Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-545 and FERC-549C); Consolidated Comment Request; Extension, 54737-54740 [2018-23770]
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 211 / Wednesday, October 31, 2018 / Notices
Appendix G pursuant to Order No. 827
to be effective 12/26/2018.
Filed Date: 10/25/18.
Accession Number: 20181025–5066.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/15/18.
Docket Numbers: ER19–186–000.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
2018–10–25_SA 3199 ATC–WPL EFCA
(Northern Lights) to be effective 12/25/
2018.
Filed Date: 10/25/18.
Accession Number: 20181025–5071.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/15/18.
Docket Numbers: ER19–187–000.
Applicants: PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing: 3rd
Quarterly 2018 Revisions to OA, Sch. 12
and RAA, Sch. 17 Members Lists to be
effective 9/30/2018.
Filed Date: 10/25/18.
Accession Number: 20181025–5072.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/15/18.
Docket Numbers: ER19–188–000.
Applicants: California Independent
System Operator Corporation.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
2018–10–25 Transferred Frequency
Response Agreement with Powerex
Corp. to be effective 12/1/2018.
Filed Date: 10/25/18.
Accession Number: 20181025–5076.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/15/18.
Docket Numbers: ER19–189–000.
Applicants: Gilroy Energy Center,
LLC.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
Revised RMR Agreement Filing to be
effective 1/1/2019.
Filed Date: 10/25/18.
Accession Number: 20181025–5111.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/15/18.
Docket Numbers: ER19–190–000.
Applicants: California Independent
System Operator Corporation.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
2018–10–25 Transferred Frequency
Response Agreement with City of
Seattle to be effective 12/1/2018.
Filed Date: 10/25/18.
Accession Number: 20181025–5144.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/15/18.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric
reliability filings:
Docket Numbers: RD19–1–000.
Applicants: North American Electric
Reliability Corporation.
Description: Filing of the North
American Electric Reliability
Corporation for revisions to the
Implementation Plans for MOD–026–1
and MOD–027–1 Reliability Standards.
Filed Date: 10/12/18.
Accession Number: 20181012–5113.
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Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 11/15/18.
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
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: October 25, 2018.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018–23741 Filed 10–30–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Project Nos. 14858–001 and 4093–035]
Notice of Availability of Environmental
Assessment; McMahan Hydroelectric,
LLC
In accordance with the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and
the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s (Commission)
regulations, 18 CFR part 380, the Office
of Energy Projects has reviewed the
application for the Bynum Hydroelectric
Project, located on the Haw River, in
Chatham County, North Carolina, and
has prepared an Environmental
Assessment (EA) for the project. The
project would not occupy federal land.
The EA contains the staff’s analysis of
the potential environmental impacts of
the project and concludes that licensing
the project, with appropriate
environmental protective measures,
would not constitute a major federal
action that would significantly affect the
quality of the human environment.
A copy of the EA is available for
review at the Commission in the Public
Reference Room or may be viewed on
the Commission’s website at https://
www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link.
Enter the docket number, excluding the
last three digits, in the docket number
field to access the document. For
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54737
assistance, contact FERC Online
Support at FERCOnlineSupport@
ferc.gov, toll-free at (866) 208–3676, or
(202) 502–8659 (TTY).
You may also register online at https://
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
esubscription.asp to be notified via
email of new filings and issuances
related to this or other pending projects.
For assistance, contact FERC Online
Support.
Any comments should be filed within
30 days of the issuance date of the EA
or by November 24, 2018.
The Commission strongly encourages
electronic filing. Please file comments
using the Commission’s eFiling system
at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
efiling.asp. Commenters can submit
brief comments up to 6,000 characters,
without prior registration, using the
eComment system at https://
www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
ecomment.asp. You must include your
name and contact information at the end
of your comments. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support. In
lieu of electronic filing, please send a
paper copy to: Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE, Washington, DC 20426. The first
page of any filing should include docket
number P–14858–001.
For further information, please
contact Sean Murphy by telephone at
(202) 502–6145 or by email at
sean.murphy@ferc.gov.
