[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 14 (Wednesday, January 22, 2014)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 3547-3552]
[FR Doc No: 2014-01143]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

18 CFR Part 40

[Docket No. RM14-1-000]

Reliability Standard for Geomagnetic Disturbance Operations

AGENCY:  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION:  Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY:  Pursuant to section 215 of the Federal Power Act, the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) proposes to approve
Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 (Geomagnetic Disturbance Operations).
The North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the Commission-
certified Electric Reliability Organization, submitted the proposed
Reliability Standard for Commission approval in response to a
Commission directive in Order No. 779. Proposed Reliability Standard
EOP-010-1 is designed to mitigate the effects of geomagnetic
disturbances on the Bulk-Power System by requiring responsible entities
to implement Operating Plans and Operating Procedures or Processes.

DATES:  Comments are due March 24, 2014.

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:
Michael Gandolfo (Technical Information), Office of Electric
Reliability, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street
NE., Washington, DC 20426, Telephone:<PHONE_NUMBER>,
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Matthew Vlissides (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington,
DC 20426, Telephone:<PHONE_NUMBER><EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
146 FERC ] 61,015
Before Commissioners: Cheryl A. LaFleur, Acting Chairman; Philip D.
Moeller, John R. Norris, and Tony Clark.
(Issued January 16, 2014)

    1. Pursuant to section 215 of the Federal Power Act (FPA),\1\ the
Commission proposes to approve Reliability Standard EOP-010-1
(Geomagnetic Disturbance Operations). The North American Electric
Reliability Corporation (NERC), the Commission-certified Electric
Reliability Organization (ERO), submitted the proposed Reliability
Standard for Commission approval in response to a Commission directive
in Order No. 779.\2\ The proposed Reliability Standard is designed to
mitigate the effects of geomagnetic disturbances (GMDs) on the Bulk-
Power System by requiring responsible entities to implement Operating
Plans and Operating Procedures or Processes. The Commission also
proposes to approve the associated violation risk factors and violation
severity levels, implementation plan, and effective dates proposed by
NERC.
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    \1\ 16 U.S.C. 824o.
    \2\ Reliability Standards for Geomagnetic Disturbances, Order
No. 779, 78 FR 30747 (May 23, 2013), 143 FERC ] 61,147, reh'g
denied, 144 FERC ] 61,113 (2013).
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I. Background

A. Section 215 and Mandatory Reliability Standards

    2. Section 215 of the FPA requires the Commission to certify an ERO
to develop mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards, subject to
Commission review and approval.\3\ Once approved, the Reliability
Standards may be enforced in the United States by the ERO, subject to
Commission oversight, or by the Commission independently.\4\
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    \3\ 16 U.S.C. 824o.
    \4\ Id. 824o(e).
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B. Order No. 779

