
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 8, 2017)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 9702-9706]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-02331]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

18 CFR Part 40

[Docket No. RM16-20-000]


Remedial Action Schemes Reliability Standard

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposes to approve 
Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 (Remedial Action Schemes) submitted by 
the North American Electric Reliability Corporation. The purpose of 
proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 is to ensure that remedial 
action schemes do not introduce unintentional or unacceptable 
reliability risks to the bulk electric system.

DATES: Comments are due April 10, 2017

ADDRESSES: Comments, identified by docket number, may be filed in the 
following ways:
     Electronic Filing through http://www.ferc.gov. Documents 
created electronically using word processing software should be filed 
in native applications or print-to-PDF format and not in a scanned 
format.
     Mail/Hand Delivery: Those unable to file electronically 
may mail or hand-deliver comments to: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments and 
additional information on the rulemaking process, see the Comment 
Procedures Section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 
Syed Ahmad (Technical Information), Office of Electric Reliability, 
Division of Reliability Standards and Security, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, Telephone: (202) 502-8718, Syed.Ahmad@ferc.gov.
Alan Rukin (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 
20426, Telephone: (202) 502-8502, Alan.Rukin@ferc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    1. Pursuant to section 215 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), the 
Commission proposes to approve proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 
(Remedial Action Schemes). The North American Electric Reliability 
Corporation (NERC), the Commission-certified Electric Reliability 
Organization (ERO), submitted proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 
for approval. The purpose of proposed Reliability Standard PRC 012-2 is 
to ensure that remedial action schemes (RAS) do not introduce 
unintentional or unacceptable reliability risks to the bulk electric 
system. In addition, the Commission proposes to approve the associated 
violation risk factors and violation severity levels, implementation 
plan, and effective date proposed by NERC. NERC also submitted 
proposals to retire two currently-effective Reliability Standards and 
to withdraw three Reliability Standards that are pending review before 
the Commission. While proposing to approve Reliability Standard PRC-
012-2, the Commission seeks clarifying comments addressing ``limited 
impact'' RAS. Based on comments and information received, the 
Commission may issue directives as appropriate.

I. Background

A. Section 215 and Mandatory Reliability Standards

    2. Section 215 of the FPA requires a Commission-certified ERO to 
develop mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards, subject to 
Commission review and approval.\1\ Once approved, the Reliability 
Standards may be enforced by the ERO subject to Commission oversight, 
or by the Commission independently.\2\ In 2006, the Commission 
certified NERC as the ERO pursuant to section 215 of the FPA.\3\
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    \1\ 16 U.S.C. 824o(c), (d) (2012).
    \2\ Id. 824o(e).
    \3\ North American Electric Reliability Corp., 116 FERC ] 61,062 
(ERO Certification Order), order on reh'g and compliance, 117 FERC ] 
61,126 (2006), order on compliance, 118 FERC ] 61,190, order on 
reh'g, 119 FERC ] 61,046 (2007), aff'd sub nom. Alcoa Inc. v. FERC, 
564 F.3d 1342 (D.C. Cir. 2009).
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B. Order No. 693

    3. On March 16, 2007, the Commission issued Order No. 693, 
approving 83 of the 107 Reliability Standards filed by NERC, including 
Reliability Standards PRC-015-1 (Remedial Action Scheme Data and 
Documentation) and PRC-016-1 (Remedial Action Scheme Misoperation).\4\ 
Reliability Standard PRC-015-1 requires transmission owners, generator 
owners, and distribution providers to maintain a

