2017-27731. Commission Information Collection Activities (Ferc-725y), Comment Request; Extension

AGENCY:

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the information collection FERC-725Y, Mandatory Reliability Standards (Personnel Performance, Training, and Qualifications), to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review of the information collection requirements.

DATES:

Comments in consideration of the collection of information are due February 26, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments identified by Docket No. IC18-2-000 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 [e-mail], or by phone at: [phone] (toll-free), or [phone] 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 [e-mail], telephone at [phone], and fax at [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: FERC-725Y, Mandatory Reliability Standard (Personnel Performance, Training, and Qualifications).

OMB Control No.: 1902-0279.

Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-725Y information collection requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.

Abstract: The FERC-725Y information collection is intended to help ensure the safe and reliable operation of the interconnected grid through the retention of suitably trained and qualified personnel in positions that can impact the reliable operation of the Bulk-Power System. The Commission uses the FERC-725Y to 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. FERC-725Y will ensure that personnel performing or supporting real-time operations on the Bulk Electric System (BES) are trained using a systematic approach. The Reliability Standard requires entities to maintain records subject to review by the Commission and NERC to ensure compliance with the Reliability Standard.

The Reliability Standard requires entities to maintain records subject to review by the Commission and NERC to ensure compliance with the Reliability Standard. This Reliability Standard contains of six Requirements:

• R1 requires reliability coordinators, balancing authorities, and transmission operators to develop and implement a training program for system operators
• R2 requires transmission owners to develop and implement a training program for system operators
• R3 requires reliability coordinators, balancing authorities, transmission operators and transmission owners to verify the capabilities of their identified personnel
• R4 requires reliability coordinators, balancing authorities, transmission operators and transmission owners to provide those personnel with emergency operations training using simulation technology
• R5 requires reliability coordinators, balancing authorities, and transmission operators to develop and implement training for their operations support personnel
• R6 requires applicable generator operators to develop and implement training for certain of their dispatch personnel at a centrally located dispatch center.

Type of Respondents: Reliability coordinators, balancing authorities, transmission operators, transmission owners, and generator owners.

Estimate of Annual Burden: ^[1] Our estimate below regarding the number of respondents is based on the NERC compliance registry as of September 29, 2017. According to the NERC compliance registry, NERC has registered 176 transmission operators, 331 transmission owners and 890 generator operators.

The Commission estimates the additional annual reporting burden and cost as follows:

FERC-725Y in Docket No. IC18-2-000

	Number and type of respondents 2	Annual number of responses per respondent	Total number of responses	Average burden & cost per response 3	Total annual burden hours & total annual cost	Cost per respondent
	(1)	(2)	(1) * (2) = (3)	(4)	(3) * (4) = (5)	(5) ÷ (1)
Annual Evaluation and Update of Training Program and Task List	TO (331), GOP (890)	1	4 1,064	6 hrs., $408.72	6,384 hrs., $434,878	$68.12
Retention of Records	TO (331), GOP (890)	1	4 1,064	10 hrs., $408.90	10,640 hrs., $435,070	40.89
Verification and Retention of Evidence of capabilities of personnel [R3, M3, C1.2], and Creation and Retention of Records on Simulation Training	TO (331)	1	331	10 hrs., $408.90	3,310 hrs., $135,346	40.89
Total					20,334 hrs.; $1,005,294
2 TO=Transmission Owner; RC=Reliability Coordinator; BA=Balancing Authority; TOP=Transmission Operator; GOP=Generator Operator.
3 The estimates for cost per response are loaded hourly wage figure (includes benefits) is based on the average of three occupational categories for 2016 found on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website (http://www.bls.gov/​oes/​current/​naics2_​22.htm): Electrical Engineer (Occupational Code: 17-2071): $68.12; Office and Administrative Support (Occupation Code: 43-0000): $40.89.
4 Some transmission owners are also generator operators. To eliminate double counting some entities, this figure reflects the number of unique entities (1064) within the group of TOs and GOPs. That approach is used throughout the table.

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: December 19, 2017.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

Footnotes

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. For further explanation of what is included in the information collection burden, reference 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3.