[Federal Register: August 1, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 148)]
[Notices]
[Page 45231-45232]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr01au03-49]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC03-585-001, FERC-585]
Commission Information Collection Activities, Proposed
Collection; Comment Request; Submitted for OMB Review
July 25, 2003.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of Section 3507 of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507, the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission (Commission) has submitted the information
collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for review and extension of the current expiration date. 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
received no comments in response to an earlier Federal Register notice
of May 16, 2003 (68 FR 26590-91) and has made this notation in its
submission to OMB.
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by August 25,
2003.
ADDRESSES: Address comments on the collection of information to the
Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer.
The Desk Officer may be reached by fax at 202-395-7285 or by e-mail at
pamelabeverly.oira submission@omb.eop.gov. A copy of the comments
should also be sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office
of the Executive Director, ED-30, Attention: Michael Miller, 888 First
Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. Comments may be filed either in paper
format or electronically. Those persons filing electronically do not
need to make a paper filing. For paper filings, such comments should be
submitted to the Office of the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street, NE. Washington, DC 20426 and should refer
to Docket No. IC03-585-001.
Documents filed electronically via the Internet must be prepared in
WordPerfect, MS Word, Portable Document Format, or ASCII format. To
file the document, access the Commission's Web site at http://
[[Page 45232]]
www.ferc.gov and click on ``Make an E-filing,'' and then follow the
instructions for each screen. First time users will have to establish a
user name and password. The Commission will send an automatic
acknowledgment to the sender's E-mail address upon receipt of comments.
User assistance for electronic filings is available at 202-502-8258 or
by e-mail to efiling@ferc.gov. Comments should not be submitted to the
e-mail address.
All comments may be viewed, printed or downloaded remotely via the
Internet through FERC's homepage using the FERRIS link. User assistance
for FERRIS and the FERC's Web site during business hours by contacting,
FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at (866)
208-3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502-8659.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Miller may be reached by
telephone at (202) 502-8415, by fax at (202) 273-0873, and by e-mail at
michael.miller@ferc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Description
The information collection submitted for OMB review contains the
following:
1. Collection of Information: FERC-585 ``Reporting of Electric
Energy Shortages and Contingency Plans under PURPA 206.''
2. Sponsor: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
3. Control No. 1902-0138.
The Commission is now requesting that OMB approve a three-year
extension of the expiration date, with no changes to the existing
collection. The information filed with the Commission is mandatory.
Requests for confidential treatment of the information are provided for
under Section 388.112 of the Commission's regulations.
1. Necessity of the Collection of Information: Submission of the
information is necessary to enable the Commission to carry out its
responsibilities in implementing the statutory provisions of Section
206 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) (Pub.
L. 95-617, 92 Stat. 3117) which amended Section 202 of the Federal
Power Act by adding subsection (g). Section 202(g) requires public
utilities to report to the Commission, and appropriate State agencies,
any unanticipated shortages of electric energy or capacity which would
affect the utility's ability to serve its wholesale customers and to
report and periodically revise, their contingency plans for such
occurrences which would equitably accommodate both retail and wholesale
customers.
The Commission uses the contingency plan information to evaluate
and formulate appropriate options for action in the event an
anticipated shortage is reported or materializes. The Commission also
uses this information ensure itself and firm power wholesale customers
that both are kept informed about utility contingency plans and
anticipated shortages of energy and capacity and to ensure that direct
and indirect customers would be treated without undue prejudice or
disadvantage during actual shortages.
If the contingency plan data is not provided, the statutory
provisions of the FPA and PUPRA will not have been complied with, and
information will not be available to assess whether utilities have
planned for shortage conditions and/or developed plans with due
consideration for equitable customer treatment, as required by the
established statute. The Commission implements these filing
requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR part
294.
5. Respondent Description: The respondent universe currently
comprises approximately 170 public utilities. In the normal course of a
public utility's operations, contingency plans are prepared and usually
reviewed and updated periodically. However, the burden on each utility
will vary primarily with respect to the number and size of wholesale
customers and utility system customers supplied by the reporting
utility. The number of respondents is based on the actual number of
responses that were received by the Commission since the last OMB
submission.
6. Estimated Burden: 511 total hours, 7 respondents (average), 1
response per respondent, 73 hours per response (average).
7. Estimated Cost Burden to respondents: 511 hours/2080 hours per
years x $117,041 per year = $28,753.
Statutory Authority: Sections 206 of the Public Utility
Regulatory Policies Act of 1978, 16 U.S.C. 2601 (Pub. L. 95-617) and
Section 202 of the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 824a (g)).
Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 03-19599 Filed 7-31-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P