Document ID: FERC-2011-0433-0001
Agency: ferc
Document Type: Rule
Title: Western Electric Coordinating Council: Qualified Transfer Path Unscheduled Flow Relief Regional Reliability Standard
Posted Date: 2011-03-25T04:00Z

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 58 (Friday, March 25, 2011)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 16691-16696]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-7040]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

18 CFR Part 40

Docket No. RM09-19-000; Order No. 746]

Western Electric Coordinating Council Qualified Transfer Path 
Unscheduled Flow Relief Regional Reliability Standard

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Energy.

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: Under section 215 of the Federal Power Act, the Commission 
approves regional Reliability Standard of the Western Electricity 
Coordinating Council (WECC) IRO-006-WECC-1 (Qualified Transfer Path 
Unscheduled Flow Relief) and six associated new definitions submitted 
to the Commission for approval by the North American Electric 
Reliability Corporation. This Reliability Standard is intended to 
mitigate transmission overloads due to unscheduled flow on a transfer 
path designated by WECC as being qualified for unscheduled flow 
mitigation.

DATES: Effective Date: This rule will become effective May 24, 2011.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Terence Burke (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-6498.
Danny Johnson (Technical Information), Office of Electric Reliability, 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., 
Washington, DC 20426, (202) 502-8892.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Before Commissioners: Jon Wellinghoff, Chairman; Marc Spitzer, Philip 
D. Moeller, John R. Norris, and Cheryl A. LaFleur.

Final Rule

    1. Under section 215 of the Federal Power Act (FPA),\1\ the 
Commission approves regional Reliability Standard of the Western 
Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) IRO-006-WECC-1 (Qualified 
Transfer Path Unscheduled Flow Relief) and six associated new 
definitions submitted to the Commission for approval by the North 
American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the Electric 
Reliability Organization (ERO) certified by the Commission. The 
approved

[[Page 16692]]

Reliability Standard is intended to mitigate transmission overloads due 
to unscheduled flow on Qualified Transfer Paths.\2\
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    \1\ 16 U.S.C. 824o.
    \2\ The term ``Qualified Transfer Path'' is defined as ``[a] 
transfer path designated by the WECC Operating Committee as being 
qualified for WECC unscheduled flow mitigation.'' When the Standard 
becomes effective, this definition will be added to the NERC 
Glossary of Terms Used in Reliability Standards.
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I. Background

A. NERC Reliability Standard IRO-006

    2. On March 16, 2007, the Commission issued Order No. 693 approving 
83 Reliability Standards proposed by NERC, including Interconnection 
Reliability Operations and Coordination (IRO) Reliability Standard IRO-
006-3, titled ``Reliability Coordination--Transmission Loading 
Relief.'' \3\ In addition, under section 215(d)(5) of the FPA, the 
Commission directed the ERO to develop modifications to IRO-006-3 and 
other approved Reliability Standards to address specific issues 
identified by the Commission.
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    \3\  Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Bulk-Power System, 
Order No. 693, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,242, order on reh'g, Order 
No. 693-A, 120 FERC ] 61,053 (2007).
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    3. NERC Reliability Standard IRO-006-3 establishes a Transmission 
Loading Relief (TLR) process for use in the Eastern Interconnection to 
alleviate loadings on the system by curtailing or changing transactions 
based on their priorities and according to different levels of TLR 
procedures. Requirement R2.2 provides that ``the equivalent 
Interconnection-wide transmission loading relief procedure for use in 
the Western Interconnection is the WECC Unscheduled Flow Mitigation 
Plan.'' This document provides detailed instructions for addressing 
unscheduled flows, i.e., parallel path flows, based on the topography 
and configuration of the Bulk-Power System in the Western 
Interconnection. The Unscheduled Flow Mitigation Plan identifies nine 
``steps'' to address unscheduled flows. In the first three steps, the 
Mitigation Plan relies on phase angle regulators, series capacitors, 
and back-to-back DC lines to mitigate contingencies without curtailing 
transactions. Steps four through nine involve curtailment of 
transactions.
    4. On March 19, 2009, the Commission approved IRO-006-4, which 
modified the prior version of the Reliability Standard and addressed 
the Commission's directives from Order No. 693.\4\ The Commission 
subsequently accepted an erratum to that Reliability Standard that 
corrected the reference in Requirement R1.2 to the Unscheduled Flow 
Mitigation Plan (Mitigation Plan).\5\
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    \4\ Modification of Interchange and Transmission Loading Relief 
Reliability Standards; and Electric Reliability Organization 
Interpretation of Specific Requirements of Four Reliability 
Standards, Order No. 713-A, 126 FERC ] 61,252 (2009), reh'g denied, 
Order No. 713-B, 130 FERC ] 61,032 (2010).
    \5\ North American Electric Reliability Corp., Docket No. RD09-
9-000 (Dec. 10, 2009) (unpublished letter order). Note that 
Reliability Standard IRO-006-4.1, Requirement R1.2 refers to the 
``WECC Unscheduled Flow Reduction Procedure,'' which is Attachment 1 
to the Mitigation Plan, the term we use herein.
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B. WECC Delegation Agreement and WECC Regional Reliability Standard 
IRO-STD-006-0

