[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4009-4011]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01522]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC22-2-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-545) Comment 
Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or 
FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved 
information collection, FERC-545 (Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-
Formal)), which will be submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due February 25, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC-545 to OMB through 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

[[Page 4010]]

Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. Please 
identify the OMB Control Number (1902-0154) in the subject line of your 
comments. Comments should be sent within 30 days of publication of this 
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
    Please submit copies of your comments to the Commission. You may 
submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket No. IC22-2-000) by 
one of the following methods: Electronic filing through http://www.ferc.gov, is preferred.
     Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable 
native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture 
format.
     For those unable to file electronically, comments may be 
filed by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery.
    [cir] Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Addressed to: Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First 
Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
    [cir] Hand (including courier) Delivery: Deliver to: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
    Instructions: OMB submissions must be formatted and filed in 
accordance with submission guidelines at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Using the search function under the ``Currently Under Review'' 
field, select Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; click ``submit,'' 
and select ``comment'' to the right of the subject collection.
    FERC submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance with 
submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov. For user assistance, 
contact FERC Online Support by email at [email protected], or 
by phone at: (866) 208-3676 (toll-free).
    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 https://www.ferc.gov/ferc-online/overview.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at 
[email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: FERC-545, Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal).
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0154.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-545 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting 
requirements. No comments were received on the 60-day notice published 
November 15, 2021 (86 FR 63010).
    Abstract: FERC-545 is required to implement Sections 4, 5, and 16 
of the Natural Gas Act (NGA), (15 U.S.C. 717c, 717d, and 717o). NGA 
Sections 4, 5, and 16 authorize the Commission to inquire into rate 
structures and methodologies and to set rates at a just and reasonable 
level. Specifically, a natural gas company must obtain Commission 
authorization for all rates and charges made, demanded, or received in 
connection with the transportation or sale of natural gas in interstate 
commerce.
    Under the NGA, a natural gas company's rates must be just and 
reasonable and not unduly discriminatory or preferential. The 
Commission may act under different sections of the NGA to effect a 
change in a natural gas company's rate. When the Commission reviews 
rate increases that a natural gas company has proposed, it is subject 
to the requirement of Section 4(e) of the NGA. Under Section 4(e), the 
natural gas company bears the burden of proving that its proposed rates 
are just and reasonable. On the other hand, when the Commission seeks 
to impose its own rate determination, it must do so in compliance with 
Section 5(a) of the NGA. Under Section 5, the Commission must first 
establish that its alternative rate proposal is both just and 
reasonable.
    Section 16 of the NGA states that the Commission ``shall have the 
power to perform any and all acts, and to prescribe, issue, make, 
amend, and rescind such orders, rules, and regulations as it may find 
necessary or appropriate to carry out provisions of [the NGA].'' In 
other words, Section 16 of the NGA grants the Commission the power to 
define accounting, technical and trade terms, prescribe forms, 
statements, declarations, or reports and to prescribe rules and 
regulations.
    Pipelines adjust their tariffs to meet market and customer needs. 
The Commission's review of these proposed changes is required to ensure 
rates remain just and reasonable and that services are not provided in 
an unduly or preferential manner. The Commission's regulations in 18 
CFR part 154 specify what changes are allowed and the procedures for 
requesting Commission approval.
    The Commission uses information in FERC-545 to examine rates, 
services, and tariff provisions related to natural gas transportation 
and storage services. The following filing categories are subject to 
FERC-545: (1) Tariff Filings--filings regarding proposed changes to a 
pipeline's tariff (including Cost Recovery Mechanisms for Modernization 
of Natural Gas Facilities filings in Docket No. PL15-1) and any related 
compliance filings; (2) Rate Filings--rate-related filings under NGA 
sections 4 and 5 and any related compliance filings and settlements; 
(3) Informational Reports; (4) Negotiated Rate and Non-Conforming 
Agreement Filings; (5) North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) 
(RM96-1-042) Version 3.2; and (6) Market-Based Rates for Storage 
Filings (Part 284.501-505).
    Type of Respondents: Natural gas pipelines under the jurisdiction 
of NGA.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \1\ The public reporting burden has 
increased for this information collection due to normal fluctuations in 
industry and the inclusion of tariff filings in compliance with Order 
No. 587-Z. On July 15, 2021, in Docket No. RM96-1-042, the Commission 
amended its regulations to incorporate by reference the North American 
Energy Standards Board (NAESB) Wholesale Quadrant Version 3.2 
standards.\2\ The revisions made by NAESB Version 3.2 are designed to 
enhance the natural gas industries' cyber security measures.
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    \1\ 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.
    \2\ The final rule was published in the Federal Register on 
August 10, 2021 (86 FR 43590). OMB approved the information 
collection aspects of the rule, including revsions of FERC-545, in 
November of 2021.
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    The 60-day notice was published on November 15, 2021 (86 FR 63010). 
No comments were received.
    The Commission estimates the annual public reporting burden and 
cost for the information collection as follows:

[[Page 4011]]



                                                 FERC-545--Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal)
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                                                    Average number of                     Average burden and     Total annual
                                     Number of        responses per     Total number of   cost per  response   burden hours and    Cost per respondent
                                    respondents         respondent         responses              \3\         total annual cost            ($)
                                               (1)                (2)    (1) * (2) = (3)  (4)...............  (3) * (4) = (5)..                (5) / (1)
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Tariff Filings.................                109              2.768            301.712  211 hrs.; $20,467.  63,661.232 hrs.;                 56,652.66
                                                                                                               $6,175,139.50.
Rate Filings...................                 32                  2                 64  354 hrs.; $34,338.  22,656 hrs.;                        68,676
                                                                                                               $2,197,632.
Informational Reports..........                100              1.770                177  235 hrs.; $22,795.  41,595 hrs.;                     40,347.15
                                                                                                               $4,034,715.
Negotiated Rates & Non-                         69                 11                759  233 hrs.; $22,601.  176,847 hrs.;                      248,611
 Conforming Agreement Filings.                                                                                 $17,154,159.
Market-Base Rates for Storage                    2                  1                  2  230 hrs.; $22,310.  460 hrs.; $44,620                   22,310
 Filings.
NAESB (version 3.2) one time                    59                  1                 59  10 hrs.; $970.....  593.33 hrs.;                           970
 over 3 years carried over from                                                                                $57,553.33.
 RM96-1-42 \4\.
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    Total......................  .................  .................          1,362.712  ..................  $305,812.56 hrs.;  .......................
                                                                                                               29,663,818.51.
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    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.
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    \3\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) provided in 
this section is based on the salary figures for May 2021 posted by 
the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector (available 
at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm) and scaled to 
reflect benefits using the relative importance of employer costs for 
employee compensation from June 2021 (available at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm). The hourly estimates for 
salary plus benefits are:
    Computer and Information Systems Manager (Occupation Code: 11-
3021), $103.61
    Computer and Information Analysts (Occupation Code: 15-1120 
(1221), $67.99
    Electrical Engineer (Occupation Code: 17-2071), $72.15
    Legal (Occupation Code: 23-0000), $142.25
    The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits), weighing all of 
these skill sets evenly, is $96.50. We round it to $97/hour.
    \4\ The final rule in Docket No. RM96-1-042 was published in the 
Federal Register on August 10, 2021 (86 FR 43590). OMB approved the 
information collection aspects of the rule, including revisions of 
FERC-545, in November of 2021.

    Dated: January 20, 2022.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-01522 Filed 1-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


