[Federal Register: February 19, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 32)]
[Notices]
[Page 7679-7680]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr19fe09-34]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC09-556-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-556); Proposed
Collection; Comment Request; Extension
February 11, 2009.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of proposed information collection and request for
comments.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of section 3506(c)(2)(a)
of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is soliciting public comment
on the specific aspects of the information collection described below.
DATES: Comments in consideration of the collection of information are
due April 17, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be filed either electronically or in paper
format, and should refer to Docket No. IC09-556-000. Documents must be
prepared in an acceptable filing format and in compliance with
Commission submission guidelines at http://www.ferc.gov/help/
submission-guide.asp.
Comments may be eFiled. The eFiling option under the Documents &
Filings tab on the Commission's home web page (http://www.ferc.gov)
directs users to the eFiling Web site. First-time users follow the
eRegister instructions on the eFiling web page to establish a user name
and password before eFiling. Filers will receive an e-mailed
confirmation of their eFiled comments. Commenters filing electronically
should not make a paper filing. If unable to make a filing
electronically, deliver an original and 14 paper copies of the filing
to: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission,
888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426.
Parties interested in receiving automatic notification of activity
in this docket may do so through eSubscription. The eSubscription
option under the Documents & Filings tab on the Commission's home web
page directs users to the eSubscription web page. Users submit the
docket numbers of the filings they wish to track and will subsequently
receive an e-mail notification each time a filing is made under the
submitted docket numbers. First-time users will need to establish a
user name and password before eSubscribing.
Filed comments and FERC issuances may be viewed, printed and
downloaded remotely from the Commission's Web site. The red eLibrary
link found at the top of most of the Commission's web pages directs
users to FERC's eLibrary. From the eLibrary web page, choose General
Search, and in the Docket Number space provided, enter IC09-556; then
click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.
For help with any of the Commission's electronic submission or
retrieval systems, contact FERC Online Support (e-mail at
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or telephone toll-free (866) 208-3676 (TTY
(202) 502-8659)).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: 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: The Commission uses the FERC Form No. 556,
Cogeneration and Small Power Production, OMB Control Number 1902-0075,
to implement the statutory provisions in Federal Power Act (FPA)
section 3 (16 U.S.C. 792-828c) and sections 201 and 210 of the Public
Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978 (16 U.S.C. 2601). These
statutes authorize the Commission to encourage cogeneration and small
power production and to prescribe such rules as necessary in order to
carry out these statutory directives. Commission regulations pertaining
to FERC Form No. 556 can be found in 18 CFR 131.80 and 18 CFR Part 292.
A primary objective of PURPA, as indicated in section 2 of the FPA
is the conservation of energy through efficient use of energy resources
and facilities by electric utilities. One means of achieving this goal
is to encourage production of electric power by cogeneration facilities
which make use of reject heat associated with commercial or industrial
processes, and by small power production facilities which use other
wastes and renewable resources as fuel. Congress, through PURPA,
established various regulatory benefits to encourage the development of
small power production facilities and
[[Page 7680]]
cogeneration facilities which meet certain technical and corporate
criteria. Facilities that meet these criteria are deemed qualifying
facilities (QFs).
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005) \1\ and in particular
section 1253(a), added section 210(m) to the PURPA providing, among
other things, for termination of the requirement that an electric
utility enter into a new contract or obligation to purchase electric
energy from qualifying cogeneration facilities and qualifying small
power production facilities (QFs) if the Commission finds that the QF
has nondiscriminatory access to one of three categories of markets
defined in section 210(m)(1)(A), (B) or (C). Thus, to relieve an
electric utility of its mandatory purchase obligation under PURPA, the
Commission has to identify which, if any, markets meet the criteria
contained in 210(m)(1)(A), (B) or (C), and, if such markets are
identified, it must determine whether QFs have nondiscriminatory access
to those markets.
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\1\ Pub. L. 109-58, 1253, 119 Stat. 594 (2005).
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In 18 CFR Part 292, the Commission provides: (1) QF certification
criteria, (2) QF application information, (3) a description of some of
the benefits afforded QFs,\2\ and (4) transaction obligations electric
utilities have with respect to QFs.
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\2\ Other benefits may be available to certain QFs pursuant to
other federal, state or local laws.
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Among the PURPA benefits identified in Part 292, are the
requirements for electric utilities: (1) To make avoided cost
information and system capacity needs available to the public; (2) to
purchase energy and capacity from QFs favorably priced on the basis of
the avoided cost of the power that is displaced by the QF power (i.e.,
the incremental cost to the purchasing utility if it had generated the
displaced power or purchased it from another source); (3) to sell
backup, maintenance and other power services to QFs at rates based on
the cost of rendering the services; (4) to provide certain
interconnection and transmission services priced on a nondiscriminatory
basis; and (5) to operate in ``parallel'' with other interconnected QFs
so that they may be electrically synchronized with electric utility
grids.
A blank FERC Form No. 556 may be downloaded from the Commission's
Web site: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/hard-fil.asp#556. Click on
the Electric tab, then click the Form No. 556 link. Choose from an MS
Word or RTF format in the Downloads & Links column. Examples of filings
may be viewed through the Commission's eLibrary system. Click on the
red eLibrary link found at the top of any of the Commission's Web
pages, choose General Search, then under Class/Type Info choose Type:
Qualifying Facility Application or PURPA Energy Utility Filing; then
click the Submit button at the bottom of the page.
Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the
current expiration date.
Burden Statement: The public reporting burden for this collection
is estimated to be as follows:
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Number of Number of Average burden
FERC-556 respondents responses per hours per Total annual
annually respondent response burden hours
(1) (2) (3) (1) x (2) x (3)
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FERC Certification.................. 4 1 20 80
Self Certification.................. 820 1 3 2460
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Total........................... 824 ................. ................. 2540
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The estimated total cost to respondents is $154,334.31 [2,540 hours
divided by 2,080 hours \3\ per year, times $126,384 \4\ equals
$154,334.31]. The cost per respondent is $187.30.
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\3\ Number of hours an employee works each year.
\4\ Average annual salary per employee.
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The reporting burden includes the total time, effort, or financial
resources expended to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide
the information including: (1) Reviewing instructions; (2) developing,
acquiring, installing, and utilizing technology and systems for the
purposes of collecting, validating, verifying, processing, maintaining,
disclosing and providing information; (3) adjusting the existing ways
to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements;
(4) training personnel to respond to a collection of information; (5)
searching data sources; (6) completing and reviewing the collection of
information; and (7) transmitting, or otherwise disclosing the
information.
The respondent's cost estimate is based on salaries for
professional and clerical support, as well as direct and indirect
overhead costs. Direct costs include all costs directly attributable to
providing this information, such as administrative costs and the cost
for information technology. Indirect or overhead costs are costs
incurred by an organization in support of its mission. These costs
apply to activities which benefit the whole organization rather than
any one particular function or activity.
Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed 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 burden estimate 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 respondent information collection burden.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. E9-3452 Filed 2-18-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P