2011-12120. Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-73); Comment Request; Submitted for OMB Review

AGENCY:

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

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 or FERC) has submitted the information collection described below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review of the information collection requirements. 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 issued a Notice in the Federal Register (76 FR 12090, 2/24/2011) requesting public comments. FERC received one comment on the FERC-73 and has made this notation in its submission to OMB and provides a summary of the comment and a response below.

DATES:

Comments on the collection of information are due by June 17, 2011.

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 OMB Control Number 1902-0019 for reference. The Desk Officer may be reached by telephone at 202-395-4638.

A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and should refer to Docket No. IC11-73-001. Comments may be filed either electronically or in paper format. Those persons filing electronically do not need to make a paper filing. Documents filed electronically via the Internet must be prepared in an acceptable filing format and in compliance with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission submission guidelines. Complete filing instructions and acceptable filing formats are available at http://www.ferc.gov/​help/​submission-guide.asp. To file the document electronically, access the Commission's Web site and click on Documents & Filing, E-Filing (http://www.ferc.gov/​docs-filing/​efiling.asp), 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 acknowledgement to the sender's e-mail address upon receipt of comments.

For paper filings, the comments should be submitted to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, and should refer to Docket No. IC11-73-001.

Users interested in receiving automatic notification of activity in FERC Docket Number IC11-73 may do so through eSubscription at http://www.ferc.gov/​docs-filing/​esubscription.asp. All comments may be viewed, printed or downloaded remotely via the Internet through FERC's homepage using the “eLibrary” link. For user assistance, contact [e-mail] or toll-free at [phone], or for TTY, contact [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The information collected under the requirements of FERC Form No. 73 “Oil Pipelines Service Life Data” (OMB No. 1902-0019) is used by the Commission to implement the statutory provisions of sections 306 and 402 of the Department of Energy Organization Act, 42 U.S.C. 7155 and 7172, and Executive Order No. 12009, 42 FR 46277 (September 13, 1977). The Commission has authority over interstate oil pipelines as stated in the Interstate Commerce Act, 49 U.S.C. 6501 et al. As part of the information necessary for the subsequent investigation and review of an oil pipeline company's proposed depreciation rates, the pipeline companies are required to provide service life data as part of their data submissions if the proposed depreciation rates are based on the remaining physical life calculations. This service life data is submitted on FERC Form No. 73.

The data submitted are used by the Commission to assist in the selection of appropriate service lives and book depreciation rates. Book depreciation rates are used by oil pipeline companies to compute the depreciation portion of their operating expense which is a component of their cost of service which in turn is used to determine the transportation rate to assess customers. FERC staff's recommended book depreciation rates become legally binding when issued by Commission order. These rates remain in effect until a subsequent review is requested and the outcome indicates that a modification is justified. The Commission implements these filings in 18 CFR parts 347 and 357.

Public Comment and FERC Response

The Commission received one comment from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). In that comment, BEA strongly supported the continued collection of data through the FERC Form No. 73. Their support stems from reliance on this data collection for key components of its economic statistics. Specifically, BEA uses the information on the service lives for petroleum pipeline companies to validate the lives in BEA's depreciation rates for petroleum pipelines. Moreover, these rates help BEA derive economic depreciation or consumption of fixed capital as part of the National Income and Product Accounts work BEA does.

In response, the FERC intends to work with BEA should there be a need to make any changes to this data collection.

Action: The Commission is requesting a three-year approval of the collection of data with no changes to the information that is collected on Form 73. This is a mandatory information collection requirement.

Burden Statement: Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated as follows:

Data collection	Number of respondents annually	Number of responses per respondent	Average burden hours per response	Total annual burden hours
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(1)x(2)x(3)
FERC Form 73	3	1	40	120 hours

The estimated total cost to respondents is $8,214 [120 hours/2,080 hours ^[1] per year, times $142,372 ^[2] equals $8,214]. The cost per respondent annually is $2,738.

The reporting burden includes the total time, effort, or financial resources expended to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or provide the information including: (1) Reviewing instructions; (2) developing, acquiring, installing, and utilizing technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, verifying, processing, maintaining, disclosing and providing information; (3) adjusting the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements; (4) training personnel to respond to a collection of information; (5) searching data sources; (6) completing and reviewing the collection of information; and (7) transmitting, or otherwise disclosing the information.

The estimate of cost for respondents is based upon salaries for professional and clerical support, as well as direct and indirect overhead costs. Direct costs include all costs directly attributable to providing this information, such as administrative costs and the cost for information technology. Indirect or overhead costs are costs incurred by an organization in support of its mission. These costs apply to activities which benefit the whole organization rather than any one particular function or activity.

Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the proposed 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 estimates of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collections of information on those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g. permitting electronic submission of responses.

Dated: May 11, 2011.

Kimberly D. Bose,

Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  Number of hours an employee works each year.

2.  Average annual salary per employee (including benefits and overhead).