    3. In Order No. 779, the Commission directed NERC, pursuant to FPA
section 215(d)(5), to develop and submit for approval proposed
Reliability Standards that address the impact of GMDs on the reliable
operation of the Bulk-Power System. The Commission based its directive
on the potentially severe, wide-spread impact on the reliable operation
of the Bulk-Power System that can be caused by GMD events and the
absence of existing Reliability Standards to address GMD events.\5\
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    \5\ Order No. 779, 143 FERC ] 61,147 at P 3.
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    4. The Commission directed NERC to implement the directive in two
stages. In the first stage, the Commission directed NERC to submit,
within six months of the effective date of Order No. 779, one or more
Reliability Standards (First Stage GMD Reliability Standards) that
require owners and operators of the Bulk-Power System to develop and
implement operational procedures to mitigate the effects of GMDs
consistent with the reliable operation of the Bulk-Power System.\6\
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    \6\ Id. P 2.
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    5. In the second stage, the Commission directed NERC to submit,
within 18 months of the effective date of Order No. 779, one or more
Reliability Standards (Second Stage GMD Reliability Standards) that
require owners and operators of the Bulk-Power System to conduct
initial and on-going assessments of the potential impact of benchmark
GMD events on Bulk-Power System equipment and the Bulk-Power System as
a whole. Order No. 779 directed that the Second Stage GMD Reliability
Standards must identify benchmark GMD events that specify what severity
GMD events a responsible entity must assess for potential impacts on
the Bulk-Power System.\7\ Order No. 779 explained that, if the
assessments identify potential impacts from benchmark GMD events, the
Reliability Standards should require owners and operators to develop
and implement a plan to protect against instability, uncontrolled
separation, or cascading failures of the Bulk-Power System, caused by
damage to critical or vulnerable Bulk-Power System equipment, or
otherwise, as a result of a benchmark GMD event. The Commission
directed that the development of this plan could not be limited to
considering operational procedures or enhanced training alone, but
should, subject to the potential impacts of the benchmark GMD events
identified in the assessments, contain strategies for protecting
against the potential impact of GMDs based on factors such as the age,
condition, technical specifications, system configuration, or location
of specific equipment.\8\ Order No. 779 observed that these strategies
could, for example, include automatically blocking geomagnetically
induced currents from entering the Bulk-Power System, instituting
specification requirements for new equipment, inventory management,
isolating certain equipment that is not cost effective to retrofit, or
a combination thereof.
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    \7\ Id.
    \8\ Id.
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C. NERC Petition

    6. On November 13, 2013, NERC petitioned the Commission to approve
proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 and its associated violation
risk factors and violation severity levels, implementation plan, and
effective dates. NERC states that the proposed Reliability Standard is
just, reasonable, not unduly discriminatory or preferential, and in the
public interest. Further, NERC maintains that the proposed Reliability
Standard satisfies the Commission's directive in Order No. 779
corresponding to the development and submission of the First Stage GMD
Reliability Standards.
    7. NERC states that, consistent with Order No. 779 and the NERC
Functional Model, proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 applies to
reliability coordinators and to transmission operators with a
``Transmission Operator Area that includes a power transformer with a
high side wye-grounded winding with terminal voltage greater than 200
kV.'' \9\ NERC explains that the proposed Reliability Standard has
three requirements: (1) Requirement R1 addresses coordination by
reliability coordinators within their areas; (2) Requirement R2
addresses the dissemination of space weather information by reliability
coordinators to ensure that entities within a reliability coordinator
area have the appropriate information necessary to take action and that
the same information is available to all entities; and (3) Requirement
R3 requires transmission operators to develop GMD Operating Procedures
or Processes.
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    \9\ NERC Petition at 8 (``A power transformer with a `high side
wye-grounded winding' refers to a power transformer with windings on
the high voltage side that are connected in a wye configuration and
have a grounded neutral connection.'').
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    8. NERC states that Requirement R1 requires reliability
coordinators to develop, maintain, and implement a GMD Operating Plan
that coordinates the GMD Operating Procedures or Operating Processes
within the reliability coordinator area.\10\ NERC explains that
reliability coordinators are required to ensure that GMD Operating
Procedures and Operating Processes in a reliability coordinator area
are not in conflict, but reliability coordinators will not review the
technical aspects of the GMD Operating Procedures and Operating
Processes.\11\ Instead, NERC

