[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 150 (Thursday, August 5, 1999)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 42623-42625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-20110]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Rregulatory Commission
18 CFR Part 357
[Docket No. RM99-10-000]
Revision of FERC Form No. 6: Annual Report of Oil Pipeline
Companies; Notice Of Technical Conference and Request For Comments
July 30, 1999.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of Technical Conference and Request for Comments on
Revisions to FERC Form No. 6: Annual Report of Oil Pipeline Companies
(FERC Form No. 6).
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SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) Staff
will conduct a technical conference to solicit comments and discuss
potential changes to the FERC Form No. 6 to better meet current and
future regulatory requirements and industry needs. The technical
conference is intended to be an informal working session so
participants can freely discuss their views on issues related to FERC
Form No. 6. The Commission is interested in discussing and obtaining
specific comments on the need to: delete, add, revise, consolidate, and
clarify FERC Form No. 6 schedules and instructions. The Commission is
also seeking comments on the related regulations contained in 18 CFR
Part 357; and procedures to implement electronic filing for FERC Form
No. 6.
The Commission is inviting interested parties to submit written
comments addressing issues outlined in Appendix A of the notice prior
to the technical conference and is requesting parties to notify the
Commission if they wish to attend.
DATES: The technical conference will be held on Wednesday, September 8,
1999.
[[Page 42624]]
Notification of persons who wish to attend the conference must be
filed on or before Friday, August 20, 1999.
Written comments must be filed on or before Friday, August 20,
1999.
ADDRESSES: The technical conference will be held at the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.
Submit written comments to: Office of the Secretary, Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.
Persons who wish to attend the conference must notify:
Michael Oliva, (202)219-2597, FAX: (202)219-0125, E-Mail:
michael.oliva@ferc.fed.us
or
Donna Culbertson, (202)219-1102, FAX: (202)219-0125, E-Mail:
donna.culbertson@ferc.fed.us
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Donna Culbertson (Technical Issues), Office of Finance, Accounting and
Operations, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street,
N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426, (202) 219-1102
Andrew Lyon (Legal Issues), Office of the General Counsel, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C.
20426, (202) 208-0637
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In addition to publishing the full text of
this document in the Federal Register, the Commission also provides all
interested persons an opportunity to inspect or copy the contents of
this document during normal business hours in the Public Reference Room
at 888 First Street, N.E., Room 2A, Washington, D.C. 20426.
The Commission Issuance Posting System (CIPS) provides access to
the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission from November
14, 1994 to the present. CIPS can be accessed via Internet through
FERC's Home Page (http://www.ferc.fed.us) using the CIPS Link or the
Energy Information Online icon. Documents will be available on CIPS in
ASCII and WordPerfect 6.1 format. User assistance is available at 202-
208-2474 or by E-mail to cipsmaster@ferc.fed.us.
This document is also available through the Commission's Records
and Information Management System (RIMS), an electronic storage and
retrieval system of documents submitted to and issued by the Commission
after November 16, 1981. Documents from November 1995 to the present
can be viewed and printed. RIMS is available in the Public Reference
Room or remotely via Internet through FERC's Home Page using the RIMS
link or the Energy Information Online icon. User assistance is
available at 202-208-2222, or by E-mail to [email protected]
Finally, the complete text on diskette in WordPerfect format may be
purchased from the Commission's copy contractor, RVJ International,
Inc. RVJ International, Inc., is located in the Public Reference Room
at 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426.
Notice of Technical Conference and Request for Comments
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Staff (Staff) will convene
a technical conference to solicit comments and discuss potential
changes to the FERC Form No. 6: Annual Report of Oil Pipeline Companies
(FERC Form No. 6) filing requirements and related regulations contained
in 18 CFR Part 357 to better meet current and future regulatory
requirements and industry needs. The technical conference will be held
on Wednesday, September 8, 1999, at 9:00 A.M. in a room to be
designated at the offices of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426. The conference is
intended to be an informal working session so participants can freely
discuss their views on issues related to FERC Form No. 6. The
conference is open to shippers, trade associations, oil pipeline
companies, federal and state agencies, users of the information
reported in the FERC Form No. 6, and other interested parties. Appendix
A contains a list of suggested subjects for discussion at the technical
conference. The discussion is not limited to these topics but can cover
other FERC Form No. 6 topics as well.
The Commission's oil pipeline regulations require each oil pipeline
company, subject to the provisions of the Interstate Commerce Act, and
having jurisdictional operating revenues exceeding $350,000 in each of
the three immediately preceding calendar years, to submit the FERC Form
No. 6. Oil pipeline companies exempt from filing the FERC Form No. 6
prepare and file only pages 1 and 700 of the Form 6.
FERC Form No. 6 is filed by March 31st of each year for the
previous calendar year. This report collects financial and operational
information from oil pipeline companies subject to FERC's jurisdiction
through various schedules including: general corporate information,
financial statements, balance sheet supporting schedules, income
account supporting schedules, and plant statistical data.
