Document ID: FERC-2015-1264-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Proposed Rule
Title: Relay Performance During Stable Power Swings Reliability Standard
Posted Date: 2015-09-24T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 185 (Thursday, September 24, 2015)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 57549-57553]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-24279]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

18 CFR Part 40

[Docket No. RM15-8-000]

Relay Performance During Stable Power Swings Reliability Standard

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission proposes to approve 
Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 (Relay Performance During Stable Power 
Swings), submitted by the North American Electric Reliability 
Corporation. The proposed Reliability Standard is designed to ensure 
that applicable entities use protective relay systems that can 
differentiate between faults and stable power swings. In addition, the 
Commission requests comment regarding the potential burden of modifying 
the applicability of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 to include 
relays with a time delay of 15 cycles or greater in instances where 
either (1) an element has been identified by a Planning Coordinator as 
potentially susceptible to power swings or (2) an entity becomes aware 
of a bulk electric system element that tripped in response to a stable 
or unstable power swing due to the operation of its protective 
relay(s), even if the element was not previously identified by the 
planning coordinator.

DATES: Comments are due November 23, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Comments, identified by docket number, may be filed in the 
following ways:
     Electronic Filing through http://www.ferc.gov. Documents 
created electronically using word processing software should be filed 
in native applications or print-to-PDF format and not in a scanned 
format.
     Mail/Hand Delivery: Those unable to file electronically 
may mail or hand-deliver comments to: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    Instructions: For detailed instructions on submitting comments and 
additional information on the rulemaking process, see the Comment 
Procedures Section of this document.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Kenneth Hubona (Technical Information), Office of Electric Reliability, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, 
DC 20426, (301) 665-1608, kenneth.hubona@ferc.gov.
Kevin Ryan (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel, Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 
20426, (202) 502-6840, kevin.ryan@ferc.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    1. Pursuant to section 215 of the Federal Power Act (FPA),\1\ the 
Commission proposes to approve Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 (Relay 
Performance During Stable Power Swings), submitted by the North 
American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the Commission-
approved Electric Reliability Organization (ERO). The proposed 
Reliability Standard applies to planning coordinators, as well as 
generator owners and transmission owners that apply certain load-
responsive protective relays in specific, identified circumstances, and 
is designed to ensure the use of protective relay systems that can 
differentiate between faults and stable power swings. In addition, the 
Commission proposes to approve NERC's proposed implementation plan, and 
the assigned violation risk factors and violation severity levels.
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    \1\ 16 U.S.C. 824o (2012).
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    2. Consistent with directives issued in Order No. 733,\2\ the 
Commission proposes to find that the proposed Reliability Standard 
addresses undesirable relay operation due to power swings,\3\ and 
provides an equally effective and efficient alternative to the Order 
No. 733 directive requiring the use of protective relay systems that 
can differentiate between faults and stable power swings and, when 
necessary, retirement of protective relay systems that cannot meet this 
requirement.\4\ Further, as discussed below, the Commission seeks 
comment regarding the potential burden of modifying the applicability 
of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 to include relays with a 
time delay of 15 cycles or greater in instances where either (1) an 
element has been identified by a Planning Coordinator as potentially 
susceptible to power swings or (2) an entity becomes aware of a bulk 
electric system element that tripped in response to a stable or

[[Page 57550]]

unstable power swing due to the operation of its protective relay(s), 
even if the element was not previously identified by the planning 
coordinator. Depending on the response, the Commission may direct that 
NERC develop modifications to the proposed Reliability Standard.
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    \2\ Transmission Relay Loadability Reliability Standard, Order 
No. 733, 130 FERC ] 61,221 (2010), order on reh'g and clarification, 
Order No. 733-A, 134 FERC ] 61,127, order on reh'g and 
clarification, Order No. 733-B, 136 FERC ] 61,185 (2011).
    \3\ Order No. 733, 130 FERC ] 61,221 at P 153.
    \4\ Id. P 150.
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I. Background

