[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 211 (Thursday, November 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50885-50887]
[FR Doc No: 2017-23836]

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

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Food and Drug Administration

[Docket No. FDA-2014-N-0998]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Regulations for In Vivo Radiopharmaceuticals Used for
Diagnosis and Monitoring

AGENCY: Food and Drug Administration, HHS.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) is announcing
an opportunity for public comment on the proposed collection of certain
information by the Agency. Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), Federal Agencies are required to publish notice in the Federal
Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including
each proposed extension of an existing collection of information, and
to allow 60 days for public comment in response to the notice. This
notice solicits comments on information collection in the regulations
for in vivo radiopharmaceuticals used for diagnosis and monitoring.

DATES: Submit either electronic or written comments on the collection
of information by January 2, 2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments as follows. Please note that late,
untimely filed comments will not be considered. Electronic comments
must be submitted on or before January 2, 2018. The https://www.regulations.gov electronic filing system will accept comments until
midnight Eastern Time at the end of January 2, 2018. Comments received
by mail/hand delivery/courier (for written/paper submissions) will be
considered timely if they are postmarked or the delivery service
acceptance receipt is on or before that date.

Electronic Submissions

    Submit electronic comments in the following way:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Comments submitted
electronically, including attachments, to https://

www.regulations.gov will be posted to the docket unchanged. Because
your comment will be made public, you are solely responsible for
ensuring that your comment does not include any confidential
information that you or a third party may not wish to be posted, such
as medical information, your or anyone else's Social Security number,
or confidential business information, such as a manufacturing process.
Please note that if you include your name, contact information, or
other information that identifies you in the body of your comments,
that information will be posted on https://www.regulations.gov.
     If you want to submit a comment with confidential
information that you do not wish to be made available to the public,
submit the comment as a written/paper submission and in the manner
detailed (see ``Written/Paper Submissions'' and ``Instructions'').

Written/Paper Submissions

    Submit written/paper submissions as follows:
     Mail/Hand delivery/Courier (for written/paper
submissions): Dockets Management Staff (HFA-305), Food and Drug
Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
     For written/paper comments submitted to the Dockets
Management Staff, FDA will post your comment, as well as any
attachments, except for information submitted, marked and identified,
as confidential, if submitted as detailed in ``Instructions.''
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the Docket No.
FDA-2010-N-0988 for ``Agency Information Collection Activities;
Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Regulations for In Vivo
Radiopharmaceuticals Used for Diagnosis and Monitoring.'' Received
comments, those filed in a timely manner (see ADDRESSES), will be
placed in the docket and, except for those submitted as ``Confidential
Submissions,'' publicly viewable at https://www.regulations.gov or at
the Dockets Management Staff between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through
Friday.
     Confidential Submissions--To submit a comment with
confidential information that you do not wish to be made publicly
available, submit your comments only as a written/paper submission. You
should submit two copies total. One copy will include the information
you claim to be confidential with a heading or cover note that states
``THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION.'' The Agency will
review this copy, including the claimed confidential information, in
its consideration of comments. The second copy, which will have the
claimed confidential information redacted/blacked out, will be
available for public viewing and posted on https://www.regulations.gov.
Submit both copies to the Dockets Management Staff. If you do not wish
your name and contact information to be made publicly available, you
can provide this information on the cover sheet and not in the body of
your comments and you must identify this information as
``confidential.'' Any information marked as ``confidential'' will not
be disclosed except in accordance with 21 CFR 10.20 and other
applicable disclosure law. For more information about FDA's posting of
comments to public dockets, see 80 FR 56469, September 18, 2015, or
access the information at: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2015-09-18/pdf/2015-23389.pdf.
    Docket: For access to the docket to read background documents or
the electronic and written/paper comments received, go to https://www.regulations.gov and insert the docket number, found in brackets in
the heading of this document, into the ``Search'' box and follow the
prompts and/or go to the Dockets Management Staff, 5630 Fishers Lane,
Rm. 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Domini Bean, Office of Operations,
Food and Drug Administration, Three White Flint North, 10A-12M, 11601
Landsdown St., North Bethesda, MD 20852,<PHONE_NUMBER>,
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501-3520), Federal
Agencies must obtain approval from the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for each collection of information they conduct or sponsor.
``Collection of information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR
1320.3(c) and includes Agency requests or requirements that members of
the public submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a
third party. Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A))
requires Federal Agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal
Register concerning each proposed collection of information, including
each proposed extension of an existing collection of information,
before submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with
this requirement, FDA is publishing notice of the proposed collection
of information set forth in this document.
    With respect to the following collection of information, FDA
invites comments on these topics: (1) Whether the proposed collection
of information is necessary for the proper performance of FDA's
functions, including whether the information will have practical
utility; (2) the accuracy of FDA's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents,
including through the use of automated collection techniques, when
appropriate, and other forms of information technology.

