Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725M); Comment Request; Extension, 7717-7718 [2023-02412]
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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 24 / Monday, February 6, 2023 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. IC23–3–000]
Commission Information Collection
Activities (FERC–725M); Comment
Request; Extension
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of information collection
and request for comments.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission or FERC) is soliciting
public comment on the currently
approved information collection, FERC–
725M (Mandatory Reliability Standard:
Transmission Vegetation Management),
which will be submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review.
SUMMARY:
Comments on the collection of
information are due March 8, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on
FERC–725M (identified by Docket No.
IC23–3–000) to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) through
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain,
Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission Desk Officer. Please
identify the OMB Control Number
1902–0263 (Mandatory Reliability
Standard: Transmission Vegetation
Management) in the subject line. Your
comments should be sent within 30
days of publication of this notice in the
Federal Register.
Please submit copies of your
comments (identified by Docket No.
IC23–3–000 and FERC–725M) to the
Commission as noted below. 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:
D Mail via U.S. Postal Service only,
addressed to: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the
Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426.
D Hand (including courier) delivery
to: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, MD 20852.
Please reference the specific
collection number(s) (FERC–725M) and/
DDrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES
DATES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:51 Feb 03, 2023
Jkt 259001
or title(s) (Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund
Report Requirements) in your
comments.
Instructions: OMB submissions must
be formatted and filed in accordance
with submission guidelines at:
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
Using the search function under the
‘‘Currently Under Review field,’’ select
‘‘Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission,’’ click ‘‘submit,’’ and
select ‘‘comment’’ to the right of the
subject collection. FERC 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 and
telephone at (202) 502–8663.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC–725M (Mandatory
Reliability Standard: Transmission
Vegetation Management).
OMB Control No.: 1902–0263.
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the FERC–725M with no updates to
the current reporting requirements.
Abstract: On September 19, 2013, the
Commission issued Order No. 785,
Docket No. RM12–16–000, a Final Rule 1
approving modifications to four existing
Reliability Standards submitted by the
North American Electric Reliability
Corporation (NERC), the Commission
certified Electric Reliability
Organization. Specifically, the
Commission approved Reliability
Standards FAC–001–1 (Facility
Connection Requirements), FAC–003–3
(Transmission Vegetation Management),
PRC–004–2.1a (Analysis and Mitigation
of Transmission and Generation
Protection System Misoperations), and
PRC–005–1.1b (Transmission and
Generation Protection System
Maintenance and Testing).2 The
modifications improved reliability
either by extending applicability of the
Reliability Standard to certain generator
interconnection facilities, or by
1 Generator Requirements at the Transmission
Interface, 144 FERC ¶ 61,221 (2013).
2 The burden included in information collection
FERC–725M (in Docket No. RM12–16) corresponds
to FAC–003–3 (Transmission Vegetation
Management). The Final Rule RM12–16–000
modifications included in PRC–004–2.1a and PRC–
005–1.1b, which are not a subject of the 725M
information collection.
PO 00000
Frm 00044
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
7717
clarifying that the existing Reliability
Standard is and remains applicable to
generator interconnection facilities.
The currently effective reliability
standard is FAC–003–4 (Transmission
Vegetation Management). Reliability
Standard FAC–003–4 includes the
Minimum Vegetation Clearance
Distances (MVCDs) which are based on
additional testing regarding the
appropriate gap factor to be used to
calculate clearance distances for
vegetation. NERC previously explained
that Reliability Standard FAC–003–4
includes higher and more conservative
MVCD values and, therefore,
maintained that FAC–003–4 would
‘‘enhance reliability and provide
additional confidence by applying a
more conservative approach to
determining the vegetation clearing
distances.’’
On March 4, 2022, a Delegated Letter
Order was issued, Docket No. RD22–2–
000, approving FAC–003–5. The
Reliability Standard FAC–003–5 set
forth requirements to maintain a reliable
electric transmission system by using a
defense-in-depth strategy to manage
vegetation located on transmission
rights of way (ROW) and minimize
encroachments from vegetation located
adjacent to the ROW, thus preventing
the risk of those vegetation-related
outages that could lead to cascading.
Specific to FAC–003–5, modifications
were done to replace the
Interconnection Reliability Operating
Limit (IROL) with new language. The
requirements in FAC–003–5 result in
two years of one-time costs, which are
reflected in the burden table below.
In FERC–725M we are renewing the
information collection requirements that
are currently in Reliability Standard
FAC–003–4 but were not specified in
RD22–2–000. Furthermore, we are
adjusting the burden in FAC–003–4 to
reflect the latest number of applicable
entities based on the NERC Compliance
Registry as of September 16, 2022.
