[Federal Register: August 7, 2001 (Volume 66, Number 152)]
[Notices]               
[Page 41217-41218]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr07au01-60]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[IC01-1-000, FERC Form 1]

 
Proposed Information Collection and Request for Comments

August 1, 2001.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed information collection and request for 
comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of Section 3506(c)(2)(a) 
of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13), the 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is soliciting public 
comment on the specific aspects of the information collection described 
below.

DATES: Consideration will be given to comments submitted on or before 
October 9, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Copies of the proposed collection of information can be 
obtained from and written comments may be submitted to the Federal 
Energy Regulatory Commission, Attn: Michael Miller, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, CI-1, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Miller may be reached by 
telephone at (202)208-1415, by fax at (202)208-2425, and by e-mail at 
mike.miller@ferc.fed.us.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The information collected under the 
requirements of FERC Form 1 ``Annual Report for Major Electric 
Utilities, Licensees and Others'' (OMB No. 1902-0021) is used by the 
Commission to implement the statutory provisions of the Federal Power 
Act (FPA) 16 U.S.C. 791a-825r. The Commission is authorized and 
empowered to make investigations, collect and record data, prescribe 
rules and regulations concerning accounts, records and memoranda as 
necessary or appropriate for administering the FPA. The Commission may 
prescribe a system of accounts for jurisdictional companies and, after 
notice and opportunity for hearing, may determine the accounts in which 
particular outlays and receipts will be entered, charged or credited. 
The FERC Form No. 1 is a financial and operating report for electric 
rate regulation. ``Major'' is defined as (1) one million Megawatt hours 
or more of total sales; (2) 100 megawatt-hours of sales for resale; (3) 
500 megawatt-hours of power exchanges delivered; or (4) 500 megawatt-
hours of wheeling for others (deliveries plus losses).
    FERC staff use the data in the continuous review of the financial 
condition of regulated companies, in various rate proceedings and 
supply programs and in the Commission's audit program. The annual 
financial information filed with the Commission is a mandatory 
requirement submitted in a prescribed format which is filed 
electronically via the Internet. The Commission implements these filing

[[Page 41218]]

requirements in the Code of Federal Regulations(CFR) under 18 CFR Parts 
41, 101, 141.1 and 385.2011.
    Action:The Commission is requesting a three-year extension of the 
current expiration date, and proposing certain changes to the existing 
collection of data. Based on a review of the FERC's requirements for 
Form 1 data and requests from respondents for reductions in the 
information collection, the Commission recommends the elimination of 
the Form 1 schedules listed below:
     Security Holders and Voting Powers (106-107)
     Construction Overheads--electric (217)
     General Description of Construction Overhead Procedure 
(218)
     Nonutility Property (221)
     Capital Stock Sub, Cap Stock Liability for Con, Prem. Cap 
Stock, & Inst Received (252)
     Discount on Capital Stock (254)
     Number of Electric Department Employees (323)
     Particulars Concerning Certain Income Deduction and 
Interest Charges (340)
     Electric Distribution Meters and Line Transformers (429)
     Environmental Protection Facilities (430)
     Environmental Protection Expenses (431)
    In addition, the Commission is eliminating the requirement for 
paper copies of the Form 1. Burden Statement: Public reporting burden 
for this collection will be reduced by the elimination of several 
schedules and the paper filing format requirement. The burden is 
estimated as:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Number of          Number of       Average burden
   respondents       responses per        hours per       Total annual
     annually          respondent         response        burden hours
(1)                            (2)                (3)   (1) x (2) x (3)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
            210                  1              1,050           220,500
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Estimated cost burden to respondents: 220,500 hours/2,080 hours per 
year  x  $117,041 per year = $12,407,470. The cost per respondent is 
equal to $59,083.
    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 estimate 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 collection of information on those who are 
to respond.

David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 01-19717 Filed 8-6-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P