Dated: October 25, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018–23772 Filed 10–30–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. IC18–18–000]
Commission Information Collection
Activities (FERC–545 and FERC–549C);
Consolidated Comment Request;
Extension
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Comment request.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission or FERC) is submitting its
information collections FERC–545 [Gas
Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Nonformal)] and FERC–549C (Standards for
Business Practices of Interstate Natural
SUMMARY:
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 211 / Wednesday, October 31, 2018 / Notices
Gas Pipelines) 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 on August 16, 2018,
requesting public comments. The
Commission received no comments on
either the FERC–545 or the FERC–549C
and will make this notation in its
submittals to OMB.
DATES: Comments on the collections of
information are due by November 30,
2018.
Comments filed with OMB,
identified by the OMB Control No.
1902–0154 (FERC–545) and 1902–0174
(FERC–549C), 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 202–395–8528.
A copy of the comments should also
be sent to the Commission, in Docket
No. IC18–18–000, 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
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ADDRESSES:
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at DataClearance@FERC.gov, by
telephone at (202) 502–8663, and by fax
at (202) 273–0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FERC–545, Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate
Change (Non-formal)
Title: FERC–545, Gas Pipeline Rates:
Rate Change (Non-formal).
OMB Control No.: 1902–0154.
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the FERC–545 information collection
requirements with no changes to the
current reporting requirements.
Abstract: FERC–545 is required to
implement sections 4, 5, and 16 of the
Natural Gas Act (NGA), (15 U.S.C. 717c–
717o, Pub. L. 75688, 52 Stat. 822 and
830). NGA sections 4, 5, and 16
authorize the Commission to inquire
into rate structures and methodologies
and to set rates at a just and reasonable
level. Specifically, a natural gas
company must obtain Commission
authorization for all rates and charges
made, demanded, or received in
connection with the transportation or
sale of natural gas in interstate
commerce.
Under the NGA, a natural gas
company’s rates must be just and
reasonable and not unduly
discriminatory or preferential. The
Commission may act under different
sections of the NGA to effect a change
in a natural gas company’s rates. When
the Commission reviews rate increases
that a natural gas company has
proposed, it is subject to the
requirement of section 4(e) of the NGA.
Under section 4(e), the natural gas
company bears the burden of proving
that its proposed rates are just and
reasonable. On the other hand, when the
Commission seeks to impose its own
rate determination, it must do so in
compliance with section 5(a) of the
NGA. Under section 5, the Commission
must first establish that its alternative
rate proposal is both just and
reasonable.
Section 16 of the NGA states that the
Commission ‘‘shall have the power to
perform any and all acts, and to
prescribe, issue, make, amend, and
rescind such orders, rules, and
regulations as it may find necessary or
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appropriate to carry out provisions of
[the NGA].’’ In other words, section 16
of the NGA grants the Commission the
power to define accounting, technical
and trade terms, prescribe forms,
statements, declarations or reports, and
to prescribe rules and regulations.
Pipelines adjust their tariffs to meet
market and customer needs. The
Commission’s review of these proposed
changes is required to ensure rates
remain just and reasonable and that
services are not provided in an unduly
or preferential manner. The
Commission’s regulations in 18 CFR
part 154 specify what changes are
allowed and the procedures for
requesting Commission approval.
The Commission uses information in
FERC–545 to examine rates, services,
and tariff provisions related to natural
gas transportation and storage services.
The following filing categories are part
of FERC–545: (1) Tariff Filings—filings
regarding proposed changes to a
pipeline’s tariff (including Cost
Recovery Mechanisms for
Modernization of Natural Gas Facilities
filings in Docket No. PL15–1) and any
related compliance filings; (2) Rate
Filings—rate-related filings under NGA
sections 4 and 5 and any related
compliance filings and settlements; (3)
Informational Reports; (4) Negotiated
Rate and Non-Conforming Agreement
Filings; and (6) Market-Based Rates for
Storage Filings (Part 284.501–505). Onetime compliance filings mandated in
Order No. 587–W (Docket Nos. RM96–
1–038 and RM14–2–003) and Order No.
801 (Docket No. RM14–21–000) are
excluded from this data collection
renewal.