A. Mandatory Reliability Standards and Order No. 733 Directives

    3. Section 215 of the FPA requires a Commission-certified ERO to 
develop mandatory and enforceable Reliability Standards, subject to 
Commission review and approval.\5\ Pursuant to section 215 of the FPA, 
the Commission established a process to select and certify an ERO,\6\ 
and subsequently certified NERC.\7\
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    \5\ 16 U.S.C. 824(d) and (e).
    \6\ Rules Concerning Certification of the Electric Reliability 
Organization; and Procedures for the Establishment, Approval, and 
Enforcement of Electric Reliability Standards, Order No. 672, FERC 
Stats. & Regs. ] 31,204, order on reh'g, Order No. 672-A, FERC 
Stats. & Regs. ] 31,212 (2006).
    \7\ North American Electric Reliability Corp., 116 FERC ] 
61,062, order on reh'g and compliance, 117 FERC ] 61,126 (2006), 
aff'd sub nom. Alcoa, Inc. v. FERC, 564 F.3d 1342 (D.C. Cir. 2009).
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    4. On March 18, 2010, in Order No. 733, the Commission approved 
Reliability Standard PRC-023-1 (Transmission Relay Loadability) and 
directed NERC to develop a new Reliability Standard that requires the 
use of protective relay systems that can differentiate between faults 
and stable power swings and, when necessary, retirement of protective 
relay systems that cannot meet this requirement.\8\ In Order No. 733, 
the Commission cited the findings of both NERC and the U.S.-Canada 
Power System Outage Task Force on the causes of the 2003 Northeast 
Blackout, explaining that the cascade during this event was accelerated 
by zone 2 and zone 3 relays that continued to operate because these 
devices could not distinguish between a dynamic, but stable, power 
swing and an actual fault.\9\ The Commission recognized that addressing 
stable power swings is a complex issue which impacted the 2003 
Blackout, and yet there was no Reliability Standard that addresses the 
issue; therefore, the Commission directed NERC to develop a Reliability 
Standard to address undesirable relay operation due to stable power 
swings.\10\
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    \8\ Order No. 733, 130 FERC ] 61,221 at P 150.
    \9\ Id. PP 3-4, 130 (citing U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task 
Force, Final Report on the August 14, 2003 Blackout in the United 
States and Canada: Causes and Recommendations, at 80 (2004); and 
August 14, 2003 Blackout: NERC Actions to Prevent and Mitigate the 
Impacts of Future Cascading Blackouts, at 13 (2004)).
    \10\ Id. P 153.
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    5. On February 17, 2011, in Order No. 733-A, the Commission denied 
rehearing of Order No. 733 and clarified that ``[w]e continue to 
believe that not addressing stable power swings constitutes a gap in 
the current Reliability Standards and must be addressed.'' \11\ 
Therefore, the Commission affirmed the directive that NERC develop a 
Reliability Standard addressing stable power swings.\12\ The Commission 
also clarified that it did not require a Reliability Standard 
containing an absolute obligation to prevent protection relays from 
operating unnecessarily during stable power swings or an across-the-
board elimination of all zone 3 relays, but only the development of a 
standard that addresses protection systems that are vulnerable to 
stable power swings (resulting from Category B and Category C 
contingencies from the NERC Planning Standards in place at that time) 
that will result in inappropriate tripping.\13\ In Order No. 733-B, the 
Commission denied further clarification regarding the issue.
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    \11\ Order No. 733-A, 134 FERC ] 61,127 at P 104.
    \12\ Id.
    \13\ Id. P 107.
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B. NERC Petition and Proposed Standard PRC-026-1