Regulations for In Vivo Radiopharmaceuticals Used for Diagnosis and
Monitoring

OMB Control Number 0910-0409--Extension

    This information collection supports FDA regulations found in 21
CFR part 315. These regulations require manufacturers of diagnostic
radiopharmaceuticals to submit information that demonstrates the safety
and effectiveness of a new diagnostic radiopharmaceutical or of a new
indication for use of an approved diagnostic radiopharmaceutical. The
regulations also describe the kinds of indications for diagnostic
radiopharmaceuticals and some of the criteria that the Agency uses to
evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a diagnostic
radiopharmaceutical under section 505 of the Federal Food, Drug, and
Cosmetic Act (21 U.S.C. 355) (the FD&C Act) and section 351 of the
Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 262) (the PHS Act). Information
about the safety or effectiveness of a diagnostic radiopharmaceutical
enables FDA to properly evaluate the safety and effectiveness profiles
of a new diagnostic radiopharmaceutical or a new indication for use of
an approved diagnostic radiopharmaceutical.
    The regulations clarify existing FDA requirements for approval and
evaluation of drug and biological products already in place under the
authorities of the FD&C Act and the PHS Act. The information, which is
usually submitted as part of a new drug application or biologics
license application or as a supplement to an approved application,
typically includes, but is not limited to, nonclinical and clinical
data on the pharmacology, toxicology, adverse events, radiation safety
assessments, and chemistry, manufacturing, and controls. The content
and format of an application for approval of a new drug

are set forth in 21 CFR 314.50, and approved under OMB control number
0910-0001. This information collection supports part 315, currently
approved under OMB control number 0910-0409.
    Based on past submissions (human drug applications and/or new
indication supplements for diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals), we
estimate two submissions will be received annually. We estimate the
time needed to prepare a complete application for a diagnostic
radiopharmaceutical to be approximately 10,000 hours, roughly one-fifth
of which, or 2,000 hours, is estimated to be spent preparing the
portions of the application that would be affected by these
regulations. The regulations do not impose any additional reporting
burden for safety and effectiveness information on diagnostic
radiopharmaceuticals beyond the estimated burden of 2,000 hours because
safety and effectiveness information is already required by Sec.
314.50 (collection of information approved under OMB control number
0910-0001). In fact, clarification in these regulations of FDA's
criteria for evaluation of diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals is intended
to streamline overall information collection burdens, particularly for
diagnostic radiopharmaceuticals that may have well-established, low-
risk safety profiles, by enabling manufacturers to tailor information
submissions and avoid unnecessary clinical studies.
    FDA estimates the burden of this information collection as follows:

                                 Table 1--Estimated Annual Reporting Burden \1\
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                            Number of                    Average
                                              Number of     responses   Total annual   burden per
              21 CFR section                 respondents       per        responses     response     Total hours
                                                           respondent                  (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Diagnostic Radiopharmaceuticals--315.4,               2             1             2         2,000         4,000
 315.5, and 315.6.........................
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\[thinsp]There are no capital costs or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection of
  information.

    Table 1 contains estimates of the annual reporting burden for the
preparation of the safety and effectiveness sections of an application
that are imposed by the applicable regulations. This estimate does not
include time needed to conduct studies and clinical trials or other
research from which the reported information is obtained.

    Dated: October 27, 2017.
Anna K. Abram,
Deputy Commissioner for Policy, Planning, Legislation, and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2017-23836 Filed 11-1-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4164-01-P


[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 228 (Tuesday, November 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70751-70752]
[FR Doc No: 2012-28650]

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

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OECA-2012-0528; FRL-9524-6]

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment Request; NSPS for Synthetic Fiber
Production Facilities (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing
approved collection. The ICR which is abstracted below describes the
nature of the collection and the estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before December 27,
2012.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number EPA-HQ-
OECA-2012-0528, to: (1) EPA online, using www.regulations.gov (our
preferred method), or by email to<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or by mail to:
EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Environmental Protection Agency,
Enforcement and Compliance Docket and Information Center, mail code
28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460; and (2) OMB
at: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management
and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street NW.,
Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Learia Williams, Monitoring,
Assistance, and Media Programs Division, Office of Compliance, Mail
Code 2227A, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number:<PHONE_NUMBER>; fax number:
(202) 564-0050; email address<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR
1320.12. On August 9, 2012 (77 FR 47631), EPA sought comments on this
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any
additional comments on this ICR should be submitted to both EPA and OMB
within 30 days of this notice.

    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under docket ID
number EPA-HQ-OECA-2012-0528, which is available for public viewing
online at http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the
Enforcement and Compliance Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC),
EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC. The
EPA Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone
number for the Reading Room is<PHONE_NUMBER>, and the telephone number
for the Enforcement and Compliance Docket is<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov to either submit or view public comments, access
the index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made
available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA
receives them and without change, unless the comment contains
copyrighted material, Confidentiality of Business Information (CBI), or
other information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. For
further information about the electronic docket, go to
www.regulations.gov.
    Title: NSPS for Synthetic Fiber Production Facilities (Renewal).
    ICR Numbers: EPA ICR Number 1156.12, OMB Control Number 2060-0059.
    ICR Status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2012.
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to either conduct or
sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending
at OMB.

Abstract

    The affected entities are subject to the General Provisions of the
NSPS at 40 CFR part 60, subpart A and any changes, or additions to the
Provisions specified at 40 CFR part 60, subpart HHH.
    Owners or operators of the affected facilities must make an initial
notification report, performance tests, periodic reports, and maintain
records of the occurrence and duration of any startup, shutdown, or
malfunction in the operation of an affected facility, or any period
during which the monitoring system is inoperative. Reports are also
required semiannually.

