Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-519, FERC-545, FERC-546, FERC-549C, and FERC-732); Comment Request; Extension, 63010-63015 [2021-24860]
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 217 / Monday, November 15, 2021 / Notices
Description: Notice of SelfCertification of Exempt Wholesale
Generator Status of Skipjack IA, LLC.
Filed Date: 11/8/21.
Accession Number: 20211108–5078.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 11/29/21.
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric rate
filings:
Docket Numbers: ER21–2449–002.
Applicants: Assembly Solar II, LLC.
Description: Compliance filing:
Informational Filing for Achieving
Commercial Operation to be effective
11/5/2021.
Filed Date: 11/8/21.
Accession Number: 20211108–5193.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 11/29/21.
Docket Numbers: ER22–188–000.
Applicants: Indra Power Business CT,
LLC.
Description: Supplement to October
22, 2021 Indra Power Business CT, LLC
tariff filing.
Filed Date: 11/5/21.
Accession Number: 20211105–5215.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 11/26/21.
Docket Numbers: ER22–357–000.
Applicants: PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
Amendment to WMPA, SA No. 5545;
Queue No. AE2–125 to be effective 12/
11/2019.
Filed Date: 11/8/21.
Accession Number: 20211108–5097.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 11/29/21.
Docket Numbers: ER22–358–000.
Applicants: Public Service Electric
and Gas Company, PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
Public Service Electric and Gas
Company submits tariff filing per
35.13(a)(2)(iii: Revisions to the CTOA,
Section 8 re: TO Voting Structure to be
effective 1/10/2022.
Filed Date: 11/8/21.
Accession Number: 20211108–5109.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 11/29/21.
Docket Numbers: ER22–360–000.
Applicants: PJM Interconnection,
L.L.C.
Description: Tariff Amendment:
Notice of Cancellation of WMPA, SA
No. 4601; Queue Nos. AB2–010/AB2–
011 to be effective 2/5/2019.
Filed Date: 11/8/21.
Accession Number: 20211108–5139.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 11/29/21.
Docket Numbers: ER22–361–000.
Applicants: AEP Texas Inc.
Description: § 205(d) Rate Filing:
AEPTX-Concho Valley Solar 1st A&R
Generation Interconnection Agreement
to be effective 10/27/2021.
Filed Date: 11/8/21.
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Accession Number: 20211108–5153.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 11/29/21.
The filings are accessible in the
Commission’s eLibrary system (https://
elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/search/
fercgensearch.asp) by 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: November 8, 2021.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021–24854 Filed 11–12–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. IC22–2–000]
Commission Information Collection
Activities (FERC–519, FERC–545,
FERC–546, FERC–549C, and FERC–
732); 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–
519, (Application under Federal Power
Act Section 203); FERC–545, (Gas
Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (NonFormal)); FERC–546, (Certification of
Qualifying Facility (QF) Status for a
Small Power Production or
Cogeneration Facility); FERC–549C,
(Standards for Business Practices of
Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines); FERC–
732, (Electric Rate Schedule and Tariffs:
Long-Term Firm Transmission Rights in
Organized Electricity Markets). The
above five collections are a part of a
SUMMARY:
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combined notice only and are not being
combined into one OMB Collection
number.
Comments on the collection of
information are due January 14, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit copies of
your comments (identified by Docket
No. IC22–2–000) by one of the following
methods:
Electronic filing through https://
www.ferc.gov, is preferred.
• Electronic Filing: Documents must
be filed in acceptable native
applications and print-to-PDF, but not
in scanned or picture format.
• For those unable to file
electronically, comments may be filed
by USPS mail or by hand (including
courier) delivery:
Æ Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only:
Addressed to: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the
Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426.
Æ Hand (Including Courier) Delivery:
Deliver to: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, MD 20852.
Instructions: All submissions must be
formatted and filed in accordance with
submission guidelines at: https://
www.ferc.gov. For user assistance,
contact FERC Online Support by email
at ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or by
phone at (866) 208–3676 (toll-free).
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Brown may be reached by email
at DataClearance@FERC.gov, telephone
at (202) 502–8663.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DATES:
1. FERC–519
Title: FERC–519, Application under
Federal Power Act Section 203.1
OMB Control No.: 1902–0082.
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the FERC–519 information collection
requirements with no changes to the
current reporting requirements.
Abstract: The Commission requires
that public utility officers must seek
authorization under amended section
203(a)(1)(B) of the Federal Power Act
(FPA) to merge or consolidate, directly
or indirectly, its facilities subject to the
jurisdiction of the Commission, or any
part thereof, with the facilities of any
other person, or any part thereof, that
are subject to the jurisdiction of the
Commission and have a value in excess
of $10 million, by any means
1 16
U.S.C. 824b.
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whatsoever. In addition, as required by
the Act, the Commission establishes a
requirement to submit a notification
filing for mergers or consolidations by a
public utility if the facilities to be
acquired have a value in excess of $1
million and such public utility is not
required to secure Commission
authorization under amended section
203(a)(1)(B). The information collected
under the FERC–519 enables the
Commission to meet its statutory
responsibilities regarding public utility
disposition, merger, consolidation of
facilities, purchase, or acquisition
oversight and enforcement in
accordance with the FPA as referenced
above. Without this information, FERC
would be unable to meet these
responsibilities. The required
information includes descriptions of
corporate attributes of the party or
parties to the proposed transaction (e.g.
a sale, lease, or other disposition,
merger, or consolidation of facilities, or
purchase of other acquisition of the
securities of a public utility and the
facilities or other property involved in
the transaction), statements about effect
of the transaction, and the applicant’s
proof that the transaction will be
consistent with the public interest. It
will enable the Commission to meet its
statutory responsibilities regarding its
FPA section 203 oversight of public
utility dispositions, mergers, or
consolidation of facilities, and
associated oversight and enforcement
responsibilities under the FPA as
referenced above. The required
information to be collected in the
notification filing (established by the
addition of 18 CFR part 33.12) for
certain transactions includes
descriptions of corporate attributes of
the party or parties to the transaction
and the facilities involved. FPA section
203 requires a filing on the occasion that
a public utility proposes to dispose of
jurisdictional facilities, merge such
63011
facilities, or acquire the securities of
another public utility. Public Utilities
consist of:
• Corporate;
• Information Technology Management;
• General Accounting;
• Personnel and Payroll;
• Transportation;
• Tariffs and Rates;
• Insurance;
• Operations and Maintenance;
• Plant and Depreciation;
• Purchase and Stores;
• Revenue Accounting and Collection;
• Tax;
• Treasury; and
• Miscellaneous.
