Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices 78703 

E. Major Studies 

1. 2012 REP Settlement Agreement 

Study and Analysis 

The 2012 REP Settlement Agreement 

Study and Analysis (REP Study) 

describes the terms of the 2012 REP 

Settlement and provides the analytical 

work BPA staff is performing to test the 

reasonableness of the 2012 REP 

Settlement. The REP Study is comprised 

of two major parts. 

Part I of the REP Study reviews the 

history of the REP and the background 

underlying the current litigation. This 

portion of the REP Study also contains 

an overview of the section 7(b)(2) rate 

test and a description of how rate 

protection works in BPA ratemaking. 

Part I also describes the terms of the 

proposed 2012 REP Settlement and 

explains how BPA staff intends to 

implement the terms of the proposed 

settlement in BPA’s rates. 

Part II of the REP Study contains BPA 

staff’s evaluation and analysis of the 

2012 REP Settlement. This portion of 

the REP Study begins with an 

explanation of the criteria BPA staff is 

using to evaluate the 2012 REP 

Settlement. This section is followed by 

an overview of the models BPA staff 

developed to create a variety of nearand long-term forecasts of REP benefits 

under various scenarios. Part II of the 

REP Study also describes the various 

factors that will have an effect on REP 

benefits, such as the current and future 

issues in litigation and issues related to 

ASCs and the PF Exchange rate. At the 

end of Part II of the REP Study, BPA 

staff presents its scenario analysis. In 

this section, BPA staff presents nearand long-term REP benefits under 

different scenarios. These scenario REP 

benefits are compared to the REP 

benefits provided under the proposed 

2012 REP Settlement to determine, from 

an analytical perspective, whether the 

2012 REP Settlement affords rate 

protection to COUs and is otherwise 

reasonable. 

2. FY 2012–2013 7(b)(2) Rate Test and 

Documentation 

This Study will be used only if the 

2012 REP Settlement is not adopted. 

BPA has interpreted the Northwest 

Power Act and described how the 

section 7(b)(2) rate test will be 

performed in the Section 7(b)(2) Legal 

Interpretation (Legal Interpretation) and 

Section 7(b)(2) Implementation 

Methodology (Implementation 

Methodology) published in August, 

2008. The Section 7(b)(2) Rate Test 

Study explains and documents the 

results of the rate test. 

The 7(b)(2) rate test triggers in this 

proposal if no REP settlement is 

assumed, creating rate protection for 

preference customers and causing test 

period costs to be reallocated to others. 

The PF Public rate applied to the 

general requirements of COUs has been 

reduced by the rate protection amount 

and reallocated to other rates pursuant 

to section 7(b)(3). BPA’s other rates, the 

PF Exchange rate and the NR and IP 

rates, have been increased by an 

allocation of the rate protection amount. 

An allocation of the rate protection 

amount has also been assigned to 

surplus power sales. 

3. FY 2012–2013 Lookback Study 

This Study will only be used if the 

2012 REP Settlement is not adopted. 

This Study explains and documents 

BPA’s proposed modifications to the 

amounts to be recovered from the IOUs 

and applied to the Lookback Amounts 

determined in the final WP–07 

Supplemental Proposal. The Study also 

sets forth the accounting of the 

Lookback Amounts expected to be 

recovered from IOUs and repaid to 

COUs during the FY 2012–2013 rate 

period. BPA also explains in this Study 

what amount of Lookback will be 

recovered from IOUs and returned to 

applicable COUs for the FY 2012–2013 

rate period. 

Part VI—Proposed 2012 REP Settlement 

Agreement 

On December 17, 2010, a draft of the 

proposed 2012 REP Settlement will be 

available for viewing and downloading 

on BPA’s Web site at http:// 

www.bpa.gov/corporate/ratecase/2012/ 

rep-12.cfm. Copies of the draft 2012 REP 

Settlement will also be available for 

viewing in BPA’s Public Reference 

Room at the BPA Headquarters, 1st 

Floor, 905 NE. 11th Avenue, Portland, 

OR 97232. 

Issued this 7th day of December 2010. 

Stephen J. Wright, 

Administrator and Chief Executive Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2010–31622 Filed 12–15–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Docket No. IC10–542–001, FERC–542] 

Commission Information Collection 

Activities, Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request; Submitted for OMB 

Review 

December 9, 2010. 

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission. 

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 (FERC or the 

Commission) has submitted the 

information collection described below 

to the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and extension 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 no comments in 

response to an earlier Federal Register 

notice of August 2010 (75 FR 45609) 

and has notified OMB of this in its 

submission. 

DATES: Further comments on this 

collection of information are due by 

January 18, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Address further comments 

on this 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 OMB Control Number 1902– 

0070 for reference. The Desk Officer 

may be reached by telephone at 202– 

395–4638. 