points out that transmission operators will be responsible for the
technical aspects of their Operating Procedures and Operating
Processes. NERC further states that Requirement R1 requires reliability
coordinators to describe the activities that must be undertaken in
order to mitigate the effects of a GMD event. NERC explains that,
pursuant to Reliability Standard IRO-001-1.1, reliability coordinators
have decision-making authority to act and to direct actions to be taken
by transmission operators, balancing authorities, generator operators,
transmission service providers, load-serving entities, and purchasing-
selling entities within their reliability coordinator area to preserve
the reliability of the bulk electric system.
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    \10\ Operating Plan, Operating Procedure, and Operating Process
are existing terms defined in the Glossary of Terms Used in NERC
Reliability Standards. See Glossary of Terms Used in NERC
Reliability Standards (effective November 21, 2013) at 49-50.
    \11\ NERC explains that ``if Company A submitted an Operating
Procedure proposing to take Line X out of service under specified
GMD conditions, and Company B submitted an Operating Procedure that
relies on Line X remaining in service in the event of a GMD--it is
the responsibility of the Reliability Coordinator to identify this
conflict.'' NERC Petition at 11-12 (emphasis in original). Beyond
identifying a conflict and requiring its resolution by Company A and
Company B, NERC states that the review is ``not intended to be a
review by the Reliability Coordinator of the technical aspects of
the GMD Operating Procedures or Processes.'' Id.
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    9. NERC states that Requirement R2 requires reliability
coordinators to disseminate space weather information to ensure
coordination and consistent awareness in its reliability coordinator
area. NERC maintains that entrusting this responsibility to reliability
coordinators is appropriate given the reliability coordinator's wide-
area view. NERC also explains that Requirement R2 replaces existing
Requirement R3 of Reliability Standard IRO-005-3.1a, which currently
addresses dissemination of information regarding GMD forecasts.\12\
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    \12\ According to NERC, Reliability Standard IRO-005-3.1a will
be retired once the Commission approves proposed Reliability
Standard IRO-005-4, which is currently pending before the
Commission. NERC Petition at 13.
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    10. NERC states that Requirement R3 requires transmission operators
to develop GMD Operating Procedures or Operating Processes to address
GMD events. NERC explains that Requirement R3 is not prescriptive and
allows entities to tailor their Operating Procedures or Operating
Processes based on the responsible entity's assessment of entity-
specific factors, such as geography, geology, and system topology.
According to NERC, Requirement R3 requires each transmission operator
to specify: (1) Steps or tasks that must be conducted to receive space
weather information; (2) what actions must be taken under what
conditions, and such conditions must be predetermined; and (3) when and
under what conditions the Operating Procedure or Operating Process is
exited. NERC maintains that proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1
does not prescribe specific actions that must be taken by responsible
entities because ``a `one-size fits all' approach to crafting GMD
Reliability Standards would fail to recognize the important role of
locational differences.'' \13\
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    \13\ NERC Petition at 14.
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II. Discussion

    11. Pursuant to FPA section 215(d)(2), we propose to approve
Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 as just, reasonable, not unduly
discriminatory or preferential, and in the public interest. Proposed
Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 addresses the directive in Order No. 779
that NERC submit one or more Reliability Standards that require owners
and operators of the Bulk-Power System to develop and implement
operational procedures to mitigate the effects of GMDs consistent with
the reliable operation of the Bulk-Power System.\14\ As the Commission
stated in Order No. 779, ``operational procedures, while not a complete
solution, constitute an important first step to addressing the GMD
reliability gap because they can be implemented relatively quickly . .
. [o]perational procedures may help alleviate abnormal system
conditions due to transformer absorption of reactive power during GMD
events, helping to stabilize system voltage swings, and may potentially
isolate some equipment from being damaged or misoperated.'' \15\ The
Commission seeks comments from interested entities on our proposal to
approve proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1.
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    \14\ Proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 only addresses the
First Stage GMD Reliability Standards directed in Order No. 779. The
proposed Reliability Standard does not address the Second Stage GMD
Reliability Standards, which NERC indicates are under development.
NERC Petition at 3.
    \15\ Order No. 779, 143 FERC ] 61,147 at P 36.
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A. Proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1