    6. On December 31, 2014, NERC submitted a petition seeking approval 
of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1, as well as the associated 
implementation plan, and violation risk factors and violation severity 
levels.\14\ NERC avers that proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 
satisfies the Order No. 733 directive to develop a new standard that 
requires the use of protective relay systems that can differentiate 
between faults and stable power swings. According to NERC, the proposed 
Reliability Standard sets forth requirements that prevent the 
unnecessary tripping of bulk electric system elements in response to 
stable power swings.\15\ NERC further explains that the identification 
of bulk electric system elements with protection systems at-risk of 
operating as a result of a stable or unstable power swing and 
subsequent review by the applicable generator owner or transmission 
owner ``provides assurance that relays will continue to be secure for 
stable power swings if any changes in system impedance occur.'' \16\
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    \14\ Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 is available on the 
Commission's eLibrary document retrieval system in Docket No. RM15-
8-000 and on the NERC Web site, www.nerc.com.
    \15\ See NERC Petition at 4.
    \16\ Id.
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    7. According to NERC, the proposed Reliability Standard is 
``directly responsive'' to the Order No. 733 directive that NERC 
develop a standard addressing undesirable relay operation due to stable 
power swings.\17\ NERC explains, however, that the proposed Reliability 
Standard ``includes an alternative to the Commission's approach to 
require `the use of protective relay systems that can differentiate 
between faults and stable power swings and, when necessary, phases out 
protective relay systems that cannot meet this requirement.' '' \18\ 
NERC notes that in Order No. 733-A, the Commission clarified that it 
had not intended ``to prohibit NERC from exercising its technical 
expertise to develop a solution to an identified reliability concern 
that is equally effective and efficient as the one proposed in Order 
No. 733.'' \19\ In support of its alternative solution, NERC states 
that ``it is generally preferable to emphasize dependability over 
security when it is not possible to ensure both for all possible system 
conditions'' and avers that ``[p]rohibiting use of certain types of 
relays, such as those protective relay systems that cannot 
differentiate between faults and stable power swings, may have 
unintended negative outcomes for Bulk-Power System reliability.'' \20\
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    \17\ Id. at 23 (citing Order No. 733, 130 FERC ] 61,221 at P 
153).
    \18\ Id. (quoting Order No. 733, 130 FERC ] 61,221 at P 162).
    \19\ Id. at 11 (citing Order No. 733-A, 134 FERC ] 61,127 at P 
11).
    \20\ Id. at 24.
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    8. Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 has four requirements 
and two attachments. NERC explains that Attachment A ``provides clarity 
on which load-responsive protective relay functions are applicable'' 
under the standard.\21\ Specifically, Attachment A provides that 
proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 applies to:
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    \21\ Id. at 31.

any protective functions which could trip instantaneously or with a 
time delay of less than 15 cycles on load current (i.e., ``load-
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responsive'') . . . .

    According to NERC, the 15 cycle time delay ``is representative of 
an expected power swing having a slow slip rate of 0.67 Hertz (Hz) and 
is the average time that a stable power swing with that slip rate would 
enter the relays' characteristic, reverse direction, and then exit the 
characteristic before the time delay expired.'' \22\ NERC states that

[[Page 57551]]

the proposed standard does not apply to ``functions that are either 
immune to power swings, block power swings, or prevent non-immune 
protection function operation due to supervision of the function.'' 
\23\ Attachment B contains the criteria for the evaluation of load-
responsive protective relays that are within the scope of proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-026-1.\24\ According to NERC, Attachment B 
``will reduce the need for simulation by comparing the load-responsive 
protective relay to specific criteria'' set forth in Attachment B.\25\
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    \22\ Id. at 30.
    \23\ Id. at 31.
    \24\ See id. at 35-38.
    \25\ Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 (Application 
Guidelines) at 15.
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    9. According to NERC, Requirement R1 of the proposed Reliability 
Standard requires the planning coordinator to identify bulk electric 
system elements that meet one or more of four criteria and subsequently 
notify, at least once each calendar year, the respective generator 
owners and transmission owners of the identified at-risk elements.\26\
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    \26\ Id. at 32-33.
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    10. NERC states that, upon such notification, Requirement R2 
obligates the generator owners and transmission owners to determine 
whether the relays applied to the identified bulk electric system 
elements meet the two criteria outlined in Attachment B to proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-026-1. NERC notes that Requirement R2 requires 
a generator owner or transmission owner to conduct the same analysis 
where the entity becomes aware of a bulk electric system element that 
tripped in response to a stable or unstable power swing due to the 
operations of its protective relay(s), even if the element was not 
previously identified by the planning coordinator.\27\ NERC concludes 
that, based on the ``expected infrequency of Elements tripping in 
response to a stable power swing,'' the evaluation of elements 
identified under Requirement R1 combined with the evaluation of 
elements identified following a known power swing trip ``meet[s] the 
reliability purpose of the proposed Reliability Standard and directive 
in an efficient manner without significant burden to applicable 
entities.'' \28\
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    \27\ NERC Petition at 38. NERC explains that the phrase 
``becoming aware'' is used in Requirement R2 to ``not overburden 
entities by requiring a determination of whether a power swing was 
present for every Element trip'' due to relay operation. Id.
    \28\ Id. at 38-39.
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    11. NERC explains that Requirement R3 requires an applicable 
generator owner or transmission owner to develop a corrective action 
plan for any protective system that does not meet the Attachment B 
criteria. Under the corrective action plan, a generator owner or 
transmission owner is required to modify the relevant protection system 
to meet the Attachment B criteria. Requirement R4 obligates a generator 
owner or transmission owner to implement a corrective action plan 
developed under Requirement R3 and to update the plan when either the 
content of the plan or associated timetables change until the plan has 
been fully executed.
    12. NERC proposes an implementation plan for PRC-026-1 under which 
Requirement R1 is to become effective 12 months after Commission 
approval, and Requirements R2, R3, and R4 become effective 36 months 
after Commission approval.

