Why Is the Energy Department Asking 300 Engineers About Power Line Standards?

The U.S. Department of Energy wants to compare its transmission construction standards against what the rest of the industry uses. A new survey targeting 300 engineers and logisticians will feed a three-year benchmarking program run by the Bonneville Power Administration.

The Notice That Isn't a Routine Renewal

The document published September 10 calls itself an information collection extension. In practice it is a fresh request for three-year approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The collection carries the title BPA Generic Benchmarking Surveys and OMB control number 1910-NEW. Its stated purpose: a retrospective analysis of existing construction and design standards in power transmission through comparison with standards in use by comparable entities.

Bonneville Power Administration, a DOE entity, will run the effort. The document says the analysis will let BPA survey standards in use throughout the industry to ensure its standards are consistent with others and learning from industry.

Who Gets Asked

Respondents would be engineers and logisticians within stakeholder organizations such as the North American Transmission Forum. The annual estimated number of respondents is 300. The annual estimated number of total responses is 300. The annual estimated burden hours total 300. The annual estimated reporting and recordkeeping cost burden is $19,572.

Each respondent therefore represents roughly one hour and about sixty-five dollars in estimated burden. The notice does not say how many of those 300 are currently active in the field.

Three hundred people.

Where the Authority Comes From

Statutory authority cited is 16 U.S.C. 832a(c). The request was signed August 24, 2026 by Candice D. Palen, Information Collection Clearance Manager at Bonneville Power Administration, under delegated authority from the Secretary of Energy. Treena V. Garrett, Federal Register Liaison Officer, submitted the electronic version September 8 for publication.

The Comment Window Is Open

Comments must be received on or before October 13, 2026. That is 33 days from publication. Submissions go through www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain under the 30-day review section. Questions about the instrument or instructions go to Stephanie Noell, Privacy Program, at privacy@bpa.gov or (503) 230-3881. The notice does not describe what happens if fewer than 300 responses arrive.

What This Changes for Transmission Standards

The benchmarking program creates a feedback loop that did not exist before. BPA will collect data on how other entities design and build transmission infrastructure. That data then informs whether BPA adjusts its own standards. The process is retrospective — it looks at what already exists — but the outcome could shape future construction across the region. The document does not specify which standards get compared or how differences get resolved.