148 FERC ¶ 61,036

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

18 C.F.R. Part 4

(Docket No. RM14-20-000; Order No. 798)

Format and Dimensions of Maps and Drawings Required by the Commission’s 

Hydropower Program

(Issued July 17, 2014)

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: The Commission is issuing this Final Rule to make minor changes to its 

regulations. This Final Rule amends the requirements of 18 C.F.R. § 4.39(a) pertaining 

to the format and dimensions of maps and drawings submitted to the Commission by 

applicants and licensees in the Commission’s hydropower program. Specifically, the 

amendments: (1) remove the requirement that applicants and licensees submit copies of 

certain project maps and drawings in microfilm format on aperture cards; and (2) change 

the minimum and maximum dimensions applicable to submitted maps and drawings.

These amendments modernize the regulations to reflect technological advances and 

relieve burdens placed on applicants and licensees.

EFFECTIVE DATE: The rule will become effective [45 days after publication in the 

Federal Register].
Docket No. RM14-20-000 - 2 -

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

 

Charles K. Cover 

Office of Energy Projects

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

888 First Street NE

Washington, DC 20426

202-502-8832

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
148 FERC ¶ 61,036

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

Before Commissioners: Cheryl A. LaFleur, Acting Chairman;

 Philip D. Moeller, John R. Norris,

and Tony Clark.

Format and Dimensions of Maps and Drawings

Required by the Commission’s Hydropower Program

Docket No. RM14-20-000

ORDER NO. 798

FINAL RULE

(Issued July 17, 2014)

I. Discussion

1. The Commission is issuing this Final Rule to remove from its regulations the 

requirement in 18 C.F.R. § 4.39(a) that hydropower applicants and licensees submit 

copies of project maps and drawings in microfilm format on aperture cards.1 This 

Final Rule removes the requirement that microfilm copies of maps and drawings must be 

submitted to the Commission on aperture cards and deletes other references in the 

regulations to microfilm and aperture cards. The regulations will continue to require 

 1 An aperture card is a punch card with a cutout window in which microfilm is 

mounted. Currently, the Commission requires license and exemption applicants to 

submit microfilm copies of maps and drawings on aperture cards with their applications, 

after their applications have been accepted for filing (see 18 C.F.R. § 4.32(d) (2013)), or 

after they receive their license or exemption.
Docket No. RM14-20-000 - 2 -

copies of maps and drawings to be submitted in paper format or electronic format in 

accordance with filing procedures posted on the Commission’s website 

at http://www.ferc.gov.

2. This change modernizes the Commission’s regulations and relieves applicants, 

licensees, and exemptees from burdens associated with producing microfilm on aperture 

cards. Aperture cards continue to grow more expensive and difficult to obtain as the 

industry and entities move to more modern formats. The Commission originally chose to 

utilize aperture cards because of their durability and uniformity. However, technological 

advances have made electronic versions of documents more timeless, secure, and 

convenient. Consequently, the Commission has decided to discontinue its use of aperture 

cards and instead rely on print and digital formats.

3. This final rule also amends 18 C.F.R. § 4.39(a) to change the minimum and 

maximum dimensions applicable to submitted maps and drawings. The rule changes the 

minimum dimensions from 24 by 36 inches to 22 by 34 inches. It changes the maximum 

dimensions from 28 by 40 inches to 24 by 36 inches. The Commission makes this 

change in order to reflect the dimensions commonly used by architects and engineers. 

The new limits also will allow maps and drawings to be more easily reduced to half size 

without loss of quality (e.g. a 22 by 34 inch drawing can be reduced to a convenient 

11 by 17 inch half size).
Docket No. RM14-20-000 - 3 -

II. Information Collection Statement

4. The changes are subject to review by the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) under section 3507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).2

 Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations require OMB to approve certain 

information collection requirements imposed by agency rule.3

 This Final Rule makes 

only minor modifications to the medium, formatting and dimensional requirements 

applicable to existing information collections4 and does not require any new information 

to be collected. 

5. The revisions reflect and adapt to the medium and technology already in use by 

filers and industry. Therefore, this Final Rule is being submitted to OMB for review as a 

non-substantive change to the FERC-500, FERC-505, and FERC-512. Please send any 

comments on the changes to the Commission in this docket, and to the Office of 

Management and Budget by e-mail to: oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. Comments 

submitted to OMB should include Docket Number RM14-20-000 and OMB Control 

Numbers 1902-0058, 1902-0115, and 1902-0073.

 2 44 U.S.C. 3507 (2012).

