Revisions to Forms, Statements and Reporting Requirements for Electric Utilities and Licensees, 58720-58769 [E8-23458]
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Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 7, 2008 / Rules and Regulations
Commission’s reporting requirements
for public utilities and licensees to file
financial forms, reports, and statements,
including FERC Form No. 1, FERC Form
No. 1–F, and FERC Form No. 3–Q.
These changes will improve the forms,
reports and statements to provide, in
fuller detail, the information the
Commission needs to carry out its
responsibilities under the Federal Power
Act to ensure that rates remain just and
reasonable. In addition, the changes will
help provide public utility customers,
state commissions, and the public
information to assess the justness and
reasonableness of electric rates.
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
18 CFR Parts 41 and 141
[Docket No. RM08–5–000; Order No. 715]
Revisions to Forms, Statements and
Reporting Requirements for Electric
Utilities and Licensees
Issued September 19, 2008.
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Final Rule.
AGENCY:
SUMMARY: This Final Rule amends the
Federal Energy Regulatory
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
David Lengenfelder (Technical
Information), Forms Administration and
Data Branch, Division of Financial
Regulation, Office of Enforcement,
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC
20426, Telephone: (202) 502–8351, email: david.lengenfelder@ferc.gov,
Richard M. Wartchow (Legal
Information), Office of the General
Counsel, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street, NE.,
Washington, DC 20426, Telephone:
(202) 502–8744, e-mail:
richard.wartchow@ferc.gov.
Effective Date: This rule will
become effective January 1, 2009.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
DATES:
FINAL RULE
Paragraph
Numbers
I. Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................................................................
II. Background ..........................................................................................................................................................................................
III. Notice of Inquiry .................................................................................................................................................................................
IV. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ........................................................................................................................................................
V. Discussion ...........................................................................................................................................................................................
A. Notice of Inquiry ...........................................................................................................................................................................
B. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking ..................................................................................................................................................
C. Effective Date ..............................................................................................................................................................................
D. Proposed Revisions .....................................................................................................................................................................
1. Formula Rates .......................................................................................................................................................................
2. Filing Thresholds for Form 1 .................................................................................................................................................
3. Affiliate Transactions .............................................................................................................................................................
4. CPA Certification for a Non-Calendar Fiscal Year ...............................................................................................................
5. ‘‘Other Revenues’’ (Pages 300–301) ....................................................................................................................................
6. Increases to Threshold Reporting Levels .............................................................................................................................
7. Proposed Technical Corrections ...........................................................................................................................................
8. Additional Technical Revisions .............................................................................................................................................
E. Miscellaneous ..............................................................................................................................................................................
1. Retaining Form 3–Q ..............................................................................................................................................................
2. Confidentiality Concerns .......................................................................................................................................................
3. Requests To Reconsider Rejected Revisions ......................................................................................................................
4. Requests for Additional Cost Data .......................................................................................................................................
F. Reporting Burden .........................................................................................................................................................................
VI. Information Collection Statement .......................................................................................................................................................
VII. Environmental Analysis .....................................................................................................................................................................
VIII. Regulatory Flexibility Act ..................................................................................................................................................................
IX. Document Availability .........................................................................................................................................................................
X. Effective Date and Congressional Notification ...................................................................................................................................
Revised Regulatory Text—18 CFR Parts 41 and 141.
Appendix A: Revised Form 1 Pages.
Appendix B: List of Proposed Technical Changes and Responses.
Appendix C: List of Commenters.
I. Introduction
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1. This Final Rule amends the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission’s
(Commission) reporting requirements
for public utilities 1 and licensees to file
1 While 18 CFR 141.1 nominally refers to ‘‘electric
utilities,’’ this regulation in fact applies to ‘‘public
utilities.’’ See 16 U.S.C. 824; accord 18 CFR Part
101, Definitions 29 and 40. The reference in 18 CFR
141.1 to ‘‘electric utilities’’ predates the 1978
addition of separate statutorily defined ‘‘electric
utilities,’’ see 16 U.S.C. 796(22), when the only
utilities that were Commission regulated under the
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financial forms, reports, and statements,
including FERC Form No. 1 (Form 1),
FERC Form No. 1–F (Form 1–F), and
FERC Form No. 3–Q (Form 3–Q). These
changes will improve the forms, reports
and statements to provide, in fuller
detail, the information the Commission
needs to carry out its responsibilities
under the Federal Power Act (FPA) to
ensure that rates remain just and
reasonable. In addition, the changes will
help provide public utility customers,
state commissions, and the public the
information they need to assess the
justness and reasonableness of electric
rates.
2. This Final Rule complements the
Commission’s recent revisions to the
reporting requirements for natural gas
Federal Power Act were the statutorily-defined
public utilities, see 16 U.S.C. 824. See, e.g., 18 CFR
141.1 (1977).
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companies; 2 it revises the financial
forms filed by public utilities and
licensees—specifically, Form 1, Annual
report for major electric utilities,
licensees, and others; Form 1–F, Annual
report for nonmajor public utilities,
licensees and others; and Form 3–Q,
Quarterly report of electric utilities,
licensees, and natural gas companies.