Staff is convening the conference to solicit comments from the
industry and the public and discuss potential changes to the schedules
listed above and the Commission's regulations. The Commission is
interested in obtaining specific comments on the need to: delete, add,
revise, consolidate, and clarify FERC Form No. 6 schedules and
instructions. The Commission is also seeking comments on the related
regulations contained in 18 CFR Part 357; and procedures to implement
electronic filing for FERC Form No. 6.
Persons who wish to attend the conference should notify Michael
Oliva or Donna Culbertson by August 20, 1999, either by telephone,
facsimile, or by E-Mail.
Michael Oliva, (202) 219-2597, FAX: (202) 219-0125,
michael.oliva@ferc.fed.us
or
Donna Culbertson, (202) 219-1102, FAX: (202) 219-0125
donna.culbertson@ferc.fed.us
Please provide your name, title, affiliation, mailing address,
voice and fax telephone numbers, and your Internet E-Mail address if
you have one. Companies or organizations with more than one
representative may consolidate the notifications if they provide the
Companies are encouraged to coordinate with their respective industry
associations to consolidate discussions as much as possible.
The Commission Staff also invites interested persons to submit
written comments addressing the issues outlined in Appendix A prior to
the technical conference to help focus the discussion. Interested
persons should come prepared to discuss these issues at the technical
conference. Based on the comments received, Commission Staff will
determine the best way to structure the conference to efficiently
obtain the information needed.
The original and 14 copies of such comments must be received by the
Commission before 5:00 P.M., Friday, August 20, 1999. Comments should
be submitted to the Office of the Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington D.C. 20426 and should
refer to Docket No. RM99-10-000.
In addition to filing paper copies, the Commission encourages the
filing of comments either on computer diskette or via Internet E-Mail.
Comments may be filed in the following formats: WordPerfect 8.0 or
below, MS Word Office 97 or lower version, or ASCII format.
For diskette filing, include the following information on the
diskette
[[Page 42625]]
label: Docket No. RM99-10-000; the name of the filing entity; the
software and version used to create the file; and the name and
telephone number of a contact person.
For Internet E-Mail submittal, comments should be submitted to
comment.rm@ferc.fed.us'' in the following format. On the subject
line, specify Docket No. RM99-10-000. In the body of the E-Mail
message, include the name of the filing entity; the software and
version used to create the file, and the name and telephone number of
the contact person. Attach the comment to the E-Mail in one of the
formats specified above. The Commission will send an automatic
acknowledgment to the sender's E-Mail address upon receipt. Questions
on electronic filing should be directed to Brooks Carter at 202-501-
8145, E-Mail address brooks.carter@ferc.fed.us.
Commenters should take note that, until the Commission amends its
rules and regulations, the paper copy of the filing remains the
official copy of the document submitted. Therefore, any discrepancies
between the paper filing and the electronic filing or the diskette will
be resolved by reference to the paper filing.
All written comments will be placed in the Commission's public
files and will be available for inspection in the Commission's Public
Reference Room at 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, D.C. 20426,
during regular business hours. Additionally, comments may be viewed,
printed, or downloaded remotely via the Internet through FERC's
Homepage using the RIMS or CIPS links. RIMS contains all comments but
only those comments submitted in electronic format are available on
CIPS. User assistance is available at 202-208-2222, or by E-Mail to
rimsmaster@ferc.fed.us.
David P. Boergers,
Secretary.
Appendix A--Topics for Discussion at Form 6 Technical Conference
September 8, 1999
Form 6 General Information, Instructions, and Definitions (Pages i--
iii)
What information, instructions, and definitions should
be included, eliminated, revised, and consolidated?
Form 6 Instructions
Where are there interpretation problems with the Form 6
instructions? For example, categorizing expenses between operations
and maintenance expense, defining system property, defining
Statement of Cash Flows line item requirements, and calculating cost
of service.
--Identify by schedule and instruction where more clarification is
needed.
--Define type and detail of instruction needed.
Form 6 Schedules
What GAAP updates should be made? For example, updating
the ``Analysis of Federal Income and Other Taxes Deferred'' Schedule
from APB 11 to FASB 109.
Are there items that should be included, eliminated,
revised, and consolidated in each Form 6 schedule?
--Identify by schedule, column, and line item where changes are
needed.
--Define type and detail of change needed.
Conforming Form 6 Changes to the Oil Regulations
What changes need to be made to conform the instruction
and schedule changes outlined above to the oil regulations?
--Identify the part and section of the regulations that need to be
changed.
--Define type and detail of change needed.
Form 6 Alternatives
Are there other alternatives to filing the Form 6? For
example, filing GAAP financial statements certified by the external
accountants and supplemental schedules containing the information
FERC needs to regulate its jurisdictional companies.
Form 6 Electronic Filing
What format should be used to prepare the Form 6 (e.g.,
use the same format used to prepare the Form 1 or Form 2)?
How should the electronic Form 6 be tested?
[FR Doc. 99-20110 Filed 8-4-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