Type of Respondents: Public utility
officers regulated by the FPA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 2 The
Commission estimates the total annual
burden and cost 3 for this information
collection as follows:
FERC–519: APPLICATION UNDER FEDERAL POWER ACT SECTION 203
FERC–519 (FPA Section 203
Filings) 4
Number of
respondents
Annual
number of
responses
per
respondent
Total
number of
responses
(1)
(2)
(1) * (2) = (3)
...
131
131
Total annual
burden hours
(total annual cost)
Cost per
respondent
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
(5) ÷ (1)
324.43
hr.5;
$28,225.41 .......
42,500.33 hrs.;
$3,697,528.71.
$28,225.41
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,
717d, and 717o). 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 rate. 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
2 ‘‘Burden’’ is 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations
1320.3.
3 Commission staff estimates that the industry’s
skill set and cost (for wages and benefits) for FERC–
519 are approximately the same as the
Commission’s average cost. The FERC 2021 average
salary plus benefits for one FERC full-time
equivalent (FTE) is $180,703/year (or $87.00/hour).
4 Commission staff estimates that approximately
26 section 203 filings will change from full section
203 filings to the notification filing described above
and will take one burden hour to complete. The
number of respondents and responses is based on
Commission staff’s estimate that 13 percent of the
approximately 200 section 203 filings received will
be affected. This represents a significant reduction
in burden hours.
5 With this amendment each of the 26 affected
entities and their related filings (i.e., the entities
that now only have to file the section 203
notification filings) is reduced to 1 hour.
2. FERC–545
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1
Average burden & cost per
response
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sections 4 and 5 and any related
compliance filings and settlements; (3)
Informational Reports; (4) Negotiated
Rate and Non-Conforming Agreement
Filings; (5) North American Energy
Standards Board (NAESB) (RM96–1–
042) Version 3.2; and (6) Market-Based
Rates for Storage Filings (Part 284.501–
505).
Type of Respondents: Natural gas
pipelines under the jurisdiction of NGA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 6 The
public reporting burden has increased
for this information collection due to
normal fluctuations in industry and the
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
subject to 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
inclusion of tariff filings in compliance
with Order No. 587–Z. On July 15, 2021,
in Docket No. RM96–1–042, the
Commission amended its regulations to
incorporate by reference the North
American Energy Standards Board
(NAESB) Wholesale Quadrant Version
3.2 standards. The revisions made by
NAESB Version 3.2 are designed to
enhance the natural gas industries’
cyber security measures.
The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden and cost for the
information collection as follows:
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FERC–545: GAS PIPELINE RATES: RATE CHANGE (NON-FORMAL)
Number of
respondents
Average
number of
responses
per
respondent
Total
number of
responses
Average
burden and cost
per response 7
Total annual
burden hours and
total annual cost
Cost per
respondent
($)
(1)
(2)
(1) * (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
(5) ÷ (1)
$56,652.66
22,310
323.01
Tariff Filings ..............................................
109
2.768
301.712
211 hrs.; $20,467 ................
Rate Filings ...............................................
Informational Reports ...............................
Negotiated Rates & Non-Conforming
Agreement Filings.
Market-Base Rates for Storage Filings ....
NAESB (version 3.2) one time over 3
years carried over from RM96–1–42.
32
100
69
2
1.770
11
64
177
759
354 hrs.; $34,338 ................
235 hrs.; $22,795 ................
233 hrs.; $22,601 ................
63,661.232 hrs.;
$6,175,139.50.
22,656 hrs.; $2,197,632 ......
41,595 hrs.; $4,034,715 ......
176,847 hrs.; $17,154,159 ..
2
178
1
1
2
178
230 hrs.; $22,310 ................
3.33 hrs.; $323.01 ...............
460 hrs.; $44,620 ................
592.74 hrs.; $57,495.78 ......
Total ...................................................
....................
....................
1,482
..............................................
305,811.97 hrs.;
$29,663,761.28.
56,980
40,347.15
248,611
....................
3. FERC–546
Title: FERC–546, Certificated Rate
Filings: Gas Pipeline Rates.
OMB Control No.: 1902–0155.
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the FERC–546 information collection
requirements with no changes to the
current reporting requirements.
Abstract: The Commission reviews
the FERC–546 materials to decide
whether to approve rates and tariff
changes associated with an application
for a certificate under Natural Gas Act
(NGA) section 7(c) (15 U.S.C. 717).
Additionally, FERC reviews FERC–546
materials in NGA section 4(f) (15 U.S.C.
717), storage applications, to evaluate an
applicant’s market power and determine
whether to grant market-based rate
authority to the applicant. The
Commission uses the information in
FERC–546 to monitor jurisdictional
transportation, natural gas storage, and
unbundled sales activities of interstate
natural gas pipelines and Hinshaw 8
pipelines. In addition to fulfilling the
Commission’s obligations under the
NGA, the FERC–546 enables the
Commission to monitor the activities
and evaluate transactions of the natural
gas industry, ensure competitiveness,
and improve efficiency of the industry’s
operations. In summary, the
Commission uses the information to:
• ensure adequate customer
protections under NGA section 4(f);
• review rate and tariff changes filed
under NGA section 7(c) for certification
of natural gas pipeline transportation
and storage services;
• provide general industry oversight;
and
• supplement documentation during
the pipeline audits process.
