Oil pipelines: Annual report; technical conference,

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Federal Register: August 5, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 150)Proposed RulesPage 42623-42625From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

DOCID:fr05au99-31

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Rregulatory Commission

18 CFR Part 357

Docket No. RM99-10-000Revision 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).

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.

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Notification of persons who wish to attend the conference must be filedon or before Friday, August 20, 1999.

Written comments must be filedon 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 RimsMaster@FERC.fed.us.

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 filedby 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 filedin 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)

<bullet> What information, instructions, and definitions should be included, eliminated, revised, and consolidated?

Form 6 Instructions

<bullet> 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

<bullet> 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.

<bullet> 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

<bullet> 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

<bullet> 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

<bullet> 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)?

<bullet> How should the electronic Form 6 be tested?

FR Doc. 99-20110Filed8-4-99; 8:45 amBILLING CODE 6717-01-P

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