2020-16303. Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-510); 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, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved information collection FERC-510 (Application for Surrender of a Hydropower License) and submitting the information collection to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review. Any interested person may file comments directly with OMB and should address a copy of those comments to the Commission as explained below.

DATES:

Comments on the collection of information are due August 27, 2020.

ADDRESSES:

Send written comments on FERC-510 to OMB through www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the OMB Control Number (1902-0068) in the subject line of your comments. Comments should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain.

A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in Docket No. IC20-15-000, by any of the following methods:

• eFiling at Commission's Website: http://www.ferc.gov/​docs-filing/​efiling.asp.
• U.S. Postal Service Mail: Persons unable to file electronically may mail similar pleadings to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20426.
• Effective 7/1/2020, delivery of filings other than by eFiling or the U.S. Postal Service should be delivered to Health and Human Services, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

Instructions:

OMB submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance with submission guidelines at www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain. Using the search function under the “Currently Under Review” field, select Federal Energy Regulatory Commission; click “submit,” and select “comment” to the right of the subject collection.

FERC submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov. For user assistance, contact FERC Online Support by email at [e-mail], or by phone at: [phone] (toll-free).

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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: FERC-510, Application for Surrender of a Hydropower License.

OMB Control No.: 1902-0068.

Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-510 information collection requirements with no changes to the current reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

Abstract: The information collected under the requirements of FERC-510 is used by the Commission to implement the statutory provisions of sections 4(e), 6, and 13 of the Federal Power Act (FPA) (16 U.S.C. 797(e), 799 and 806). Section 4(e) gives the Commission authority to issue licenses for the purposes of constructing, operating and maintaining dams, water conduits, reservoirs, powerhouses, transmission lines or other power project works necessary or convenient for developing and improving navigation, transmission and utilization of power using bodies of water over which Congress has jurisdiction. Section 6 gives the Commission the authority to prescribe the conditions of licenses including the revocation or surrender of the license. Section 13 defines the Commission's authority to delegate time periods for when a license must be terminated if project construction has not begun. Surrender of a license may be desired by a licensee when a licensed project is retired or not constructed or natural catastrophes have damaged or destroyed the project facilities.

FERC-510 is the application for the surrender of a hydropower license. The information is used by Commission staff to determine the broad impact of such surrender. The Commission will issue a notice soliciting comments from the public and other agencies and conduct a careful review of the application before issuing an order for Surrender of a License. The order is the result of an analysis of the information produced (i.e., dam safety, public safety, and environmental concerns, etc.), which is examined to determine whether any conditions must be satisfied before granting the surrender. The order implements the existing regulations and is inclusive for surrender of all types of hydropower licenses issued by FERC and its predecessor, the Federal Power Commission. The Commission implements these mandatory filing requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) under 18 CFR 6.1-6.4.

On April 20, 2020, the Commission published a Notice in the Federal Register in Docket No. IC20-15-000 requesting public comments.^[1] The Commission received no public comments.

Type of Respondent: Private or Municipal Hydropower Licensees.

Estimate of Annual Burden ^[2] : The Commission estimates the total annual burden and cost ^[3] for this information collection as follows:

FERC-510

Number of respondents 4	Annual number of responses per respondent	Total number of responses	Average burden hrs. & cost ($) per response	Total annual burden hrs. & total annual cost ($)	Cost per respondent ($)
(1)	(2)	(1) * (2) = (3)	(4)	(3) * (4) = (5)	(5) ÷ (1)
15	1	15	80 hrs.; $6,400	1,200 hrs.; $96,000	$6,400

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: July 22, 2020.

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,

Deputy Secretary.

Footnotes

1.  85 FR 21846.

2.  “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.

3.  The Commission staff thinks that the average respondent for this collection is similarly situated to the Commission, in terms of salary plus benefits. The FERC 2019 average salary plus benefits for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is $167,091/year (or $80.00/hour).

4.  Due to an improved staff estimate, the annual number of respondents has been increased to 15 (rather than the estimated 8 included in the 60-day notice, issued April 14, 2020).