39082 Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 139 /Tuesday, July 21, 1998 / Notices

[FR Doc. 98–19370 Filed 7–20–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration

Agency Information Publication

Activities

AGENCY: Energy Information

Administration, DOE

ACTION: Notice of discontinuation of

publications.

SUMMARY: The Energy Information

Administration (EIA) is advising the

public that it intends to cease

publication of two reports in the electric

power publication series.

DATES: Comments may be submitted in

writing on or before September 4, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to John G.

Colligan, EI–531, Energy Information

Administration, U.S. Department of

Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue,

S.W., Washington DC 20585–0650, (202)

426–1174, e-mail jcolliga@eia.doe.gov,

and fax (202) 426–1311.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information

should be directed to John Colligan at

the address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

II. Current Actions

III. Request for Comments

I. Background

In order to fulfill its responsibilities

under the Federal Energy

Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. No.

93–275) and the Department of Energy

Organization Act (Pub. L. No. 95–91),

the EIA is obliged to carry out a central,

comprehensive, and unified energy data

and information program. As part of this

program, EIA collects, evaluates,

assembles, analyzes, and disseminates

data and information related to energy

resource reserves, production, demand,

and technology, and related economic

and statistical information relevant to

the adequacy of energy resources to

meet demands in the near and longer

term future for the Nation’s economic

and social needs.

II. Current Actions

The EIA intends to discontinue the

publication of following two reports:

Financial Statistics of Major U.S.

Investor-Owned Electric Utilities—DOE/

EIA–0437(yr)/1 and U.S. Electric Utility

Demand-Side Management—DOE/EIA–

0589(yr).

The final issue of the Financial

Statistics of Major U.S. Investor-Owned

Electric Utilities would be the issue

dated December 1997, published on

December 8, 1997, and covers the 1996

data year. In view of limited resources,

the Department proposes that the

issuance of this publication be

discontinued because the data

contained in this publication are

collected by the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission (FERC) and will

be available through FERC.

The last issue of the U.S. Electric

Utility Demand-Side Management

would be the December 1997 issue,

published on December 19, 1997, and

covers the 1996 data. In order to reduce

respondent burden, the EIA restructured

Schedule V, ‘‘Demand-Side

Management Information,’’ on the Form

EIA–861, ‘‘Annual Electric Utility

Report,’’ during the 1997 survey reclearance. The Form EIA–861 requires

less detailed Demand Side Management

(DSM) data from the reporting utilities.

Starting with 1997, the DSM data are

collected in a summary format and will

continue to be published in the Electric

Power Annual, Volume II. The annual

detail DSM data will be posted on the

Internet.

III. Request for Comments

Prospective users of these data and

other interested parties may comment

on the actions discussed in item II if

they so desire. DOE will carefully

consider all comments and if it is

persuaded by the comments to continue

publication of either report, it will

publish a notice of its decision.

Issued in Washington, D.C. on July 15,

1998.

Jay H. Casselberry,

Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and

Methods Group, Energy Information

Administration

[FR Doc. 98–19371 Filed 7–20–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[FERC–537 IC98–537–000]

Proposed Information Collection and

Request for Comments

July 15, 1998.

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information

collection and request for comments.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(a) of

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(Pub. L. No. 104–13), the Federal Energy

Regulatory (Commission) is soliciting

public comment on the specific aspects

of the information collection described

below.

DATES: Consideration will be given to

comments submitted on or before

September 21, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the proposed

collection of information can be

obtained from and written comments

may be submitted to the Federal Energy

Regulatory Commission, Attn: Michael

Miller, Office of the Chief Information

Officer, CI–1, 888 First Street N.E.,

Washington, D.C. 20426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Miller may be reached by

telephone at (202) 208–1415, by fax at

(202) 273–0873, and by e-mail at

michael.miller@ferc.fed.us.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

information collected under the

requirements of FERC–537 ‘‘Gas

Pipeline Certificates: Construction,

Acquisition, and Abandonment’’ (OMB

No. 1902–0060) is used by the

Commission to implement the statutory

provisions of the Natural Gas Policy Act

(NGPA), (15 U.S.C. 3301–3432), and of

the Natural Gas Act (NGA) (15 U.S.C.

717–717w). Under the NGA a natural

gas company must obtain Commission

authorization to engage in the

transportation or sale of natural gas in

interstate commerce, to undertake the

construction or extension of any

facilities, or to acquire or operate any

such facilities or extensions in

accordance with Section 7c of the NGA.