Burden Statement

    The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this
collection of information is estimated to average 34 hours per
response. ``Burden'' means 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. This
includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire,
install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of
collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information;
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously-applicable
instructions and requirements which have subsequently changed; train
personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information; search
data sources; complete and review the collection of information; and
transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Owners or operators of synthetic
fiber production facilities.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 22.
    Frequency of Response: Occasionally, quarterly and semiannually.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,860.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $345,058, which includes $180,058 in
labor costs, no capital/startup costs, and $165,000 in operation and
maintenance (O&M) costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is no change in the respondent
burden hours in this ICR compared to the previous ICR. This is due to
two considerations: (1) The regulations have not changed over the past
three years and are not anticipated to change over the next three
years; and (2) the growth rate for the industry is very low, negative
or non-existent, so there is no significant change in the overall
burden. However, there is an increase of one burden hour for the Agency
due a correction of rounding error in the previous ICR.
    There is an increase in burden costs for both the respondents and
the Agency due to an adjustment in labor rates. This ICR uses updated
labor rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate burden
costs.

John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-28650 Filed 11-26-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 62 (Monday, April 1, 2013)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 19409-19413]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07078]

=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

18 CFR Part 154

[Docket No. RM12-14-000; Order No. 776]

Annual Charge Filing Procedures for Natural Gas Pipelines

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Energy.

ACTION: Final rule.

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

SUMMARY: In this Final Rule, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission or FERC) is amending its regulations to revise the filing
requirements for natural gas pipelines that choose to recover
Commission-assessed annual charges through an annual charge adjustment
(ACA) clause. Currently, natural gas pipelines utilizing an ACA clause
must make an annual tariff filing to reflect a revised ACA unit charge
authorized by the Commission for that fiscal year. To reduce the
regulatory burden on these pipelines, the Commission will eliminate
this annual filing requirement. In its place, the Commission will
require natural gas pipelines utilizing an ACA clause to incorporate
the Commission-authorized annual charge unit rate by reference to that
rate, as published on the Commission's Web site located at http://www.ferc.gov.

DATES: This rule will become effective May 31, 2013.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Adam Bednarczyk (Technical Issues),
888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426,<PHONE_NUMBER>,
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Michelle A. Davis (Legal Issues), 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426,<PHONE_NUMBER>,
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Before Commissioners: Jon Wellinghoff, Chairman; Philip D. Moeller,
John R. Norris, Cheryl A. LaFleur, and Tony Clark.
    Issued March 21, 2013.
    1. In this Final Rule, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission or FERC) is amending its regulations at 18 CFR 154.402 to
revise the filing requirements for natural gas pipelines that choose to
recover Commission-assessed annual charges through an annual charge
adjustment (ACA) clause. Currently, natural gas pipelines utilizing an
ACA clause must make an annual tariff filing to reflect a revised ACA
unit charge authorized by the Commission for that fiscal year. To
reduce the regulatory burden on these pipelines, the Commission will
eliminate this annual filing requirement. In its place, the Commission
will require natural gas pipelines utilizing an ACA clause to
incorporate the Commission-authorized annual charge unit rate by
reference to that rate, as published on the Commission's Web site
located at http://www.ferc.gov.