Type of Respondents: Natural gas
pipelines under the jurisdiction of NGA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 1 The
Commission estimates the annual public
reporting burden and cost for the
information collection as:
1 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. For further
explanation of what is included in the information
collection burden, refer to 5 Code of Federal
Regulations 1320.3.
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54739
FERC–545—GAS PIPELINE RATES: RATE CHANGE (NON-FORMAL)
Tariff Filings ..................
Rate Filings ...................
Informational Reports ....
Negotiated Rates &
Non-Conforming
Agreement Filings.
Market-Base Rates for
Storage Filings.
Total .......................
Number of
respondents
Average
number of
responses per
respondent
Total
number of
responses
Average burden
hours and cost
($)
(rounded)
per response 3 4
Total annual burden
hours and total
annual cost
($)
(rounded)
Cost per
respondent
($)
(rounded) 5
(1)
(2) = (3) ÷ (1) 2
(3)
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
(5) ÷ (1)
124
17
101
65
2.597
1.412
2.347
9.923
322
24
237
645
4
1
....................
............................
FERC–549C, Standards for Business
Practices of Interstate Natural Gas
Pipelines
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OMB Control No.: 1902–0174.
Abstract: The business practice
standards under FERC–549C are
required to carry out the Commission’s
policies in accordance with the general
authority in sections 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14,
16, and 20 of the Natural Gas Act
(NGA), 6 and sections 311, 501, and 504
of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978
(NGPA). 7 The Commission adopted
these business practice standards in
order to update and standardize the
natural gas industry’s business practices
and procedures in addition to improve
2 The average number of responses per
respondent was calculated by dividing the total
number of responses (Column 3) in each category
by the number of respondents (Column 1).
3 The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits)
provided in this section is based on the salary
figures (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_
22.htm) and benefits (https://www.bls.gov/
news.release/ecec.nr0.htm) for May 2017 posted by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities
sector. The hourly estimates for salary plus benefits
are:
Computer and Mathematical (Occupation Code:
15–0000), $63.25.
Economist (Occupation Code: 19–3011), $71.98.
Legal (Occupation Code: 23–0000), $143.68.
Accountants and Auditors: 13–2011), $56.59.
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is
calculated weighting each of the aforementioned
wage categories as follows: $63.25 (0.05) + $71.98
(0.3) + $143.68 (0.6) + $56.59 (0.05) = $113.79. The
Commission rounds it to $114/hour.
4 The average costs are rounded to the nearest
dollar.
5 The average costs per respondent are rounded
to the nearest dollar.
6 15 U.S.C. 717c–717w.
7 15 U.S.C. 3301–3432.
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211
354
235
233
hrs.;
hrs.;
hrs.;
hrs.;
$24,054
$40,356
$26,790
$26,562
....
....
....
....
67,942 hrs.; $7,745,388 .......
8,496 hrs.; $968,544 ............
55,695 hrs.; $6,349,230 .......
150,285 hrs.; $17,132,490 ...
$62,463
56,973
62,864
263,577
4
230 hrs.; $26,220 ....
920 hrs.; $104,880 ...............
26,220
1,232
.................................
283,338 hrs.; $32,300,532 ...
........................
the efficiency of the gas market and the
means by which the gas industry
conducts business across the interstate
pipeline grid.
In various orders since 1996, the
Commission has adopted regulations to
standardize the business practices and
communication methodologies of
interstate natural gas pipelines. These
standards were proposed by the North
American Energy Standards Board
(NAESB 8) in order to create a more
integrated and efficient pipeline
industry.9 Generally, when and if
NAESB-proposed standards (e.g.
consensus standards developed by the
Wholesale Gas Quadrant (WGQ)) are
approved by the Commission, the
Commission incorporates them by
reference into its approval. The process
of standardizing business practices in
the natural gas industry began with a
Commission initiative to standardize
electronic communication of capacity
release transactions. The outgrowth of
the initial Commission standardization
efforts produced working groups
composed of all segments of the natural
gas industry and, ultimately, the Gas
Industry Standards Board (GISB), a
consensus organization open to all
members of the gas industry, was
created. GISB was succeeded by
NAESB.