    5. On April 19, 2007, the Commission approved delegation agreements 
between NERC and each of the eight Regional Entities, including 
WECC.\6\ In that approval, the Commission accepted WECC as a Regional 
Entity organized on an Interconnection-wide basis and accepted WECC's 
Standards Development Manual, which sets forth the process for 
development of WECC's Reliability Standards.\7\
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    \6\ See North American Electric Reliability Corp., 119 FERC ] 
61,060, order on reh'g, 120 FERC ] 61,260 (2007).
    \7\ Id. P 469-470.
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    6. On June 8, 2007, the Commission approved eight WECC regional 
Reliability Standards that apply in the Western Interconnection, 
including IRO-STD-006-0.\8\ The regional Reliability Standard applies 
to transmission operators, load-serving entities and balancing 
authorities within the Western Interconnection. It addresses the 
mitigation of transmission overloads due to unscheduled line flow on 
specified paths. Specifically, Requirement R1 of IRO-STD-006-0 states 
that:
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    \8\ North American Electric Reliability Corp., 119 FERC ] 61,260 
(2007) (June 8, 2007 Order).

    WECC's Unscheduled Flow Mitigation Plan (Plan) * * * specifies 
that members shall comply with requests from (Qualified) Transfer 
Path Operators to take actions that will reduce unscheduled flow on 
the Qualified Path in accordance with the table entitled ``WECC 
Unscheduled Flow Procedure Summary of Curtailment Actions,'' which 
is located in Attachment 1 of the Plan.\9\
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    \9\ Regional Reliability Standard IRO-STD-006-0, available at 
http://www.wecc.biz/Standards/Approved%20Standards/IRO-STD-006-0.pdf.

The regional Reliability Standard then provides excerpts from the plan 
that describe actions entities must take to address unscheduled flow.
    7. The June 8, 2007 Order directed WECC to develop certain 
modifications to the eight WECC Reliability Standards to address issues 
identified by the Commission. With respect to IRO-STD-006-0, the 
Commission directed WECC to clarify the term ``receiver'' used in the 
Reliability Standard. The Commission also directed WECC to address 
concerns raised by a commenter regarding WECC's inclusion of load-
serving entities, which may be unable to meet the Reliability 
Standard's requirements, in the applicability section of the 
Reliability Standard.\10\ The Commission directed WECC to remove a 
Sanctions Table that is inconsistent with the NERC Sanctions 
Guidelines. The Commission also directed WECC to address NERC's 
concerns regarding formatting, use of standard terms, and the need for 
greater specificity in the actions that a responsible entity must take.
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    \10\ June 8, 2007 Order, 119 FERC ] 61,260 at P 70-71.
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C. Proposed Regional Reliability Standard

    8. In a June 17, 2009 filing (NERC Petition), NERC requested 
Commission approval of proposed regional Reliability Standard IRO-006-
WECC-1, which was developed in response to the Commission's directives 
in the June 8, 2007 Order, to replace the currently effective regional 
Standard. NERC stated that the purpose of IRO-006-WECC-1 is to mitigate 
transmission overloads due to unscheduled flow on Qualified Transfer 
Paths. Under the Reliability Standard, reliability coordinators are 
responsible for initiating schedule curtailments, and balancing 
authorities are responsible for implementing the curtailments. 
Specifically, proposed regional Reliability Standard IRO-006-WECC-1 
contains the following two Requirements:

    R.1. Upon receiving a request of Step 4 or greater (see 
Attachment 1-IRO-006-WECC-1) from the Transmission Operator of a 
Qualified Transfer Path, the Reliability Coordinator shall approve 
(actively or passively) or deny that request within five minutes.
    R.2. The Balancing Authorities shall approve curtailment 
requests to the schedules as submitted, implement alternative 
actions, or a combination there of that collectively meets the 
Relief Requirement.

