[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 184 (Monday, September 23, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49724-49725]
[FR Doc No: 2019-20515]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC19-30-000]

Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-920); Comment
Request

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Comment request.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or
FERC) is submitting its information collection FERC-920 [Electric
Quarterly Reports (EQR)] 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 published a Notice in the Federal Register on July 8, 2019
requesting public comments. The Commission received no comments and is
making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by October 23,
2019.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No.
1902-0255, should be sent via email to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs<EMAIL_ADDRESS>Attention: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission Desk Officer.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in
Docket No. IC19-30-000, by either of the following methods:
     eFiling at Commission's Website: 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: FERC-920 [Electric Quarterly Reports (EQR)].
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0255.
    Abstract: The Commission originally set forth the EQR filing
requirements in Order No. 2001 (Docket No. RM01-8-000, issued April 25,
2002, at http://elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/search/intermediate.asp?link_file=yes&doclist=2270047). Order No. 2001
required public utilities to electronically file EQRs summarizing
transaction information for short-term and long-term cost-based sales
and market-based rate sales and the contractual terms and conditions in
their agreements for all jurisdictional services.\1\ The Commission
established the EQR reporting requirements to help ensure the
collection of information needed to perform its regulatory functions
over transmission and sales, while making data more useful to the
public and allowing public utilities to better fulfill their
responsibility under FPA section 205(c) to have rates on file in a
convenient form and place. As noted in Order No. 2001, the EQR data is
designed to ``provide greater price

transparency, promote competition, enhance confidence in the fairness
of the markets, and provide a better means to detect and discourage
discriminatory practices.''
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    \1\ Revised Public Utility Filing Requirements, Order No. 2001,
67 FR 31043 (May 8, 2002), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,127, reh'g
denied, Order No. 2001-A, 100 FERC ] 61,074, reh'g denied, Order No.
2001-B, 100 FERC ] 61,342, order directing filing, Order No. 2001-C,
101 FERC ] 61,314 (2002), order directing filing, Order No. 2001-D,
102 FERC ] 61,334, order refining filing requirements, Order No.
2001-E, 105 FERC ] 61,352 (2003), order on clarification, Order No.
2001-F, 106 FERC ] 61,060 (2004), order revising filing
requirements, Order No. 2001-G, 72 FR 56735 (Oct. 4, 2007), 120 FERC
] 61,270, order on reh'g and clarification, Order No. 2001-H, 73 FR
1876 (Jan. 10, 2008), 121 FERC ] 61,289 (2007), order revising
filing requirements, Order No. 2001-I, 73 FR 65526 (Nov. 4, 2008),
125 FERC ] 61,103 (2008).
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    Since issuing Order No. 2001, the Commission has provided guidance
and refined the reporting requirements, as necessary, to reflect
changes in the Commission's rules and regulations.\2\ The Commission
also adopted an Electric Quarterly Report Data Dictionary, which
provides in one document the definitions of certain terms and values
used in filing EQR data.\3\
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    \2\ See, e.g., Revised Public Utility Filing Requirements for
Electric Quarterly Reports, 124 FERC ] 61,244 (2008) (providing
guidance on the filing of information on transmission capacity
reassignments in EQRs); Notice of Electric Quarterly Reports
Technical Conference, 73 FR 2477 (Jan. 15, 2008) (announcing a
technical conference to discuss changes associated with the EQR Data
Dictionary).
    \3\ Order No. 2001-G, 120 FERC ] 61,270 (2007).
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    To increase transparency broadly across all wholesale markets
subject to the Commission's jurisdiction, the Commission issued Order
No. 768 in 2012.\4\ Order No. 768 required market participants that are
excluded from the Commission's jurisdiction under the Federal Power Act
section 205 (non-public utilities) and have more than a de minimis
market presence to file EQRs with the Commission. In addition, Order
No. 768 revised the EQR filing requirements to build upon the
Commission's prior improvements to the reporting requirements and
further enhance the goals of providing greater price transparency,
promoting competition, instilling confidence in the fairness of the
markets, and providing a better means to detect and discourage anti-
competitive, discriminatory, and manipulative practices.
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    \4\ Order No. 768, 77 FR 61896 (Oct. 11, 2012), FERC Stats. &
Regs. ] 31,336 (2012).
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    EQR information allows the public to assess supply and demand
fundamentals and to price interstate wholesale market transactions.
This, in turn, results in greater market confidence, lower transaction
costs, and ultimately supports competitive markets. In addition, the
data filed in the EQR strengthens the Commission's ability to exercise
its wholesale electric rate and electric power transmission oversight
and enforcement responsibilities in accordance with the Federal Power
Act. Without this information, the Commission would lack some of the
data it needs to examine and approve or modify electric rates.
    Type of Respondent: Public utilities, and non-public utilities with
more than a de minimis market presence.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \5\ The Commission estimates the annual
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
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    \5\ ``Burden'' is 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, refer to Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.
    The cost is based on FERC's 2019 average FTE (full-time
equivalent) cost (wages plus benefits) of $80.00/hour. The
Commission staff believes the FERC FTE cost for wages plus benefits
is representative of the corresponding cost for the industry
respondents.

                                   FERC-920: Electric Quarterly Reports (EQR)
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                                  Annual number of                                           Total annual burden
      Number of respondents         responses per     Total number of   Average burden hrs.     hours & total
                                     respondent          responses      & cost per response      annual cost
(1)                                            (2)     (1) * (2) = (3)  (4)................  (3) * (4) = (5)
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2,595...........................                 4              10,380  18.1 hrs.; $1,448..  187,878 hrs.;
                                                                                $15,030,240
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    Dated: September 18, 2019.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-20515 Filed 9-20-19; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P