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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 5 (Wednesday, January 8, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1476-1478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2025-00232]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC25-5-000]

Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-545); Comment 
Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or 
FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved 
information collection, FERC 545: Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-
Formal).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due March 10, 
2025.

ADDRESSES: You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket 
No. IC25-5-000) by one of the following methods:

[[Page 1477]]

    Electronic filing through http://www.ferc.gov is preferred.
     Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable 
native applications and print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture 
format.
     For those unable to file electronically, comments may be 
submitted to FERC as follows:
    [cir] Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE, 
Washington, DC 20426.
    [cir] All other services (including courier): Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 12225 Wilkins 
Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
    Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in 
accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov. For user 
assistance, contact FERC Online Support by email at 
[email protected], or by phone at (866) 208-3676 (toll-free).
    Docket: Users interested in receiving automatic notification of 
activity in this docket or in viewing/downloading comments and 
issuances in this docket may do so at http://www.ferc.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kayla Williams may be reached by email 
at [email protected], telephone at (202) 502-6468.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: FERC-545: Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-formal)
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0154
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-545 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
    Abstract: FERC-545 is required to implement sections 4, 5, and 16 
of the Natural Gas Act (NGA) (15 U.S.C. 717c, 717d, and 717o). NGA 
Sections 4, 5, and 16 authorize the Commission to inquire into rate 
structures and methodologies and to set rates at a just and reasonable 
level. Specifically, a natural gas company must obtain Commission 
authorization for all rates and charges made, demanded, or received in 
connection with the transportation or sale of natural gas in interstate 
commerce. FERC-545 consists of: (1) Tariff Filings which are filings 
regarding proposed changes to a pipeline's tariff and any related 
compliance filings; (2) Rate Filings which are rate-related filings 
under NGA sections 4 and 5 and any related compliance filings and 
settlements; (3) Informational Reports, for example, annual 
reconciliation reports.; (4) Negotiated Rates and Non-Conforming 
Agreement Filings; (5) North American Energy Standards Board (NAESB) 
Filings; (6) Market-Based Rates for Storage Filings; and (6) the Labor-
Wage Policy which allows jurisdictional entities to include wages 
consistent with project-area standards in cost-of-service rates filed 
with the Commission where the record supports that outcome.
    Under the NGA, a natural gas company's rates must be just and 
reasonable and not unduly discriminatory or preferential. The 
Commission may act under different sections of the NGA to effect a 
change in a natural gas company's rates. When the Commission reviews 
rate increases that a natural gas company has proposed, it is subject 
to the requirement of section 4(e) of the NGA. These types of filings 
are referred to as general section 4 rate cases. In the proceedings, 
the Commission reviews a pipeline's rates and services. A pipeline can 
file a general section 4 rate case anytime it wishes, provided the 
pipeline did not agree otherwise in a settlement. A pipeline must 
demonstrate that the new rates it proposes to charge are just and 
reasonable. When a rate increase filing is made pursuant to section 4, 
the application is typically suspended and set for hearing by a 
Commission Order. On the other hand, when the Commission seeks to 
impose its own rate determination, it must do so in compliance with 
section 5(a) of the NGA. Under section 5, the Commission must first 
establish and demonstrate that a pipeline's existing rate is no longer 
just and reasonable.
    Section 16 of the NGA states that the Commission ``shall have the 
power to perform any and all acts, and to prescribe, issue, make, 
amend, and rescind such orders, rules, and regulations as it may find 
necessary or appropriate to carry out provisions of [the NGA].'' In 
other words, section 16 of the NGA grants the Commission the power to 
define accounting, technical and trade terms, prescribe forms, 
statements, declarations or reports and to prescribe rules and 
regulations.
    Pipelines adjust their tariffs to meet market and customer needs. 
Commission review of these proposed changes is required to ensure rates 
remain just and reasonable and that services are not provided in an 
unduly or preferential manner. The Commission's regulation in 18 CFR 
part 154 specifies what changes are allowed and the procedures for 
requesting Commission approval.
    Type of Respondents: Jurisdictional natural gas companies.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \1\ The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
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    \1\ Burden is defined as the total time, effort, or financial 
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. Refer to 
5 CFR 1320.3 for additional information.