NAESB is a voluntary non-profit
organization comprised of members
8 A standards organization accredited by the
American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
9 This series of orders began with the
Commission’s issuance of Standards for Business
Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines, Order
No. 587, FERC Stats. & Regs. 31,038 (1996).
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from the retail and wholesale natural
gas and electric industries. NAESB’s
mission is to take the lead in developing
standards across these industries to
simplify and expand electronic
communication and to streamline
business practices. NAESB’s core
objective is to facilitate a seamless North
American marketplace for natural gas,
as recognized by its customers, the
business community, industry
participants, and regulatory bodies.
NAESB has divided its efforts among
four quadrants including two retail
quadrants, a wholesale electric
quadrant, and the WGQ. The NAESB
WGQ standards are a product of this
effort. Industry participants seeking
additional or amended standards (to
include principles, definitions,
standards, data elements, process
descriptions, and technical
implementation instructions) must
submit a request to the NAESB office,
detailing the change, so that the
appropriate process may take place to
amend the standards.
Failure to collect the FERC–549C data
would prevent the Commission from
monitoring and properly evaluating
pipeline transactions and/or meeting
statutory obligations under both the
NGA and NGPA.
Type of Respondent: Natural gas
pipelines under the jurisdictions of
NGA and NGPA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: The
Commission estimates the annual public
reporting burden and cost for the
information collection as:
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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 211 / Wednesday, October 31, 2018 / Notices
FERC–549C: STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS PRACTICES OF INTERSTATE NATURAL GAS PIPELINES
Number of
respondents
Average
number of
responses per
respondent 10
Total
number of
responses
Average
burden
hrs. & cost
($)
per response 11
Total annual burden
hours & total
annual cost
($)
Cost per
respondent
(rounded)
($)
(1)
(2) = (3) ÷ (1)
(3)
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
(5) ÷ (1)
96 hrs.; $8,928 ........
47,040 hrs.; $4,374,720 .......
Standards for Business
Practices of Interstate
Natural Gas Pipelines.
165
2.97
Comments: Comments are invited on:
(1) Whether either 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 and costs of the
collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and
assumptions used on each collection; (3)
ways to enhance the quality, utility and
clarity of either information collection;
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of
either collection of information on those
who are to respond, including the use
of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Dated: October 25, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018–23770 Filed 10–30–18; 8:45 am]
amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
10 The average number of responses per
respondent were calculated by dividing the total
number of responses (Column 3) in each category
by the number of responses (Column 1).
11 The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits)
provided in this section is based on the salary
figures (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_
22.htm) and benefits (https://www.bls.gov/
news.release/ecec.nr0.htm) for May 2017 posted by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities
sector. The hourly estimates for salary plus benefits
are:
Petroleum Engineer (Occupation Code: 17–2171),
$71.62
Computer Systems Analyst (Occupation Code:
15–1121), $67.82
Legal (Occupation Code: 23–0000), $143.68
Economist (Occupation Code: 19–3011), $71.98
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is
calculated weighting each of the aforementioned
wage categories as follows: $71.62 (0.3) + $143.68
(0.3) + $67.82 (0.15) + $71.98 (0.25) = $92.76. The
Commission rounds it to $93/hour.
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490
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. ER19–170–000]
Supplemental Notice That Initial
Market-Based Rate Filing Includes
Request for Blanket Section 204
Authorization: Gateway Energy
Storage, LLC
This is a supplemental notice in the
above-referenced proceeding of Gateway
Energy Storage, LLC’s application for
market-based rate authority, with an
accompanying rate tariff, noting that
such application includes a request for
blanket authorization, under 18 CFR
part 34, of future issuances of securities
and assumptions of liability.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest should file with the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426,
in accordance with Rules 211 and 214
of the Commission’s Rules of Practice
and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and
385.214). Anyone filing a motion to
intervene or protest must serve a copy
of that document on the Applicant.