I. Background

A. Commission Regulations

    2. The Commission is required to ``assess and collect fees and
annual charges in any fiscal year in amounts equal to all of the costs
incurred by the Commission in that fiscal year.'' \1\ To accomplish
this, the Commission created the annual charges program, which is
designed to recover the costs of administering the natural gas, oil,
and electric programs by calculating the costs of each program, net of
filing fees, and properly allocating them among the three programs.\2\
This proceeding applies only to the recovery of annual charges assessed
to entities in the natural gas program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ See Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, Public Law 99-509,
Title III, Subtitle E, Sec. 3401, 1986 U.S. Code Cong. & Ad. News
(100 Stat.) 1874, 1890-91 (codified at 42 U.S.C. 7178 (2012)).
    \2\ Annual Charges Under the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act
of 1986, Order No. 472, FERC Stats & Regs. ] 30,746, clarified by,
Order No. 472-A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 30,750, order on reh'g, Order
No. 472-B, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 30,767 (1987), order on reh'g,
Order No. 472-C, 42 FERC ] 61,013 (1988).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    3. The provisions governing the assessment of annual charges are
codified in Part 382 of the Commission's regulations.\3\ In brief,
after the Commission calculates the costs of administering the natural
gas regulatory program,\4\ it assesses those costs to natural gas
pipeline companies (Pipelines).\5\ Each Pipeline is assessed a
proportional share of the Commission's costs of administering the
natural gas program. That proportional share is based on the proportion
of the total gas subject to Commission regulation which was sold and
transported by each company in the immediately preceding calendar year
to the sum of the gas subject to the Commission regulation which was
sold and transported in the immediately preceding calendar year by all
natural gas pipeline companies being assessed annual charges.\6\ For
example, if a Pipeline sold and transported 10 percent of the total gas
subject to the Commission's regulations, that Pipeline would be
assessed 10 percent of the costs of the natural gas regulatory program
in the form of an annual charge.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ 18 CFR part 382 (2012).
    \4\ Id. at 382.102(d) (defining the ``natural gas regulatory
program'' as the Commission's regulation of the natural gas industry
under the Natural Gas Act; Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978; Alaska
Natural Gas Transportation Act; Public Utility Regulatory Policies
Act; Department of Energy Organization Act; Outer Continental Shelf
Lands Act; Energy Security Act; Regulatory Flexibility Act; Crude
Oil Windfall Profit Tax Act; National Environmental Policy Act;
National Historic Preservation Act).
    \5\ For the purposes of this proceeding, we use the term natural
gas pipeline company (Pipeline) as it is defined in 18 CFR
382.102(a) (2012): ``any person: (1) Engaged in natural gas sales
for resale or natural gas transportation subject to the jurisdiction
of the Commission under the Natural Gas Act whose sales for resale
and transportation exceed 200,000 Mcf at 14.73 psi (60 [deg]F) in
any of the three calendar years immediately preceding the fiscal
year for which the Commission is assessing annual charges; and (2)
Not engaged solely in ``first sales'' of natural gas as that term is
defined in section 2(21) of the Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978; and
(3) To whom the Commission has not issued a Natural Gas Act Section
7(f) declaration; and (4) Not holding a limited jurisdiction
certificate.''
    \6\ 18 CFR 382.202 (2012).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    4. Pipelines are entitled to recover these annual charges from
their customers, and they have two options for doing so. First, upon
Commission approval, a Pipeline may adjust its rates annually to
recover the annual charges through an ACA clause.\7\ Second, a Pipeline
may seek to recover its annual charges through its general
transportation rates.\8\ This proceeding proposes to modify only the
first method, i.e., recovery of annual charges through an ACA clause,
as it is widely used among Pipelines.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \7\ Id. at 154.402.
    \8\ Order No. 472, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 30,746 at 30,629.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    5. Order No. 472 recognized that although the Commission generally
disfavors the use of tracking mechanisms, it is appropriate that
Pipelines be permitted to pass through these annual charges directly to
customers.\9\ Accordingly, the Commission provided Pipelines an option
of passing along the annual charges to customers through a surcharge to
their transportation rates reflected in an ACA clause.\10\ The
Commission's requirements for Pipelines that choose to utilize an ACA
clause are codified in section 154.402 of the Commission's
regulations.\11\ The ACA clause must be filed with the Commission and
indicate the amount of annual charges to be flowed through per unit of
energy sold or transported (ACA unit charge). The ACA unit charge will
be specified by the Commission at the time the Commission calculates
the annual charge bills. A company must reflect the ACA unit charge in
each of its rate schedules applicable to sales or transportation
deliveries. The company

must apply the ACA unit charge to the usage component of rate schedules
with two-part rates. A company may recover annual charges through an
ACA unit charge only if its rates do not otherwise reflect the costs of
annual charges assessed by the Commission under Sec.  382.106(a) of
this chapter. The applicable annual charge, required by Sec.  382.103
of this chapter, must be paid before the company applies the ACA unit
charge.\12\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \9\ Id.
    \10\ Id.
    \11\ 18 CFR 154.402 (2012).
    \12\ Id. at 154.402(a).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    6. Pipelines that seek to recover annual charges through an ACA
clause must file a tariff record containing a statement that the
company is collecting an ACA per unit charge, as approved by the
Commission, applicable to all the pipeline's sales and transportation
rate schedules, the per unit charge of the ACA, the proposed effective
date of the tariff change (30 days after the filing of the tariff sheet
or section, unless a shorter period is specifically requested in a
waiver petition and approved), and a statement that the pipeline will
not recover any annual charges recorded in FERC Account 928 in a
proceeding under subpart D of [part 154 of the Commission's
regulations].\13\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \13\ Id. at 154.402(b).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Additionally, the Commission requires these Pipelines to file
revised tariff records to reflect changes to the ACA unit charge
authorized by the Commission each fiscal year.\14\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \14\ Id. at 154.402(c).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    7. Each year the Commission sets the ACA unit charge for the
natural gas program in July.\15\ Pipelines that wish to begin
collecting the ACA unit charge on the first day of the fiscal year are
required to file revised tariff records reflecting changes in the ACA
unit charge by September 1 of each year, to be effective October 1 of
that year.\16\ So long as the Pipeline has paid its annual charge to
the Commission, the Commission will accept the tariff records, and they
will go into effect on October 1. To the extent that the ACA unit
charge remains the same from one year to the next, existing Pipelines
that already reflect that ACA unit charge in their tariffs need not
make a filing for that year. This annual process is designed to ensure
that Pipelines collect charges for the entire fiscal year, as defined
in Part 382 of the Commission's regulations.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \15\ The Commission publishes this change via a notice entitled,
``FY [Year] Gas Annual Charges Correction for Annual Charges Unit
Charge,'' which is available on the Commission's Web site, located
at http://www.ferc.gov.
    \16\ See 18 CFR 382.102(i) (2012) (defining ``fiscal year'' as
the twelve-month period that begins on the first day of October and
ends on the last day of September); see also id. at 154.402(b)(3)
(requiring the proposed effective date of the tariff change revising
the ACA unit charge to be 30 days after the date the change is
filed, unless a shorter period is specifically requested in a waiver
petition and approved).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    8. In 2011, the Commission received 145 filings to reflect the
annual change in the ACA unit charge. In years in which the ACA unit
charge does not change, there are fewer filings. However, some
Pipelines, such as those that have recently gone into service and have
been billed an annual charge, are still permitted to submit a filing to
the Commission in order to pass along the annual charge to their
customers.

B. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR)

    9. On October 18, 2012, the Commission issued a NOPR proposing to
eliminate the ACA unit charge filing requirement set forth in Part 154
of the Commission's regulations. The Commission received comments in
support of the NOPR from the American Gas Association, Spectra
Entities, Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA) and KO
Transmission Company. In addition to INGAA's comments in support of the
NOPR, INGAA proposes a minor modification to the NOPR to eliminate
unnecessary confusion and to reduce the filing burden on pipelines.
Specifically, INGAA proposes requiring pipelines to submit compliance
filings 30 or 60 days prior to the proposed October 1, 2013, effective
date of this Final Rule.\17\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \17\ See INGAA Comments at 2-3.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

II. Discussion

    10. In an effort to reduce the regulatory burden associated with
annual tariff filings to reflect the current year's ACA unit charge,
the Commission will eliminate the annual filing requirement for
Pipelines utilizing an ACA clause. In its place, the Commission will
require Pipelines utilizing an ACA clause to incorporate the
Commission-authorized ACA unit rate by reference to that rate, as
published on the Commission's Web site. Accordingly, Pipelines that
wish to continue utilizing an ACA clause will be required to make a
one-time tariff revision that incorporates the ACA unit charge
published on the Commission's Web site into the Pipeline's tariff as
the ACA unit charge for the relevant fiscal year.\18\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \18\ See 18 CFR 382.102(i) (2012) (defining ``fiscal year'' as
the twelve-month period that begins on the first day of October and
ends on the last day of September).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    11. The Commission is aware that in addition to the basic statutory
requirement that all rates and charges be on file with the
Commission,\19\ the filing requirements associated with the annual
revisions to the ACA unit charge serve important practical functions.
First, the annual tariff filing (and the Commission's acceptance of
that filing) establishes an effective date upon which the Pipeline is
entitled to begin collecting that fiscal year's ACA unit charge.
Second, the annual filing provides the Commission with an opportunity
to ensure that the Pipeline has actually paid the annual charge that it
seeks to recover from customers.\20\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \19\ 15 U.S.C. 717c (2006).
    \20\ Order No. 472, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 30,746 at 30,629-30
(explaining that Pipelines may only collect those annual charges
that they have already paid to the Commission).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    12. Because the annual filing requirement will be eliminated under
the reforms set forth in this Final Rule, the Commission will require
Pipelines utilizing an ACA clause to incorporate by reference into
their tariffs the ACA unit charge specified in the annual notice issued
by the Commission entitled ``FY [Year] Gas Annual Charges Correction
for Annual Charges Unit Charge.'' This ACA unit charge shall be
effective on the first day of October following issuance of this notice
and shall extend to the last day of September the following year (i.e.,
the duration of the fiscal year). However, the ACA unit charge shall
only be incorporated by reference into the Pipeline's tariff, and
thereby assessed to shippers, if the Pipeline has paid its annual
assessment, as reflected on a new notice, entitled ``Payment Status of
Pipeline Billings--FY [Year],'' that the Commission will issue each
year. This notice will identify the Pipelines that have been assessed
annual charges for a fiscal year and indicate whether they have paid
their charges and are, therefore, authorized to recover the ACA unit
charge from shippers. The Commission will issue the ``Payment Status of
Pipeline Billings--FY [Year]'' notice on the last business day of the
fiscal year, and provide updates as necessary. All of the documents can
be found on the Annual Charges page of the Natural Gas section of the
Commission's Web site, located at http://www.ferc.gov.
    13. We emphasize that the only thing changed by this Final Rule is
the filing requirement for those Pipelines that utilize an ACA clause.
This Final Rule does not prevent Pipelines from continuing to recover
annual charges assessed by the Commission through their transportation
rates, as established in a general rate case. Nor does this Final Rule
modify how the Commission calculates the costs of the natural gas

regulatory program or how the ACA unit charge is calculated or
assessed.
    14. We are taking this action as part of our commitment to
continually review our regulations and eliminate those requirements
that impose an unnecessary burden on regulated entities. We find that
requiring Pipelines to incorporate the ACA unit charge by reference to
the notices published on the Commission's Web site will retain all of
the transparency and consumer safeguards embodied in the Commission's
existing regulations. However, it will eliminate approximately 145
filings each year, thereby reducing the regulatory burden on the
Pipelines and the Commission.