    12. The Commission proposes to approve Reliability Standard EOP-
010-1 based on our review of NERC's petition and supporting exhibits.
We believe that the proposed Reliability Standard satisfies the
directive in Order No. 779 that NERC submit one or more Reliability
Standards that require owners and operators of the Bulk-Power System to
develop and implement operational procedures to mitigate the effects of
GMDs consistent with the reliable operation of the Bulk-Power System.
Further, the proposed Reliability Standard is consistent with the
guidance in Order No. 779 that NERC develop Reliability Standards that,
rather than require specific operational procedures, require
responsible entities to develop and implement entity-specific
operational procedures because owners and operators of the Bulk-Power
System are most familiar with their own equipment and system
configurations.\16\ The proposed Reliability Standard also requires
coordination of operational procedures and processes, overseen by a
functional entity with a wide-area perspective (i.e., reliability
coordinators), which is also consistent with the guidance in Order No.
779.\17\
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    \16\ Id. P 38.
    \17\ Id.
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    13. With respect to the applicability of proposed Reliability
Standard EOP-010-1, NERC submitted a white paper explaining the
technical justification for basing the applicability of the proposed
Reliability Standard, with respect to transmission operators, on the
presence of a power transformer with a high side wye-grounded winding
with terminal voltage greater than 200 kV in the transmission operator
area.\18\ NERC also explains, in a separate white paper, its proposal
regarding the applicability of the proposed Reliability Standard to
reliability coordinators and transmission operators only.\19\ The White
Paper Supporting Functional Entity Applicability explains that the
reliability coordinator has ``responsibility and authority for reliable
operation within the Reliability Coordinator Area (RCA) . . . and
includes a wide-area view with situational awareness of neighboring
RCAs.'' \20\ NERC states that including reliability coordinators as
applicable entities ``provides the necessary coordination for planning
and real-time actions.'' \21\ With respect to transmission operators,
NERC explains that ``[l]ike the [reliability coordinator], the
[transmission operator] has responsibility and authority for the
reliable operation of the transmission system within a specified
area.'' \22\ In addition, NERC justifies omitting balancing authorities
and generator operators from the scope of the proposed Reliability
Standard. NERC explains that balancing authorities ``can be expected to
address GMD impacts through use of generation . . . [but] the
[balancing authority] would not initiate actions unilaterally during a
GMD event and would instead respond to the direction of the
[transmission operator]

and [reliability coordinator].'' \23\ As for generator operators, NERC
states that some generator operators ``would not have the technical
basis for taking steps [to mitigate GMDs] on [their] own and would
instead take steps based on the [reliability coordinator] or
[transmission operator's] Operating Plans, Processes, or Procedures.''
\24\ NERC also notes that generator owners and generator operators will
be considered for inclusion in the Second Stage GMD Reliability
Standards, ``which will require applicable entities to conduct
vulnerability assessment and develop appropriate mitigation strategies
. . . [and that] [s]uch mitigation strategies could include the
development of Operating Procedures for applicable [generator owners]
and [generator operators].'' \25\
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    \18\ NERC Petition, Exhibit D (White Paper Supporting Network
Applicability) at 1.
    \19\ NERC Petition, Exhibit E (White Paper Supporting Functional
Entity Applicability).
    \20\ Id. at 2.
    \21\ Id.
    \22\ Id.
    \23\ Id. at 3-4.
    \24\ Id. at 4.
    \25\ Id.
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    14. We believe that the applicability designations in the proposed
Reliability Standard are appropriate, based on the justifications set
forth in the white papers in Exhibits D and E of NERC's petition.

B. Violation Risk Factors and Violation Severity Levels

    15. Each requirement of proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1
includes one violation risk factor and has an associated set of at
least one violation severity level. The ranges of penalties for
violations will be based on the sanctions table and supporting penalty
determination process described in the Commission-approved NERC
Sanction Guidelines, according to the NERC petition. The Commission
proposes to approve the proposed violation risk factors and violation
severity levels for the requirements proposed in Reliability Standard
EOP-010-1as consistent with the Commission's established
guidelines.\26\
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    \26\ North American Electric Reliability Corp., 135 FERC ]
61,166 (2011).
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C. Implementation Plan and Effective Dates