Notice is hereby given that the
deadline for filing protests with regard
to the applicant’s request for blanket
authorization, under 18 CFR part 34, of
future issuances of securities and
assumptions of liability, is November
14, 2018.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper, using the
FERC Online links at https://
www.ferc.gov. To facilitate electronic
service, persons with internet access
who will eFile a document and/or be
listed as a contact for an intervenor
must create and validate an
eRegistration account using the
eRegistration link. Select the eFiling
link to log on and submit the
intervention or protests.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 5 copies
of the intervention or protest to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
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$26,513
888 First Street NE, Washington, DC
20426.
The filings in the above-referenced
proceeding are accessible in the
Commission’s eLibrary system by
clicking on the appropriate link in the
above list. They are also available for
electronic review in the Commission’s
Public Reference Room in Washington,
DC. There is an eSubscription link on
the website that enables subscribers to
receive email notification when a
document is added to a subscribed
docket(s). For assistance with any FERC
Online service, please email
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call
(866) 208–3676 (toll free). For TTY, call
(202) 502–8659.
Dated: October 25, 2018.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018–23749 Filed 10–30–18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CD19–1–000]
Notice of Preliminary Determination of
a Qualifying Conduit Hydropower
Facility and Soliciting Comments and
Motions To Intervene; Haights Creek
Irrigation Company
On October 12, 2018, the Haights
Creek Irrigation Company, filed a notice
of intent to construct a qualifying
conduit hydropower facility, pursuant
to section 30 of the Federal Power Act
(FPA), as amended by section 4 of the
Hydropower Regulatory Efficiency Act
of 2013 (HREA). The proposed Haights
Creek Micro-Hydropower Project would
have a total installed capacity up to 24
kilowatts (kW), and would be located on
the existing Haights Creek Irrigation
Pipeline. The project would be located
near the City of Kaysville in Davis
County, Utah.
Applicant Contact: Dan Robinson,
Haights Creek Irrigation Company, 820
East 200 North, Kaysville, UT 84037,
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 211 (Wednesday, October 31, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54737-54740]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23770]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC18-18-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-545 and FERC-
549C); Consolidated Comment Request; Extension
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Comment request.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or
FERC) is submitting its information collections FERC-545 [Gas Pipeline
Rates: Rate Change (Non-formal)] and FERC-549C (Standards for Business
Practices of Interstate Natural
[[Page 54738]]
Gas Pipelines) 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 on August 16, 2018,
requesting public comments. The Commission received no comments on
either the FERC-545 or the FERC-549C and will make this notation in its
submittals to OMB.
DATES: Comments on the collections of information are due by November
30, 2018.
ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No.
1902-0154 (FERC-545) and 1902-0174 (FERC-549C), should be sent via
email to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs:
[email protected]. Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission Desk Officer. The Desk Officer may also be reached via
telephone at 202-395-8528.
A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in
Docket No. IC18-18-000, 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], by telephone at (202) 502-8663, and by fax at
(202) 273-0873.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
FERC-545, Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-formal)
Title: FERC-545, Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-formal).
OMB Control No.: 1902-0154.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-545 information
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: FERC-545 is required to implement sections 4, 5, and 16
of the Natural Gas Act (NGA), (15 U.S.C. 717c-717o, Pub. L. 75688, 52
Stat. 822 and 830). NGA sections 4, 5, and 16 authorize the Commission
to inquire into rate structures and methodologies and to set rates at a
just and reasonable level. Specifically, a natural gas company must
obtain Commission authorization for all rates and charges made,
demanded, or received in connection with the transportation or sale of
natural gas in interstate commerce.
Under the NGA, a natural gas company's rates must be just and
reasonable and not unduly discriminatory or preferential. The
Commission may act under different sections of the NGA to effect a
change in a natural gas company's rates. When the Commission reviews
rate increases that a natural gas company has proposed, it is subject
to the requirement of section 4(e) of the NGA. Under section 4(e), the
natural gas company bears the burden of proving that its proposed rates
are just and reasonable. On the other hand, when the Commission seeks
to impose its own rate determination, it must do so in compliance with
section 5(a) of the NGA. Under section 5, the Commission must first
establish that its alternative rate proposal is both just and
reasonable.
