Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725F); Comment Request; Extension, 60980-60981 [2017-27732]
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60980
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 26, 2017 / Notices
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: December 18, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–27736 Filed 12–22–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. IC18–3–000]
Commission Information Collection
Activities (FERC–725F); Comment
Request; Extension
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of information collection
and request for comments.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission or FERC) is soliciting
public comment on the currently
approved information collection, FERC
725F (Mandatory Reliability Standard
for Nuclear Plant Interface
Coordination).
SUMMARY:
Comments on the collection of
information are due February 26, 2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
(identified by Docket No. IC18–3–000)
by either of the following methods:
• eFiling at Commission’s website:
https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
efiling.asp.
• 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, telephone
ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
DATES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:21 Dec 22, 2017
Jkt 244001
at (202) 502–8663, and fax at (202) 273–
0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC 725F, Mandatory
Reliability Standard for Nuclear Plant
Interface Coordination.
OMB Control No.: 1902–0249.
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the FERC–725F information
collection requirements with no changes
to the current reporting requirements.
Abstract: The Commission requires
the information collected by the FERC–
725F to implement the statutory
provisions of section 215 of the Federal
Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C. 824o). On
August 8, 2005, the Electricity
Modernization Act of 2005, which is
Title XII, Subtitle A, of the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), was
enacted into law.1 EPAct 2005 added a
new section 215 to the FPA, which
required a Commission-certified Electric
Reliability Organization (ERO) to
develop mandatory and enforceable
Reliability Standards, which are subject
to Commission review and approval.
Once approved, the Reliability
Standards may be enforced by the ERO
subject to Commission oversight, or the
Commission can independently enforce
Reliability Standards.2
On February 3, 2006, the Commission
issued Order No. 672, implementing
section 215 of the FPA.3 Pursuant to
Order No. 672, the Commission certified
one organization, North American
Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC),
as the ERO. The Reliability Standards
developed by the ERO and approved by
the Commission apply to users, owners
and operators of the Bulk-Power System
as set forth in each Reliability Standard.
On November 19, 2007, NERC filed its
petition for Commission approval of the
Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination
Reliability Standard, designated NUC–
001–1. In Order No. 716, issued October
16, 2008, the Commission approved the
standard while also directing certain
revisions.4 Revised Reliability Standard,
NUC–001–2, was filed with the
Commission by NERC in August 2009
and subsequently approved by the
Commission January 21, 2010.5 On
1 Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109–58,
Title XII, Subtitle A, 119 Stat. 594, 941 (2005), 16
U.S.C. 824o.
2 16 U.S.C. 824o(e)(3).
3 Rules Concerning Certification of the Electric
Reliability Organization; and Procedures for the
Establishment, Approval, and Enforcement of
Electric Reliability Standards, Order No. 672, FERC
Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,204, order on reh’g, Order No.
672–A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,212 (2006).
4 Mandatory Reliability Standard for Nuclear
Plant Interface Coordination, Order No. 716, 125
FERC ¶ 61,065, at P 189 & n.90 (2008), order on
reh’g, Order No. 716–A, 126 FERC ¶ 61,122 (2009).
5 North American Electric Reliability Corporation,
130 FERC ¶ 61,051 (2010). When the revised
PO 00000
Frm 00033
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
November 4, 2014, in Docket No. RD14–
13, the Commission approved revised
Reliability Standard NUC–001–3.6
The purpose of Reliability Standard
NUC–001–3 is to require ‘‘coordination
between nuclear plant generator
operators and transmission entities for
the purpose of ensuring nuclear plant
safe operation and shutdown.’’ 7 The
Nuclear Reliability Standard applies to
nuclear plant generator operators
(generally nuclear power plant owners
and operators, including licensees) and
‘‘transmission entities,’’ defined in the
Reliability Standard as including a
nuclear plant’s suppliers of off-site
power and related transmission and
distribution services. To account for the
variations in nuclear plant design and
grid interconnection characteristics, the
Reliability Standard defines
transmission entities as ‘‘all entities that
are responsible for providing services
related to Nuclear Plant Interface
Requirements (NPIRs),’’ and lists eleven
types of functional entities (heretofore
described as ‘‘transmission entities’’)
that could provide services related to
NPIRs.8
FERC–725F information collection
requirements include establishing and
maintaining interface agreements,
including record retention
requirements. These agreements are not
filed with FERC, but with the
appropriate entities as established by
the Reliability Standard.
