
[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 146 (Friday, July 29, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49974-49975]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-17896]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC16-8-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-539); Comment 
Request

July 25, 2016.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Comment request.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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-539 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: Import & Export Related 
Applications) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
of the information collection requirements. Any interested person may 
file comments directly with OMB and should address a copy of those 
comments to the Commission as explained below. The Commission 
previously issued a Notice in the Federal Register (81 FR 21859, 4/13/
2016) requesting public comments. The Commission received no comments 
on the FERC-539 and is making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by August 29, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No. 
1902-0062, should be sent via email to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs: oira_submission@omb.gov. Attention: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission Desk Officer.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in 
Docket No. IC16-8-000, by either of the following methods:
     eFiling at Commission's Web site: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
     Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in 
accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. For user assistance contact FERC Online Support 
by email at ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or by phone at: (866) 208-3676 
(toll-free), or (202) 502-8659 for TTY.
    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 http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/docs-filing.asp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at 
DataClearance@FERC.gov, by telephone at (202) 502-8663, and by fax at 
(202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: FERC-539, Gas Pipeline Certificates: Import & Export Related 
Applications.
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0062.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-539 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
    Abstract: Section 3 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) \1\ provides, in 
part, that ``. . . . no person shall export any natural gas from the 
United States to a foreign country or import any natural gas from a 
foreign country without first having secured an order from the 
Commission authorizing it to do so.'' The 1992 amendments to Section 3 
of the NGA concern importation or exportation from/to a nation which 
has a free trade agreement with the United States and requires that 
such importation or exportation: (1) Shall be deemed to be a ``first 
sale'' (i.e. not a sale for a resale) and (2) shall be deemed to be 
consistent with the public interest. Applications for such importation 
or exportation should be granted without modification or delay.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 15 U.S.C. 717-717w.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The regulatory functions of Section 3 are shared by the Commission 
and the Secretary of Energy, Department of Energy (DOE). The Commission 
has the authority to approve or disapprove the construction and 
operation of particular facilities, the site at which such facilities 
shall be located, and, with respect to natural gas that involves the 
construction of new domestic facilities, the place of entry for imports 
or exit for exports. DOE approves the importation or exportation of the 
natural gas commodity.\2\ Additionally, pursuant to the DOE Delegation 
Order and Executive Order Nos. 10485 and 12038, the Commission has the 
authority to issue Presidential Permits for natural gas facilities 
which cross an international border of the United States. Persons 
seeking Section 3 authorizations or Presidential Permits from the 
Commission file applications

[[Page 49975]]

for such requests pursuant to Part 153 of the Commission's 
Regulations.\3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ Secretary of DOE's current delegation of authority to the 
Commission relating to import and export facilities was renewed by 
the Secretary's Delegation Order No. 00-004.00A, effective May 16, 
2006.
    \3\ Part 153, Subpart B and Subpart C.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Type of Respondents: The respondents include all jurisdictional 
natural gas companies seeking authorization from the Commission to 
import or export natural gas.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \4\ The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ 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.
    \5\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the 
2015 FERC average salary plus benefits of $149,489/year (or $72.00/
hour). Commission staff finds that the work done for this 
information collection is typically done by wage categories similar 
to those at FERC.

                                        FERC-539: Gas Pipeline Certificates: Import & Export Related Applications
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                            Annual  number
          Number of respondents             of  responses     Total humber     Average burden & cost per    Total annual burden hours &      Cost per
                                           per  respondent    of responses           response \5\                total annual cost        respondent ($)
(1)                                                   (2)   (1) * (2) = (3)  (4).........................  (3) * (4) = (5).............       (5) / (1)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
12.......................................               2               24   12 hrs.; $864...............  288 hrs.; $20,736...........          $1,728
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-17896 Filed 7-28-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