An attachment to IRO-006-WECC-1 summarizes the nine steps and related 
actions to address unscheduled flows.

D. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

    9. On October 29, 2010, the Commission issued its Notice of 
Proposed Rulemaking proposing to approve the regional IRO Reliability 
Standard IRO-006-WECC-1.\11\ In

[[Page 16693]]

addition, the Commission raised concerns with respect to: (1) How 
entities will know whether to follow the national or regional Standard 
in a given situation; (2) WECC's and NERC's reliance on TOP-007-WECC-1 
to ensure that entities manage power flows using steps one through 
three of the Mitigation Plan prior to requesting curtailments; (3) how 
the webSAS \12\ tool will work with respect to the national and 
regional Standard; and (4) the potential reliability impact of 
reliability coordinators' inability to request curtailments.
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    \11\ Western Electric Coordinating Council Qualified Transfer 
Path Unscheduled Flow Relief Regional Reliability Standard, Notice 
of Proposed Rulemaking, 75 FR 66702 (Oct. 29, 2010), FERC Stats & 
Regs. ] 32,663 (2010) (NOPR).
    \12\ The webSAS (Security Analysis System) is a proprietary 
internet based application that is used by WECC to analyze, 
initiate, communicate, and provide compliance reports for 
implementation of the Unscheduled Flow Reduction Procedure. It is 
available by subscription through the vendor to provide notification 
of Unscheduled Flow Events, calculate and display required relief, 
and provide a rapid method of transaction curtailments.
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    10. In response to the NOPR, comments were filed by NERC, WECC, and 
Nevada Power Company and Sierra Pacific Power Company, both d/b/a NV 
Energy (NV Energy). In the discussion below, we address these comments.

II. Discussion

A. Approval of IRO-006-WECC-1

    11. In the NOPR, the Commission proposed to approve regional 
Reliability Standard IRO-006-WECC-1 stating that it adequately 
addresses a number of the directives identified in the June 8, 2007 
Order and represents an improvement to the current Standard. As stated 
in the NOPR, the Standard addresses our concern regarding the use of 
the term ``receiver'' by removing the term, thus removing potential 
confusion arising from the use of the undefined term. The Reliability 
Standard also provides additional clarity by removing load-serving 
entities from its applicability section since load-serving entities may 
not be able to meet the Standard's requirements regarding curtailment 
procedures. Further, the Standard includes reliability coordinators as 
an applicable entity and addresses their role in curtailment 
procedures. The Standard goes beyond the corresponding NERC Reliability 
Standard by requiring a reliability coordinator to approve or deny a 
transmission operator's curtailment request within five minutes. 
Finally, the WECC Reliability Standard addresses formatting concerns, 
conformance with NERC's Violation Severity Level and Violation Risk 
Factor matrix, and the elimination of a WECC sanction table. NERC, 
WECC, and NV Energy all support approval. Accordingly the Commission 
adopts the NOPR proposal and approves regional Reliability Standard 
IRO-006-WECC-1 as just, reasonable, not unduly discriminatory or 
preferential, and in the public interest.
    12. We raised in the NOPR several concerns regarding how the 
regional Reliability Standard would work in practice to ensure Reliable 
Operation in the Western Interconnect. As a result of the comments 
submitted, our concerns have been adequately addressed, and we do not 
direct any modifications to the regional Reliability Standard.