    16. The NERC petition proposes that Reliability Standard EOP-010-1
become effective the ``first day of the first calendar quarter that is
six months after the date that this standard is approved by an
applicable governmental authority.'' \27\ However, NERC states that
Requirement R2 of Reliability Standard EOP-010-1, pertaining to
reliability coordinator dissemination of space weather information, is
meant to replace existing Requirement R3 of Reliability Standard IRO-
005-3.1a, which includes similar language. Therefore, to avoid
duplicative requirements being enforced at the same time, NERC proposes
that, if Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 becomes effective prior to the
retirement of Reliability Standard IRO-005-3.1a, then Requirement R2 of
Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 will not become effective until the
first day following retirement of Reliability Standard IRO-005-
3.1a.\28\ Requirements R1 and R3 of Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 will
still be effective the first day of the first calendar quarter that is
six months after the date that the proposed Reliability Standard is
approved by an applicable governmental authority.\29\ The Commission
proposes to accept NERC's implementation plan and effective dates for
proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1.
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    \27\ NERC Petition, Exhibit B (Implementation Plan) at 2.
    \28\ We agree with NERC that Reliability Standard IRO-005-3.1a,
Requirement R3, which requires that ``[e]ach Reliability Coordinator
shall ensure its Transmission Operators and Balancing Authorities
are aware of Geo-Magnetic Disturbance (GMD) forecast information and
assist as needed in the development of any required response
plans,'' and Requirement R2 of proposed Reliability Standard EOP-
010-1, which requires that ``[e]ach Reliability Coordinator shall
disseminate forecasted and current space weather information to
functional entities identified as recipients in the Reliability
Coordinator's GMD Operating Plan,'' are largely duplicative in that
both requirements require the dissemination of GMD forecast
information, at a minimum, to applicable transmission operators.
    \29\ Id. On April 16, 2013, NERC submitted a petition requesting
approval of three revised IRO Reliability Standards and the
retirement or revision of six currently-effective Reliability
Standards, including IRO-005-3.1a (Docket No. RM13-15-000). On
November 21, 2013, the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking that, inter alia, proposes to remand the proposed IRO
Reliability Standards and related retirements and revisions. See
Monitoring System Conditions--Transmission Operations Reliability
Standard, Transmission Operation Reliability Standards,
Interconnection Reliability Operations and Coordination Reliability
Standards, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 78 FR 73112 (Dec. 5,
2013), 145 FERC ] 61,158 (2013).
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III. Information Collection Statement

    17. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations require
approval of certain information collection requirements imposed by
agency rules. 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 an agency 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. The Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) requires each federal agency
to seek and obtain OMB approval before undertaking a collection of
information directed to ten or more persons, or contained in a rule of
general applicability.
    18. The Commission is submitting these reporting requirements to
OMB for its review and approval under section 3507(d) of the PRA.
Comments are solicited on the Commission's need for this information,
whether the information will have practical utility, ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected,
and any suggested methods for minimizing the respondent's burden,
including the use of automated information techniques.
    19. The Commission based its paperwork burden estimates on the NERC
compliance registry as of November 27, 2013. According to the registry,
there are 16 reliability coordinators and 183 transmission operators.
    20. The Commission estimates an increased burden for each
requirement, as dictated in the chart below, for a total estimated
burden of $238,800. The Commission based the burden estimates on staff
experience, knowledge, and expertise:

