Document ID: FERC-2018-1208-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals
Posted Date: 2018-09-21T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 184 (Friday, September 21, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Page 47914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-20620]

[[Page 47914]]

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC18-14-000]

Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form No. 552); 
Comment Request; Extension

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 Form No. 552 (Annual Report of Natural Gas 
Transactions) and submitting the information collection to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. Any interested person may 
file comments directly with OMB and should address a copy of those 
comments to the Commission as explained below. On July 9, 2018, the 
Commission published a Notice in the Federal Register in Docket No. 
IC18-14-000 requesting public comments. The Commission received no 
comments.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due October 22, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by OMB Control No. 1902-
0242, should be sent via email to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs: [email protected]. Attention: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission Desk Officer.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in 
Docket No. IC18-14-000, by either of the following methods:
     eFiling at Commission's website: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
     Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE, 
Washington, DC 20426.
    Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in 
accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. For user assistance, contact FERC Online Support 
by email at [email protected], or by phone at: (866) 208-3676 
(toll-free), or (202) 502-8659 for TTY.
    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/docs-filing/docs-filing.asp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at 
[email protected], telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at (202) 
273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: FERC Form No. 552, Annual Report of Natural Gas 
Transactions.
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0242.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC Form No. 552 
information collection requirements with no changes to the current 
reporting requirements.
    Abstract: The Commission uses the information collected in the FERC 
Form No. 552 \1\ to provide greater transparency into the size of the 
physical natural gas market and the use of physical fixed-price and 
index-based natural gas transactions. This information assists the 
Commission and the public in assessing whether index prices are the 
result of a robust market of fixed-price transactions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ FERC Form No. 552 is prescribed in 18 CFR 260.401.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    FERC Form No. 552 had its genesis in the Energy Policy Act of 
2005,\2\ which added section 23 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA). Section 
23 of the NGA, among other things, directs the Commission ``to 
facilitate price transparency in markets for the sale or transportation 
of physical natural gas in interstate commerce, having due regard for 
the public interest, the integrity of those markets, and the protection 
of consumers.'' \3\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58, sections 1261 
et seq., 119 Stat. 594 (2005).
    \3\ 15 U.S.C. 717t-2(a)(1)(2006).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Type of Respondents: Wholesale natural gas market participants.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \4\ The Commission estimates the average 
annual burden and cost \5\ for this information collection as follows.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ 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.
    \5\ Costs (for wages and benefits) are based on wage figures 
from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for May 2017 (at https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm) and benefits information (for 
December 2017, issued March 20, 2018, at https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ecec.nr0.htm). The staff estimates that 75% of the work 
is done by a financial analyst (code 13-2051) at an hourly cost of 
$64.35 (for wages plus benefits), and 25% of the work is done by 
legal staff members (code 23-0000) at an hourly cost of $143.68 (for 
wages plus benefits). Therefore the weighted cost (for wages plus 
benefits) is rounded to $84.18/hour [or ($64.35/hour x 0.75) + 
($143.68/hour x 0.25)].
    \6\ Commission staff estimates the average annual burden per 
respondent to be 20 hours (rather than the prior estimate of ten 
hours). There are no changes to the reporting requirements.

                                              FERC Form No. 552, Annual Report of Natural Gas Transactions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                         Annual number                    Average burden hours                              Annual cost
               Category                    Number of     of responses    Total number       and cost ($) per       Total annual burden    per respondent
                                          respondents   per respondent   of responses           response            hours and cost ($)     ($) (rounded)
                                                   (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =                      (4)          (3) * (4) = (5)       (5) / (1)
                                                                                   (3)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wholesale natural gas market                       675               1             675   20 hrs.; \6\ $1,683.60  13,500 hrs.; $1,136,430          $1,684
 participants.........................
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    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.

    Dated: September 13, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-20620 Filed 9-20-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P