B. Issues Raised in NOPR

1. Consistency Between NERC and WECC
    13. Requirement R1.2 in NERC Reliability Standard IRO-006-4 refers 
to the WECC Unscheduled Flow Reduction Procedure with regard to 
transmission loading relief in the Western Interconnection. In the 
NOPR, the Commission requested comment on the interaction between the 
differing requirements contained in the regional versus the national 
Reliability Standards, on which of the two Standards' requirements take 
precedence, and on how NERC intends to ensure compliance and consistent 
enforcement with regard to the Standards.
Comments
    14. WECC and NV Energy comment that the Standards differ in their 
applicability. They state that NERC's IRO-006-4 addresses the 
obligations of the reliability coordinator and the balancing authority 
if an Interconnection-wide procedure is selected for the mitigation of 
overloads on transmission facilities. According to WECC and NV Energy, 
Regional Reliability Standard IRO-006-WECC-1 sets out reliability 
obligations for the reliability coordinator and balancing authority 
regarding transmission loading relief on the narrow subset of Western 
Interconnect transmission facilities designated as Qualified Transfer 
Paths. The two commenters assert there is no conflict between the NERC 
Reliability Standard and the regional Standard, as they work together.
    15. NERC states that it recognized some potential for confusion in 
this matter and will soon file for approval a proposed Reliability 
Standard IRO-006-5 \13\ that, among other things, eliminates reference 
to the WECC Unscheduled Flow Reduction Procedure as a procedure that 
may be selected by the reliability coordinator to achieve loading 
relief and, instead, mentions the procedure as an example for which 
coordination must occur.
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    \13\ Subsequent to filing its comments in this Docket, NERC 
filed its Petition for Approval of Proposed New Interconnection 
Reliability Operations and Coordination Reliability Standards, 
Glossary Term and Implementation Plan on January 13, 2011 in Docket 
No. RD11-2-000.
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Commission Determination
    16. The Commission finds that NERC's plan to eliminate the 
opportunity for confusion with respect to this Reliability Standard 
adequately addresses the concerns raised in the NOPR.
2. TOP-007-WECC-1 and the Mitigation Plan
    17. In the June 8, 2007 Order, the Commission determined that the 
regional Reliability Standard IRO-STD-006-0 is superior to the NERC 
Standard based in part on the specified pre-curtailment steps one 
through three of the Mitigation Plan.\14\ As stated above, the 
Mitigation Plan is no longer referenced in IRO-006-WECC-1. The NERC 
Petition stated that proposed WECC regional Reliability Standard TOP-
007-WECC-1, would work in conjunction with IRO-006-WECC-1 to ensure 
that pre-curtailment steps one through three of the Mitigation Plan are 
performed.\15\ In the NOPR, the Commission requested comment as to 
whether WECC's reliance on proposed regional Standard TOP-007-WECC-1 or 
currently effective Reliability Standard TOP-STD-007-0 (whichever is in 
effect) is an adequate replacement for the currently required pre-
curtailment actions set forth in steps one through three of the 
Mitigation Plan.
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    \14\ June 18, 2007 Order, 119 FERC ] 61,260 at P 69.
    \15\ NERC's petition for approval of regional Reliability 
Standard TOP-007-WECC-1 is currently pending before the Commission 
in Docket No. RM09-14-000.
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Comments
    18. Each of the commenters note that Reliability Standard IRO-006-
WECC-1 and the proposed regional Standard TOP-007-WECC-1 were intended 
to meet the performance objective of enhanced reliability but not to 
prescribe a specific method for achieving that objective. WECC and NV 
Energy assert that the pre-curtailment steps were not mandatory, but, 
as before, they remain tools available to transmission operators for 
the mitigation of transmission facility overloading. WECC states that 
reliability would suffer if transmission operators were limited in 
their action by a mandatory adherence to the Mitigation Plan.

[[Page 16694]]