Type of Respondents: Transmission
Owner (TO); Generator Owner (GO); and
Regional Entity (RE).
Estimate of Annual Burden.3 The
Commission estimates the annual public
reporting burden and cost 4 for the
information collection as:
3 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. See 5 CFR
1320 for additional information on the definition of
information collection burden.
4 The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits)
are based on the figures for May 2022 posted by the
Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector
(available at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_
22.htm) and updated with benefits information (at
E:\FR\FM\06FEN1.SGM
Continued
06FEN1
7718
Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 24 / Monday, February 6, 2023 / Notices
FERC–725M, MANDATORY RELIABILITY STANDARDS: GENERATOR REQUIREMENTS AT THE TRANSMISSION INTERFACE
Number of
respondents 5
Annual
number of
responses per
respondent
Total number
of responses
Average burden
hours & cost per
response
Total annual burden
hours & total annual
cost
Cost per
respondent
($)
(1)
(2)
(1) * (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
(5) ÷ (1)
Currently Effective Standard: FAC–003–4 (Transmission Vegetation Management)
Generator Owners, Regional Entities: Quarterly
Reporting (Compliance 1.4).
Generator Owners: Annual Veg. inspect. Doc.
(M6); Work Plan (M7); Evidence of Mgt. of
Veg. (M1 & M2); Confirmed Veg. Condition
(M4); & Corrective Action (M5).
Generator Owners, Transmission Owners:
Record Retention (Compliance 1.2).
6 116
4
464
0.25 hrs.; $18.50 ..
116 hrs.; $8,584.00 ....
$74.00
110
1
110
2 hrs.; $148.00 .....
220 hrs.; $16,280.00 ..
148.00
437
1
437
1 hr.; $74.00 .........
437 hrs.; $32,338.00 ..
74.00
Sub-Total for standards in FAC–003–4 .........
........................
........................
1,011
...............................
773 hrs.; $57,202.00 ..
........................
FERC–725M (Modifications from
RD22–2–000) 7
One Time Estimate Years 1 and 2 8
FAC–003–5 ...........................................................
TO (325)
GO (1068)
4
4
1,300
4,272
8 hrs.; $728 ..........
8 hrs.; $728 ..........
10,400 hrs.; $946,400
34,176 hrs.;
$3,110,016.
........................
........................
Sub-Total for standards in FAC–003–5 .........
........................
........................
5,572
...............................
........................
Average Annual Burden
(RM22–2 Modification).
years
........................
........................
1,857.33
...............................
44,576 hrs.;
$4,056,416.
14,858.67 hrs.;
$1,352,138.97.
Total of 725M ..........................................
........................
........................
2,868.33
...............................
over
3
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
estimates of the burden and cost of the
collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and
assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance
the quality, utility and clarity of the
information collection; and (4) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of
information on those who are to
respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Dated: January 31, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023–02412 Filed 2–3–23; 8:45 am]
DDrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm). The
hourly estimates for salary plus benefits are:
—Manager (code 11–0000), $102.41.
—Information and Records Clerks (code 43–
4199), $42.35.
—Electrical Engineer (code 17–2071), $77.02.
The average hourly burden cost for this collection
is $73.93 [($102.41 + $42.35 + $77.02)/3 = $73.93)]
and is rounded to $74.00 an hour.
5 According to the NERC Compliance Registry as
of September 16, 2022, there are 1,099 generator
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:51 Feb 03, 2023
Jkt 259001
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Combined Notice of Filings
Take notice that the Commission has
received the following Natural Gas
Pipeline Rate and Refund Report filings:
Filings Instituting Proceedings
Docket Numbers: PR23–28–000.
Applicants: New Mexico Gas
Company, Inc.
Description: § 284.123(g) Rate Filing:
Amended Statement of Operating
Conditions to be effective 1/1/2023.
Filed Date: 1/30/23.
Accession Number: 20230130–5239.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 2/21/23.
284.123(g) Protest: 5 p.m. ET 3/31/23.
Docket Numbers: PR23–29–000.
Applicants: Wisconsin Power and
Light Company.
Description: § 284.123(g) Rate Filing:
WPL Statement of Operating Conditions
Update 2023 to be effective 2/1/2023.
owners and 327 transmission owners registered in
North America. We estimate that approximately 10
percent (or 110) of these generator owners have
interconnection facilities that are applicable to the
standard.
6 The estimated number of respondents (116)
includes 110 generator owners and 6 Regional
Entities.
7 RD22–2–000 and the related reliability
standards in FAC–003–5 becomes effective 4/1/
2023 and are one-time burdens for year 1 and 2.
PO 00000
Frm 00045
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
15,631.67 hrs.;
$1,422,481.97.