Type of Respondent: Nuclear
operators, nuclear plants, transmission
entities.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 9 The
Commission estimates the average
annual burden and cost 10 for this
information collection as follows.
Reliability Standard was approved, the Commission
did not go to OMB for approval. It is assumed that
the changes made did not substantively affect the
information collection and therefore a formal
submission to OMB was not needed. The most
recent OMB approval for FERC–725F was issued on
6/15/2015.
6 The Letter Order is posted at https://
elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?
fileID=13675845.
7 See Reliability Standard NUC–001–2 at https://
www.nerc.com/files/NUC-001-3.pdf.
8 The list of functional entities consists of
transmission operators, transmission owners,
transmission planners, transmission service
providers, balancing authorities, reliability
coordinators, planning authorities, distribution
providers, load-serving entities, generator owners
and generator operators.
9 Burden is defined 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. Refer to 5
CFR 1320.3 for additional information.
10 The wage and benefit figures are based on the
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data (at https://
www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm) for May
2016 for Sector 22, Utilities. (The benefits figure is
based on BLS data as of September 8, 2017, which
E:\FR\FM\26DEN1.SGM
26DEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 246 / Tuesday, December 26, 2017 / Notices
60981
Number of
respondents
New or Modifications
to Existing Agreements (Reporting).
New or Modifications
to Existing Agreements (Record
Keeping).
Total ...................
Annual
number of
responses per
respondent
Total number
of responses
Average burden
hours
& cost per response
($) (rounded)
Total annual burden
hours & total
annual cost
($) (rounded)
Cost per
respondent
($) (rounded)
(1)
FERC–725F
(2)
(1) * (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
*(5) ÷ (1)
60 nuclear plants +
120 transmission
entities 11.
60 nuclear plants +
120 transmission
entities.
2
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: December 19, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017–27732 Filed 12–22–17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP18–13–000]
Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC;
Notice of Intent to Prepare an
Environmental Assessment for the
Proposed Line 8000 Replacement
Project and Request for Comments on
Environmental Issues
ethrower on DSK3G9T082PROD with NOTICES
The staff of the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (FERC or
Commission) will prepare an
indicates that wages are 69.6% and benefits are
30.4% of total salary (https://www.bls.gov/
news.release/ecec.nr0.htm).)
The estimated hourly cost (for wages plus
benefits) for reporting requirements is $84.23/hour,
based on the average for an electrical engineer
(occupation code 17–2071, $68.12/hour), legal
(occupation code 23–0000, $143.68/hour), and
office and administrative staff (occupation code 43–
000, $40.89/hour).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
20:21 Dec 22, 2017
Jkt 244001
66.67 hrs.; $5,616 ....
24,001 hrs.;
$2,021,621.
2
..................................
360
360
6.67 hrs.; $218 .........
2,401 hrs.; $78,615 ..
........................
12 360
..................................
26,402 hrs.; 13
$2,100,236.
$11,231
$437
........................
environmental assessment (EA) that will
discuss the environmental impacts of
the Line 8000 Replacement Project
involving the abandonment,
construction, and operation of facilities
by Columbia Gas Transmission, LLC
(Columbia) in Mineral County, West
Virginia and Allegany County,
Maryland. The Commission will use
this EA in its decision-making process
to determine whether the project is in
the public convenience and necessity.
This notice announces the opening of
the scoping process the Commission
will use to gather input from the public
and interested agencies on the project.
You can make a difference by providing
us with your specific comments or
concerns about the project. Your
comments should focus on the potential
environmental effects, reasonable
alternatives, and measures to avoid or
lessen environmental impacts. Your
input will help the Commission staff
determine what issues they need to
evaluate in the EA. To ensure that your
comments are timely and properly
recorded, please send your comments so
that the Commission receives them in
Washington, DC on or before January 18,
2018.
If you sent comments on this project
to the Commission before the opening of
this docket on November 3, 2017, you
will need to file those comments in
Docket No. CP18–13–000 to ensure they
are considered as part of this
proceeding.
This notice is being sent to the
Commission’s current environmental
mailing list for this project. State and
local government representatives should
notify their constituents of this
proposed project and encourage them to
comment on their areas of concern.