[[Page 9703]]

listing; retain evidence of review; and provide documentation of 
existing, new or functionally modified special protection systems.\5\ 
Reliability Standard PRC-016-1 requires transmission owners, generator 
owners, and distribution providers to provide the regional reliability 
organization with documentation, analyses and corrective action plans 
for misoperation of special protection systems.\6\
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    \4\ Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System, 
Order No. 693, FERC Stats. and Regs. ] 31,242, order on reh'g, Order 
No. 693-A, 120 FERC ] 61,053 (2007).
    \5\ Id. PP 1529-1533.
    \6\ Id. PP 1534-1540.
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    4. In Order No. 693, the Commission determined that proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-012-0 was a ``fill-in-the-blank'' Reliability 
Standard because, while it was proposed to require regional reliability 
organizations to ensure that all special protection systems are 
properly designed, meet performance requirements, and are coordinated 
with other protection systems, NERC had not submitted any regional 
review procedures with this standard.\7\ The Commission also determined 
that proposed Reliability Standard PRC-013-0 was a ``fill-in-the-
blank'' Reliability Standard because, although it was proposed to 
ensure that all special protection systems are properly designed, meet 
performance requirements, and are coordinated with other protection 
systems by requiring the regional reliability organization to maintain 
a database of information on special protection systems, NERC had not 
filed any regional procedures for maintaining the databases.\8\ 
Further, the Commission determined that proposed Reliability Standard 
PRC-014-0 was a ``fill-in-the-blank'' Reliability Standard because, 
while it was proposed to ensure that special protection systems are 
properly designed, meet performance requirements, and are coordinated 
with other protection systems by requiring the regional reliability 
organization to assess and document the operation, coordination, and 
compliance with NERC Reliability Standards and effectiveness of special 
protection systems at least once every five years, NERC had not 
submitted any regional procedures for this assessment and 
documentation.\9\ The Commission stated that it would not approve or 
remand proposed Reliability Standards PRC-012-0, PRC-013-0 or PRC-014-0 
until NERC submitted the additional necessary information to the 
Commission.\10\
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    \7\ Id. PP 1517-18, 1520. The Commission used the term ``fill-
in-the-blank'' standards to refer to proposed Reliability Standards 
that required the regional reliability organizations to develop at a 
later date criteria for use by users, owners or operators within 
each region. Id. P 297.
    \8\ Id. PP 1521, 1522, 1524.
    \9\ Id. PP 1525, 1526, 1528.
    \10\ Id. PP 1520, 1524, 1528.
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C. Remedial Acton Schemes

    5. On June 23, 2016, the Commission approved NERC's revision to 
NERC Glossary of Terms that redefines special protection system to have 
the same definition as RAS, effective April 1, 2017.\11\ Effective 
April 1, 2017, the NERC Glossary of Terms will define Remedial Action 
Scheme to mean:
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    \11\ N. Am. Elec. Reliability Corp., Docket No. RD16-5-000 (June 
23, 2016) (delegated letter order); NERC Glossary of Terms, http://www.nerc.com/files/glossary_of_terms.pdf.

    A scheme designed to detect predetermined System conditions and 
automatically take corrective actions that may include, but are not 
limited to, adjusting or tripping generation (MW and Mvar), tripping 
load, or reconfiguring a System(s). RAS accomplish objectives such 
as:
     Meet requirements identified in the NERC Reliability 
Standards;
     Maintain Bulk Electric System (BES) stability;
     Maintain acceptable BES voltages;
     Maintain acceptable BES power flows;
     Limit the impact of Cascading or extreme events.\12\
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    \12\ NERC Glossary of Terms, http://www.nerc.com/files/glossary_of_terms.pdf; see also Revisions to Emergency Operations 
Reliability Standards; Revisions to Undervoltage Load Shedding 
Reliability Standards; Revisions to the Definition of ``Remedial 
Action Scheme'' and Related Reliability Standards, Order No. 818, 
153 FERC ] 61,228, at PP 24, 31 (2015).

The revised RAS definition also identifies fourteen items that do not 
individually constitute a RAS.

