Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-577) Comment Request; Extension
In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is submitting ...
Notice of information collection and request for comments.
SUMMARY:
In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is submitting its information collection FERC-577: Natural Gas Facilities: Environmental Review and Compliance to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review of the information collection requirements. There are no proposed changes to the reporting requirements in this collection. However, FERC has corrected errors in previously published burden tables to reflect the burden published in RM22-8.
( printed page 25874)
DATES:
Comments on the collection of information are due June 11, 2026.
Please submit a copy of your comments to the Commission via email to
DataClearance@FERC.gov. You must specify the Docket No. (IC26-7-000) and the FERC Information Collection number (FERC-577) in your email. If you are unable to file electronically, comments may be filed by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery:
Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
All other delivery methods:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Kayla Williams may be reached by email at
DataClearance@FERC.gov,
or by telephone at (202)502-6468.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title:
FERC-577, Natural Gas Facilities: Environmental Review and Compliance.
OMB Control No.:
1902-0128.
Type of Request:
Three-year extension of the FERC-577 information collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting requirements.
Abstract:
FERC-577 identifies the Commission's information collections pertaining to 18 CFR parts 2, 153, 157, 284, and 380.
Parts 2, 153, 157, and 380 of the Commission's regulations outline the environmental resource related information that natural gas companies must provide when seeking authorization to construct or abandon natural gas facilities. The required information addresses the resource areas affected by the proposed action and describes the impact the project is likely to have and the measures the applicant will implement to mitigate those impacts. The proposed action will determine the specific information a company must submit. Per the National Environmental Policy Act, all federal agencies are required to give appropriate consideration to the environmental effects of the proposed actions in their decision making; this information allows the Commission to fulfill its NEPA obligations.
Parts 2, 157, 284, and 380 of the Commission's regulations also outline the requirements for natural gas companies that are subject to FERC's jurisdiction to notify affected landowners of certain planned activities prior to coming onto landowners' property.[1]
The notifications include: (1) a brief description of the activity to be conducted or facilities to be constructed/replaced and the effects that the activities are expected to have on the landowner's property; (2) the name and phone number of the company representative that is knowledgeable about the project; and (3) a description of the Commission's Dispute Resolution Service Helpline, as explained in Section 1b.21(g) of the Commission's regulations, and the Dispute Resolution Service Helpline number. The Commission defines “affected landowners” as owners of property interests, as noted in the most recent tax notice, whose property is directly affected (
i.e.
crossed or used) by the proposed activity, including all rights-of-way, facility sites, access roads, pipe and contractor yards, and temporary workspaces.
The FERC-577 information collections cannot be discontinued or conducted less frequently. Without such information, the Commission would be unable to fulfill its statutory responsibilities under the Natural Gas Act and NEPA.
Type of Respondents:
Natural Gas Companies subject to FERC's jurisdiction.
Estimate of Annual Burden:[2]
The Commission estimates the annual public reporting burden and cost [3]
for the information collection as follows.[4]
Number of
respondents
Number of
responses per
respondent
Total number of responses
Average burden hours &
average cost per
response ($) (rounded)
Total annual burden hours &
total annual cost ($)
(rounded)
Cost per
respondent ($) (rounded)
(1)
(2)
(1) * (2) = (3)
(4)
(3) * (4) = (5)
(5) ÷ (1) = (6)
Natural Gas Companies' Environmental Review and Compliance 5
(18 CFR Parts 2, 153, 157, and 380) 6
107
16
1,712
193.52 hours; $19,932.56
331,306 hours; $34,124,518
$318,921
Natural Gas Companies' Landowner Notifications 7
(18 CFR §§ 157(d), 157(f), 2.55(a), 2.55(b), 284.11, and 380.15)
164
144
23,616
2 hours; $206
47,232 hours; $4,864,896
$29,664
Total
25,328
378,538 hours; $38,989,414
( printed page 25875)
FERC received one comment on the 60-day
Federal Register
Notice. The commenter requested greater clarification regarding the purpose of the information collection and the specific details about what information is being collected.
FERC included additional information in this notice to describe the need and details of the collection. The commentor also stated that FERC had not mapped information categories to decision outputs and citied 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(1). The commentor incorrectly characterizes this regulation which requires that FERC track its information collections and have an OMB Control Number and Expiration Date. This information is available at
https://www.ferc.gov/information-collections
and also at
https://www.ferc.gov/industries-data/natural-gas/industry-forms. The commentor also stated that burden and cost methodology was inadequate; however, they did not provide recommendations for how these mightIC26-7 be updated. FERC reviewed the burden calculation and corrected the burden to reflect changes incorporated in RM22-8.
Comments:
Comments are invited on: (1) whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden and cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Dated: May 6, 2026.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
Footnotes
1.
These notifications are sent to affected landowners and are not submitted to FERC. Per 5 CFR 1320.3(c) the definition of “Collection of Information” includes mandated third-party disclosures.
2.
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 (2025) for additional information on the definition of information collection burden.
3.
The Commission staff estimates that industry is similarly situated in terms of hourly cost (for wages plus benefits). Based on the Commission's FY (Fiscal Year) 2025 average cost (for wages plus benefits), $103/hour is used.
4.
FERC has updated this table since the 60-day
Federal Register
Notice to more clearly describe the relationship between the regulations and the information collection burden.
5.
Number of estimated natural gas companies anticipated to file environmental related information. This is based on previous years responses combined with tread information.
6.
The 60-day notice correctly said that there are no proposed changes to the information collection. This table has been updated to correct errors so that the burden reflects the burden published in final rule RM22-8 (88 FR 74033)
7.
Estimated number of Natural Gas Companies subject to FERC's jurisdiction. This figure naturally fluctuates based on changes in the natural gas industry.