version 4 Standards. The Commission also
approved nineteen new or revised definitions associated with the CIP
version 5 Standards for inclusion in the Glossary of Terms Used in NERC
Reliability Standards (NERC Glossary). The CIP version 5 Standards
identify and categorize Bulk Electric System (BES) Cyber Systems using
a new methodology based on whether a BES Cyber System has a Low,
Medium, or High Impact on the reliable operation of the bulk electric
system. At a minimum, a BES Cyber System must be categorized as a Low
Impact asset. Once a BES Cyber System is categorized, a responsible
entity must comply with the associated requirements of the CIP version
5 Standards that apply to the impact category. The CIP version 5
Standards include 12 requirements with new cyber security controls,
which address Electronic Security Perimeters (CIP-005-5), Systems
Security Management (CIP-007-5), Incident Reporting and Response
Planning (CIP-008-5), Recovery Plans for BES Cyber Systems (CIP-009-5),
and Configuration Change Management and Vulnerability Assessments (CIP-
010-1).
Type of Respondents: Entities registered with the North American
Electric Reliability Corporation.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \5\ There are three items presenting
burden associated with CIP Reliability Standards in the following
section.
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\5\ The Commission defines burden 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. For further explanation of what is included in the
information collection burden, reference 5 Code of Federal
Regulations 1320.3.
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The first table illustrates burden associated with CIP
version 5 Reliability Standards.
The second table illustrates burden associated with CIP
version 3 and 4 Reliability Standards.
The third item (bulleted list) is a sum of the total
burden for all active CIP-related Reliability Standards (i.e. CIP
Versions 3-5).
Annual Burden Related to CIP Reliability Standards (Version 5)
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Classes of
entity's Number of Total hours Total hours Total hours
Groups of registered entities facilities entities in year 1 in year 2 in year 3
requiring CIP (hours) (hours) (hours)
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Group A....................... Low............. 41 2,540 2,540 564
Group B....................... Low............. 1,058 554,392 554,392 110,032
Group B....................... Medium.......... 260 128,960 64,896 64,896
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Group C....................... Low............. 316 165,584 165,584 32,864
Group C....................... Medium (New).... 78 1,248 19,136 19,136
Group C....................... Low (Blackstart) 283 22,640 \6\ -206,024 \6\ -206,024
Group C....................... Medium or High.. 316 257,856 131,456 131,456
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Total..................... ................ .............. 1,133,220 731,980 152,924
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The total annual burden (related to CIP Version 5 only) is 672,708
hours when averaging Years 1-3 [(1,133,220 hours + 731,980 hours +
152,924 hours) / 3 = 672,708 hours]. The total annual cost averaged
over Years 1-3 is $50,883,633 (672,708 hours * $75.64 \7\ =
$50,883,633).
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\6\ These figures (in the context of this table) represent a
removal of requirements and burden for Group C (Blackstart)
respondents in Years 2 and 3 due to CIP Version 5 changes. Since
these numbers are stated as negative figures, they represent a
reduction in OMB-approved burden estimate.
\7\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the
following formula: Average Burden Hours per Response * $75.64 per
Hour = Average Cost per Response. The hourly cost figure comes from
May 2014 data on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Web site (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm). The figure is a mathematical
average of the cost of wages and benefits related to legal services
($129.68), technical employees ($58.17), and administrative support
($39.12).
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Regarding CIP standards unaffected by CIP Version 5, the estimated
burden has been adjusted to account for a reduction in affected
entities.\8\ The applicable estimate related to CIP Version 3 and 4
standards (related to the active components) is provided in the table
below. (For display purposes, the numbers in the tables below have been
rounded, however exact figures were used in the calculations.)
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\8\ The estimate has been decreased from 1,475 to 1,415. The
NERC Compliance Registry indicated that as of 1/14/2015, 1,415
entities were registered for at least one CIP-related function/
responsibility.
Burden Related to CIP Reliability Standards (Version 3 and Version 4) \9\
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Total annual
Number of Annual number of Total number of Average burden & burden hours & Cost per
respondents responses per responses cost per total annual respondent ($)
respondent response cost
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (3) (4) (3) * (4) = (5) (5) / (1)
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1,415 1 1,415 \10\ 383 \11\ 541,334 $28,937
$28,937 $40,946,496
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The following items represent the estimated total annual burden for
FERC-725B and includes all burden associated with CIP Reliability
Standards.\12\
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\9\ Reliability Standards CIP-002-3, CIP003-3, CIP-004-3a, CIP-
005-3a, CIP-006-3a, CIP-007-3c, CIP-008-3, and CIP-009-3.
\10\ This figure is rounded for display in the table. The actual
number is 382.56813 and is used in the calculations above.
\11\ This figure is rounded for display in the table. The actual
number is 541,333.91 and is used in the calculations above.
\12\ CIP Versions 3 and 4 (remaining components of Version 3 and
4), and 5.
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Number of respondents: 1,415 (Not all entities with CIP-
related functions will be obligated to comply with every CIP
reliability standard.)
Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,214,042
Total Annual Cost: $91,830,137 (1,214,042 hours * $75.64 =
$91,830,137)
Average Cost per Respondent: $64,898 \13\ ($91,830,137 /
1,415 entities = $64,898).
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\13\ This figure is rounded. The actual number is 64,897.623.
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Public comments received about the FERC-725B information
collection: FERC received one comment from Robert S. Lynch and
Associates. The comment pertained to the the burden and cost of
responding to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request related to
the FERC-725B and the information collection not being safeguarded
against a request under the FOIA.
FERC's response to the public comment: The burden related to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission safeguarding of information
collection activities against a request under the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) request does not have a direct collection cost
burden on the regulated entities and, thus, is not included in the
reported cost burden.
However, to the data vulnerability issue raised by the commenter,
the information collected as related to the CIP Reliability Standards
is generally protected from FOIA requests because it is retained by the
regulated entities themselves and not the Commission. For compliance
and enforcement activities of the CIP Reliability Standards, Section
215 of the Federal Power Act (FPA) \14\ required the Commission to
appoint an Electric Reliability Organization (ERO). The Commission
appointed NERC. The ERO and its designated assignees, generally in
exercising its compliance and enforcement activities under Section 215
of the FPA, only reviews the information collected by the regulated
entities and only takes possession of the information required to
process the enforcement actions. The Commission, in furtherance of the
Commission's statutory responsibility under Section 215 of the FPA,
reviews and approves enforcement actions undertaken by ERO and, in
doing so, does receive information collected related to CIP Reliability
Standards. However, the information that is received by the Commission
for performing its statutory oversight responsibilities is generally
devoid of specific sensitive information. Therefore, FERC does not find
it
[[Page 36803]]
necessary to make any changes to the collection at this time.
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\14\ 16 U.S.C. 824o.
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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: June 19, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-15652 Filed 6-25-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