D. NERC Petition and Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2

    6. On August 5, 2016, NERC submitted a petition seeking Commission 
approval of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2.\13\ NERC contends 
that proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 is just, reasonable, not 
unduly discriminatory or preferential, and in the public interest.\14\ 
NERC explains that the intent of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-
2 is to supersede ``pending'' Reliability Standards PRC-012-1, PRC-013-
1, and PRC-014-1 and to retire and replace currently-effective 
Reliability Standards PRC-015-1 and PRC-016-1.\15\ NERC states that 
proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 represents substantial 
improvements over these Reliability Standards because it streamlines 
and consolidates existing requirements; corrects the applicability of 
previously unapproved Reliability Standards; and implements a 
continent-wide RAS review program.\16\
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    \13\ Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 is not attached to 
this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. The proposed Reliability 
Standard is available on the Commission's eLibrary document 
retrieval system in Docket No. RM16-20-000 and is posted on NERC's 
Web site, http://www.nerc.com.
    \14\ NERC Petition at 2.
    \15\ NERC notes that it submitted ``for completeness'' revised 
versions of Reliability Standards PRC-012-1, PRC-013-1, and PRC-014-
1 in its petition to revise the definition of RAS, but NERC did not 
request Commission approval of the revised Reliability Standards in 
that proceeding. Id. at 1 n.5.
    \16\ Id. at 12-13.
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    7. NERC states that, in the United States, proposed Reliability 
Standard PRC-012-2 will apply to reliability coordinators, planning 
coordinators, and RAS-entities. Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 
defines RAS-entities to include the transmission owner, generation 
owner, or distribution provider that owns all or part of a RAS.
    8. NERC states that proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 
includes nine requirements that combine all existing (both effective 
and ``pending'') Reliability Standards into a single, consolidated, 
continent-wide Reliability Standard to address all aspects of RAS.\17\ 
NERC states that all of the requirements in Reliability Standard PRC-
012-1 except R2 are now covered in Requirements R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, 
and R8 of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2.\18\ NERC explains 
that Reliability Standard PRC-012-1, Requirement R2 is ``administrative 
in nature and does not contribute to reliability.'' \19\ NERC also 
states that it established Requirement R9 of proposed Reliability 
Standard PRC-012-2 to replace the mandate in Reliability Standard PRC-
013-1 that responsible entities maintain a RAS database with pertinent 
technical information for each RAS.\20\ NERC explains that proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 Requirements R4 and R6 cover the review 
and the mandate to take corrective action required by Reliability 
Standard PRC-014-1.\21\ NERC states that it integrated the performance 
requirements in Reliability Standard PRC-015-1 into proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 Requirements R1, R2, and R3.\22\ NERC 
maintains that it integrated the performance requirements in 
Reliability Standard PRC-016-1 into proposed Reliability Standard PRC-
012-2 Requirements R5, R6, and R7.\23\
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    \17\ Id. at 3.
    \18\ Id. at 40.
    \19\ Id. at 41.
    \20\ Id. at 42.
    \21\ Id. at 43.
    \22\ Id. at 43-44.
    \23\ Id. at 44-45.
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    9. NERC explains how the nine Requirements in proposed Reliability

[[Page 9704]]

Standard PRC-012-2 work together and with other Reliability Standards. 
Proposed Requirements R1, R2, and R3, together, establish a process for 
the reliability coordinator to review new or modified RAS schemes.\24\ 
The reliability coordinator must complete the review before an entity 
places a new or functionally modified RAS into service.
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    \24\ Id. at 15-18.
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    10. Proposed Requirement R4 requires the planning coordinator to 
perform a periodic evaluation of each RAS within its planning area, at 
least once every five years.\25\ The evaluation must determine, inter 
alia, whether each RAS: (1) Mitigates the system conditions or 
contingencies for which it was designed; and (2) avoids adverse 
interactions with other RAS and protection systems. Proposed 
Requirement R4, Part 4.1.3 footnote 1 defines a certain subset of RAS 
as ``limited impact'' RAS to mean ``A RAS designated as limited impact 
cannot, by inadvertent operation or failure to operate, cause or 
contribute to BES Cascading, uncontrolled separation, angular 
instability, voltage instability, voltage collapse, or unacceptably 
damped oscillations.'' \26\ Further, proposed Requirement R4, Parts 
4.1.3, 4.1.4, and 4.1.5 provide certain exceptions to ``limited 
impact'' RAS. For example, Part 4.1.5 states that:
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    \25\ Id. at 18-22.
    \26\ Id. at 19 & n.44.