III. Compliance

    15. This Final Rule requires Pipelines to implement the changes set
forth herein in time for the 2014 fiscal year. Accordingly, the
Commission will require each Pipeline utilizing an ACA clause to make a
one-time compliance filing revising its tariff to incorporate by
reference the ACA unit charge published on the Commission's Web site,
as discussed above. In order to give Pipelines subject to these
modifications adequate time to implement these changes, this compliance
filing will be due 60 days before the required effective date of
October 1, 2013.

IV. Information Collection Statement

    16. The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) regulations require
approval of certain information collection requirements imposed by
agency rules.\21\ Upon approval of a collection 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 this collection of information unless the
collection of information displays a valid OMB control number.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \21\ 5 CFR 1320.11 (2012).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    17. The Commission sought comments on its burden estimates
associated with adoption of the NOPR proposals. In response to the
NOPR, no comments were filed addressing the reporting burden estimates
imposed by these requirements. Therefore the Commission will use the
same estimates in this Final Rule.
    18. The following FERC-542 reporting requirements contained in this
Final Rule are being submitted to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review under section 507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507(d). The burden estimates reflect the time
necessary for respondents to update their tariffs according to this
Final Rule. Additionally, these estimates highlight reductions to the
burden since respondents will no longer have to file ACA charge tariff
adjustments. More specifically, the Commission estimates it will
require eight hours per response to make the ``one-time'' (during the
first year only) compliance tariff changes set forth in this Final Rule
to place the new tariff language into effect. However, in each year
(including the 1st year), the Commission also estimates that filers
will see a two-hour reduction in burden per response from no longer
filing ACA charge tariff adjustments. The following table displays the
estimated annual burden hour impact of the Final Rule.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Number of                         Addition of        Reduction of
 FERC-542 in the final rule in      Number of      responses per     Total number     average burden     average burden     Net average      Estimated
            RM12-14                respondents     respondent per    of responses       hours per          hours per       burden hours    total annual
                                                        year           per year          response           response       per response       burden
                                            (A)  (B)..............     (A) * (B) =  (D)..............  (E)..............     (D) + (E) =       (C) * (F)
                                                                               (C)                                                   (F)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year 1.........................             145  1 Compliance                  145  +8 (Compliance     0................              +8           +1160
                                                  Filing.                            Filing).
Year 1.........................             145  1 Avoided ACA                 145  0................  -2 (ACA filing)..              -2            -290
                                                  filing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year 1 SUBTOTAL................  ..............  .................  ..............  .................  .................              +6            +870
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Year 2.........................             145  1 Avoided ACA                 145  0................  -2 (ACA filing)..              -2            -290
                                                  filing.
Year 3.........................             145  1 Avoided ACA                 145  0................  -2 (ACA filing)..              -2            -290
                                                  Filing.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    NET TOTAL..................  ..............  .................  ..............  .................  .................  ..............            +290
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

To understand the burden estimates above, reference the following
equation:

Year 1 + Year 2 + Year 3 [rarr] +870 hours - 290 hours - 290 hours =
+290 hours
    The net total additional annual burden associated with this Final
Rule over Years 1-3 period is 290 hours. Thus, the average additional
annual burden for Years 1-3 is 97 hours (290 hours / 3 years = 97 hours
per year). Further, the Commission estimates that each respondent (on
average) should experience a decrease to the annual burden (of 2 hours
per year) due to the avoidance of the ACA filing.
    Information Collection Costs: The Commission seeks comments on the
costs to comply with these requirements. It has projected the average
cost for all respondents to be the following: \22\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \22\ The cost figures are derived by multiplying the total hours
to prepare a response (hours) by an hourly wage estimate of $59 (a
composite estimate that includes legal, technical and support staff
wages and benefits obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistic data
at http://bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm and http://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

     One-time total cost in Year 1 of $51,330 (870 hours * $59/
hour)
     Avoided cost per year (starting in Year 1) of $17,110 (290
hours * $59/hour)
    Title: FERC-542, Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Tracking.
    Action: One-time filing and reduced future filings.
    OMB Control Number: 1902-0070.
    Respondents: Natural Gas Pipelines.
    Frequency of Responses: One-time implementation and future
reduction in number of responses.
    Necessity of Information: The proposals in this Final Rule would,
if implemented, result in a net reduction of annual burden of
interstate natural

gas pipelines, starting with the fifth year and in each year
thereafter.
    Internal Review: The Commission has reviewed the requirements
pertaining to the modification of the Commission's regulations and made
a preliminary determination that the revisions are necessary to reduce
the burden imposed by the Commission on the natural gas industry. 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.
    19. Interested persons may obtain information on the reporting
requirements by contacting the following: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426 [Attention:
Ellen Brown, Office of the Executive Director, email:
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>phone:<PHONE_NUMBER>, fax:<PHONE_NUMBER>].
    20. Comments concerning the collection of information and the
associated burden estimate, should be sent to the Commission in this
docket and to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Washington, DC 20503 [Attention:
Desk Officer for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, telephone:
(202) 395-4638, fax:<PHONE_NUMBER>]. For security reasons, comments to
OMB should be submitted by email to<EMAIL_ADDRESS>
Comments submitted to OMB should include Docket Number RM12-14-000 and
OMB Control Number 1902-0070.