Failure to collect this information
would prevent the Commission from
monitoring and evaluating transactions
and operations of jurisdictional
pipelines and performing its regulatory
functions.
Type of Respondents: Jurisdictional
pipeline companies and storage
operators.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 9 The
Commission estimates the burden and
cost for this information collection as
follows:
6 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.
7 The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits)
provided in this section is based on the salary
figures for May 2021 posted by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics for the Utilities sector (available at https://
www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm) and
scaled to reflect benefits using the relative
importance of employer costs for employee
compensation from June 2021 (available at https://
www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm). The
hourly estimates for salary plus benefits are:
Computer and Information Systems Manager
(Occupation Code: 11–3021), $103.61.
Computer and Information Analysts (Occupation
Code: 15–1120(1221), $67.99.
Electrical Engineer (Occupation Code: 17–2071),
$72.15.
Legal (Occupation Code: 23–0000), $142.25.
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits),
weighting all of these skill sets evenly, is $96.50.
We round it to $97/hour.
8 Hinshaw pipelines are those that receive all outof-state gas from entities within or at the boundary
of a state if all the natural gas so received is
ultimately consumed within the state in which it is
received, 15 U.S.C. 717(c). Congress concluded that
Hinshaw pipelines are ‘‘matters primarily of local
concern,’’ and so are more appropriately regulated
by pertinent state agencies rather than by FERC.
The Natural Gas Act section 1(c) exempts Hinshaw
pipelines from FERC jurisdiction. A Hinshaw
pipeline, however, may apply for a FERC certificate
to transport gas outside of state lines.
9 ‘‘Burden’’ is the total time, effort, or financial
resources expended by persons to generate,
maintain, retain, or disclose or provide information
to or for a Federal agency. For further explanation
of what is included in the information collection
burden, refer to Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations
1320.3.
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63013
FERC–546 (CERTIFICATED RATE FILINGS: GAS PIPELINE RATES)
Annual
number of
respondents
Annual
number of
responses
per
respondent
Total
number of
responses
(rounded)
Average
burden and cost
per response 10
(rounded)
Total annual burden hours
and total annual cost
(rounded)
Cost per
respondent
($)
(rounded)
(1)
(2)
(1) * (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
(5) ÷ (1)
Pipeline Certificate Filings and Storage
Applications.
47
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4. FERC–549C
Title: FERC–549C, Standards for
Business Practices of Interstate Natural
Gas Pipelines.
OMB Control No.: 1902–0174.
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the FERC–549C information
collection requirements with no changes
to the current reporting requirements.
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),12 and sections 311, 501, and 504
of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978
(NGPA).13 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
improving 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 proposed
by the North American Energy
10 The hourly cost (for salary plus benefits) uses
the figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, June
2021, for positions involved in the reporting and
recordkeeping requirements. These figures include
salary (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_
22.htm) and benefits https://www.bls.gov/
news.release/ecec.nr0.htm) and are:
Electrical Engineer (Occupation Code: 17–2071;
$72.15/hour).
Management Analyst (Occupation Code: 13–1111;
$68.39/hour).
Accounting (Occupation Code: 13–2011; $57.41/
hours).
Computer and Mathematical (Occupation Code:
15–0000; $65.73/hour).
Legal (Occupation Code: 23–0000; $142.25/hour).
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is
calculated weighting each of the previously
mentioned wage categories as follows: $72.15/hour
(0.4) + $68.39/hour (0.2) + $57.41/hour (0.1) +
$65.73/hour (0.1) + $142.25/hour (0.2) = $83.304/
hour. The Commission rounds this figure to $83/
hour.
11 This figure was calculated by dividing the total
number of responses ( ) by the total number of
respondents (47). The resulting figure was then
rounded to the nearest thousandth place.
12 15 U.S.C. 717c–717w.
13 15 U.S.C. 3301–3432.
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74.965
500 hrs.; $41,652 ................
Standards Board (NAESB) in order to
create a more integrated and efficient
pipeline industry.14 Generally, when
and if NAESB-proposed standards (e.g.
consensus standards developed by the
Wholesale Gas Quadrant (WGQ) 15) 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
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
14 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).
15 An accredited standards organization under the
auspices of the American National Standards
Institute (ANSI).
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37,482.50 hrs.;
$3,122,442.18.
$66,434.94
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.
On August 17, 2020, NAESB filed a
report informing the Commission that it
had adopted and ratified WGQ Version
3.2 of its business practice standards
applicable to interstate natural gas
pipelines. Version 3.2 of the WGQ
includes business practice standards
developed and modified in response to
industry requests and directives from
the NAESB Board of Directors. This
version also includes the standards
developed in response to the
recommendations of Sandia National
Laboratory (Sandia),16 which in 2019
issued a cybersecurity surety assessment
of the NAESB standards sponsored by
DOE (Sandia Surety Assessment),17 and
the standards developed to enable the
use of distributed ledger technologies
when transacting the NAESB Base
Contract for Sale and Purchase of
Natural Gas. The NAESB report
identifies all the changes made to the
WGQ Version 3.1 Standards and
summarizes the deliberations that led to
the changes being made. It also
16 Sandia is a multidisciplinary national
laboratory and federally funded research and
development center for the U.S. Department of
Energy’s (DOE) National Nuclear Security
Administration that supports numerous federal,
state, and local government agencies, companies,
and organizations.
17 In April 2017, NAESB announced that Sandia,
through funding provided by DOE, would be
performing a surety assessment of the NAESB
standards. As determined by Sandia and DOE, the
purpose of the surety assessment was to analyze
cybersecurity elements within the standards,
focusing on four areas: (1) The NAESB Certification
Program for Accredited Certification Authorities,
including the Wholesale Electric Quadrant (WEQ)012 Public Key Infrastructure Business Practice
Standards, the NAESB Accreditation Requirements
for Authorized Certificate Authorities, and the
Authorized Certification Authority Process; (2) the
WEQ Open Access Same-Time Information Systems
suite of standards; (3) the WGQ and Retail Markets
Quadrant internet Electronic Transport (IET) and
Quadrant Electronic Delivery Mechanism (EDM)
Related Standards Manual; and (4) a high-level
dependency analysis between the gas and electric
markets to evaluate the different security paradigms
the markets employ.