    Except for limited impact RAS, a single component failure in the 
RAS, when the RAS is intended to operate does not prevent the BES 
from meeting the same performance requirements (defined in 
Reliability Standard TPL-001-4 or its successor) as those required 
for the events and conditions for which the RAS is designed.\27\
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    \27\ Id. at 19.

NERC explains that proposed Requirement R4 ``does not supersede or 
modify [planning coordinator] responsibilities under Reliability 
Standard TPL-001-4.'' \28\ NERC continues that even though Part 4.1.5 
exempts ``limited impact'' RAS from certain aspects of proposed 
Requirement R4, proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 does not exempt 
``limited impact'' RAS from meeting each of the performance 
requirements in Reliability Standard TPL-001-4.\29\
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    \28\ Id. at 28.
    \29\ Id. at 28-29.
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    11. NERC states that prior to development of proposed Reliability 
Standard PRC-012-2, two NERC Regions, the Northeast Power Coordinating 
Council (NPCC) and the Western Electric Coordinating Council (WECC), 
used individual RAS classification regimes to identify RAS that would 
meet criteria similar to those for RAS described as ``limited impact'' 
in proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2.\30\ NERC continues that the 
standard drafting team identified the Local Area Protection Scheme 
(LAPS) classification in WECC and the Type III classification in NPCC 
as consistent with the ``limited impact'' designation.\31\ According to 
NERC, RAS implemented prior to the effective date of proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 that have gone through the regional 
review processes of WECC or NPCC and that are classified as either a 
LAPS by WECC or a Type III by NPCC, would be considered a ``limited 
impact'' RAS for purposes of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-
2.\32\
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    \30\ Id. at 25.
    \31\ Id. at 25-26.
    \32\ Id. at 26.
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    12. Proposed Requirements R5, R6, and R7 pertain to the analysis of 
each RAS operation or misoperation.\33\ The RAS-entity must perform an 
analysis of each RAS operation or misoperation and provide the results 
to the reviewing reliability coordinator. Further, the RAS-entity must 
develop and submit a corrective action plan to the reviewing 
reliability coordinator after learning of a deficiency with its RAS, 
implement the corrective action plan, and update it as necessary. 
Proposed Requirement R8 requires periodic testing of RAS performance: 
Every six years for normal RAS and 12 years for ``limited impact'' 
RAS.\34\ Proposed Requirement R9 requires the reliability coordinator 
to annually update its RAS database.\35\
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    \33\ Id. at 29-34.
    \34\ Id. at 34-36.
    \35\ Id. at 36-38.
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    13. NERC proposes an implementation plan that includes an effective 
date for proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 that is the first day 
of the first calendar quarter that is thirty-six months after the date 
that the Commission approves the proposed Reliability Standard. 
Concurrent with the effective date, the implementation plan calls for 
the retirement of currently-effective Reliability Standards PRC-015-1 
and PRC-016-1 and withdrawal of ``pending'' Reliability Standards PRC-
012-1, PRC-013-1, and PRC-014-1.