........................
........................
Filed Date: 1/31/23.
Accession Number: 20230131–5010.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 2/21/23.
284.123(g) Protest: 5 p.m. ET 4/3/23.
Docket Numbers: PR23–30–000.
Applicants: NorthWestern
Corporation.
Description: § 284.123 Rate Filing:
Revised Transportation and Storage
Rates (Annual Tax Tracker) to be
effective 1/1/2023.
Filed Date: 1/31/23.
Accession Number: 20230131–5069.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 2/21/23.
Docket Numbers: RP23–379–000.
Applicants: LA Storage, LLC.
Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing: Filing
of Negotiated Rate, Conforming IW
Agreements 1.30.23 to be effective 2/1/
2023.
Filed Date: 1/30/23.
Accession Number: 20230130–5184.
Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 2/13/23.
Docket Numbers: RP23–380–000.
Applicants: Transcontinental Gas
Pipe Line Company, LLC.
These modifications are currently under review at
OMB. This renewal covers other information
collection requirements in 725M that were not part
of RD22–2–000.
8 Commission staff estimated that the industry’s
skill set (wages and benefits) for RD22–2–000 is
comparable to the Commission’s skill set. The FERC
2022 average salary plus benefits for one FERC fulltime equivalent (FTE) is $188,922 year (or $91 per
hour [rounded]).
E:\FR\FM\06FEN1.SGM
06FEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 24 (Monday, February 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 7717-7718]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-02412]
[[Page 7717]]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC23-3-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725M); Comment
Request; Extension
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.
ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission
or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved
information collection, FERC-725M (Mandatory Reliability Standard:
Transmission Vegetation Management), which will be submitted to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review.
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due March 8, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC-725M (identified by Docket No.
IC23-3-000) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) through
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the OMB Control Number 1902-
0263 (Mandatory Reliability Standard: Transmission Vegetation
Management) in the subject line. Your comments should be sent within 30
days of publication of this notice in the Federal Register.
Please submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket No.
IC23-3-000 and FERC-725M) to the Commission as noted below. 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:
[ssquf] Mail via U.S. Postal Service only, addressed to: Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First
Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
[ssquf] Hand (including courier) delivery to: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Please reference the specific collection number(s) (FERC-725M) and/
or title(s) (Gas Pipeline Rates: Refund Report Requirements) in your
comments.
Instructions: OMB submissions must be formatted and filed in
accordance with submission guidelines at: www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Using the search function under the ``Currently Under Review
field,'' select ``Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,'' click
``submit,'' and select ``comment'' to the right of the subject
collection. FERC 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], 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] and telephone at (202) 502-8663.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC-725M (Mandatory Reliability Standard: Transmission
Vegetation Management).
OMB Control No.: 1902-0263.
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725M with no
updates to the current reporting requirements.
Abstract: On September 19, 2013, the Commission issued Order No.
785, Docket No. RM12-16-000, a Final Rule \1\ approving modifications
to four existing Reliability Standards submitted by the North American
Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the Commission certified
Electric Reliability Organization. Specifically, the Commission
approved Reliability Standards FAC-001-1 (Facility Connection
Requirements), FAC-003-3 (Transmission Vegetation Management), PRC-004-
2.1a (Analysis and Mitigation of Transmission and Generation Protection
System Misoperations), and PRC-005-1.1b (Transmission and Generation
Protection System Maintenance and Testing).\2\ The modifications
improved reliability either by extending applicability of the
Reliability Standard to certain generator interconnection facilities,
or by clarifying that the existing Reliability Standard is and remains
applicable to generator interconnection facilities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ Generator Requirements at the Transmission Interface, 144
FERC ] 61,221 (2013).
\2\ The burden included in information collection FERC-725M (in
Docket No. RM12-16) corresponds to FAC-003-3 (Transmission
Vegetation Management). The Final Rule RM12-16-000 modifications
included in PRC-004-2.1a and PRC-005-1.1b, which are not a subject
of the 725M information collection.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
The currently effective reliability standard is FAC-003-4
(Transmission Vegetation Management). Reliability Standard FAC-003-4
includes the Minimum Vegetation Clearance Distances (MVCDs) which are
based on additional testing regarding the appropriate gap factor to be
used to calculate clearance distances for vegetation. NERC previously
explained that Reliability Standard FAC-003-4 includes higher and more
conservative MVCD values and, therefore, maintained that FAC-003-4
would ``enhance reliability and provide additional confidence by
applying a more conservative approach to determining the vegetation
clearing distances.''
On March 4, 2022, a Delegated Letter Order was issued, Docket No.