E:\FR\FM\15NON1.SGM
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 217 / Monday, November 15, 2021 / Notices
identifies changes to the existing
standards that were considered but not
adopted due to a lack of consensus or
other reasons.
Type of Respondents: Natural gas
pipelines under the jurisdiction of NGA
and NGPA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 18 The
Commission estimates the total annual
burden and cost 19 for this information
collection as follows:
FERC–549C: STANDARDS FOR BUSINESS PRACTICES OF INTERSTATE NATURAL GAS PIPELINES
Number of
respondents
Average
number of
responses
per
respondent
Total
number of
responses
Average
burden & cost
per response 20
Total annual
burden hours &
total annual cost
Cost per
respondent
($)
(1)
(2)
(1) * (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
(5) ÷ (1)
Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines.
178
5. FERC–732
Title: FERC–732, Electric Rate
Schedule and Tariffs: Long-Term Firm
Transmission Rights in Organized
Electricity Markets.
OMB Control No.: 1902–0245.
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the FERC–732 information collection
requirement with no changes to the
current reporting requirements.
Abstract: 18 CFR part 42 provides the
reporting requirements of FERC–732 as
they pertain to long-term transmission
rights. To implement section 1233 21 of
the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct
2005),22 the Commission requires each
transmission organization that is a
public utility with one or more
1
178
33.33 hrs.; $3,135.39 ..........
organized electricity markets to make
available long-term firm transmission
rights that satisfy each of the
Commission’s guidelines.23
The FERC–732 regulations require
that transmission organizations (that are
public utilities with one or more
organized electricity markets) choose
one of two ways to file:
• File tariff sheets making long-term
firm transmission rights available that
are consistent with each of the
guidelines established by FERC.
• File an explanation describing how
their existing tariffs already provide
long-term firm transmission rights that
are consistent with the guidelines.
Additionally, the Commission
requires each transmission organization
5,932.74 hrs.; $558,098.78
$3,135.39
to make its transmission planning and
expansion procedures and plans
available to the public. FERC–732
enables the Commission to exercise its
wholesale electric rate and electric
power transmission oversight and
enforcement responsibilities in
accordance with the FPA, the
Department of Energy Organization Act
(DOE Act), and EPAct 2005.
Type of Respondents: Public utility
with one or more organized electricity
markets.
Estimate of Annual Burden: 24 The
Commission estimates the total burden
and cost 25 for this information
collection as follows.
FERC–732, ELECTRIC RATE SCHEDULES AND TARIFFS: LONG-TERM FIRM TRANSMISSION RIGHTS IN ORGANIZED
ELECTRICITY MARKETS
Number of
respondents
Annaul
number of
responses
per
respondent
Total
number of
responses
Total annual
burden hours &
total annual cost
($)
Cost per
respondent
($)
(1)
(2)
(1) * (2) = (3)
(3) * (4) = (5)
(5) ÷ (1)
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Public utility with one or more organized electricity markets .....................
1
1
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
18 ‘‘Burden’’ is 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations
1320.3.
19 Commission staff estimates that the industry’s
skill set and cost (for wages and benefits) for FERC–
549C are approximately the same as the
Commission’s average cost. The FERC 2021 average
salary plus benefits for one FERC full-time
equivalent (FTE) is $180,703/year (or $87.00/hour)
posted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the
Utilities sector (available at https://www.bls.gov/
oes/current/naics3_221000.htm).
20 The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits)
provided in this section is based on the salary
figures for May 2021 posted by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics for the Utilities sector (available at https://
www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm#13-0000)
and scaled to reflect benefits using the relative
importance of employer costs in employee
compensation from June 2021 (available at https://
www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm). The
hourly estimates for salary plus benefits are:
Petroleum Engineer (Occupation Code: 17–2171),
$74.20.
Computer Systems Analysts (Occupation Code:
15–1120), $67.99.
Legal (Occupation Code: 23–0000), $142.25.
Economist (Occupation Code: 19–3011), $75.75.
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is
calculated weighting each of the aforementioned
wage categories as follows: $74.20 (0.3) + $142.25
(0.3) + $67.99 (0.15) + $75.75 (0.25) = $94.07. The
Commission rounds it to $90/hour.
21 16 U.S.C. 824.
VerDate Sep<11>2014
21:24 Nov 12, 2021
Jkt 256001
PO 00000
Frm 00031
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
26 1
1,180 hrs.; $102,660 ...........
$102,660
of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) ways to enhance the quality, utility
and clarity of the information collection;
22 16
U.S.C. 824q.
CFR 42.1(d).
24 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 CFR 1320.3.
25 FERC staff estimates that industry costs for
salary plus benefits are similar to Commission
costs. The FERC 2021 average salary plus benefits
for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is
$180,703/year (or $87.00/hour) posted by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector
(available at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/
naics3_221000.htm.)
26 The ‘‘1’’ Tariff filing is a placeholder for future
fillers.