II. Discussion

    14. Pursuant to section 215(d)(2) of the FPA, we propose to approve 
proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 as just, reasonable, not unduly 
discriminatory or preferential, and in the public interest. We also 
propose to approve the associated violation risk factors and violation 
severity levels, implementation plan, and effective date proposed by 
NERC. Further, we propose to approve the withdrawal of ``pending'' 
Reliability Standards PRC-012-1, PRC-013-1, and PRC-014-1 and 
retirement of currently-effective Reliability Standards PRC-015-1 and 
PRC-016-1, as proposed by NERC.
    15. Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 enhances reliability by 
addressing all aspects of RAS in a single, continent-wide Reliability 
Standard and by assigning specific RAS responsibilities to appropriate 
functional entities. Accordingly, proposed Reliability Standard PRC-
012-2 satisfies the relevant directive in Order No. 693. In addition, 
we agree with NERC that Reliability Standards PRC-015-1 and PRC-016-1 
can be retired as proposed in the implementation plan due to their 
consolidation with proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2.
    16. NERC's petition states that proposed Reliability Standard PRC-
012-2 does not exempt ``limited impact'' RAS from meeting all system 
performance requirements of Reliability Standard TPL-001-4. We propose 
to clarify that, consistent with NERC's explanation, proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 will not modify or supersede any system 
performance obligations under Reliability Standard TPL-001-4.\36\ For 
example, under Reliability Standard TPL-001-4, Table 1 non-
consequential load loss may not exceed 75 MW for certain Category P1, 
P2, or P3 contingencies following the Reliability Standard TPL-001-4 
stakeholder process.\37\ We seek comment on this proposal.
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    \36\ See NERC Petition at 28 (``Requirement R4 of PRC-012-2 does 
not supersede or modify [planning coordinator] responsibilities 
under Reliability Standard TPL-001-4. . .'').
    \37\ Reliability Standard TPL-001-4, Table 1 (Steady State & 
Stability Performance Extreme Events), footnote 12 and Attachment 1.
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    17. We also seek comment on the processes used to ensure the LAPS 
or Type III RAS will be compliant with Reliability Standard TPL-001-4 
prior to the effective date of Reliability Standard PRC-012-2, 
including a description of considerations on whether the load 
disconnected by each RAS installation is consequential or non-
consequential, and if non-consequential load loss is greater than 75 
MW.\38\ We further seek comment on whether the term ``limited

[[Page 9705]]

impact RAS'' should be defined in the Glossary of Terms Used in NERC 
Reliability Standards.
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    \38\ The Commission notes that WECC's and NPCC's RAS criteria 
and associated regional terms found in the ``Technical 
Justification'' section of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 
were not submitted for approval by NERC and as such are not part of 
this proceeding.
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III. Information Collection Statement

    18. The collection of information addressed in this Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking is subject to review by the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) under section 3507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995.\39\ OMB's regulations require approval of certain information 
collection requirements imposed by agency rules.\40\ Upon approval of a 
collection(s) of information, OMB will assign an OMB control number and 
an expiration date. Respondents subject to the filing requirements of a 
rule will not be penalized for failing to respond to these collections 
of information unless the collections of information display a valid 
OMB control number.
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    \39\ 44 U.S.C. 3507(d) (2012).
    \40\ 5 CFR 1320.11 (2016).
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    19. The Commission will submit the information collection 
requirement to OMB for its final review and approval. The Commission 
solicits public comments on the need for this information, whether the 
information will have practical utility, the accuracy of the burden 
estimates, ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected or retained, and any suggested methods for 
minimizing respondents' burden, including the use of automated 
information techniques.
    20. The information collection requirements in this Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking in Docket No. RM16-20-000 is associated with FERC-
725A (OMB Control No. 1902-0244) and FERC-725G (OMB Control No. 1902-
0252).
    21. Public Reporting Burden: The Commission proposes to approve 
Reliability Standard PRC-012-2. The proposed Reliability Standard PRC-
012-2 consolidates so-called ``fill-in-the-blank'' Reliability 
Standards PRC-012-1, PRC-013-1 and PRC-014-1, as well as, Commission-
approved Reliability Standards PRC-015-1 and PRC-016-1, into one 
standard. The proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 improves upon the 
existing standards because it removes ambiguity in NERC's original 
``fill-in-the-blank'' Reliability Standards by assigning responsibility 
to appropriate functional entities. It also streamlines and 
consolidates the RAS Reliability Standards into one clear, effective 
Reliability Standard. The number of respondents below is based on an 
examination of the NERC compliance registry for reliability 
coordinators, planning coordinators, transmission owners, generation 
owners, and distribution providers and an estimation of how many 
entities from that registry will be affected by the proposed 
Reliability Standard. At the time of Commission review of proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-012-2, 15 reliability coordinators, 71 
planning coordinators, 328 transmission owners, 930 generation owners, 
and 367 distribution providers in the United States were registered in 
the NERC compliance registry. However, under NERC's compliance 
registration program, entities may be registered for multiple 
functions, so these numbers incorporate some double counting. The 
Commission notes that many generation sites share a common generation 
owner. The following table illustrates the estimated burden to be 
applied to the information collection.\41\
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    \41\ In the burden table, engineering is abbreviated as ``Eng.'' 
and record keeping is abbreviated as ``R.K.''
    \42\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the 
following formula: Burden Hours per Response * $/hour = Cost per 
Response. The $64.29/hour figure for an engineer and the $37.75/hour 
figure for a record clerk are based on the average salary plus 
benefits data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