V. Environmental Analysis

    21. 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.\23\ The
Commission has categorically excluded certain actions from these
requirements as not having a significant effect on the human
environment.\24\ The actions set forth here fall within categorical
exclusions in the Commission's regulations for rules that are
clarifying, corrective, or procedural, for information gathering,
analysis, and dissemination, and for sales, exchange, and
transportation of natural gas that requires no construction of
facilities.\25\ Therefore, an environmental assessment is unnecessary
and has not been prepared as part of this Final Rule.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \23\ Regulations Implementing the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969, Order No. 486, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 30,783 (1987).
    \24\ 18 CFR 380.4 (2012).
    \25\ See id. at 380.4(a)(2)(ii), 380.4(a)(5), 380.4(a)(27).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

VI. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    22. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA) \26\ generally
requires a description and analysis of final rules that will have
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
The RFA mandates consideration of regulatory alternatives that
accomplish the stated objectives of a Final Rule and that minimize any
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Size Standards
develops the numerical definition of a small business.\27\ The SBA has
established a size standard for pipelines transporting natural gas,
stating that a firm is small if its annual receipts are less than $25.5
million.\28\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \26\ 5 U.S.C. 601-612 (2000).
    \27\ 13 CFR 121.101 (2012).
    \28\ Id. at subsection 486.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    23. The regulations set forth here impose requirements only on
interstate pipelines, the majority of which are not small businesses.
Most companies regulated by the Commission do not fall within the RFA's
definition of a small entity. Approximately 145 entities would be
potential respondents subject to data collection FERC-545 reporting
requirements. Nearly all of these entities are large entities. For the
year 2011 (the most recent year for which information is available),
only 15 companies not affiliated with larger companies had annual
revenues of less than $25.5 million. Moreover, these requirements are
designed to benefit all customers, including small businesses. The
Commission estimates that the one-time cost per small entity is
$354.\29\ In the future, small entities should see a cost savings
related to avoiding an annual ACA charge adjustment filing. The
Commission does not consider the estimated $354 impact per entity to be
significant. Accordingly, pursuant to Sec.  605(b) of the RFA, the
Commission certifies that this Final Rule should not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \29\ This number is derived by multiplying the hourly figure (6)
by the cost per hour ($59). 6 hrs * $59/hr = $354.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

VII. Document Availability

    24. 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 FERC's Home Page (http://www.ferc.gov) and in FERC'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.
    25. From FERC'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.
    26. User assistance is available for eLibrary and the FERC's Web
site during normal business hours from FERC Online Support at 202-502-
6652 (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>
VIII. Effective Date and Congressional Notification

    27. These regulations are effective May 31, 2013. The Commission
has determined, with the concurrence of the Administrator of the Office
of Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, that this rule is not a
``major rule'' as defined in section 351 of the Small Business
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

List of Subjects in 18 CFR Part 154

    Natural gas, Pipelines, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

    By the Commission.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
    In consideration of the foregoing, the Commission amends Part 154,
Chapter I, Title 18, Code of Federal Regulations, as follows:

PART 154-RATE SCHEDULES AND TARIFFS

0
1. The authority citation for part 154 continues to read as follows:

    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 717-717w; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 42 U.S.C. 7102-
7352.

0
2. In Sec.  154.402, revise paragraphs (a) and (b) to read as follows:

Sec.  154.402  ACA expenditures.

    (a) Requirements. Upon approval by the Commission, a natural gas
pipeline company may adjust its rates, annually, to recover from its
customers annual charges assessed by the Commission under part 382 of
this chapter pursuant to an annual charge adjustment clause (ACA
clause). Prior to the start of each fiscal year, the Commission will
post on

its Web site the amount of annual charges to be flowed through per unit
of energy sold or transported (ACA unit charge) for that fiscal year. A
company's ACA clause must be filed with the Commission and must
incorporate by reference the ACA unit charge for the upcoming fiscal
year as posted on the Commission's Web site. A company must incorporate
by reference the ACA unit charge posted on the Commission's Web site in
each of its rate schedules applicable to sales or transportation
deliveries. The company must apply the ACA unit charge posted on the
Commission's Web site to the usage component of rate schedules with
two-part rates. A company may recover annual charges through an ACA
unit charge only if its rates do not otherwise reflect the costs of
annual charges assessed by the Commission under Sec.  382.106(a) of
this chapter. The applicable annual charge, required by Sec.  382.103
of this chapter, must be paid before the company applies the ACA unit
charge. Upon payment to the Commission of its annual charges, the ACA
unit charge for that fiscal year will be incorporated by reference into
the company's tariff, effective throughout that fiscal year.
    (b) Application for rate treatment authorization. A company seeking
authorization to use an ACA unit charge must file with the Commission a
separate ACA tariff record containing:
    (1) A statement that the company is collecting an ACA unit charge,
as calculated by the Commission, applicable to all the pipeline's sales
and transportation rate schedules,
    (2) A statement that the ACA unit charge, as revised annually and
posted on the Commission's Web site, is incorporated by reference into
the company's tariff,
    (3) For companies with existing ACA clauses, a proposed effective
date of the tariff change of October 1 of the fiscal year; for
companies seeking to utilize an ACA clause after October 1 of the
fiscal year, a proposed effective date 30 days after the filing of the
tariff record, unless a shorter period is specifically requested in a
waiver petition and approved), and
    (4) A statement that the pipeline will not recover any annual
charges recorded in FERC Account 928 in a proceeding under subpart D of
this part.
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 2013-07078 Filed 3-29-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P