Commission Determination
    19. The Commission acknowledges the comments offered and is 
satisfied that IRO-006-WECC-1 does not present a reduction in 
reliability. The Commission also highlights the comment made by WECC 
that the Standard is applicable to reliability coordinators and 
balancing authorities, not to transmission operators. Under the 
Standard, the reliability coordinator must approve or deny the 
implementation of a step four or higher action, and the balancing 
authority must grant relief so the transmission operator does not 
violate a system operating limit (SOL) or an interconnection 
reliability operating limit (IROL) operating limit. But transmission 
operator's obligations remain unchanged by IRO-006-WECC-1. They 
continue to be required to take immediate steps to relieve an SOL or 
IROL operating limit violation.
3. Operation of webSAS
    20. According to the NERC Petition, the webSAS tool calculates 
curtailment and, unless the reliability coordinator actively denies the 
request, approves the curtailment within five minutes. The Commission 
requested in the NOPR additional information regarding how the webSAS 
program works in relation to WECC's proposed IRO-006-WECC-1 as well as 
the currently effective IRO-006-4, and whether conflicts could arise 
between the webSAS programming and the Mitigation Plan.
Comments
    21. NV Energy and WECC comments describe of the webSAS program, 
explaining that it utilizes impedance modeling of the transmission 
network in the Western Interconnection and is able to determine 
transmission distribution factors that correspond to discrete 
transactions. It is configured to prescribe curtailments in accordance 
with the curtailment table in the WECC Unscheduled Flow Reduction 
Procedure, and is only one of the methods a balancing authority might 
use in devising curtailments. WECC notes that webSAS merely suggests 
strategies; the responsible balancing authority must implement those 
strategies. WECC further comments that WebSAS operates similarly 
whether utilized under the regional or the national Reliability 
Standard.
Commission Determination
    22. The Commission is satisfied with the commenters' explanation of 
the operation of webSAS, as well as its proposed use within the 
mitigation process set out in Reliability Standard IRO-006-WECC-1.
4. Reliability Coordinators' Role in Curtailment
    23. In the NOPR the Commission stated that, because reliability 
coordinators are the only entities with the wide-area view, the 
Commission believes it is appropriate that they, as the entities with 
the highest level of authority to ensure reliability, have the ability 
to initiate relief procedures.\16\ In the NOPR, the Commission 
requested comment regarding its concerns that the proposed regional 
Reliability Standard does not mention the reliability coordinators' 
ability to request curtailments, and that automatic approval of 
curtailments may occur through the webSAS tool without reliability 
coordinator review.
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    \16\ NOPR, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 32,663 at P 30.
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Comments
    24. WECC and NV Energy comment that the reliability coordinator 
always has the ability to issue directives or take other actions to 
ensure Reliable Operations under the authority granted in Reliability 
Standard IRO-001-1.1. NV Energy states that the automatic approval of 
requested curtailments after five minutes is an appropriate balance 
between allowing for the reliability coordinators' participation and 
adequately ensuring that transmission loading relief is obtained for 
the next hour.
Commission Determination
    25. The Commission agrees with the commenters that NERC Reliability 
Standard IRO-001-1.1 provides the reliability coordinator authority to 
take actions to ensure Reliable Operations, and no further 
clarification is required.
5. Alternative Revisions
    26. Because of the concerns expressed in the NOPR, the Commission 
questioned whether it might be more efficient and appropriate if all 
the WECC rules and procedures with respect to unscheduled flow 
mitigation were incorporated in a single document.
Comments
    27. WECC asserts that regional Reliability Standard IRO-006-4 does 
not mandate following the Mitigation Plan but only suggests that the 
Mitigation Plan is a procedure available to a reliability coordinator. 
Therefore, incorporating the WECC rules and procedures into the 
Mitigation Plan would not eliminate the need for an enforceable 
regional Reliability Standard. WECC also comments that the differing 
purposes of the Mitigation Plan, IRO-006-WECC-1, and TOP-007-WECC-1 
would thwart efforts to combine them. NERC notes that it has already 
undertaken eliminating the regional differences from the continent-wide 
standard in its proposed IRO-006-5.
Commission Determination
    28. The clarification provided by WECC adequately addresses the 
Commission's concerns. Accordingly, the Commission finds that IRO-006-
WECC-1 represents an improvement to reliability.

III. Information Collection Statement

    29. The following collections of information contained in this 
Reliability Standard have been submitted to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review under section 3507(d) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1955.\17\ OMB's regulations require OMB to approve 
certain information collection requirements imposed by agency rule.\18\
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    \17\ 44 U.S.C. 3507(d).
    \18\ 5 CFR 1320.11.
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    30. The Commission solicited comments on the burden to implement 
IRO-006-WECC-1 which, rather than creating entirely new requirements, 
instead modifies the existing regional Reliability Standard governing 
qualified transfer path unscheduled flow relief and thus imposes a 
minimal additional burden on the affected entities. The Commission 
received no comments as to the issue of reporting burden estimates. The 
Commission has not directed any modifications to the Requirements of 
the Reliability Standard being approved. Thus this Final Ruled does not 
materially or adversely affect the burden estimates provided in the 
NOPR.
    31. Burden Estimate: The burden for the requirements in this final 
rule follow:

[[Page 16695]]