                                      RM16-20-000 (Mandatory Reliability Standards: Reliability Standard PRC-012-2)
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                                                              Number of
 Requirement and respondent category for      Number of     responses per   Total number of     Average burden hours and       Annual burden hours and
                PRC-012-2                    respondents     respondent        responses         cost per response \42\           total annual cost
                                                      (1)             (2)    (1) * (2) = (3)  (4).........................  (3) * (4) = (5)
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R1. Each RAS-entity (TO, GO, DP).........           1,595               1              1,595  (Eng.) 24 hrs. ($1,543);      57,420 hrs. (38,280 Eng.,
                                                                                               (R.K.) 12 hrs. ($453).        19,140 R.K.); $3,183,556
                                                                                                                             ($2,461,021 Eng., $722,535
                                                                                                                             R.K.).
R2. Each Reliability Coordinator.........              15               1                 15  (Eng.) 16 hrs. ($1,029);      300 hrs. (240 Eng., 60
                                                                                               (R.K.) 4 hrs. ($151).         R.K.); $17,695 ($15,430
                                                                                                                             Eng., $2,265 R.K.).
R4. Each Planning Coordinator............              71               1                 71  (Eng.) 16 hrs. ($1,029);      1,420 hrs. (1,136 Eng., 284
                                                                                               (R.K.) 4 hrs. ($151).         R.K.); $85,754 ($73,033
                                                                                                                             Eng., $10,721 R.K.).
R5, R6, R7, and R8. Each RAS-entity (TO,            1,595               1              1,595  (Eng.) 24 hrs. ($1,543);      57,420 hrs. (38,280 Eng.,
 GO, DP).                                                                                      (R.K.) 12 hrs. ($453).        19,140 R.K.); $3,183,556
                                                                                                                             ($2,461,021 Eng., $722,535
                                                                                                                             R.K.).
R9. Each Reliability Coordinator.........              15               1                 15  (Eng.) 10 hrs. ($653);        210 hrs. (150 Eng., 60
                                                                                               (R.K.) 4 hrs. ($151).         R.K.); $11,909 ($9,644
                                                                                                                             Eng., $2,265 R.K.).
                                          ---------------------------------------------------
    TOTAL................................  ..............  ..............              3,291  ............................  116,770 hrs. (78,086 Eng.,
                                                                                                                             38,684 R.K.); $6,480,470
                                                                                                                             ($5,020,149 Eng.;
                                                                                                                             $1,460,321 R.K.).
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    Title: FERC-725A (Mandatory Reliability Standards); FERC-725G 
(Mandatory Reliability Standards: PRC-012-2).
    Action: Revision to existing collections.

[[Page 9706]]

    OMB Control No: 1902-0244 (FERC-725A); 1902-0252 (FERC-725G).
    Respondents: Business or other for profit, and not for profit 
institutions.
    Frequency of Responses: Annually.
    Necessity of the Information: Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-
012-2 sets forth Requirements for remedial action schemes to ensure 
that remedial action schemes do not introduce unintentional or 
unacceptable reliability risks to the bulk electric system and are 
coordinated to provide the service to the system as intended.
    Internal review: The Commission has assured itself, by means of its 
internal review, that there is specific, objective support for the 
burden estimates associated with the information requirements.
    22. Interested persons may obtain information on the reporting 
requirements by contacting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
Office of the Executive Director, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 
20426 [Attention: Ellen Brown, email: DataClearance@ferc.gov, phone: 
(202) 502-8663, fax: (202) 273-0873].
    23. Comments concerning the information collection proposed in this 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking and the associated burden estimates 
should be sent to the Commission in this docket and may also be sent to 
the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs [Attention: Desk Officer for the Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission]. For security reasons, comments should be sent 
by email to OMB at the following email address: 
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. Please reference FERC-725A and FERC-725G 
and the docket number of this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Docket No. 
RM16-20-000) in your submission.