Section 16 of the NGA states that the Commission ``shall have the
power to perform any and all acts, and to prescribe, issue, make,
amend, and rescind such orders, rules, and regulations as it may find
necessary or appropriate to carry out provisions of [the NGA].'' In
other words, section 16 of the NGA grants the Commission the power to
define accounting, technical and trade terms, prescribe forms,
statements, declarations or reports, and to prescribe rules and
regulations.
Pipelines adjust their tariffs to meet market and customer needs.
The Commission's review of these proposed changes is required to ensure
rates remain just and reasonable and that services are not provided in
an unduly or preferential manner. The Commission's regulations in 18
CFR part 154 specify what changes are allowed and the procedures for
requesting Commission approval.
The Commission uses information in FERC-545 to examine rates,
services, and tariff provisions related to natural gas transportation
and storage services. The following filing categories are part of FERC-
545: (1) Tariff Filings--filings regarding proposed changes to a
pipeline's tariff (including Cost Recovery Mechanisms for Modernization
of Natural Gas Facilities filings in Docket No. PL15-1) and any related
compliance filings; (2) Rate Filings--rate-related filings under NGA
sections 4 and 5 and any related compliance filings and settlements;
(3) Informational Reports; (4) Negotiated Rate and Non-Conforming
Agreement Filings; and (6) Market-Based Rates for Storage Filings (Part
284.501-505). One-time compliance filings mandated in Order No. 587-W
(Docket Nos. RM96-1-038 and RM14-2-003) and Order No. 801 (Docket No.
RM14-21-000) are excluded from this data collection renewal.
Type of Respondents: Natural gas pipelines under the jurisdiction
of NGA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \1\ The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden and cost for the information collection as:
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\1\ 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. For
further explanation of what is included in the information
collection burden, refer to 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
[[Page 54739]]
FERC-545--Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal)
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Average number Total Average burden hours and Cost per
Number of of responses per number of cost ($) (rounded) per Total annual burden hours and total respondent ($)
respondents respondent responses response \3\ \4\ annual cost ($) (rounded) (rounded) \5\
(1) (2) = (3) / (1) (3) (4)...................... (3) * (4) = (5).................... (5) / (1)
\2\
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Tariff Filings............... 124 2.597 322 211 hrs.; $24,054........ 67,942 hrs.; $7,745,388............ $62,463
Rate Filings................. 17 1.412 24 354 hrs.; $40,356........ 8,496 hrs.; $968,544............... 56,973
Informational Reports........ 101 2.347 237 235 hrs.; $26,790........ 55,695 hrs.; $6,349,230............ 62,864
Negotiated Rates & Non- 65 9.923 645 233 hrs.; $26,562........ 150,285 hrs.; $17,132,490.......... 263,577
Conforming Agreement Filings.
Market-Base Rates for Storage 4 1 4 230 hrs.; $26,220........ 920 hrs.; $104,880................. 26,220
Filings.
Total.................... ........... ................ 1,232 ......................... 283,338 hrs.; $32,300,532.......... ..............
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FERC-549C, Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas
Pipelines
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\2\ The average number of responses per respondent was
calculated by dividing the total number of responses (Column 3) in
each category by the number of respondents (Column 1).
\3\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) provided in
this section is based on the salary figures (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm) and benefits (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm) for May 2017 posted by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector. The hourly estimates for
salary plus benefits are:
Computer and Mathematical (Occupation Code: 15-0000), $63.25.
Economist (Occupation Code: 19-3011), $71.98.
Legal (Occupation Code: 23-0000), $143.68.
Accountants and Auditors: 13-2011), $56.59.
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is calculated
weighting each of the aforementioned wage categories as follows:
$63.25 (0.05) + $71.98 (0.3) + $143.68 (0.6) + $56.59 (0.05) =
$113.79. The Commission rounds it to $114/hour.
\4\ The average costs are rounded to the nearest dollar.
\5\ The average costs per respondent are rounded to the nearest
dollar.
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OMB Control No.: 1902-0174.