                                                 FERC-545: Gas Pipeline Rates: Rate Change (Non-Formal)
                                                                       [No change]
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                                                   Average number                                                      Total annual burden     Cost per
                                       Number of    of responses       Total number of       Average burden & cost    hours & total annual    respondent
                                      respondents  per respondent         responses             per response \2\              cost               ($)
                                              (1)             (2)  (1) * (2) = (3)........  (4)....................  (3) * (4) = (5).......    (5) / (1)
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Tariff Filings......................          141               3  423....................  211 hrs.; $22,999......  89,253 hrs.;                $68,997
                                                                                                                      $9,728,577.
Rate Filings........................           19               2  38.....................  354 hrs.; $38,586......  13,452 hrs.;                 77,172
                                                                                                                      $1,466,268.
Informational Reports...............           80               2  160....................  235 hrs.; $25,615......  37,600 hrs.;                 51,230
                                                                                                                      $4,098,400.
Negotiated Rates & Non-Conforming              75               8  600....................  233 hrs.; $25,397......  139,800 hrs.;               203,176
 Agreement Filings.                                                                                                   $15,238,200.
Market-Base Rates for Storage                   2               1  2......................  230 hrs.; $25,070......  460 hrs.; $50,140.....       25,070
 Filings.
NAESB (version 3.2) one time over 3         59.33               1  59.33..................  10 hrs.; $1,090........  593.30 hrs.;                  1,090
 years carried over from RM96-1-042                                                                                   $64,669.70.
 \3\.

[[Page 1478]]

 
Labor-Wage Policy \4\...............           11               1  11.....................  15 hrs.; $1,635........  165 hrs.; $17,985.....        1,635
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    Total (Including Section 4 Rate   ...........  ..............  1,293 (rounded)........  .......................  281,323 hrs.            ...........
     Cases).                                                                                                          (rounded);
                                                                                                                      $30,664,240.
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    Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) whether the 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 and 
cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information collection; and (4) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are 
to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
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    \2\ The estimated hourly cost (salary plus benefits) provided in 
this section is based on the salary figures for May 2024 posted by 
the Bureau of Labor Statistics for the Utilities sector (available 
at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics3_221000.htm) and scaled to 
reflect benefits using the relative importance of employer costs for 
employee compensation from March 2024 available at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm). The hourly estimates for 
salary plus benefits are: Computer and Information Systems Manager 
(Occupation Code: 11-3021), $115.47; Computer and Information 
Analysts (Occupation Code: 15-1210), $80.10; Electrical Engineer 
(Occupation Code: 17-2071), $79.31; Legal (Occupation Code: 23-
0000), $162.66. The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) 
weighting all of the above skill sets evenly, is $109.38. We round 
it to $109/hour.
    \3\ At the time of this notice for extension request, Docket No. 
RM96-1-043 was issued by the Commission on November 22, 2024. The 
Order updated the requirement to reflect the Wholesale Gas Quadrant 
(WGQ) 4.0 standards. OMB has not yet approved this modification as 
it has not published in the Federal Register, which is required for 
Information Collection Requests (ICRs) to be submitted. However, to 
prevent a lapse in the approval of the existing collection's 
expiration date, the Commission is publishing this Notice with the 
currently approved burden estimates that involve the NAESB standards 
(59.33 responses). The updated burden estimates for the NAESB 
revisions will increase the burden to 64.33 (rounded) responses, 
which is the average number of responses per annum.
    \4\ Project-Area Wage Standards in the Labor Cost Component of 
Cost-of-Service Rates under Docket No. PL24-1-000 was issued on 
March 21, 2024, which allows jurisdictional entities to include 
wages consistent with project-area standards in cost-of-service 
rates filed with the Commission where the record supports that 
outcome.

    Dated: January 2, 2025.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-00232 Filed 1-7-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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