23 18
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 217 / Monday, November 15, 2021 / 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: November 1, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021–24860 Filed 11–12–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. CP22–11–000]
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Texas Gas Transmission, LLC; Notice
of Request Under Blanket
Authorization and Establishing
Intervention and Protest Deadline
Take notice that on October 27, 2021,
Texas Gas Transmission, LLC (Texas
Gas), 9 Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas,
77046, filed in the above referenced
docket a prior notice pursuant to
Section 157.205 and 157.208(b) of the
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s regulations under the
Natural Gas Act and the blanket
certificate issued by the Commission in
Docket No. CP82–407–000,1 seeking
authorization to perform the New
Canada Road MLS Relocation Project in
Shelby County, Tennessee. Specifically,
Texas Gas requests to perform a
miscellaneous rearrangement project
involving the offset replacement of: (i)
Two segments of existing 26-inchdiameter natural gas pipelines (Main
Line System (MLS) 26–1 and MLS 26–
2), (ii) one segment of 30-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline (MLS 30–1), and
(iii) one segment of 36-inch-diameter
natural gas pipeline (MLS 36–1) where
they cross Canada Road in Shelby
County, Tennessee. Texas Gas is
proposing this Project in response to the
Tennessee Department of
Transportation New Canada Road
Project and the estimated cost of the
project is $15 million, all as more fully
set forth in the request which is on file
with the Commission and open to
public inspection.
In addition to publishing the full text
of this document in the Federal
Register, the Commission provides all
interested persons an opportunity to
view and/or print the contents of this
document via the internet through the
Commission’s Home Page (https://
ferc.gov) using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link.
Enter the docket number excluding the
1 Texas Gas Transmission Corp., 20 FERC
¶ 62,417 (1982).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
16:42 Nov 12, 2021
Jkt 256001
last three digits in the docket number
field to access the document. At this
time, the Commission has suspended
access to the Commission’s Public
Reference Room, due to the
proclamation declaring a National
Emergency concerning the Novel
Coronavirus Disease (COVID–19), issued
by the President on March 13, 2020. For
assistance, contact the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or call
toll-free, (886) 208–3676 or TYY, (202)
502–8659.
Any questions concerning this
application should be directed to Juan
Eligio, Jr., Manager of Regulatory
Affairs, Texas Gas Transmission, LLC, 9
Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas 77046,
at (713) 479–3480, or by email to
Juan.eligio@bwpipelines.com. Question
may also be directed to Payton
Barrientos, Sr. Regulatory Analyst,
Texas Gas Transmission, LLC, 9
Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas 77046,
at (713) 479–8157, or by email to
payton.barrientos@bwpipelines.com.
Public Participation
There are three ways to become
involved in the Commission’s review of
this project: You can file a protest to the
project, you can file a motion to
intervene in the proceeding, and you
can file comments on the project. There
is no fee or cost for filing protests,
motions to intervene, or comments. The
deadline for filing protests, motions to
intervene, and comments is 5:00 p.m.
Eastern Time on January 7, 2021. How
to file protests, motions to intervene,
and comments is explained below.
Protests
Pursuant to section 157.205 of the
Commission’s regulations under the
NGA,2 any person 3 or the Commission’s
staff may file a protest to the request. If
no protest is filed within the time
allowed or if a protest is filed and then
withdrawn within 30 days after the
allowed time for filing a protest, the
proposed activity shall be deemed to be
authorized effective the day after the
time allowed for protest. If a protest is
filed and not withdrawn within 30 days
after the time allowed for filing a
protest, the instant request for
authorization will be considered by the
Commission.
Protests must comply with the
requirements specified in section
157.205(e) of the Commission’s
regulations,4 and must be submitted by
2 18
CFR 157.205.
include individuals, organizations,
businesses, municipalities, and other entities. 18
CFR 385.102(d).
4 18 CFR 157.205(e).
3 Persons
PO 00000
Frm 00032
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
63015
the protest deadline, which is January 7,
2021. A protest may also serve as a
motion to intervene so long as the
protestor states it also seeks to be an
intervenor.
Interventions
Any person has the option to file a
motion to intervene in this proceeding.
Only intervenors have the right to
request rehearing of Commission orders
issued in this proceeding and to
subsequently challenge the
Commission’s orders in the U.S. Circuit
Courts of Appeal.
To intervene, you must submit a
motion to intervene to the Commission
in accordance with Rule 214 of the
Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure 5 and the regulations under
the NGA 6 by the intervention deadline
for the project, which is January 7, 2021.
As described further in Rule 214, your
motion to intervene must state, to the
extent known, your position regarding
the proceeding, as well as your interest
in the proceeding. For an individual,
this could include your status as a
landowner, ratepayer, resident of an
impacted community, or recreationist.
You do not need to have property
directly impacted by the project in order
to intervene. For more information
about motions to intervene, refer to the
FERC website at https://www.ferc.gov/
resources/guides/how-to/intervene.asp.
All timely, unopposed motions to
intervene are automatically granted by
operation of Rule 214(c)(1). Motions to
intervene that are filed after the
intervention deadline are untimely and
may be denied. Any late-filed motion to
intervene must show good cause for
being late and must explain why the
time limitation should be waived and
provide justification by reference to
factors set forth in Rule 214(d) of the
Commission’s Rules and Regulations. A
person obtaining party status will be
placed on the service list maintained by
the Secretary of the Commission and
will receive copies (paper or electronic)
of all documents filed by the applicant
and by all other parties.
Comments
Any person wishing to comment on
the project may do so. The Commission
considers all comments received about
the project in determining the
appropriate action to be taken. To
ensure that your comments are timely
and properly recorded, please submit
your comments on or before January 7,
2021. The filing of a comment alone will
not serve to make the filer a party to the
5 18
6 18
CFR 385.214.
CFR 157.10.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 217 (Monday, November 15, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 63010-63015]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-24860]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC22-2-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-519, FERC-545,
FERC-546, FERC-549C, and FERC-732); 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-519, (Application under Federal Power Act
Section 203); FERC-545, (Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal));
FERC-546, (Certification of Qualifying Facility (QF) Status for a Small
Power Production or Cogeneration Facility); FERC-549C, (Standards for
Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines); FERC-732,
(Electric Rate Schedule and Tariffs: Long-Term Firm Transmission Rights
in Organized Electricity Markets). The above five collections are a
part of a combined notice only and are not being combined into one OMB
Collection number.
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due January 14,
2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket
No. IC22-2-000) by one of the following methods:
Electronic filing through https://www.ferc.gov, is preferred.
Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable
native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture
format.
For those unable to file electronically, comments may be
filed by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery:
[cir] Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Addressed to: Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First
Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
[cir] Hand (Including Courier) Delivery: Deliver to: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in
accordance with submission guidelines at: https://www.ferc.gov. For user
assistance, contact FERC Online Support by email at
[email protected]ferc.gov, or by phone at (866) 208-3676 (toll-free).
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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at
[email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
1. FERC-519
Title: FERC-519, Application under Federal Power Act Section
203.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ 16 U.S.C. 824b.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
OMB Control No.: 1902-0082.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-519 information
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: The Commission requires that public utility officers must
seek authorization under amended section 203(a)(1)(B) of the Federal
Power Act (FPA) to merge or consolidate, directly or indirectly, its
facilities subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission, or any part
thereof, with the facilities of any other person, or any part thereof,
that are subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission and have a value
in excess of $10 million, by any means
[[Page 63011]]
whatsoever. In addition, as required by the Act, the Commission
establishes a requirement to submit a notification filing for mergers
or consolidations by a public utility if the facilities to be acquired
have a value in excess of $1 million and such public utility is not
required to secure Commission authorization under amended section
203(a)(1)(B). The information collected under the FERC-519 enables the
Commission to meet its statutory responsibilities regarding public
utility disposition, merger, consolidation of facilities, purchase, or
acquisition oversight and enforcement in accordance with the FPA as
referenced above. Without this information, FERC would be unable to
meet these responsibilities. The required information includes
descriptions of corporate attributes of the party or parties to the
proposed transaction (e.g. a sale, lease, or other disposition, merger,
or consolidation of facilities, or purchase of other acquisition of the
securities of a public utility and the facilities or other property
involved in the transaction), statements about effect of the
transaction, and the applicant's proof that the transaction will be
consistent with the public interest. It will enable the Commission to
meet its statutory responsibilities regarding its FPA section 203
oversight of public utility dispositions, mergers, or consolidation of
facilities, and associated oversight and enforcement responsibilities
under the FPA as referenced above. The required information to be
collected in the notification filing (established by the addition of 18
CFR part 33.12) for certain transactions includes descriptions of
corporate attributes of the party or parties to the transaction and the
facilities involved. FPA section 203 requires a filing on the occasion
that a public utility proposes to dispose of jurisdictional facilities,
merge such facilities, or acquire the securities of another public
utility. Public Utilities consist of:
Corporate;
Information Technology Management;
General Accounting;
Personnel and Payroll;
Transportation;
Tariffs and Rates;
Insurance;
Operations and Maintenance;
Plant and Depreciation;
Purchase and Stores;
Revenue Accounting and Collection;
Tax;
Treasury; and
Miscellaneous.
Type of Respondents: Public utility officers regulated by the FPA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \2\ The Commission estimates the total
annual burden and cost \3\ for this information collection as follows:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\2\ ``Burden'' is 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
\3\ Commission staff estimates that the industry's skill set and
cost (for wages and benefits) for FERC-519 are approximately the
same as the Commission's average cost. The FERC 2021 average salary
plus benefits for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is $180,703/
year (or $87.00/hour).
FERC-519: Application Under Federal Power Act Section 203
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annual
number of
Number of responses Total number Average burden & cost per Total annual burden hours Cost per
respondents per of responses response (total annual cost) respondent
respondent
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (4)............................. (3) * (4) = (5)................ (5) / (1)
(3)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FERC-519 (FPA Section 203 131 1 131 324.43 hr.\5\; $28,225.41....... 42,500.33 hrs.; $3,697,528.71.. $28,225.41
Filings) \4\.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. FERC-545
Title: FERC-545, Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\4\ Commission staff estimates that approximately 26 section 203
filings will change from full section 203 filings to the
notification filing described above and will take one burden hour to
complete. The number of respondents and responses is based on
Commission staff's estimate that 13 percent of the approximately 200
section 203 filings received will be affected. This represents a
significant reduction in burden hours.
\5\ With this amendment each of the 26 affected entities and
their related filings (i.e., the entities that now only have to file
the section 203 notification filings) is reduced to 1 hour.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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, 717d, and 717o). 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 rate. 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
[[Page 63012]]
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 subject to
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; (5) North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB)
(RM96-1-042) Version 3.2; and (6) Market-Based Rates for Storage
Filings (Part 284.501-505).
Type of Respondents: Natural gas pipelines under the jurisdiction
of NGA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \6\ The public reporting burden has
increased for this information collection due to normal fluctuations in
industry and the inclusion of tariff filings in compliance with Order
No. 587-Z. On July 15, 2021, in Docket No. RM96-1-042, the Commission
amended its regulations to incorporate by reference the North American
Energy Standards Board (NAESB) Wholesale Quadrant Version 3.2
standards. The revisions made by NAESB Version 3.2 are designed to
enhance the natural gas industries' cyber security measures.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Commission estimates the annual public reporting burden and
cost for the information collection as follows:
FERC-545: Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
number of Cost per
Number of responses Total number Average burden and cost per Total annual burden hours and respondent
respondents per of responses response \7\ total annual cost ($)
respondent
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (4)............................. (3) * (4) = (5)................ (5) / (1)
(3)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tariff Filings................ 109 2.768 301.712 211 hrs.; $20,467............... 63,661.232 hrs.; $6,175,139.50. $56,652.66
Rate Filings.................. 32 2 64 354 hrs.; $34,338............... 22,656 hrs.; $2,197,632........ 56,980
Informational Reports......... 100 1.770 177 235 hrs.; $22,795............... 41,595 hrs.; $4,034,715........ 40,347.15
Negotiated Rates & Non- 69 11 759 233 hrs.; $22,601............... 176,847 hrs.; $17,154,159...... 248,611
Conforming Agreement Filings.
Market-Base Rates for Storage 2 1 2 230 hrs.; $22,310............... 460 hrs.; $44,620.............. 22,310
Filings.