IV. Environmental Analysis

    24. The Commission is required to prepare an Environmental 
Assessment or an Environmental Impact Statement for any action that may 
have a significant adverse effect on the human environment.\43\ The 
action proposed here falls within the categorical exclusion in the 
Commission's regulations for rules that are clarifying, corrective or 
procedural, for information gathering, analysis, and dissemination.\44\
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    \43\ Regulations Implementing the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969, Order No. 486, 52 FR 47897 (Dec. 17, 1987), FERC Stats. 
& Regs. Preambles 1986-1990 ] 30,783 (1987).
    \44\ 18 CFR 380.4(a)(2)(ii) (2016).
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V. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    25. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA) \45\ generally 
requires a description and analysis of proposed rules that will have 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
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    \45\ 5 U.S.C. 601-612 (2012).
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    26. The proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 will apply to 
approximately 1,681 entities in the United States. Comparison of the 
applicable entities with the Commission's small business data indicates 
that approximately 1,025 are small entities or 61 percent of the 
respondents affected by proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2.\46\ 
The Commission estimates for these small entities, proposed Reliability 
Standard PRC-012-2 may need to be evaluated and documented every five 
years with a cost of $6,322 for each evaluation. The Commission views 
this as a minimal economic impact for each entity. Accordingly, the 
Commission certifies that the proposed Reliability Standard PRC-012-2 
will not have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of 
small entities.
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    \46\ The Small Business Administration sets the threshold for 
what constitutes a small business. Public utilities may fall under 
one of several different categories, each with a size threshold 
based on the company's number of employees, including affiliates, 
the parent company, and subsidiaries. For the analysis in this 
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, we apply a 500 employee threshold for 
each affected entity. Each entity is classified as Electric Bulk 
Power Transmission and Control (NAICS code 221121).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

VI. Comment Procedures

    27. The Commission invites interested persons to submit comments on 
the matters and issues proposed in this notice to be adopted, including 
any related matters or alternative proposals that commenters may wish 
to discuss. Comments are due April 10, 2017. Comments must refer to 
Docket No. RM16-20-000, and must include the commenter's name, the 
organization they represent, if applicable, and their address in their 
comments.
    28. The Commission encourages comments to be filed electronically 
via the eFiling link on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov. The Commission accepts most standard word processing 
formats. Documents created electronically using word processing 
software should be filed in native applications or print-to-PDF format 
and not in a scanned format. Commenters filing electronically do not 
need to make a paper filing.
    29. Commenters that are not able to file comments electronically 
must send an original of their comments to: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    30. All comments will be placed in the Commission's public files 
and may be viewed, printed, or downloaded remotely as described in the 
Document Availability section below. Commenters on this proposal are 
not required to serve copies of their comments on other commenters.

VII. Document Availability

    31. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the 
Federal Register, the Commission provides all interested persons an 
opportunity to view and/or print the contents of this document via the 
Internet through the Commission's Home Page (http://www.ferc.gov) and 
in the Commission's Public Reference Room during normal business hours 
(8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern time) at 888 First Street NE., Room 2A, 
Washington, DC 20426.
    32. From the Commission's Home Page on the Internet, this 
information is available on eLibrary. The full text of this document is 
available on eLibrary in PDF and Microsoft Word format for viewing, 
printing, and/or downloading. To access this document in eLibrary, type 
the docket number excluding the last three digits of this document in 
the docket number field.
    33. User assistance is available for eLibrary and the Commission's 
Web site during normal business hours from the Commission's Online 
Support at 202-502-6652 (toll free at 1-866-208-3676) or email at 
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or the Public Reference Room at (202) 502-
8371, TTY (202) 502-8659. Email the Public Reference Room at 
public.referenceroom@ferc.gov.

    By direction of the Commission.

    Issued: January 19, 2017.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2017-02331 Filed 2-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