                                      Burden Estimate for Implementation of Proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1
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                                                     Number of          Number of        Average burden      Total annual
 Reliability standard number        Type of       respondents \30\    responses per        hours per         burden hours       Total annual cost \31\
                                  respondents           (1)          respondent  (2)     response  (3)        (1)(2)(3)
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EOP-010-1 (R1)...............  Reliability                      16                  1                 20                320  $19,200 ($60/hr).
                                Coordinator.
EOP-010-1 (R3)...............  Transmission                    183                  1                 20               3660  $219,600 ($60/hr).
                                Operator.
                                                --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total....................  ................  .................  .................  .................               3980  $238,800.
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    21. The above chart does not include Reliability Standard EOP-010-
1, Requirement R2 because, as NERC states, that requirement replaces
IRO-005-3.1a, Requirement R3 and has no change in overall burden. In
addition, while our burden estimate with respect to Reliability
Standard EOP-010-1, Requirement R3 assumes that all 183 transmission
operators are subject to that requirement, we note that not all 183
transmission operators are likely to be subject to Requirement R3
because that requirement only applies to transmission operators with a
Transmission Operator Area that includes a power transformer with a
high side, wye-grounded winding with terminal voltage greater than 200
kV.
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    \30\ This number was calculated by adding all the applicable
entities while removing double counting caused by entities
registered under multiple functions.
    \31\The estimated hourly loaded cost (salary plus benefits) for
an engineer is assumed to be $60/hour, based on salaries as reported
by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) (http://bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm). Loaded costs are BLS rates divided by 0.703 and
rounded to the nearest dollar (http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm).
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    Title: FERC-725S, Mandatory Reliability Standards: Reliability
Standard EOP-010-1.
    Action: Proposed Collection of Information.
    OMB Control No: To be determined.
    Respondents: Business or other for profit, and not for profit
institutions.
    Frequency of Responses: One-time.
    Necessity of the Information: The proposed Reliability Standard
EOP-010-1, if adopted, would implement the Congressional mandate of the
Energy Policy Act of 2005 to develop mandatory and enforceable
Reliability Standards to better ensure the reliability of the nation's
Bulk-Power System. Specifically, the proposal would ensure that
responsible entities have Operating Plans and Operating Procedures or
Processes in place to mitigate the effects of geomagnetic disturbances
on the Bulk-Power System.
    Internal review: The Commission has reviewed the proposed changes
and has determined that the changes are necessary to ensure the
reliability and integrity of the Nation's Bulk-Power System.
    22. Interested persons may obtain information on the reporting
requirements by contacting: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426 [Attention: Ellen Brown, Office
of the Executive Director, email<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Phone: (202)
502-8663, fax:<PHONE_NUMBER>]. Comments on the requirements of this
rule may also be sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503
[Attention: Desk Officer for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission].
For security reasons, comments should be sent by email to OMB at<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Comments submitted to OMB should include Docket
Number RM14-1-000.

IV. Environmental Analysis

    23. 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.\32\ The
Commission has categorically excluded certain actions from this
requirement as not having a significant effect on the human
environment. Included in the exclusion are rules that are clarifying,
corrective, or procedural or that do not substantially change the
effect of the regulations being amended.\33\ The actions proposed here
fall within this categorical exclusion in the Commission's regulations.
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    \32\ Regulations Implementing the National Environmental Policy
Act, Order No. 486, 52 FR 47897 (Dec. 17, 1987), FERC Stats. &
Regs., Regulations Preambles 1986-1990 ] 30,783 (1987).
    \33\ 18 CFR 380.4(a)(2)(ii).
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V. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    24. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA) \34\ 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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    \34\ 5 U.S.C. 601-612.
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    25. Comparison of the NERC compliance registry with data submitted
to the Energy Information Administration on Form EIA-861 indicates that
perhaps as many as 34 small entities are registered as transmission
operators and no small entities are registered as reliability
coordinators. However, the Commission estimates that there will be no
material change in burden for the 34 transmission operators that
qualify as small entities because they will likely not be affected by
proposed Reliability Standard EOP-010-1. Proposed Reliability Standard
EOP-010-1 applies to transmission operators with a Transmission
Operator Area that includes a power transformer with a high side, wye-
grounded winding with terminal voltage greater than 200 kV.
Transmission operators with Transmission Operator Areas that include a
power transformer with a high side, wye-grounded winding with terminal
voltage greater than 200 kV are generally large entities serving
substantial geographical areas with significant energy output.
    26. Based on the above, the Commission certifies that the proposed
Reliability Standard EOP-010-1 will not have a significant impact on a
substantial number of small entities. Accordingly, no initial
regulatory flexibility analysis is required. The Commission seeks
comment on the Commission's proposed certification.

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 March 24, 2014. Comments must refer to
Docket No. RM14-1-000, 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<PHONE_NUMBER> (toll free at 1-866-208-3676) or email at
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or the Public Reference Room at (202) 502-
8371, TTY<PHONE_NUMBER>. Email the Public Reference Room at
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
    By direction of the Commission.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2014-01143 Filed 1-21-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P