30-day notice issued

20200619-3046 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 06/19/2020

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. IC20-12-000]
COMMISSION INFORMATION COLLECTION ACTIVITIES (FERC-73);
COMMENT REQUEST; EXTENSION
(June 19, 2020)
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-73 (Oil Pipeline
Service Life Data) 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 [INSERT DATE 30
DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC-73 to OMB through
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain, Attention: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission Desk Officer. Please identify the OMB control number (1902-0019) in the
subject line. Your comments should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice
in the Federal Register.

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Docket No. IC20-12-000

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Please submit copies of your comments to the Commission (identified by Docket No.
IC20-12-000) by either of the following methods:
•

eFiling at Commission’s Web Site: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp

•

Mail/Express Services: Persons unable to file electronically may mail similar

pleadings to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE,
Washington, DC 20426. Hand delivered submissions in docketed proceedings 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/help/submission-guide.asp. For user assistance, contact FERC
Online Support by e-mail at ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or by phone at: (866) 208-3676
(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/docs-filing/docs-filing.asp.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Ellen Brown may be reached by e-mail at
DataClearance@FERC.gov and telephone at (202) 502-8663.

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Docket No. IC20-12-000

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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC Form No. 73, Oil Pipeline Service Life Data
OMB Control No.: 1902-0019
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC Form No. 73 information collection
requirements with no changes to the current reporting requirements.
Abstract: The Commission collects FERC Form No. 73 information as part of its
authority under the Interstate Commerce Act, 49 U.S.C. 60501, et al. FERC Form No. 73
contains necessary information for the review of oil pipeline companies’ proposed
depreciation rates, as regulated entities are required to provide service life data
illustrating the remaining physical life of an oil pipeline’s properties, in order to calculate
the company’s cost of service and its transportation rates to access customers. The
Commission implements these filing reviews under the purview of 18 CFR Part 357.3,
FERC Form No. 73, Oil Pipeline Data for Depreciation Analysis, and 18 CFR Part 347.
Parts 357.3 and 347 require an oil pipeline company to submit information under FERC
Form No. 73 when: (1) requesting approval for new or changed depreciation rates of an
oil pipeline; or (2) being directed by the Commission to file the service life data during an
investigation of its book depreciation rates.
On April 16, 2020, the Commission published a Notice in the Federal Register in Docket
No. IC20-12-000 requesting public comments.1 The Commission received no public
comments.

1

85 FR 21229

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4

Type of Respondent: Oil pipeline companies.
Estimate of Annual Burden2: The Commission estimates the annual public reporting
burden for the information collection as below:
FERC Form No. 73, Oil Pipeline Service Life Data

Oil Pipelines
Undergoing
Investigation or
Review

Number of
Respondents
(1)
32

Annual
Number of
Responses per
Respondent
(2)
1

Total
Number of
Responses
(1)*(2)=(3)
324

Average
Burden &
Cost Per
Response3
(4)
40 hrs.;
$3,200

Total
Annual
Burden &
Total
Annual Cost
(3)*(4)=(5)
1,280 hrs.;
$102,400

Cost per
Respondent
($)
(5)÷(1)
$3,200

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

“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
5 CFR § 1320.3.
2

3

The Commission staff estimates the average cost in salary and benefits for the average
respondent based on the Commission’s 2019 average cost for salary plus benefits at
$80/hour.
4

The total number of responses entailing the submittal of a depreciation study in the past
three years was 96. The average response from those three years is 96/3years = 32
responses per year.

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collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.

20200619-3046 FERC PDF (Unofficial) 06/19/2020

Document Content(s)
30 day IC notice-IC20-12(Ferc-73)-final.DOCX..........................1-5