[Federal Register: May 10, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 89)]
[Notices]               
[Page 24559-24560]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr10my05-52]                         

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

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC05-549-001, FERC-549]

 
Commission Information Collection Activities, Proposed 
Collection; Comment Request; Submitted for OMB Review

May 3, 2005.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Notice.

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

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 reinstatement of this information collection 
requirement. 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 one comment in response to an 
earlier Federal Register notice of March 1, 2005 (70 FR 9937-9938) and 
has noted this in its submission to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by May 31, 
2005.

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. 
Comments to OMB should be filed electronically, c/o 
oira_submission@omb.eop.gov and include the OMB Control No. as a point of 

reference. The Desk Officer may be reached by telephone at (202) 395-
4650. 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. IC05-549-001.
    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://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 are available for review at the Commission or may be 
viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov, using the 

``eLibrary'' link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three 
digits in the docket number field to access the document. For 
assistance, contact 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-549, ``Gas Pipeline Rates: NGPA 
Title III and NGA Blanket Certificate Transactions''.
    2. Sponsor: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
    3. Control No.: 1902-0086.
    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.
    4. Necessity of the Collection of Information: Submission of the 
information is necessary for the Commission to carry out its 
responsibilities in implementing the statutory provisions of sections 
311 and 312 of the Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA) and Section 7 of the 
Natural Gas Act (NGA). The reporting requirements for implementing 
these provisions are contained in 18 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 
Part 284. Under Part 284 of the Commission's regulations non-interstate 
pipelines that perform transportation service under NGPA section 311 
(intrastate pipelines) or blanket certificates issued under section 7 
of the NGA are required to file an annual report containing specific 
details of each transaction initiated during the

[[Page 24560]]

reporting year. Interstate pipelines performing unbundled sales service 
under a blanket certificate granted under Part 284 of the regulations 
are required to file an annual report detailing specific information on 
each transaction initiated during the reporting year.
    In Order No. 644 (68 FR 66323, November 26, 2003), the Commission 
amended its regulations regarding blanket certificates for unbundled 
gas sales services held by interstate natural gas pipelines and blanket 
marketing certificates held by persons making sales for resale of gas 
at negotiated rates in interstate commerce. The Commission required 
that pipelines and all sellers for resale adhere to a code of conduct 
with respect to gas sales.
    The information collected in these reports is used by the 
Commission to monitor the jurisdictional transportation activities of 
intrastate, Hinshaw pipelines and the unbundled sales activities of 
interstate natural gas pipelines and persons holding blanket marketing 
certificates. The Commission also uses the information to ensure the 
integrity of the gas sales market that remains under the Commission's 
jurisdiction. These are mandatory filing and recordkeeping requirements 
in the Code of Federal Regulations under 18 CFR 284.126, 284.281-
284.288 and 284.401-284.403.
    5. Respondent Description: The respondent universe currently 
comprises 222 filings (average per year) subject to the Commission's 
jurisdiction. Of the 222, 77 filings are for the transportation report 
under 284.126.
    6. Estimated Burden: 1,290 total hours, 222 respondents (average 
per year), 1 response per respondent, and 11.2 hours per response 
(average) for the two filings.
    7. Estimated Cost Burden to Respondents: 1,290 hours / 2080 hours 
per year x $108,558 per year = $44,154 (reporting) + $477,300 (22 x 
$2150) (recordkeeping) = $521,145. The cost per respondent is equal to 
$2,349.

    Statutory Authority: Sections 311-312 of the NGPA (15 U.S.C. 
3371-3372) and Section 7 of the NGA (15 U.S.C. 717f).

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E5-2251 Filed 5-9-05; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717-01-P