E4-726. Commission Information Collection Activities, Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Submitted for OMB Review

March 26, 2004.

AGENCY:

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; DOE.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the requirements of Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and reinstatement of this information collection requirement. Any interested person may file comments directly with OMB and should address a copy of those comments to the Commission as explained below. The Commission received comments from two entities in response to an earlier Federal Register notice of February 13, 2003 (68 FR 7353-54) and has responded to their comments in its submission to OMB.

DATES:

Comments on the collection of information are due by April 30, 2004.

ADDRESSES:

Address comments on the collection of information to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. Comments to OMB should be filed electronically, c/o [e-mail] and include the OMB Control No. as a point of reference. The Desk Officer may be reached by telephone at 202-395-7856. A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Office of the Executive Director, ED-30, Attention: Michael Miller, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. Comments may be filed either in paper format or electronically. Those persons filing electronically do not need to make a paper filing. For paper filings, such comments should be submitted to the Office of the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426 and should refer to Docket No. IC03-423-001.

Documents filed electronically via the Internet must be prepared in WordPerfect, MS Word, Portable Document Format, or ASCII format. To file the document, access the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov and click on “Make an E-filing,” and then follow the instructions for each screen. First time users will have to establish a user name and password. The Commission will send an automatic acknowledgment to the sender's E-mail address upon receipt of comments. User assistance for electronic filings is available at 202-502-8258 or by e-mail to [e-mail]. Comments should not be submitted to the e-mail address.

All comments are available for review at the Commission or may be viewed on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov,, using the “eLibrary” link. Enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support at [e-mail] or toll-free at [phone], or for TTY, contact [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Michael Miller may be reached by telephone at [phone], by fax at [phone], and by e-mail at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Description

The information collection submitted for OMB review contains the following:

1. Collection of Information: FERC Form 423 “Monthly Report on the Cost and Quality of Fuels for Electric Plants.”

2. Sponsor: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

3. Control No.: 1902-0024.

The Commission is now requesting that OMB approve and reinstate with a three-year extension of the expiration date, with no changes to the existing collection. The information filed with the Commission is mandatory.

4. Necessity of the Collection of Information: Submission of the information is necessary to enable the Commission to carry out its responsibilities in implementing the statutory provisions of Sections 205-206 of the Federal Power Act as amended by Section 208 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA). The Commission uses the information to collect basic cost and quality of fuels data at electric generating plants on the FERC Form 423, and has used such data to conduct fuel reviews, rate investigations and to track market changes and trends in the electric wholesale market. The data is also used by other government agencies to track the supply, disposition and prices of fuel, to conduct environmental assessments, and by electric market participants and the public to assess the competitive market place. Monthly evaluation of the Form 423 data makes it possible to discern instances in which a utility's fuel costs deviate significantly from existing market prices. Such deviations may be significant since fuel costs are a significant share of the costs that underline a utility's rates. And, depending on the results of the evaluation, the Commission can either accept a utility's proposed rate as filed, or suspend the proposed rate and set the matter for hearing. The data has helped to identify the effects of the quality of fuel, market conditions, and the origin of production on fuel prices, which can signal possible procurement inefficiencies. The Commission implements the filing requirements in the Code of Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR Parts 141.61.

5. Respondent Description: The respondent universe currently comprises 76 companies (on average per year) subject to the Commission's jurisdiction.

6. Estimated Burden: 7,008 total hours, 584 respondents (average per year), 12 responses per respondent, and 1 hour per response (average).

7. Estimated Cost Burden to respondents: 7,008 hours / 2080 hours per years × $107,185 per year = $135,991. The cost per respondent is equal to $155,655.

Statutory Authority: Sections 205-206 of the FPA (16 U.S.C. 824d and e) and Section 208 of the Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), (16 U.S.C. 2601 et. al.)

Magalie R. Salas,

Secretary.