3 See 5 C.F.R. § 1320. (2013).

4 FERC-500, Application for License/Relicense for Water Projects with Greater 

than 5MW Capacity (OMB Control No. 1902-0058); FERC-505, Application for 

License/Relicense for Water Projects with 5 MW or Less Capacity (OMB Control 

No. 1902-0115) including conduit exemption applications; and FERC-512, Application 

for Preliminary Permit (OMB Control No. 1902-0073).
Docket No. RM14-20-000 - 4 -

III. Environmental Analysis

6. The Commission is required to prepare an Environmental Assessment or an 

Environmental Impact Statement for any action that may have a significant adverse effect 

on the human environment.5

 Rules that are clarifying, corrective, or procedural or that do 

not substantially change the effect of the regulations being amended are excluded from 

this requirement.6 Because this Final Rule makes only minor changes to the regulations, 

it will not substantially change that effect. Consequently, this Final Rule is not an action 

that has a significant adverse effect on the human environment under the Commission’s 

regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969.

IV. Regulatory Flexibility Act Certification

7. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 19807 generally requires a description and 

analysis of rules that will have significant economic impact on a substantial number of 

small entities. This Final Rule makes only minor modifications to existing information 

collection processes. Annually, the Commission receives aperture card filings and 

drawings from approximately 160 licensees/exemptees (out of 1,660 hydroelectric 

licensees/exemptees). This Final Rule reduces the economic burden of submitting 

microfilm copies of maps and drawings in aperture card format to the Commission. 

 5 See Regulations Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, 

Order No. 486, 52 FR 47,897 (Dec. 17, 1987), FERC Stats. & Regs., Regulations 

Preambles 1986-1990 ¶ 30,783 (1987).

6 See 18 C.F.R. § 380.4(a)(2) (2013).

7 5 U.S.C. §§ 601-12 (2012).
Docket No. RM14-20-000 - 5 -

Therefore, the Commission certifies that this Final Rule will not have significant

economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.

V. Document Availability

8. In addition to publishing the full text of this document in the Federal Register, the 

Commission provides all interested persons an opportunity to view and/or print the 

contents of this document via the Internet through the Commission’s website 

(http://www.ferc.gov) and in the Commission’s Public Reference Room during normal 

business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) at 888 First Street, NE, 

Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426.

9. From the Commission’s homepage on the Internet, this information is available in 

the Commission’s document management system, eLibrary. The full text of this 

document is available on eLibrary in PDF and Microsoft Word format for viewing, 

printing, and/or downloading. To access this document in eLibrary, type the docket 

number excluding the last three digits of this document in the docket number field.

10. User assistance is available for eLibrary and the Commission’s website during 

normal business hours from FERC Online Support at 1-866-208-3676 (toll free) or 

(202) 502-6652 (e-mail at ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov), or the Public Reference Room at 

(202) 502-8371, TTY (202) 502-8659 (e-mail at public.referenceroom@ferc.gov).

VI. Effective Date and Congressional Notification

11. This Final Rule is effective [insert date 45 days from publication in Federal 

Register]. The Commission has determined, with the concurrence of the Administrator 

of the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, that this rule is not a 
Docket No. RM14-20-000 - 6 -

“major rule” as defined in section 351 of the Small Business Regulatory Enforcement 

Fairness Act of 1996.8

 The Commission will submit the Final Rule to both houses of 

Congress and to the General Accountability Office.

List of subjects 

18 C.F.R. Part 4

Administrative practice and procedure, Dams, Electric power, Reporting and 

recordkeeping requirements.

By the Commission.

( S E A L )

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

 8 See 5 U.S.C. 804(2) (2012).
Docket No. RM14-20-000 - 7 -

In consideration of the foregoing, the Commission is revising Part 4, Chapter I, 

Title 18, Code of Federal Regulations, as follows.

PART 4—LICENSES, PERMITS, EXEMPTIONS, AND DETERMINATION OF 

PROJECT COSTS

1. The authority citation for Part 4 continues to read as follows:

Authority: 16 U.S.C. 791a-825v, 2601-2645; 42 U.S.C. 7101-7352.

§ 4.32 [Amended]

2. In § 4.32(b)(1), remove the sentence “The originals (microfilm) of maps and 

drawings are not to be filed initially, but will be required pursuant to paragraph (d) of this 

section.”

3. In § 4.32(b)(2), remove the sentence “The originals (microfilm) of maps and 

drawings are not to be filed initially, but will be required pursuant to paragraph (d) of this 

section.”

§ 4.39 [Amended]

4. In § 4.39(a) remove the sentence “Each original map or drawing must consist of a 

print on silver or gelatin 35mm microfilm mounted on Type D (31⁄4 ” by 73⁄8 ”) aperture 

cards,” replace “24 by 36” with “22 by 34,” and replace “28 by 40” with “24 by 36.”