If you are a landowner receiving this
notice, a pipeline company
representative may contact you about
the acquisition of an easement to
construct, operate, and maintain the
proposed facilities. The company would
seek to negotiate a mutually acceptable
agreement. However, if the Commission
approves the project, that approval
conveys with it the right of eminent
domain. Therefore, if easement
negotiations fail to produce an
agreement, the pipeline company could
initiate condemnation proceedings
where compensation would be
determined in accordance with state
law.
Columbia provided landowners with
a fact sheet prepared by the FERC
entitled ‘‘An Interstate Natural Gas
Facility On My Land? What Do I Need
To Know?’’ This fact sheet addresses a
number of typically asked questions,
including the use of eminent domain
and how to participate in the
Commission’s proceedings. It is also
available for viewing on the FERC
website (www.ferc.gov).
The estimated hourly cost (wages plus benefits)
for record keeping is $32.74/hour for a file clerk
(occupation code 43–4071).
11 This figure of 120 transmission entities is based
on the assumption that each agreement will be
between 1 nuclear plant and 2 transmission entities
(60 × 2 = 120). However, there is some double
counting in this figure because some transmission
entities may be party to multiple agreements with
multiple nuclear plants. The double counting does
not affect the burden estimate, and the correct
number of unique respondents will be reported to
OMB.
12 The 180 respondents affected by the reporting
requirements are also affected by the recordkeeping
requirements.
13 The reporting requirements have not changed.
The decrease in the number of respondents is due
to: (a) Normal fluctuations in industry (e.g.,
companies merging and splitting, and coming into
and going out of business), and (b) no new
agreements being issued due to the lack of new
nuclear plants being developed.
PO 00000
Frm 00034
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Public Participation
For your convenience, there are three
methods you can use to submit your
comments to the Commission. The
Commission encourages electronic filing
of comments and has expert staff
E:\FR\FM\26DEN1.SGM
26DEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 26, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60980-60981]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27732]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC18-3-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725F); Comment
Request; Extension
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or
FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved
information collection, FERC 725F (Mandatory Reliability Standard for
Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination).
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due February 26,
2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC18-3-
000) by either of the following methods:
eFiling at Commission's website: https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
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 [email protected], 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
[email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at (202)
273-0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC 725F, Mandatory Reliability Standard for Nuclear Plant
Interface Coordination.
OMB Control No.: 1902-0249.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725F information
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: The Commission requires the information collected by the
FERC-725F to implement the statutory provisions of section 215 of the
Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C. 824o). On August 8, 2005, the
Electricity Modernization Act of 2005, which is Title XII, Subtitle A,
of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), was enacted into law.\1\
EPAct 2005 added a new section 215 to the FPA, which required a
Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to develop
mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards, which are subject to
Commission review and approval. Once approved, the Reliability
Standards may be enforced by the ERO subject to Commission oversight,
or the Commission can independently enforce Reliability Standards.\2\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58, Title XII,
Subtitle A, 119 Stat. 594, 941 (2005), 16 U.S.C. 824o.
\2\ 16 U.S.C. 824o(e)(3).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On February 3, 2006, the Commission issued Order No. 672,
implementing section 215 of the FPA.\3\ Pursuant to Order No. 672, the
Commission certified one organization, North American Electric
Reliability Corporation (NERC), as the ERO. The Reliability Standards
developed by the ERO and approved by the Commission apply to users,
owners and operators of the Bulk-Power System as set forth in each
Reliability Standard.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ Rules Concerning Certification of the Electric Reliability
Organization; and Procedures for the Establishment, Approval, and
Enforcement of Electric Reliability Standards, Order No. 672, FERC
Stats. & Regs. ] 31,204, order on reh'g, Order No. 672-A, FERC
Stats. & Regs. ] 31,212 (2006).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
On November 19, 2007, NERC filed its petition for Commission
approval of the Nuclear Plant Interface Coordination Reliability
Standard, designated NUC-001-1. In Order No. 716, issued October 16,
2008, the Commission approved the standard while also directing certain
revisions.\4\ Revised Reliability Standard, NUC-001-2, was filed with
the Commission by NERC in August 2009 and subsequently approved by the
Commission January 21, 2010.\5\ On November 4, 2014, in Docket No.
RD14-13, the Commission approved revised Reliability Standard NUC-001-
3.\6\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Mandatory Reliability Standard for Nuclear Plant Interface
Coordination, Order No. 716, 125 FERC ] 61,065, at P 189 & n.90
(2008), order on reh'g, Order No. 716-A, 126 FERC ] 61,122 (2009).