[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 245 (Tuesday, December 22, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79584-79586]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32128]

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

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC16-1-000]

Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-725K); Comment
Request

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-725K (Mandatory Reliability Standards for the SERC
Region) 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 (80 FR 61812, 10/14/2015) requesting
public comments. The Commission received no comments on the FERC-725K
and is making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by January 21,
2016.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No.
1902-0260, should be sent via email to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Attention: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. The Desk Officer may also be
reached via telephone at<PHONE_NUMBER>.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in
Docket No. IC16-1-000, 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<EMAIL_ADDRESS>or by phone at:<PHONE_NUMBER>
(toll-free), or<PHONE_NUMBER> 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
<EMAIL_ADDRESS>by telephone at<PHONE_NUMBER>, and by fax at
(202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Mandatory Reliability Standards for the SERC Region.
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0260.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725K information
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
    Abstract: Section 215 of the Federal Power Act (FPA) requires a
Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) to develop
mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards, which are subject to
Commission review and approval. Once approved, the Reliability
Standards may be enforced by NERC, subject to Commission oversight, or
by the Commission independently.
    Reliability Standards that NERC proposes to the Commission may
include Reliability Standards that are proposed by a Regional Entity to
be effective in that region. In Order No. 672, the Commission noted
that:

    As a general matter, we will accept the following two types of
regional differences, provided they are otherwise just, reasonable,
not unduly discriminatory or preferential and in the public
interest, as required under the statute: (1) A regional difference
that is more stringent than the continent-wide Reliability Standard,
including a regional difference that addresses matters that the
continent-wide Reliability Standard does not; and (2) a regional
Reliability Standard that is necessitated by a physical difference
in the Bulk-Power System.

    When NERC reviews a regional Reliability Standard that would be
applicable on an interconnection-wide basis and that has been proposed
by a Regional Entity organized on an interconnection-wide basis, NERC
must rebuttably presume that the regional Reliability Standard is just,
reasonable, not unduly discriminatory or preferential, and in the
public interest. In turn, the Commission must give ``due weight'' to
the technical expertise of NERC and of a Regional Entity organized on
an interconnection-wide basis.
    On April 19, 2007, the Commission accepted delegation agreements
between NERC and each of the eight Regional Entities. In the order, the
Commission accepted SERC as a Regional Entity organized on less than an
interconnection-wide basis. As a Regional Entity, SERC oversees Bulk-
Power System reliability within the SERC Region, which covers a
geographic area of approximately 560,000 square miles in a sixteen-
state area in the southeastern and central United States (all of
Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
Mississippi, and portions of Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia,
Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas and Florida). The SERC Region is
currently geographically divided into five subregions that are
identified as Southeastern, Central, VACAR, Delta, and Gateway.
    Type of Respondents: Entities registered with the North American
Electric Reliability Corporation (within the SERC region).
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \1\ The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \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 $66.45 hourly cost figure (including benefits) comes
from the cost of an engineer as posted on the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) Web site: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm#11-0000 (wage category 17-2071).
    \3\ Both figures for PC respondents are not to be totaled. They
represent the same set of respondents.
    \4\ The $66.45 hourly cost figure (including benefits) comes
from the cost of an engineer as posted on the Bureau of Labor
Statistics (BLS) Web site: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm#11-0000 (wage category 17-2071).
    \5\ Both figures for GO respondents are not to be totaled. They
represent the same set of respondents.
    \6\ The hourly cost for GOs uses the hourly reporting cost of
$66.45 per hour is based on the cost (including benefits) of an
engineer to implement the requirements of the rule.
    \7\ The record retention cost of $37.50 per hour (including
benefits) comes from Commission staff research on record retention
requirements (wage category 43-4199 for information and record
clerks).

                                              FERC-725K--Mandatory Reliability Standard for the SERC Region
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                Average      Total annual
                                                             Number of    Annual  number   Total number     burden and     burden hours      Cost per
                                                            respondents    of  responses   of responses      cost per        and total    respondent ($)
                                                                          per respondent                   response \2\     annual cost
                                                                     (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =             (4)     (3) * (4) =       (5) / (1)
                                                                                (3)                             (5)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PCs: Design and Document Automatic UFLS Program.........          \3\ 21               1              21               8             168            $532
                                                                                $532     \4\ $11,172
PCs: Provide Documentation and Data to SERC.............          \3\ 21               1              21              16             336           1,064
                                                                                $1,064         $22,344
GOs: Provide Documentation and Data to SERC.............         \5\ 104               1             104              16       \6\ 1,664           1,064
                                                                                $1,064        $110,656
GOs: Record Retention...................................         \5\ 104               1             104               4             416             150
                                                                                $150     \7\ $15,600
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...............................................  ..............  ..............             125  ..............           2,584           2,810
                                                                                $159,772
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.

    Dated: December 16, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-32128 Filed 12-21-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P