Department of Energy July 1, 2005 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The Western Area Power Administration (Western) is proposing revised rates for the Central Arizona Project (CAP) firm point-to-point transmission service, nonfirm point-to-point transmission service, and Network Integration Transmission Service (NITS) on the CAP 115 kilovolt (kV) and 230-kV transmission lines. Current rates, under Rate Schedules CAP-FT1, CAP-NFT1 and CAP-NITS1, extend through December 31, 2005. Proposed rates will provide sufficient revenue to pay all annual costs, including interest expense, and repay required investment within the allowable period. Western will prepare a brochure that provides detailed information on the rates to all interested parties. Proposed rates, under Rate Schedules CAP-FT2, CAP-NFT2, and CAP-NITS2, are scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2006, and will remain in effect through December 31, 2010. Publication of this Federal Register notice begins the formal process for the proposed rates.

The Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on a proposed collection of information that DOE is developing for submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The Office of Science reports annually in the President's Budget Request the numbers of researchers, post docs, graduate students and technicians supported through Research Grants and Field Work Proposals (FWPs). However, these data are based on forecasts by the principal investigator (i.e., PIs) at the time the grants and FWPs were initially funded. These estimates are unreliable because they are based on the best guess of the PIs at the time of funding. While the PI's initial estimate could be accurate at the time of the request, the reliability of the initial estimate decreases as the project matures. Further, the forecasts by the PIs are subjective. Therefore, it is not possible to quantify the inaccuracies with any confidence. To better plan for future investments, the Office of Science must better understand the actual impact of its budget on the technical manpower supported. A short (approximately 17 minutes) web- based survey has been developed to collect actual workforce data from a small sample of researchers currently supported by the Office of Science. The result will be compared to proposal data to estimate the average and range of variation and to derive a statistically valid methodology for approximating budgetary impacts on the technical manpower supported. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.