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[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 154 (Wednesday, August 10, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49460-49462]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-20264]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC11-516A-001]

Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC 516A); Comment 
Request; Submitted for OMB Review

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 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 May 27, 2011.
    (76 FR 30927) and has made this notation in its submission to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by September 
9, 2011.

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 [email protected] and include OMB Control Number 1902-0203 for 
reference. The Desk Officer may be reached by telephone at 202-395-
4638.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426. Comments may be filed either on paper or on 
CD/DVD, and should refer to Docket No. IC11-516A-001. Documents must be 
prepared in an acceptable filing format and in compliance with 
Commission submission guidelines at http://

[[Page 49461]]

www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. eFiling and eSubscription are 
not available for Docket No. IC11-516A-001, due to a system issue.
    All comments may be viewed, printed or downloaded remotely via the 
Internet through FERC's homepage using the ``eLibrary'' link. For user 
assistance, contact [email protected] 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 [email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at 
(202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information collected under the 
requirements of FERC-516A, ``Small Generator Interconnection 
Agreements'' (OMB No. 1902-0203), is used by the Commission to enforce 
the statutory provisions of sections 205 and 206 of the Federal Power 
Act (FPA), as amended by Title II, section 211 of the Public Utility 
Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 (PURPA) (16 U.S.C. 825d). FPA sections 
205 and 206 require the Commission to remedy undue discriminatory 
practices within interstate electric utility operations.
    The Commission amended its regulations in 2005 with Order No. 2006 
to require public utilities that own, control, or operate facilities 
used for the transmission of electric energy in interstate commerce to 
amend their Open Access Transmission Tariffs (OATTs) to include a 
Commission-approved pro forma interconnection procedures document and a 
standard interconnection agreement for the interconnection of 
generating facilities having a capacity of no more than 20 MW (Small 
Generators).\1\
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    \1\ Standardization of Small Generator Interconnection 
Agreements and Procedures, Order No. 2006, 70 FR 34189 (May 12, 
2005), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,180 (2005).
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    Prior to Order No. 2006, the Commission's policy had been to 
address interconnection issues on a case-by-case basis. Although a 
number of transmission providers had filed interconnection procedures 
as part of their OATTs, many industry participants remained 
dissatisfied with existing interconnection policies and procedures. 
With an increasing number of interconnection-related disputes, it 
became apparent that the case-by-case approach was an inadequate and 
inefficient means to address interconnection issues. This prompted the 
Commission to adopt, in Order No. 2006, a single set of procedures for 
jurisdictional transmission providers and a single uniformly applicable 
interconnection agreement for transmission providers to use in 
interconnecting with Small Generators.
    With the incorporation of these documents in their OATTs, there is 
no longer a need for transmitting utilities to file case-by-case 
interconnection agreements and procedures with the Commission. However, 
on occasion, circumstances warrant non-conforming agreements or a 
situation-specific set of procedures. These non-conforming documents 
must be filed in their entirety with the Commission for review and 
action.
    The information collected is in response to a mandatory 
requirement. The Commission implements these filing requirements in the 
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR part 35, 35.28(f).
    ACTION: The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
current expiration date, with no changes to the existing collection of 
data.
    Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection is 
estimated as:

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                                                                Number of      Average burden     Total annual
            Number of respondents annually (1)                responses per      hours  per       burden hours
                                                             respondent (2)     response (3)       (1)x(2)x(3)
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238 (maintenance of documents)............................                 1                 1               238
40 (filing of non-conforming agreements)..................                 1                25             1,000
278 Total Respondents.....................................  ................  ................  ................
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    Total.................................................  ................  ................             1,238
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    There was a one-time start-up cost to comply with Order No. 2006 
requirements that was included when the Commission first sought 
authorization for this information in 2005 and was removed in the last 
submission to OMB under this collection of information. The estimated 
burden of the continued requirement to maintain the procedures and 
agreement documents in transmission providers' OATTs is reflected 
herein as is the filing of non-conforming interconnection procedures 
and agreements that occur on occasion.
    The estimated total cost to respondents is $84,739 (rounded) [1,238 
hours divided by 2,080 hours per year, times $142,372 \2\ equals 
$84,739]. The average cost per respondent is calculated to be $305 
(rounded) [$84,739 divided by 278].
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    \2\ 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 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 estimates 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

[[Page 49462]]

burden of the collections 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.

    Dated: August 4, 2011.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-20264 Filed 8-9-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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