View Information Collection Request (ICR) Package
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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:
1902-0075
ICR Reference No:
201603-1902-007
Status:
Historical Active
Previous ICR Reference No:
201303-1902-006
Agency/Subagency:
FERC
Agency Tracking No:
FERC-556
Title:
FERC-556, Certification of Qualifying Facility (QF) Status for a Small Power Production or Cogeneration Facility
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 with change
Conclusion Date:
06/23/2016
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)
Date Received in OIRA:
04/08/2016
Terms of Clearance:
In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for three years.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
Expiration Date
06/30/2019
36 Months From Approved
06/30/2016
Responses
2,693
0
1,874
Time Burden (Hours)
4,100
0
6,340
Cost Burden (Dollars)
0
0
0
Abstract:
The information collected from FERC Form 556 under 18 CFR Section 131.80 and 18 CFR Part 292 is used by the Commission to determine whether a proposed certification for QF status meets the criteria for a qualifying small power production facility or a qualifying cogeneration facility under its regulations and is eligible to receive the benefits available to it under PURPA. In order to obtain QF status and obtain PURPA benefits, an owner or operator of a small power production or cogeneration facility must follow the process indicated in FERC Form 556 and select, at its option, either the procedure set forth in 18 CFR Section 292.207(a), which requires the submission to FERC of a self-certification or self-recertification, or the procedure set forth in 18 CFR Section 292.207(b), which requires the submission to FERC of an application for Commission certification or recertification. The information requirements for these two processes are largely the same (i.e., the submittal of a completed FERC Form 556 provides the information necessary to demonstrate compliance with FERC’s regulations). If FERC did not collect the FERC Form 556 information, there would be no basis for the Commission to determine whether a facility satisfies the requirements of QF status. Since revocation of the qualifying status of a small power production or cogeneration facility may occur if the facility fails to comply with any of the 18 CFR Part 292 criteria, private financial lenders to small power production and cogeneration power facilities occasionally require small power producers and cogenerators to follow 18 CFR Section 292.207(b) procedures (certification by FERC as opposed to self-certification) in order to reduce the risk of status revocation.
Authorizing Statute(s):
US Code:
16 USC 792-828c
Name of Law: Federal Power Act (FPA)
US Code:
16 USC 2601
Name of Law: Public Utility Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA) of 1978
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:
80 FR 74101
11/27/2015
30-day Notice:
Federal Register Citation:
Citation Date:
81 FR 16170
03/25/2016
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
Certification of Qualifying Facility (QF) Status for a Small Power Production or Cogeneration Facility
556
Form 556 (Certification of Qualifying Facility (QF) Status for Small Power Production or Cogeneration Facility
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
2,693
1,874
0
0
819
0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)
4,100
6,340
0
0
-2,240
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 number of respondents in Section 12 is based on the number of actual filings we FERC received through October 2015 and on an estimation of the filings that FERC anticipates receiving in November and December of 2015. While the number of filings fluctuates from year to year, recent data on the actual number of filings is representative of the number of filings for the next three years, as the Commission received a record number of filings in 2015. The increase in number of respondents is part due to advances in technology, which decrease the costs of using solar and wind small power production qualifying facilities, the extension of production tax credits and investment tax credits by Congress available to solar and wind QFs, and the filing by a single entity of multiple (and often numerous) Form 556 filings for multiple facilities. The number of responses per respondent, column B in Question #12 of the supporting statement, has also decreased largely due to the fact that respondents and/or their legal representatives have gained experience over time from submitting Form 556 filings and are no longer committing as many filing errors on Form 556s as in previous years. The average burden hours per response has, in some instances, also decreased because many of the respondents filing Form 556s are solar or wind small power production facilities and those Form 556 filings are less complex than other types of qualifying facilities to review. Additionally, many of the Form 556 filings received are from respondents who are filing multiple Form 556 filings for each of their multiple, yet separate, QFs, and reviewing these types of filings is much simpler, as the information is very similar in each Form 556. Thus, while the number of responses has increased, the total estimated annual burden hours has decreased.
Annual Cost to Federal Government:
$304,171
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:
Nishi Parekh 202 502-8325
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:
04/08/2016
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