A copy of the comments should also 

be sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission and should refer to Docket 

No. IC10–542–001. Comments may be 

filed either electronically or in paper 

format. Those persons filing 

electronically do not need to make a 

paper filing. Documents filed 

electronically via the Internet must be 

prepared in an acceptable filing format 

and in compliance with the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission 

submission guidelines. Complete filing 

instructions and acceptable filing 

formats are available at http:// 

www.ferc.gov/help/submissionguide.asp. To file the document 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES
78704 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 241 / Thursday, December 16, 2010 / Notices 

1Number of hours an employee works each year. 

2Average annual salary per employee. 

electronically, access the Commission’s 

Web site and click on Documents & 

Filing, E-Filing (http://www.ferc.gov/ 

docs-filing/efiling.asp), and then follow 

the instructions for each screen. Firsttime users will have to establish a user 

name and password. The Commission 

will send an automatic 

acknowledgement to the sender’s e-mail 

address upon receipt of comments. 

For paper filings, the comments 

should be submitted to the Federal 

Energy Regulatory Commission, 

Secretary of the Commission, 888 First 

Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, and 

should refer to Docket No. IC10–542– 

001. 

Users interested in receiving 

automatic notification of activity in 

FERC Docket Number IC10–542 may do 

so through eSubscription at http:// 

www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ 

esubscription.asp. All comments may be 

viewed, printed or downloaded 

remotely via the Internet through 

FERC’s homepage using the ‘‘eLibrary’’ 

link. For user assistance, contact 

ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov or toll-free 

at (866) 208–3676, or for TTY, contact 

(202) 502–8659. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Ellen Brown may be reached by e-mail 

at DataClearance@FERC.gov, by 

telephone at (202) 502–8663, and by fax 

at (202) 273–0873. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

information collected under the 

requirements of FERC–542 ‘‘Gas 

Pipeline Rates: Rate Tracking’’ (OMB 

No. 1902–0070) is used by the 

Commission to implement the statutory 

provisions of Title IV of the Natural Gas 

Policy Act (NGPA), 15 U.S.C. 3301– 

3432, and Sections 4, 5 and 16 of the 

Natural Gas Act (NGA) (P.L. 75–688) (15 

U.S.C. 717–717w). These statutes 

empower the Commission to collect 

natural gas transmission cost 

information from interstate natural gas 

transporters for the purpose of verifying 

that these costs, which are passed on to 

pipeline customers, are just and 

reasonable. 

Interstate natural gas pipeline 

companies are required by the 

Commission to track their 

transportation-associated costs to allow 

for the Commission’s review and, where 

appropriate, approve the pass-through 

of these costs to pipeline customers. 

These FERC–542 tracking filings are 

accountings of the cost of (1) Research, 

development, and deployment 

expenditures; (2) annual charge 

adjustments; and (3) periodic rate 

adjustments. 

ACTION: The Commission is requesting a 

three-year extension of the FERC–542 

reporting requirements, with the burden 

and cost estimates published in its 

August 2010 Notice. There is no change 

to the reporting requirements. 

Burden Statement: The public 

reporting burden for this collection is 

estimated as: 

FERC data collection 

Annual 

number of 

respondents 

Number of 

responses per 

respondent 

Average 

burden hours 

per response 

Total annual burden hours 

(1) (2) (3) (1) × (2) × (3) 

FERC–542 ...................................................... 95 3.5 40 13,300 

The FERC’s estimated cost burden to 

respondents is $881,598 (13,300 hours/ 

2080 hours 1 times $137,874 2). The cost 

per respondent is $9,280. 

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 estimate 

of cost for respondents is based upon 

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 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 those who are to respond, including 

the use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology, 

e.g., permitting electronic submission of 

responses. 

Kimberly D. Bose, 

Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2010–31564 Filed 12–15–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

[Project No. 2594–013–MT] 

Northern Lights, Inc.; Notice of 

Availability of Environmental 

Assessment 

December 9, 2010. 

In accordance with the National 

Environmental Policy Act of 1969 and 

the Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission (Commission) regulations, 

18 CFR Part 380 (Order No. 486, 52 FR 

47879), the Office of Energy Projects has 

reviewed the application for a new 

license for the existing Lake Creek 

Hydroelectric Project, located on Lake 

Creek in Lincoln County, Montana, near 

the City of Troy and prepared a final 

environmental assessment (EA). The 

project does not occupy federal lands. 

The Final EA contains the staff’s 

analysis of the potential environmental 

impacts of the project and concludes 

that licensing the project would not 

constitute a major federal action that 

would significantly affect the quality of 

the human environment. 

A copy of the Final EA is on file with 

the Commission and is available for 

public inspection. The Final EA may 


srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with NOTICES