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Please note that the OMB number and expiration date may not have been determined when this Information Collection Request and associated Information Collection forms were submitted to OMB. The approved OMB number and expiration date may be found by clicking on the Notice of Action link below.
View ICR - OIRA Conclusion
OMB Control No:
1902-0060
ICR Reference No:
201101-1902-007
Status:
Historical Active
Previous ICR Reference No:
200712-1902-002
Agency/Subagency:
FERC
Agency Tracking No:
FERC-537
Title:
FERC-537, Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition and Abandonment
Type of Information Collection:
Extension without change of a currently approved collection
Common Form ICR:
No
Type of Review Request:
Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action:
Approved without change
Conclusion Date:
06/07/2011
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)
Date Received in OIRA:
02/01/2011
Terms of Clearance:
In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for 3 years. Upon resubmission, it is suggested the agency once again re-assess estimated burden with a focus on whether this reduction in estimated burden was accurate.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
Expiration Date
06/30/2014
36 Months From Approved
06/30/2011
Responses
774
0
820
Time Burden (Hours)
102,942
0
208,231
Cost Burden (Dollars)
0
0
0
Abstract:
Under the Natural Gas Act (NGA) (Public Law 75-688) (15 U.S.C. 717-717w) a natural gas company must obtain FERC authorization to engage in the transportation of natural gas in interstate commerce, to undertake the construction or extension of any facilities, or to acquire or operate any such facilities or extensions in accordance with Section 7(c) of the NGA. A natural gas company must also obtain FERC approval under Section 7(b) of the NGA prior to abandoning any jurisdictional facility or service. Under the Natural Gas Policy Act (NGPA) (Public Law 96-621) interstate pipelines must also obtain FERC authorization for certain transportation arrangements. If a certificate is granted, the natural gas company can engage in the interstate transportation of natural gas and construct, acquire, or operate facilities. Conversely, approval of an abandonment application permits the pipeline to cease service and discontinue the operation of such facilities. Authorization under NGPA Section 311(a) allows the interstate or intrastate pipeline applicants to render certain transportation services. The natural gas companies file the necessary information with FERC so that the Commission can determine from the data if the requested certificate should be authorized. The data required to be submitted in a normal certificate filing consists of identification of the company and responsible officials, factors considered in the location of the facilities and the impact on the area for environmental considerations. Also to be submitted are the following: Flow diagrams showing the design capacity for engineering design verification and safety determination; Gas reserve data for appraisal of the feasibility of the project; Market data presenting the economic basis for the proposed action; and Cost of proposed facilities, plans for financing, and estimated revenues and expenses related to the proposed facility for accounting and financial evaluation. Because of the greater demand for natural gas as seen in rapidly evolving market conditions, FERC established in FY '99 a performance plan to process cases as efficiently as possible. The Commission grouped certificate applications by the level of effort required to respond to the applications and established clear targets for the time it should take to process each type of application. Among the four types of certificate cases, three met or beat targets, and the fourth approximated the target time. Environmental concerns play a significant role in the review of certificate construction applications. Pipelines are facing increased opposition from landowners as new projects are proposed in more heavily populated areas. When new pipelines propose to serve markets currently served by existing pipelines, FERC has to balance the benefits of alternative supplies of natural gas with the environmental impact of a new project. Critical to the Commission's efforts to balance benefits and environmental impacts are the environmental conditions the Commission builds into the certificates. (See FERC-577, Pipeline Certificates: Environmental Impact Statements).
Authorizing Statute(s):
US Code:
15 USC 3301-3432
Name of Law: Natural Gas Policy Act of 1978
US Code:
15 USC 717-717w
Name of Law: Natural Gas Act
Citations for New Statutory Requirements:
None
Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:
Stage of Rulemaking:
Federal Register Citation:
Date:
Not associated with rulemaking
Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:
Federal Register Citation:
Citation Date:
75 FR 64301
10/19/2010
30-day Notice:
Federal Register Citation:
Citation Date:
76 FR 4888
01/27/2011
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR?
No
Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR:
1
IC Title
Form No.
Form Name
Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition and Abandonment, RM07-17-00 NOPR
ICR Summary of Burden
Total Approved
Previously Approved
Change Due to New Statute
Change Due to Agency Discretion
Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate
Change Due to Potential Violation of the PRA
Annual Number of Responses
774
820
0
0
-46
0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)
102,942
208,231
0
0
-105,289
0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)
0
0
0
0
0
0
Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion:
No
Burden Increase Due to:
Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion:
No
Burden Reduction Due to:
Short Statement:
The total estimated annual public reporting burden decrease from 208,231 to 102,942 was a result of more comprehensive accounting of the types of filings required under FERC-537. Previously the Commission had estimated the burden for all of the requirements in one aggregate figure (similar to Table 1 in question 12). While more respondents are involved in all of the programs covered under this collection, many only file short annual or semi-annual reports as opposed to the more burdensome full requirement applications. This is a result of the agency's increased reliance on monitoring natural gas industry activities and permitting lesser activities to proceed under blanket authorizations, rather than prior approval requirements for each specific activity.
Annual Cost to Federal Government:
$6,550,687
Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods?
No
Is the Supporting Statement intended to be a Privacy Impact Assessment required by the E-Government Act of 2002?
No
Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]?
No
Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]?
No
Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)?
No
Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response?
Uncollected
Agency Contact:
Sheila Lampitoc 202 502-6193
Common Form ICR:
No
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;
(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;
(c) It reduces burden on small entities;
(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;
(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;
(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;
(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.
(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and
(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
Certification Date:
02/01/2011
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