A natural gas company must also obtain

Commission approval under Section

7(b) of the NGA prior to abandoning any

jurisdictional facility or service. Under

the Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA)

interstate and intrastate pipelines must

also obtain Commission authorization

for certain transportation arrangements.

Information collection is necessary to

certificate interstate pipelines engaged

in the transportation and sale of natural

gas, and the construction, acquisition,

and operation of facilities to be used for

those activities, to authorize the

abandonment of facilities and services

and to authorize certain NGPA

transportations. If a certificate is

granted, the natural gas company can

engage in the interstate transportation or

sale of natural gas and construct,

acquire, or operate facilities therefore.

Conversely, approval of an

abandonment application permits the

pipeline to cease service and

discontinue the operation of such

facilities. Authorization under NGPA

Section 311(a) allows the interstate or

intrastate pipeline applicants to render

certain transportation services.
Federal Register / Vol. 63, No. 139 /Tuesday, July 21, 1998 / Notices 39083

The natural gas companies file the

necessary information with the

Commission so that a determination can

be made from the data as to whether the

requested certificate should be

authorized. The data required to be

submitted consists of identification of

the company and responsible officials,

factors considered in the location of the

facilities, and impact on the area for

environmental considerations. Also, to

be submitted are flow diagrams showing

design capacity of engineering design

verification and safety determination,

and gas reserves data for appraisal of the

feasibility of the project. Market data

presenting the economic basis for the

proposed action are included when

appropriate as cost of proposed

facilities, plans for financing, and

estimated revenues and expenses

related to the proposed facility for

financial and accounting evaluation.

The Commission implements these

information collection requirements in

the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)

under 18 CFR Part 2.69; 157.5–11;

157.13–.21; 157.102–.103; 157.106;

157.201–.208; 157.210–.218; 284.8–.9;

284.11; 284.126; 284.221–.224; Part 284

Subpart H.

Action: The Commission is requesting

a three-year extension of the current

expiration date.

Burden Statement: Public reporting

burden for this collection is estimated

as:

No. of respondents annually

No. of responses per

respondent

Average burden hours per

response

Total annual burden

hours

(1) (2) (3) (1)x(2)x(3)

50 ................................................................................................................. 11.6 252 hours ........................... 146,160 hours.

Estimated cost burdens to

respondents: 141,160 hours divided by

2088 hours per year times $109,889

equals $7,429,086. The cost per

respondent is equal to $148,582.

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 base upon salaries for professionals

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.

Linwood A. Watson, Jr.,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–19336 Filed 7–20–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. ER98–3602–000]

Central Hudson Gas & Electric

Corporation; Notice of Filing

July 8, 1998.

Take notice that on July 2, 1998,

Central Hudson Gas & Electric

Corporation (Central Hudson), tendered

for filing proposed amendments to the

Form of Service Agreement For Retail

Access of its Open Access Transmission

Tariff on file in Docket No. OA96–14–

000 to implement retail access to its

system as required by orders of the New

York Public Service Commission. The

details of the proposed amendments are

more fully described in Central

Hudson’s filing.

Any person desiring to be heard or to

protest said filing should file a motion

to intervene or protest with the Federal

Energy Regulatory Commission, 888

First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426,

in accordance with Rules 211 and 214

of the Commission’s Rules of Practice

and Procedure (18 CFR 385.211 and 18

(CFR 385.214). All such motions and

protests should be filed on or before July

22, 1998. Protests will be considered by

the Commission to determine the

appropriate action to be taken, but will

not serve to make protestants parties to

the proceedings. Any person wishing to

become a party must file a motion to

intervene. Copies of this filing are on

file with the Commission and are

available for public inspection.

David P. Boergers,

Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 98–19367 Filed 7–20–98; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6717–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. RP98–343–001]

Dauphin Island Gathering Partners;

Notice of Proposed Changes in FERC

Gas Tariff

July 15, 1998.

Take notice that on July 13, 1998,

Dauphin Island Gathering Partners

(DIGP) tendered for filing as part of its

FERC Gas Tariff, Original Volume No. 1,

the tariff sheet listed below to become

effective August 1, 1998:

First Revised Sheet No. 226

DIGP states that this tariff sheet

corrects a pagination error included in

DIGP’s July 2, 1998, filing to comply

with Order No. 587–G.

Any person desiring to protest this

filing should file a protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,