II. Discussion

    13. Pursuant to section 215(d)(2) of the FPA, we propose to approve 
Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 as just, reasonable, not unduly 
discriminatory or preferential, and in the public interest. We also 
propose to approve NERC's proposed implementation plan, and the 
proposed violation risk factors and violation severity levels. 
Generally, the proposed Reliability Standard appears to adequately 
address the Commission's directive from Order No. 733 by helping to 
prevent the unnecessary tripping of bulk electric system elements in 
response to stable power swings. We propose to accept NERC's approach 
as an equally effective and efficient method to achieve the reliability 
goal underlying the Commission's Order No. 733 directive.
    14. However, we are concerned that NERC's proposed exclusion of 
load responsive relays with a time delay of 15 cycles or greater as 
proposed in Attachment A could result in a gap in reliability. As 
mentioned above, pursuant to Attachment A, the Reliability Standard 
applies to ``any protective functions which could trip instantaneously 
or with a time delay of less than 15 cycles on load current (i.e., 
``load-responsive''). . . .'' NERC provides technical rationale for the 
less than 15 cycle threshold, explaining that load-responsive relays 
set to trip instantaneously or with a ``slight time delay'' are most 
susceptible to power swings.\29\ Nevertheless, while NERC states that 
its proposal meets the Commission's directive in an efficient manner 
without significant burden to applicable entities, NERC has not 
provided any information on the burden of including relays with a time 
delay of 15 cycles or greater under proposed Reliability Standard PRC-
026-1. We believe that the lack of this information is significant in 
light of the fact that an entity would not be required under the 
proposed Reliability Standard to investigate an element identified by a 
Planning Coordinator as potentially susceptible to power swings or 
investigate an element following a known power swing trip if the 
relay(s) involved have a time delay of 15 cycles or greater.
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    \29\ See NERC Petition at 29-30.
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    15. Therefore, we seek comment on the potential burden of modifying 
the applicability of proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 to include 
relays with a time delay of 15 cycles or greater in instances where 
either (1) an element has been identified by a Planning Coordinator as 
potentially susceptible to power swings or (2) an entity becomes aware 
of a bulk electric system element that tripped in response to a stable 
or unstable power swing due to the operation of its protective 
relay(s), even if the element was not previously identified by the 
planning coordinator. Depending on the response, the Commission may 
direct that NERC develop modifications to the proposed Reliability 
Standard.

III. Information Collection Statement

    16. The collection of information contained in this Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking is subject to review by the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) regulations under section 3507(d) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).\30\ OMB's regulations require approval of 
certain informational collection requirements imposed by agency 
rules.\31\
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    \30\ 44 U.S.C. 3507(d) (2012).
    \31\ 5 CFR 1320.11.
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    17. Upon approval of a collection(s) of information, OMB will 
assign an OMB control number and an expiration date. Respondents 
subject to the filing requirements of a rule will not be penalized for 
failing to respond to these collections of information unless the 
collections of information display a valid OMB control number.
    18. We solicit comments on the need for this information, whether 
the information will have practical utility, the accuracy of the burden 
estimates, ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected or retained, and any suggested methods for 
minimizing respondents' burden, including the use of automated 
information techniques. Specifically, the Commission asks that any 
revised

