BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC24-22-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC-537);
Comment Request; Extension
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-537 (Gas
Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition, and Abandonment).
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due [INSERT DATE 60
DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].
ADDRESSES: You may submit copies of your comments (identified by Docket No.
IC24-22-000) by one of the following methods:
Electronic filing through http://www.ferc.gov is preferred.
• Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable native applications and
print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture format.
• For those unable to file electronically, comments may be submitted to FERC as
follows:
o Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, N.E.,
Washington, DC 20426.

o All other services (including courier) : Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, MD 20852.
Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance with submission
guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov. 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean Sonneman may be reached by
e-mail at DataClearance@FERC.gov, telephone at (202) 502-6362.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC-537: Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition, and
Abandonment
OMB Control No.: 1902-0060
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC-537 information collection
requirements with no changes to the reporting requirements.
Abstract: The FERC-537 information collection is in place for the Commission to carry
out its responsibilities under section 7 of the Natural Gas Act (NGA). Section 7 of the
NGA1 requires natural gas companies to obtain Commission approval before
constructing, extending, or abandoning facilities or service. The Commission reviews
and analyses the information filed under the FERC-537 to determine whether to approve
or deny the requested authorization. After reviewing the supplied information, the

15 U.S.C. 717f.

Commission may grant a request to construct or extend pipeline facilities or service by
issuing a certificate of public convenience and necessity. If the Commission failed to
collect these data, it would lose its ability to review relevant information to determine
whether the requested certificate should be authorized.
The Commission implements section 7 of the NGA under regulations at 18 CFR
part 157.
The data generally required to be submitted in a 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. As
applicable to the specific request, applicants may provide:
•

Flow diagrams showing the design capacity for engineering design verification
and safety determination;

•

Cost of proposed facilities, plans for financing, and estimated revenues and
expenses related to the proposed facility for accounting and financial
evaluation; or

•

Existing and proposed storage capacity and pressures and reservoir engineering
studies for requests to increase storage capacity.

Applications for an order authorizing abandonment of facilities or service must
contain a statement providing in detail the reasons for the requested abandonment and
must contain exhibits listed at 18 CFR 157.18, as well as an affidavit showing the consent
of existing customers. With some exceptions, such applications also must include an
environmental report.
Applicants filing in accordance with 18 CFR part 157, subpart A (either for a
certificate or for abandonment) generally must make a good-faith effort to provide notice

of the application to all affected landowners, towns, communities, and government
agencies.
Certain self-implementing construction and abandonment programs do not require
the filing of applications. However, those types of programs do require the filing of
annual reports, so many less significant actions can be reported in a single filing/response
and less detail would be required. Additionally, requests for an increase of pipeline
capacity must include a statement that demonstrates compliance with the Commission’s
Certificate Policy Statement by making a showing that the cost of the expansion will not
be subsidized by existing customers and that there will not be adverse economic impacts
to existing customers, competing pipelines or their customers, nor to landowners and to
surrounding communities.
Type of Respondents: Jurisdictional natural gas companies.
Estimate of Annual Burden:2 The Commission estimates the annual public reporting
burden for the information collection as:
FERC-537 (Gas Pipeline Certificates: Construction, Acquisition, and Abandonment)3

Burden is defined as 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. Refer to 5 CFR 1320.3 for additional information.
Changes to estimated number of respondents were based on average number of
respondents over the past three years.
18 CFR 157.5-.11
(Interstate
Certificate and
Abandonment
Applications)
18 CFR 157.53
(Pipeline
Purging/Testing
Exemptions)
18 CFR 157.201.209; 157.211;
157.214-.218
(Blanket
Certificates Prior
to Notice Filings)
18 CFR 157.201.209; 157.211;
157.214-.218
(Blanket
Certificates –
Annual Reports)
18 CFR 284.11
(NGPA Section
311 Construction –
Annual Reports)
18 CFR 284.86
(Request for
Waiver of
Capacity Release
Regulations)
18 CFR 284.13(e)
and 284.126(a)
(Interstate and
Intrastate Bypass
Notice)
18 CFR 284.221
(Blanket
Certificates)

Average
Burden &
Cost Per
Response4
(4)
500 hrs.;
$50,000

Total
Annual
Burden
Hours &
Total
Annual Cost
(3)*(4)=(5)
21,500 hrs;
$2,150,000

Number of
Respondents
(1)
Annual
Number of
Responses per
Respondent
(2)
1.39

1

50 hrs.;
$5,000

50 hrs.;
$5,000

$5,000

2.125

63.75

200 hrs.;
$20,000

12,750 hrs.;
$ 1,275,000

$42,500

1

50 hrs.;
$5,000

8,800hrs.;
$880,000

$5,000

1

50 hrs.;
$5,000

3,750 hrs.;
$375,000

$5,000

1.39

43
(rounded)

10 hrs.:
$1,000

430 hrs.;
$43,000

$1,390

1

30 hrs.;
$3,000

60 hrs.;
$6,000

$3,000

1

100 hrs.;
$10,000

100 hrs.;
$10,000

$10,000

Total
Number of
Responses
(1)*(2)=(3)
43
(rounded)

Cost per
Respondent
($)
(5)÷(1)5
$69,355

The estimates for cost per response are derived using the following formula:
Average Burden Hours per Response * $100.00/hour = Average cost/response. The
figure is the 2024 FERC average hourly cost (for wages and benefits) of 100.00 (and an
average annual salary of $207,786/year). Commission staff is using the FERC average
salary because we consider any reporting requirements completed in response to the
FERC-537 to be compensated at rates similar to the work of FERC employees.
Each of the figures in this column are rounded to the nearest dollar.
A Certificate Abandonment Application would require waiver of the
Commission’s capacity release regulations in 18 CFR 284.8; therefore this activity is
associated with Interstate Certificate and Abandonment Applications.
5
18 CFR 284.224
(Hinshaw Blanket
Certificates)
18 CFR 157.5-.11;
157.13-.20 (Nonfacility Certificate
or Abandonment
Applications
Project based
Labor wages
TOTAL

1

75 hrs.;
$7,500

150 hrs.;
$15,000

$7,500

1.36

75 hrs.;
$7,500

1,125 hrs.;
$112,500

$10,227

1

15 hrs.
$1,500

330 hrs.
$33,000
49,045hrs.;
$4,539,000

$1,500

444
(rounded)

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
collection of information on those who are to respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
Dated: June 27, 2024.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Acting Secretary.

[FR Doc. 2024-14672 Filed: 7/2/2024 8:45 am; Publication Date: 7/3/2024]