Document ID: FERC-2019-0288-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Notice
Title: Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposals, Submissions, and Approvals
Posted Date: 2019-03-14T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 50 (Thursday, March 14, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9317-9319]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-04678]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC19-16-000]

Commission Information Collection Activities; 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

[[Page 9318]]

(Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently 
approved information collection, FERC-556 (Certification of Qualifying 
Facility (QF) Status for a Small Power Production or Cogeneration 
Facility).

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due May 13, 2019.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC19-16-
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 ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, 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 
DataClearance@FERC.gov, telephone at (202) 502-8663, and fax at (202) 
273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: FERC-556, Certification of Qualifying Facility (QF) Status 
for a Small Power Production or Cogeneration Facility.
    OMB Control No.: 1902-0075.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-556 information 
collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting 
requirements.
    Abstract: Form No. 556 is required to implement sections 201 and 
210 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act of 1978 \1\ (PURPA). 
FERC is authorized, under those sections, to encourage cogeneration and 
small power production and to prescribe such rules as necessary in 
order to carry out the statutory directives.
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    \1\ 16 U.S.C. 796, 824a-3.
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    A primary statutory objective is efficient use of energy resources 
and facilities by electric utilities. One means of achieving this goal 
is to encourage production of electric power by cogeneration facilities 
which make use of reject heat associated with commercial or industrial 
processes, and by small power production facilities which use other 
wastes and renewable resources. PURPA encourages the development of 
small power production facilities and cogeneration facilities that meet 
certain technical and corporate criteria through establishment of 
various regulatory benefits. Facilities that meet these criteria are 
called Qualifying Facilities (QFs).
    FERC's regulations in 18 CFR part 292, as relevant here, specify: 
(a) The certification procedures which must be followed by owners or 
operators of small power production and cogeneration facilities; (b) 
the criteria which must be met; (c) the information which must be 
submitted to FERC in order to obtain qualifying status; and (d) the 
PURPA benefits which are available to QFs to encourage small power 
production and cogeneration.
    18 CFR part 292 also exempts QFs from certain corporate, 
accounting, reporting, and rate regulation requirements of the Federal 
Power Act,\2\ certain state laws, and the Public Utility Holding 
Company Act of 2005.\3\
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    \2\ 16 U.S.C. 791, et seq.
    \3\ 42 U.S.C. 16, 451-63.
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    Type of Respondents: Facilities that are self-certifying their 
status as a cogenerator or small power producer or that are submitting 
an application for FERC certification of their status as a cogenerator 
or small power producer.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \4\ The Commission estimates the burden 
and cost for this information collection as follows:
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    \4\ ``Burden'' is 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. For further 
explanation of what is included in the information collection 
burden, refer to Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.

[[Page 9319]]

                       FERC-556--Certification of Qualifying Facility Status for a Small Power Production or Cogeneration Facility
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                                                                                                                          Total annual
                                                      Number of     Annual number   Total number      Average burden     burden hours &      Cost per
         Facility type             Filing type       respondents    of responses    of responses     hours & cost per     total annual    respondent ($)
                                                                   per respondent                      response \5\      cost (rounded)      (rounded)
                                                              (1)             (2)     (1) * (2) =  (4)                  (3) * (4) = (5)        (5) / (1)
                                                                                              (3)
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Cogeneration Facility > 1 MW    Self-                          63            1.25           78.75  1.5 hrs; $118.5....  118.125 hrs;                $148
 \6\.                            certification.                                                                          $9,332.
Cogeneration Facility > 1 MW..  Application for                 1            1.25            1.25  50 hrs; $3,950.....  62.5 hrs; $4,938           4,938
                                 FERC
                                 certification.
Small Power Production          Self-                       2,698            1.25         3,372.5  1.5 hrs; $118.5....  5,058.75 hrs;                148
 Facility > 1 MW.                certification.                                                                          $399,641.
Small Power Production          Application for                 0            1.25               0  50 hrs; $3,950.....  0 hrs; $0.......               0
 Facility > 1 MW.                FERC
                                 certification.
Cogeneration and Small Power    Self-                         692            1.25             865  1.5 hrs; $118.5....  1,297.5 hrs;                 148
 Production Facility <= 1 MW     certification.                                                                          $102,503.
 (Self-Certification) \7\.
    Total.....................  .................           3,454  ..............         4,317.5  ...................  6,536.875 hrs;    ..............
                                                                                                                         $516,413.13.
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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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    \5\ The Commission staff believes that industry is similarly 
situated in terms of wages and benefits. Therefore, cost estimates 
are based on FERC's 2018 average annual wage (and benefits) for a 
full-time employee of $164,820 (or $79.00/hour).
    \6\ MW = megawatt.
    \7\ Not required to file.

    Dated: March 7, 2019.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2019-04678 Filed 3-13-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P