NAESB (version 3.2) one time 178 1 178 3.33 hrs.; $323.01.............. 592.74 hrs.; $57,495.78........ 323.01
over 3 years carried over
from RM96-1-42.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total..................... ........... ........... 1,482 ................................ 305,811.97 hrs.; $29,663,761.28 ...........
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. FERC-546
Title: FERC-546, Certificated Rate Filings: Gas Pipeline Rates.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\7\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) provided in
this section is based on the salary figures for May 2021 posted by
the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector (available
at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm) and scaled to
reflect benefits using the relative importance of employer costs for
employee compensation from June 2021 (available at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm). The hourly estimates for
salary plus benefits are:
Computer and Information Systems Manager (Occupation Code: 11-
3021), $103.61.
Computer and Information Analysts (Occupation Code: 15-
1120(1221), $67.99.
Electrical Engineer (Occupation Code: 17-2071), $72.15.
Legal (Occupation Code: 23-0000), $142.25.
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits), weighting all of
these skill sets evenly, is $96.50. We round it to $97/hour.
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OMB Control No.: 1902-0155.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-546 information
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: The Commission reviews the FERC-546 materials to decide
whether to approve rates and tariff changes associated with an
application for a certificate under Natural Gas Act (NGA) section 7(c)
(15 U.S.C. 717). Additionally, FERC reviews FERC-546 materials in NGA
section 4(f) (15 U.S.C. 717), storage applications, to evaluate an
applicant's market power and determine whether to grant market-based
rate authority to the applicant. The Commission uses the information in
FERC-546 to monitor jurisdictional transportation, natural gas storage,
and unbundled sales activities of interstate natural gas pipelines and
Hinshaw \8\ pipelines. In addition to fulfilling the Commission's
obligations under the NGA, the FERC-546 enables the Commission to
monitor the activities and evaluate transactions of the natural gas
industry, ensure competitiveness, and improve efficiency of the
industry's operations. In summary, the Commission uses the information
to:
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\8\ Hinshaw pipelines are those that receive all out-of-state
gas from entities within or at the boundary of a state if all the
natural gas so received is ultimately consumed within the state in
which it is received, 15 U.S.C. 717(c). Congress concluded that
Hinshaw pipelines are ``matters primarily of local concern,'' and so
are more appropriately regulated by pertinent state agencies rather
than by FERC. The Natural Gas Act section 1(c) exempts Hinshaw
pipelines from FERC jurisdiction. A Hinshaw pipeline, however, may
apply for a FERC certificate to transport gas outside of state
lines.
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ensure adequate customer protections under NGA section
4(f);
review rate and tariff changes filed under NGA section
7(c) for certification of natural gas pipeline transportation and
storage services;
provide general industry oversight; and
supplement documentation during the pipeline audits
process.
Failure to collect this information would prevent the Commission
from monitoring and evaluating transactions and operations of
jurisdictional pipelines and performing its regulatory functions.
Type of Respondents: Jurisdictional pipeline companies and storage
operators.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \9\ The Commission estimates the burden
and cost for this information collection as follows:
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\9\ ``Burden'' is 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
[[Page 63013]]
FERC-546 (Certificated Rate Filings: Gas Pipeline Rates)
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Annual
Annual number of Total number Cost per
number of responses of responses Average burden and cost per Total annual burden hours and respondent
respondents per (rounded) response \10\ (rounded) total annual cost (rounded) ($)
respondent (rounded)
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (4)............................. (3) * (4) = (5)................ (5) / (1)
(3)
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Pipeline Certificate Filings 47 \11\ 1.595 74.965 500 hrs.; $41,652............... 37,482.50 hrs.; $3,122,442.18.. $66,434.94
and Storage Applications.
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4. FERC-549C
Title: FERC-549C, Standards for Business Practices of Interstate
Natural Gas Pipelines.
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\10\ The hourly cost (for salary plus benefits) uses the figures
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, June 2021, for positions
involved in the reporting and recordkeeping requirements. These
figures include salary (https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm) and benefits https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm) and are:
Electrical Engineer (Occupation Code: 17-2071; $72.15/hour).
Management Analyst (Occupation Code: 13-1111; $68.39/hour).
Accounting (Occupation Code: 13-2011; $57.41/hours).
Computer and Mathematical (Occupation Code: 15-0000; $65.73/
hour).
Legal (Occupation Code: 23-0000; $142.25/hour).
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is calculated
weighting each of the previously mentioned wage categories as
follows: $72.15/hour (0.4) + $68.39/hour (0.2) + $57.41/hour (0.1) +
$65.73/hour (0.1) + $142.25/hour (0.2) = $83.304/hour. The
Commission rounds this figure to $83/hour.
\11\ This figure was calculated by dividing the total number of
responses ( ) by the total number of respondents (47). The resulting
figure was then rounded to the nearest thousandth place.
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OMB Control No.: 1902-0174.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-549C information
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
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),\12\ and sections 311, 501, and 504 of the
Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978 (NGPA).\13\ 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
improving 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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\12\ 15 U.S.C. 717c-717w.
\13\ 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 proposed by the North
American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) in order to create a more
integrated and efficient pipeline industry.\14\ Generally, when and if
NAESB-proposed standards (e.g. consensus standards developed by the
Wholesale Gas Quadrant (WGQ) \15\) 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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\14\ 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).
\15\ An accredited standards organization under the auspices of
the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).
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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.
On August 17, 2020, NAESB filed a report informing the Commission
that it had adopted and ratified WGQ Version 3.2 of its business
practice standards applicable to interstate natural gas pipelines.