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                                                     Number of       Number of       Hours per     Total annual
            Data collection FERC-725E               respondents      responses       response          hours
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35 Balancing Authorities and 1 Reliability                    36               1               1              36
 Coordinator--Reporting Requirement.............
35 Balancing Authorities and 1 Reliability                    36               1               1              36
 Coordinator--Recordkeeping Requirement.........
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................  ..............  ..............  ..............              72
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    Total Annual hours for Collection: 36 reporting +36 recordkeeping = 
72 hours.
    Reporting = 36 hours @ $120/hour = $4320.
    Recordkeeping = 36 hours @ $40/hour = $1440.
    Total Costs = Reporting ($4320) + Recordkeeping ($1440) = $5760.
    Title: FERC 725E, Mandatory Reliability Standards for the Western 
Electric Coordinating Council.
    Action: Proposed collection of information.
    OMB Control No: 1902-0246.
    Respondents: Balancing Authorities and Reliability Coordinator in 
the Western Electricity Coordinating Council.
    Frequency of Responses: On Occasion.
    Necessity of the Information: This Final Rule would approve a 
revised Reliability Standard modifying the existing requirement for 
entities to respond to requests for curtailment. The proposed 
Reliability Standard requires entities to maintain documentation 
evidencing their response to such requests.
    Internal review: The Commission has reviewed the requirements 
pertaining to proposed regional Reliability Standard IRO-006-WECC-1 and 
believes it to be just, reasonable, not unduly discriminatory or 
preferential, and in the public interest. 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 internal review, that there is 
specific, objective support for the burden estimates associated with 
the information requirements.
    32. Interested persons may obtain information on the reporting 
requirements by contacting: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426 [Attention: Ellen Brown, Office 
of the Executive Director, Phone: (202) 502-8663, fax: (202) 273-0873, 
e-mail: DataClearance@ferc.gov]. Comments on the requirements of this 
Final Rule may also be sent to the Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503 
[Attention: Desk Officer for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission]. 
For security reasons, comments should be sent by e-mail to OMB at: oira 
submission@omb.eop.gov. Please reference OMB Control Number 1902-0246 
and the docket number of this final rulemaking in your submission.

IV. Environmental Analysis

    33. 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.\19\ The 
action taken in the Final Rule fall within the categorical exclusion in 
the Commission's regulations for rules that are clarifying, corrective 
or procedural, for information gathering, analysis, and 
dissemination.\20\ Accordingly, neither an environmental impact 
statement nor an environmental assessment is required.
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    \19\ Regulations Implementing the National Environmental Policy 
Act, Order No. 486, 52 FR 47897 (Dec. 17, 1987), FERC Stats. & 
Regs., Regulations Preambles 1986-1990 ] 30,783 (1987).
    \20\ 18 CFR 380.4(a)(5).
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V. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    34. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of 1980 (RFA) \21\ generally 
requires a description and analysis of final rules that will have 
significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities. 
The RFA mandates consideration of regulatory alternatives that 
accomplish the stated objectives of a proposed rule and that minimize 
any significant economic impact on a substantial number of small 
entities. The Small Business Administration's (SBA) Office of Size 
Standards develops the numerical definition of a small business.\22\ 
The SBA has established a size standard for electric utilities, stating 
that a firm is small if, including its affiliates, it is primarily 
engaged in the transmission, generation and/or distribution of electric 
energy for sale and its total electric output for the preceding twelve 
months did not exceed four million megawatt hours.\23\
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    \21\ 5 U.S.C. 601-612.
    \22\ 13 CFR 121.101.
    \23\ 13 CFR 121.201, Sector 22, Utilities & n. 1.
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    35. Most of the entities (i.e., reliability coordinators and 
balancing authorities) to which the requirements of this Rule would 
apply do not fall within the definition of small entities. The 
Commission estimates that only 2-4 of the 35 balancing authorities are 
small and that the economic impact on each of these is $160 per year. 
The Commission does not consider this to be a significant economic 
impact. Based on the foregoing, the Commission certifies that this Rule 
will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small 
entities. Accordingly, no regulatory flexibility analysis is required.

VI. Document Availability

    36. 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 FERC's Home Page (http://www.ferc.gov) and in FERC'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.
    37. From FERC'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 excluding the last three digits of this document in the docket 
number field.
    38. User assistance is available for eLibrary and the FERC's Web 
site during normal business hours from FERC Online Support at (202) 
502-6652 (toll free at 1-866-208-3676) or e-mail at 
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or the Public Reference Room at (202) 502-
8371, TTY (202) 502-8659. E-mail the Public Reference Room at 
public.referenceroom@ferc.gov.

VII. Effective Date and Congressional Notification

    39. These regulations are effective May 24, 2011. The Commission 
notes

[[Page 16696]]

that although the determinations made in this Final Rule are effective 
May 24, 2011, regional Reliability Standard IRO-006-WECC-1 approved in 
this Final Rule will not become effective until the first day of the 
first quarter after applicable regulatory approval. The Commission has 
determined, with the concurrence of the Administrator of the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs of OMB, that this rule is not a 
``major rule'' as defined in section 351 of the Small Business 
Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996.

    By the Commission.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2011-7040 Filed 3-24-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P