RD22-2-000, approving FAC-003-5. The Reliability Standard FAC-003-5 set
forth requirements to maintain a reliable electric transmission system
by using a defense[hyphen]in[hyphen]depth strategy to manage vegetation
located on transmission rights of way (ROW) and minimize encroachments
from vegetation located adjacent to the ROW, thus preventing the risk
of those vegetation[hyphen]related outages that could lead to
cascading. Specific to FAC-003-5, modifications were done to replace
the Interconnection Reliability Operating Limit (IROL) with new
language. The requirements in FAC-003-5 result in two years of one-time
costs, which are reflected in the burden table below.
In FERC-725M we are renewing the information collection
requirements that are currently in Reliability Standard FAC-003-4 but
were not specified in RD22-2-000. Furthermore, we are adjusting the
burden in FAC-003-4 to reflect the latest number of applicable entities
based on the NERC Compliance Registry as of September 16, 2022.
Type of Respondents: Transmission Owner (TO); Generator Owner (GO);
and Regional Entity (RE).
Estimate of Annual Burden.\3\ The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden and cost \4\ for the information collection as:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\3\ 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. See 5
CFR 1320 for additional information on the definition of information
collection burden.
\4\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) are based
on the figures for May 2022 posted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
for the Utilities sector (available at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm) and updated with benefits information (at
https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm). The hourly estimates
for salary plus benefits are:
--Manager (code 11-0000), $102.41.
--Information and Records Clerks (code 43-4199), $42.35.
--Electrical Engineer (code 17-2071), $77.02.
The average hourly burden cost for this collection is $73.93
[($102.41 + $42.35 + $77.02)/3 = $73.93)] and is rounded to $74.00
an hour.
[[Page 7718]]
FERC-725M, Mandatory Reliability Standards: Generator Requirements at the Transmission Interface
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Number of Annual number
respondents of responses Total number Average burden hours & Total annual burden hours & Cost per
\5\ per respondent of responses cost per response total annual cost respondent ($)
(1) (2) (1) * (2) = (4)..................... (3) * (4) = (5)............. (5) / (1)
(3)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Currently Effective Standard: FAC-003-4 (Transmission Vegetation Management)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Generator Owners, Regional \6\ 116 4 464 0.25 hrs.; $18.50....... 116 hrs.; $8,584.00......... $74.00
Entities: Quarterly Reporting
(Compliance 1.4).
Generator Owners: Annual Veg. 110 1 110 2 hrs.; $148.00......... 220 hrs.; $16,280.00........ 148.00
inspect. Doc. (M6); Work Plan
(M7); Evidence of Mgt. of Veg.
(M1 & M2); Confirmed Veg.
Condition (M4); & Corrective
Action (M5).
Generator Owners, Transmission 437 1 437 1 hr.; $74.00........... 437 hrs.; $32,338.00........ 74.00
Owners: Record Retention
(Compliance 1.2).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total for standards in .............. .............. 1,011 ........................ 773 hrs.; $57,202.00........ ..............
FAC-003-4.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FERC-725M (Modifications from RD22-2-000) \7\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One Time Estimate Years 1 and 2 \8\
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FAC-003-5....................... TO (325) 4 1,300 8 hrs.; $728............ 10,400 hrs.; $946,400....... ..............
GO (1068) 4 4,272 8 hrs.; $728............ 34,176 hrs.; $3,110,016..... ..............
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sub-Total for standards in .............. .............. 5,572 ........................ 44,576 hrs.; $4,056,416..... ..............
FAC-003-5.
Average Annual Burden over 3 .............. .............. 1,857.33 ........................ 14,858.67 hrs.; ..............
years (RM22-2 Modification). $1,352,138.97.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total of 725M........... .............. .............. 2,868.33 ........................ 15,631.67 hrs.; ..............
$1,422,481.97.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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 estimates of the burden and
cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality,
utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are
to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\5\ According to the NERC Compliance Registry as of September
16, 2022, there are 1,099 generator owners and 327 transmission
owners registered in North America. We estimate that approximately
10 percent (or 110) of these generator owners have interconnection
facilities that are applicable to the standard.
\6\ The estimated number of respondents (116) includes 110
generator owners and 6 Regional Entities.
\7\ RD22-2-000 and the related reliability standards in FAC-003-
5 becomes effective 4/1/2023 and are one-time burdens for year 1 and
2. These modifications are currently under review at OMB. This
renewal covers other information collection requirements in 725M
that were not part of RD22-2-000.
\8\ Commission staff estimated that the industry's skill set
(wages and benefits) for RD22-2-000 is comparable to the
Commission's skill set. The FERC 2022 average salary plus benefits
for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is $188,922 year (or $91 per
hour [rounded]).
Dated: January 31, 2023.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2023-02412 Filed 2-3-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