Version 3.2 of the WGQ includes business practice standards developed
and modified in response to industry requests and directives from the
NAESB Board of Directors. This version also includes the standards
developed in response to the recommendations of Sandia National
Laboratory (Sandia),\16\ which in 2019 issued a cybersecurity surety
assessment of the NAESB standards sponsored by DOE (Sandia Surety
Assessment),\17\ and the standards developed to enable the use of
distributed ledger technologies when transacting the NAESB Base
Contract for Sale and Purchase of Natural Gas. The NAESB report
identifies all the changes made to the WGQ Version 3.1 Standards and
summarizes the deliberations that led to the changes being made. It
also
[[Page 63014]]
identifies changes to the existing standards that were considered but
not adopted due to a lack of consensus or other reasons.
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\16\ Sandia is a multidisciplinary national laboratory and
federally funded research and development center for the U.S.
Department of Energy's (DOE) National Nuclear Security
Administration that supports numerous federal, state, and local
government agencies, companies, and organizations.
\17\ In April 2017, NAESB announced that Sandia, through funding
provided by DOE, would be performing a surety assessment of the
NAESB standards. As determined by Sandia and DOE, the purpose of the
surety assessment was to analyze cybersecurity elements within the
standards, focusing on four areas: (1) The NAESB Certification
Program for Accredited Certification Authorities, including the
Wholesale Electric Quadrant (WEQ)-012 Public Key Infrastructure
Business Practice Standards, the NAESB Accreditation Requirements
for Authorized Certificate Authorities, and the Authorized
Certification Authority Process; (2) the WEQ Open Access Same-Time
Information Systems suite of standards; (3) the WGQ and Retail
Markets Quadrant internet Electronic Transport (IET) and Quadrant
Electronic Delivery Mechanism (EDM) Related Standards Manual; and
(4) a high-level dependency analysis between the gas and electric
markets to evaluate the different security paradigms the markets
employ.
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Type of Respondents: Natural gas pipelines under the jurisdiction
of NGA and NGPA.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \18\ The Commission estimates the total
annual burden and cost \19\ for this information collection as follows:
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\18\ ``Burden'' is 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations
1320.3.
\19\ Commission staff estimates that the industry's skill set
and cost (for wages and benefits) for FERC-549C are approximately
the same as the Commission's average cost. The FERC 2021 average
salary plus benefits for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is
$180,703/year (or $87.00/hour) posted by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics for the Utilities sector (available at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm).
FERC-549C: Standards for Business Practices of Interstate Natural Gas Pipelines
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average
number of Cost per
Number of responses Total number Average burden & cost per Total annual burden hours & respondent
respondents per of responses response \20\ total annual cost ($)
respondent
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (4)............................. (3) * (4) = (5)................ (5) / (1)
(3)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Standards for Business 178 1 178 33.33 hrs.; $3,135.39........... 5,932.74 hrs.; $558,098.78..... $3,135.39
Practices of Interstate
Natural Gas Pipelines.
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5. FERC-732
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\20\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) provided
in this section is based on the salary figures for May 2021 posted
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector
(available at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm#13-0000)
and scaled to reflect benefits using the relative importance of
employer costs in employee compensation from June 2021 (available at
https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm). The hourly estimates
for salary plus benefits are:
Petroleum Engineer (Occupation Code: 17-2171), $74.20.
Computer Systems Analysts (Occupation Code: 15-1120), $67.99.
Legal (Occupation Code: 23-0000), $142.25.
Economist (Occupation Code: 19-3011), $75.75.
The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is calculated
weighting each of the aforementioned wage categories as follows:
$74.20 (0.3) + $142.25 (0.3) + $67.99 (0.15) + $75.75 (0.25) =
$94.07. The Commission rounds it to $90/hour.
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Title: FERC-732, Electric Rate Schedule and Tariffs: Long-Term Firm
Transmission Rights in Organized Electricity Markets.
OMB Control No.: 1902-0245.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-732 information
collection requirement with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Abstract: 18 CFR part 42 provides the reporting requirements of
FERC-732 as they pertain to long-term transmission rights. To implement
section 1233 \21\ of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005),\22\
the Commission requires each transmission organization that is a public
utility with one or more organized electricity markets to make
available long-term firm transmission rights that satisfy each of the
Commission's guidelines.\23\
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\21\ 16 U.S.C. 824.
\22\ 16 U.S.C. 824q.
\23\ 18 CFR 42.1(d).
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The FERC-732 regulations require that transmission organizations
(that are public utilities with one or more organized electricity
markets) choose one of two ways to file:
File tariff sheets making long-term firm transmission
rights available that are consistent with each of the guidelines
established by FERC.
File an explanation describing how their existing tariffs
already provide long-term firm transmission rights that are consistent
with the guidelines.
Additionally, the Commission requires each transmission
organization to make its transmission planning and expansion procedures
and plans available to the public. FERC-732 enables the Commission to
exercise its wholesale electric rate and electric power transmission
oversight and enforcement responsibilities in accordance with the FPA,
the Department of Energy Organization Act (DOE Act), and EPAct 2005.
Type of Respondents: Public utility with one or more organized
electricity markets.
Estimate of Annual Burden: \24\ The Commission estimates the total
burden and cost \25\ for this information collection as follows.
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\24\ 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 CFR 1320.3.
\25\ FERC staff estimates that industry costs for salary plus
benefits are similar to Commission costs. The FERC 2021 average
salary plus benefits for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is
$180,703/year (or $87.00/hour) posted by the Bureau of Labor
Statistics for the Utilities sector (available at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm.)
FERC-732, Electric Rate Schedules and Tariffs: Long-Term Firm Transmission Rights in Organized Electricity Markets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Annaul
number of Cost per
Number of responses Total number Total annual burden hours & total annual cost respondent
respondents per of responses ($) ($)
respondent
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (3) * (4) = (5)................................. (5) / (1)
(3)
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Public utility with one or more organized 1 1 \26\ 1 1,180 hrs.; $102,660............................ $102,660
electricity markets.
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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;
[[Page 63015]]
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.
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\26\ The ``1'' Tariff filing is a placeholder for future
fillers.
Dated: November 1, 2021.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2021-24860 Filed 11-12-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
