Proposed Information Collection and Request for Comments

[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 161 (Friday, August 20, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45520-45522]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-21600]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC99-714-000, FERC Form No. 714]


Proposed Information Collection and Request for Comments

August 16, 1999.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information collection and request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(a) 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), the Federal 
Energy

[[Page 45521]]

Regulatory Commission (Commission) is soliciting public comment on the 
specific aspects of the information collection described below.

DATES: Consideration will be given to comments submitted on or before 
October 19, 1999.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the proposed collection of information can be 
obtained from, and written comments may be submitted to, the Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Attn: Michael Miller, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, CI-1, 888 First Street, NE, Washington, DC, 20426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Miller may be reached by 
telephone at (202) 208-1415, by fax at (202) 208-2425, and by E-mail at 
mike.miller@ferc.fed.us.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information collected under the 
requirements for FERC Form No. 714, ``Annual electric Control and 
Planning Area Report'' (OMB No. 1902-0140), is used by the Commission 
to implement the statutory provisions of Sections 202, 207, 210, 211-
213 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), as amended (49 Stat. 838; 16 U.S.C. 
791a-825r), and particularly Sections 304, 309, and 311. The Commission 
describes the Form 714 filing requirements in the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR Part 141.51.
    FERC Form No. 714 gathers basic utility operating and planning 
information, primarily on a control area basis. The Commission staff 
uses the Form 714 data for the purpose of evaluating utility operations 
related to proposed mergers, interconnections, wholesale rate 
investigations, and wholesale market changes and trends under emerging 
competitive forces. Such evaluations are made to assess system 
reliability, costs and other operating attributes. Other government 
agencies use the Form 714 data to monitor power plant emissions. 
Electric utilities and other wholesale electric participants use the 
Form 714 data to identify and monitor economic and capacity constraints 
in the transmission system.

Action

    The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the current 
expiration date.
    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) filed 
comments during the last OMB recertification process for the FERC Form 
714 recommending the following three modifications:
    •  Development of an electronic filing procedure;
    •  Submission of monthly data along with the annual reporting 
of Part II, Schedule 5 information (interchange with neighboring 
control areas); and
    •  Change the filing date of Form 714 from June 1, to March 
1, in order to provide for a timely analysis of the structural changes 
in the industry.
    Unfortunately, there was not enough time available during the last 
clearance cycle to address EPA's request. During this cycle, the 
Commission staff intends to address EPA's suggestions, and invites 
comments on them. Specifically, the Commission staff is currently 
exploring the filing of Form 714 information electronically (using a 
web-based application) in lieu of the present combined system of 
mailing paper filings and electronic media (diskettes) to the 
Commission. If the Commission decides to propose to convert to 
electronic filing of Form 714, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will be 
issued proposing to amend the Commission's regulations to provide for 
the electronic filing of Form 714. Such a proposal may also seek to 
eliminate the current signature requirement and simply require the 
identification of a representative at each utility responsible for 
submitting the data electronically. The representative will be given a 
password and identification code to ensure system integrity.
    The Commission staff is also considering the adoption of the other 
suggestions made by EPA: requiring the submission of monthly scheduled 
and actual Interchange energy data in addition to the annual data 
reported in Part II, Schedule 5; and moving the filing date to March 1.

Burden Statement

    Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated as:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                          Total  annual
    Number  of     Annual  responses   Average burden     burden hours
 respondents  (1)    per respondent       hours per      (1)  x  (2)  x
                          (2)           response  (3)          (3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            237                  1                 45            10,665
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The reduction of annual respondents from 250 to 237 is due to an 
increase in the number of mergers and a corresponding reduction in the 
number of Form 714 respondents. In addition, the conversion to 
electronic filing is estimated to reduce average burden hours per 
respondent (from 50 hours presently, to 45). The estimated cost burden 
to respondents: 10,665 hours/2080 hours per year  x  $109,889 per year 
= $563,445. Reporting burden includes the total time, effort, or 
financial resources expended to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, 
or provide the information including: (1) Reviewing instructions; (2) 
developing, acquiring, installing, and utilizing technology and systems 
for the purpose of collecting, validating, verifying, processing, 
maintaining, disclosing and providing information; (3) adjusting the 
existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and 
requirements; (4) training personnel to respond to a collection of 
information; (5) searching data sources; (6) completing and reviewing 
the collection of information; and (7) transmitting, or otherwise 
disclosing the information. The estimate of respondent cost is based 
upon salaries for professional and clerical support, as well as direct 
and indirect overhead costs. Direct costs include all costs directly 
attributable to providing this information, such as administrative 
costs and the cost for information technology. Indirect or overhead 
costs are costs incurred by an organization in support of its mission. 
These costs apply to activities which benefit the whole organization 
rather than any one particular function or activity.
    Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed information 
collection, including the EPA proposed modifications, is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the Commission, including 
whether the information will have practical applications; (2) the 
accuracy of the Commission's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
information collection, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utilization and 
clarity of the collected information; (4) ways to minimize the burden 
of the information collection on respondents, including the proposed 
electronic submission of responses; (5) the magnitude of the impact of 
the

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conversion to electronic filing on respondents; (6) the proposed 
elimination of the signature requirement; (7) any existence of a 
competitive disadvantage caused by publicly providing information in 
Form 714 to which competitors would have access (without a 
corresponding obligation on its competitors not subject to the 
Commission's reporting requirements); (8) the relevancy of the 
information currently collected given the current transition from cost-
based to a fully competitive wholesale electric market; (9) whether the 
proposed filing date change from June 1 to March 1 is unduly 
burdensome; and (10) the burden of requiring monthly control area 
scheduled and actual interchange data.
Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,
Acting Secretary.
[FR Doc. 99-21600 Filed 8-19-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M