[[Page 57552]]

burden or cost estimates submitted by commenters be supported by 
sufficient detail to understand how the estimates are generated.
    Public Reporting Burden: The Commission proposes to approve 
Reliability Standard PRC-026-1. Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 
will impose new requirements for the notification of particular bulk 
electric system elements from planning coordinator to generator owners 
and transmissions owners based on given criteria. Generator owners and 
transmissions owner will evaluate those bulk electric system elements 
and load-responsive protective relay(s) according to Attachment B 
criteria and, if a load-responsive protective relay does not meet the 
Attachment B criteria, the generator owner/transmission owner must 
develop a corrective action plan. Our estimate below regarding the 
number of respondents is based on the NERC Compliance Registry as of 
June 26, 2015. According to the NERC Compliance Registry, NERC has 
registered 318 transmission owners, 884 generator owners, and 68 
planning coordinators. However, under NERC's compliance registration 
program, entities may be registered for multiple functions, so these 
numbers incorporate some double counting. The total number of unique 
entities that may be identified as a notification provider (e.g. 
applicable entity) in accordance with proposed Reliability Standard 
PRC-026-1 will be approximately 1,074 entities registered in the United 
States as a transmission owner and/or generator owner. The total number 
of unique entities that may be identified as evidence retention 
entities (e.g. applicable entity) in accordance with proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 will be approximately 1,092 entities 
registered in the United States as a transmission owner, generator 
owner and/or planning coordinator. The Commission estimates the annual 
reporting burden and cost as follows:
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    \32\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the 
following formula:
    Average Burden Hours per Response * $60.66 per Hour = Average 
Cost per Response. The hourly average of $60.66 assumes equal time 
is spent by the manager, electrical engineer, and information and 
record clerk. The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is: 
$37.50 for information and record clerks (occupation code 43-4199), 
$78.04 for a manager (occupation code 11-0000), and $66.45 for an 
electrical engineer (occupation code 17-2071). (The figures are 
taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2014 figures at 
http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm).
    \33\ The average hourly cost (salary plus benefits) is $37.50. 
The BLS wage category code is 34-4199. This figure is also taken 
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2014 figures at http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm.

                                                                       RM15-8-000
                                            [Mandatory reliability standards: reliability standard PRC-026-1]
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                                                                                                                           Total annual
                                                             Number of     Annual number   Total number   Average burden  burden hours &     Cost per
                                                            respondents    of responses    of responses     & cost per     total annual   respondent ($)
                                                                          per respondent                     response          cost
                                                                     (1)             (2)     (1)*(2)=(3)             (4)     (3)*(4)=(5)         (5)/(1)
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Notifications to GO/TO per Requirement R1...............           1,074               1           1,074               8           8,592         $845.28
                                                                                                            \32\ $485.28        $521,191
Evidence Retention GO/TO/PC.............................           1,092               1           1,092              12          13,104         $450.00
                                                                                                            \33\ $450.00        $491,400
                                                         -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Total...............................................  ..............  ..............           2,166  ..............          21,696  ..............
                                                                                                                              $1,012,591
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    Title: FERC-725G3, Mandatory Reliability Standards: Reliability 
Standard PRC-026-1.
    Action: Proposed Collection of Information.
    OMB Control No: To Be Determined.
    Respondents: Business or other for-profit and not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Frequency of Responses: One time and on-going.
    Necessity of the Information: The proposed Reliability Standard 
PRC-026-1, if adopted, would implement the Congressional mandate of the 
Energy Policy Act of 2005 to develop mandatory and enforceable 
Reliability Standards to better ensure the reliability of the nation's 
Bulk-Power System. Specifically, the proposal would address undesirable 
relay operation due to power swings.
    19. Internal review: The Commission has reviewed the requirements 
pertaining to the proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 and made a 
determination that the proposed requirements of this standard are 
necessary to implement section 215 of the FPA. These requirements 
conform to the Commission's plan for efficient information collection, 
communication and management within the energy industry. The Commission 
has assured itself, by means of its internal review, that there is 
specific, objective support for the burden estimates associated with 
the information requirements.
    20. Interested persons may obtain information on the reporting 
requirements by contacting the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
Office of the Executive Director, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 
20426 [Attention: Ellen Brown, email: DataClearance@ferc.gov, phone: 
(202) 502-8663, fax: (202) 273-0873].
    21. Comments concerning the information collections proposed in 
this NOPR and the associated burden estimates, should be sent to the 
Commission in this docket and may also be sent to the Office of 
Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs 
[Attention: Desk Officer for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission]. 
For security reasons, comments should be sent by email to OMB at the 
following email address: oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. Please reference 
the docket number of this Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Docket No. 
RM15-8-000) in your submission.

