FERC-730, Report of Transmission Investment Activity

OMB Control No: 1902-0239	ICR Reference No: 201002-1902-001
Status: Historical Active	Previous ICR Reference No: 200612-1902-006
Agency/Subagency: FERC	Agency Tracking No: FERC-730
Title: FERC-730, Report of Transmission Investment Activity
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: 04/15/2010
Retrieve Notice of Action (NOA)	Date Received in OIRA: 02/19/2010
Terms of Clearance: In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for 3 years.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	04/30/2013	36 Months From Approved	05/31/2010
Responses	20	0	200
Time Burden (Hours)	600	0	6,000
Cost Burden (Dollars)	37,009	0	720,000

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Abstract: The information collected in the FERC-730 is necessary for the Commission to evaluate its incentive rates policies, and to demonstrate the effectiveness of these policies. The FERC-730 filing requirement allows the Commission to track the progress of electric transmission projects that have been granted incentive-based rates, providing an accurate assessment of the state of the industry with respect to transmission investment, and ensuring that incentive rates are effective in encouraging the development of appropriate transmission infrastructure. To promote the development of needed energy infrastructure, Congress enacted section 1241 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Attachment A), which added a new section 219 to the Federal Power Act (FPA) (Attachment B). Section 219 of the FPA required that the Commission issue a rule allowing incentive-based rate treatments to promote capital investment in the enlargement, improvement, maintenance, and operation of transmission facilities. To comply with these FPA requirements, the Commission issued Order No. 679 (Attachment C) in 2006. Order 679 allowed public utilities participating in interstate commerce to apply for certain incentives, including: (1) a rate of return on equity sufficient to attract new investment in transmission facilities, (2) 100% of prudently incurred Construction Work in Progress (CWIP) in rate base, (3) recovery of prudently incurred pre-commercial operations costs, (4) accelerated depreciation, (5) hypothetical capital structure, and (6) recovery of 100% of prudently incurred costs of transmission facilities that are cancelled or abandoned due to factors beyond the control of the public utility. The Commission’s incentive rates policies under Order No. 679 aim to ensure reliability and reduce the cost of delivered power by decreasing transmission congestion. The Commission created FERC-730 to better inform its incentive rate policies, ensuring that they encourage appropriate infrastructure development and meet the requirements of FPA section 219. FERC-730 is an annual filing requirement for utilities that have been granted incentive-based rates. Utilities must file the following information in FERC-730: actual monetary investment for the most recent calendar year; planned investments for the next five years; and a project-by-project listing that includes each project planned for investment over the next five years and specifies expected completion date, percentage completion as of the filing date, and any reasons for delay. The filing requirements of FERC-730 are codified under 18 CFR §35.35(h) (Attachment D).

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Authorizing Statute(s): PL: Pub.L. 109 - 58 1241 Name of Law: Energy Policy Act of 2005

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: PL: Pub.L. 109 - 58 1241 Name of Law: Energy Policy Act

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

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Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	74 FR 59146	11/17/2009
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	75 FR 7465	02/19/2010
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

IC Title Form No. Form Name FERC-730, Report of Transmission Investment Activity

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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	20	200	0	0	-180	0
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	600	6,000	0	0	-5,400	0
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	37,009	720,000	0	0	-682,991	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: There is an administrative change in burden associated with this information collection. In the previous final rule that was submitted to and approved by OMB, the entire universe of possible respondents (200) was inadvertently listed as the annual estimated number of respondents per year. Based on the experience of the last two years and the actual number of filings received, the number of respondents has been decreased to 20.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $3,911

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]? Uncollected

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? Uncollected

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: Patricia Morris 202 208-6990

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Common Form ICR:  No

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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: 02/19/2010

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