Abstract: The business practice standards under FERC-549C are
required to carry out the Commission's policies in accordance with the
general authority in sections 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, 14, 16, and 20 of the
Natural Gas Act (NGA), \6\ and sections 311, 501, and 504 of the
Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA). \7\ The Commission adopted these
business practice standards in order to update and standardize the
natural gas industry's business practices and procedures in addition to
improve the efficiency of the gas market and the means by which the gas
industry conducts business across the interstate pipeline grid.
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\6\ 15 U.S.C. 717c-717w.
\7\ 15 U.S.C. 3301-3432.
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In various orders since 1996, the Commission has adopted
regulations to standardize the business practices and communication
methodologies of interstate natural gas pipelines. These standards were
proposed by the North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB \8\) in
order to create a more integrated and efficient pipeline industry.\9\
Generally, when and if NAESB-proposed standards (e.g. consensus
standards developed by the Wholesale Gas Quadrant (WGQ)) are approved
by the Commission, the Commission incorporates them by reference into
its approval. The process of standardizing business practices in the
natural gas industry began with a Commission initiative to standardize
electronic communication of capacity release transactions. The
outgrowth of the initial Commission standardization efforts produced
working groups composed of all segments of the natural gas industry
and, ultimately, the Gas Industry Standards Board (GISB), a consensus
organization open to all members of the gas industry, was created. GISB
was succeeded by NAESB.
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\8\ A standards organization accredited by the American National
Standards Institute (ANSI).
\9\ This series of orders began with the Commission's issuance
of Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas
Pipelines, Order No. 587, FERC Stats. & Regs. 31,038 (1996).
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NAESB is a voluntary non-profit organization comprised of members
from the retail and wholesale natural gas and electric industries.
NAESB's mission is to take the lead in developing standards across
these industries to simplify and expand electronic communication and to
streamline business practices. NAESB's core objective is to facilitate
a seamless North American marketplace for natural gas, as recognized by
its customers, the business community, industry participants, and
regulatory bodies.
NAESB has divided its efforts among four quadrants including two
retail quadrants, a wholesale electric quadrant, and the WGQ. The NAESB
WGQ standards are a product of this effort. Industry participants
seeking additional or amended standards (to include principles,
definitions, standards, data elements, process descriptions, and
technical implementation instructions) must submit a request to the
NAESB office, detailing the change, so that the appropriate process may
take place to amend the standards.
Failure to collect the FERC-549C data would prevent the Commission
from monitoring and properly evaluating pipeline transactions and/or
meeting statutory obligations under both the NGA and NGPA.
Type of Respondent: Natural gas pipelines under the jurisdictions
of NGA and NGPA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden and cost for the information collection as:
[[Page 54740]]
FERC-549C: Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average number
Number of of responses Total Average burden hrs. & Total annual burden hours & total Cost per
respondents per respondent number of cost ($) per response annual cost ($) respondent
\10\ responses \11\ (rounded) ($)
(1) (2) = (3) / (1) (3) (4)...................... (3) * (4) = (5).................... (5) / (1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standards for Business 165 2.97 490 96 hrs.; $8,928.......... 47,040 hrs.; $4,374,720............ $26,513
Practices of Interstate
Natural Gas Pipelines.
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Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether either 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 and
costs of the collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used on each collection; (3) ways to
enhance the quality, utility and clarity of either information
collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of either collection of
information on those who are to respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
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\10\ The average number of responses per respondent were
calculated by dividing the total number of responses (Column 3) in
each category by the number of responses (Column 1).
\11\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) provided
in this section is based on the salary figures (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm) and benefits (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm) for May 2017 posted by the Bureau of
Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector. The hourly estimates for
salary plus benefits are:
Petroleum Engineer (Occupation Code: 17-2171), $71.62
Computer Systems Analyst (Occupation Code: 15-1121), $67.82
Legal (Occupation Code: 23-0000), $143.68
Economist (Occupation Code: 19-3011), $71.98
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is calculated
weighting each of the aforementioned wage categories as follows:
$71.62 (0.3) + $143.68 (0.3) + $67.82 (0.15) + $71.98 (0.25) =
$92.76. The Commission rounds it to $93/hour.
Dated: October 25, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-23770 Filed 10-30-18; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