\5\ North American Electric Reliability Corporation, 130 FERC ]
61,051 (2010). When the revised Reliability Standard was approved,
the Commission did not go to OMB for approval. It is assumed that
the changes made did not substantively affect the information
collection and therefore a formal submission to OMB was not needed.
The most recent OMB approval for FERC-725F was issued on 6/15/2015.
\6\ The Letter Order is posted at https://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/common/OpenNat.asp?fileID=13675845.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The purpose of Reliability Standard NUC-001-3 is to require
``coordination between nuclear plant generator operators and
transmission entities for the purpose of ensuring nuclear plant safe
operation and shutdown.'' \7\ The Nuclear Reliability Standard applies
to nuclear plant generator operators (generally nuclear power plant
owners and operators, including licensees) and ``transmission
entities,'' defined in the Reliability Standard as including a nuclear
plant's suppliers of off-site power and related transmission and
distribution services. To account for the variations in nuclear plant
design and grid interconnection characteristics, the Reliability
Standard defines transmission entities as ``all entities that are
responsible for providing services related to Nuclear Plant Interface
Requirements (NPIRs),'' and lists eleven types of functional entities
(heretofore described as ``transmission entities'') that could provide
services related to NPIRs.\8\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ See Reliability Standard NUC-001-2 at https://www.nerc.com/files/NUC-001-3.pdf.
\8\ The list of functional entities consists of transmission
operators, transmission owners, transmission planners, transmission
service providers, balancing authorities, reliability coordinators,
planning authorities, distribution providers, load-serving entities,
generator owners and generator operators.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FERC-725F information collection requirements include establishing
and maintaining interface agreements, including record retention
requirements. These agreements are not filed with FERC, but with the
appropriate entities as established by the Reliability Standard.
Type of Respondent: Nuclear operators, nuclear plants, transmission
entities.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \9\ The Commission estimates the average
annual burden and cost \10\ for this information collection as follows.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\9\ Burden is defined 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. Refer to
5 CFR 1320.3 for additional information.
\10\ The wage and benefit figures are based on the Bureau of
Labor Statistics (BLS) data (at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm) for May 2016 for Sector 22, Utilities. (The benefits
figure is based on BLS data as of September 8, 2017, which indicates
that wages are 69.6% and benefits are 30.4% of total salary (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm).)
The estimated hourly cost (for wages plus benefits) for
reporting requirements is $84.23/hour, based on the average for an
electrical engineer (occupation code 17-2071, $68.12/hour), legal
(occupation code 23-0000, $143.68/hour), and office and
administrative staff (occupation code 43-000, $40.89/hour).
The estimated hourly cost (wages plus benefits) for record
keeping is $32.74/hour for a file clerk (occupation code 43-4071).
[[Page 60981]]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual number
Number of of responses Total number Average burden hours Total annual burden Cost per
FERC-725F respondents per of responses & cost per response hours & total annual respondent
respondent ($) (rounded) cost ($) (rounded) ($) (rounded)
(1).................. (2) (1) * (2) = (4).................. (3) * (4) = (5)...... *(5) / (1)
(3)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
New or Modifications to Existing 60 nuclear plants + 2 360 66.67 hrs.; $5,616... 24,001 hrs.; $11,231
Agreements (Reporting). 120 transmission $2,021,621.
entities 11.
New or Modifications to Existing 60 nuclear plants + 2 360 6.67 hrs.; $218...... 2,401 hrs.; $78,615.. $437
Agreements (Record Keeping). 120 transmission
entities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.......................... ..................... .............. 12 360 ..................... 26,402 hrs.; 13 ..............
$2,100,236.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\11\ This figure of 120 transmission entities is based on the
assumption that each agreement will be between 1 nuclear plant and 2
transmission entities (60 x 2 = 120). However, there is some double
counting in this figure because some transmission entities may be
party to multiple agreements with multiple nuclear plants. The
double counting does not affect the burden estimate, and the correct
number of unique respondents will be reported to OMB.
\12\ The 180 respondents affected by the reporting requirements
are also affected by the recordkeeping requirements.
\13\ The reporting requirements have not changed. The decrease
in the number of respondents is due to: (a) Normal fluctuations in
industry (e.g., companies merging and splitting, and coming into and
going out of business), and (b) no new agreements being issued due
to the lack of new nuclear plants being developed.
Dated: December 19, 2017.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-27732 Filed 12-22-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