IV. Regulatory Flexibility Act Analysis

    22. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA) \34\ generally 
requires a description and analysis of this NOPR that will have 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 
Proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 sets forth requirements that 
prevent the unnecessary tripping of bulk

[[Page 57553]]

electric system elements in response to stable power swings. As shown 
in the information collection section, an estimated 1,092 entities are 
expected to evaluate bulk electric system elements and load-responsive 
protective relay(s) according to Attachment B criteria of proposed PRC-
026-1. Comparison of the applicable entities with the Commission's 
small business data indicates that approximately 661 are small entities 
\35\ or 60.53 percent of the respondents affected by proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-026-1.
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    \34\ 5 U.S.C. 601-12.
    \35\ The Small Business Administration sets the threshold for 
what constitutes a small business. Public utilities may fall under 
one of several different categories, each with a size threshold 
based on the company's number of employees, including affiliates, 
the parent company, and subsidiaries. For the analysis in this NOPR, 
we apply a 500 employee threshold for each affected entity. Each 
entity is classified as Electric Bulk Power Transmission and Control 
(NAICS code 221121).
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    23. As discussed above, proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 
will serve to enhance reliability by imposing mandatory requirements 
governing generator relay loadability, thereby reducing the likelihood 
of premature or unnecessary tripping of generators during system 
disturbances. The Commission estimates that each of the small entities 
to whom the proposed Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 applies will incur 
paperwork and record retention costs of $935.28 per entity (annual 
ongoing).
    24. The Commission does not consider the estimated costs per small 
entity to have a significant economic impact on a substantial number of 
small entities. Accordingly, the Commission certifies that proposed 
Reliability Standard PRC-026-1 will not have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small entities. The Commission seeks 
comment on this certification.

V. Environmental Analysis

    25. 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.\36\ The 
Commission has categorically excluded certain actions from this 
requirement as not having a significant effect on the human 
environment. Included in the exclusion are rules that are clarifying, 
corrective, or procedural or that do not substantially change the 
effect of the regulations being amended.\37\ The actions proposed 
herein fall within this categorical exclusion in the Commission's 
regulations.
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    \36\ Regulations Implementing the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969, Order No. 486, FERC Stats. & Regs., Regulations 
Preambles 1986-1990 ] 30,783 (1987).
    \37\ 18 CFR 380.4(a)(2)(ii) (2015).
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VI. Comment Procedures

    26. The Commission invites interested persons to submit comments on 
the matters and issues proposed in this notice to be adopted, including 
any related matters or alternative proposals that commenters may wish 
to discuss. Comments are due November 23, 2015. Comments must refer to 
Docket No. RM15-8-000, and must include the commenter's name, the 
organization they represent, if applicable, and address.
    27. The Commission encourages comments to be filed electronically 
via the eFiling link on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov. The Commission accepts most standard word processing 
formats. Documents created electronically using word processing 
software should be filed in native applications or print-to-PDF format 
and not in a scanned format. Commenters filing electronically do not 
need to make a paper filing.
    28. Commenters that are not able to file comments electronically 
must send an original of their comments to: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    29. All comments will be placed in the Commission's public files 
and may be viewed, printed, or downloaded remotely as described in the 
Document Availability section below. Commenters on this proposal are 
not required to serve copies of their comments on other commenters.

VII. Document Availability

    30. 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 Home Page (http://www.ferc.gov) and 
in the Commission's Public Reference Room during normal business hours 
(8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time) at 888 First Street NE., Room 2A, 
Washington, DC 20426.
    31. From the Commission's Home Page on the Internet, this 
information is available on 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 of this document, excluding the last three digits, in 
the docket number field.
    32. User assistance is available for eLibrary and the Commission's 
Web site during normal business hours from the Commission's Online 
Support at 202-502-6652 (toll free at 1-866-208-3676) or email at 
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or the Public Reference Room at (202) 502-
8371, TTY (202) 502-8659. Email the Public Reference Room at 
public.referenceroom@ferc.gov.

    By direction of the Commission.

    Issued: September 17, 2015.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-24279 Filed 9-23-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P