3. Specifically, the Final Rule adopts
revised reporting requirements which
will enhance the Commission’s and
customers’ review of formula rates;
permit better understanding of nonpower goods and services transactions
with affiliates, and provide additional
detail of revenues not previously
specified in Form 1. In addition, the
Final Rule will expedite reporting by
clarifying Form 1 instructions and crossreferences and making certain technical
improvements in the form. Finally, the
Final Rule responds to the burdens
faced by filers by adopting minimum
reporting thresholds for certain
accounting data, eliminating the
reporting requirement for certain
utilities that are not otherwise subject to
this Commission’s reporting obligations
or jurisdiction, and accommodating
filers whose fiscal year does not fall in
the calendar year that is used for
reporting purposes.
4. This Final Rule does not convert
the submission of Form 1 and other data
into a FPA section 205 3 rate case filing
or a cost-and-revenue study, but is
instead intended to better ensure a
ready source of data to assist the
Commission and interested parties in
evaluating the justness and
reasonableness of a utility’s rates. The
revised forms do not limit or change an
entity’s rights or obligations under the
FPA and our regulations, and this Final
Rule is not intended to change our
obligation to rule on complaints,
petitions, or other requests for relief
based on a full record and substantial
evidence.
5. The proposed effective date for
implementation of these changes is
calendar year 2009. Accordingly,
companies subject to the new
requirements would file their new Form
3–Qs following the first calendar quarter
of 2009 and their new Forms 1 and
1–F in April 2010 for calendar year
2009. In addition, this Final Rule
eliminates the filing requirement for
utilities not subject to the Commission’s
jurisdiction under section 201 of the
2 18 CFR Parts 158 and 260; Revisions to Forms,
Statements, and Reporting Requirements for
Natural Gas Pipelines, Order No. 710, Docket No.
RM07–9–000, 73 FR 19389 (Apr. 10, 2008), FERC
Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,267, order on reh’g, Order No.
710–A, 123 FERC ¶ 61,278 (2008).
3 16 U.S.C. 824d.
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FPA 4 but required to file Form 1 solely
because they met the reporting
threshold in the regulations.
II. Background
6. Under the Commission’s
regulations, entities classified as major
electric utilities are required to file
Form 1. Entities classified as nonmajor
electric utilities are required to file
Form 1–F.5 Sections 304, 307 and 309
of the FPA authorize the Commission to
collect such data.6 Form 1, in particular,
requires information to be filed on an
annual basis by public utilities (and
certain hydroelectric production
sources) under the Commission’s
jurisdiction. Form 1 collects corporate
information, summary financial
information and balance sheet and
income information, as well as electric
plant, sales, operating and statistical
data. Since its inception, Form 1 has
been amended by the Commission on
numerous occasions to address and
keep pace with the transformation of the
utility industry.
7. In 1990, the Commission issued
Order No. 529, which modified Form 1
to improve reporting of bulk power
transactions.7 In 1993, the Commission
issued Order No. 552, which revised the
Uniform System of Accounts (USofA) to
account for allowances under the 1990
Clean Air Act Amendments, and
adopted corresponding reporting
schedules for Forms 1 and 1–F.8
8. In 1994, the Commission issued
Order No. 574, which required the filing
of an electronic version of Form 1, along
with the paper version. The electronic
version was prepared pursuant to a
computer program supplied by the
Commission.9 In 2002, the Commission
issued Order No. 626, which eliminated
4 16
U.S.C. 824.
major electric utility is one that had, in the
last three consecutive years, sales or transmission
services that exceeded (1) one million megawatthours of total sales; (2) 100 megawatt-hours of sales
for resale; (3) 500 megawatt-hours of power
exchanges delivered; or (4) 500 megawatt-hours of
wheeling for others (deliveries plus losses). Utilities
and licensees that are not classified as major and
had total sales in each of the last three consecutive
years of 10,000 megawatt-hours or more are
classified as nonnmajor. See 18 CFR Part 101.
6 16 U.S.C. 825a, 825f, 825h; see also 16 U.S.C.
825j.
7 Amendments to FERC Form Nos. 1 and 1–F, and
Annual Charges, and Fuel Cost and Purchased
Economic Power Adjustment Clauses, Order No.
529, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 30,904 (1990).
8 Revisions to Uniform System of Accounts to
Account for Allowances under the Clean Air Act
Amendments of 1990 and Regulatory-Created
Assets and Liabilities and to Form Nos. 1, 1–F, 2
and 2–A, Order No. 552, FERC Stats. & Regs.
¶ 30,967 (1993).
9 Electronic Filing of FERC Form No. 1 and
Delegation to Chief Accountant, Order No. 574,
FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,013 (1994) (establishing
the Form 1 Submission Software (FOSS)).
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the paper filing requirement, relying
solely on electronic filing of Form 1.10
Also in 2002, the Commission expanded
USofA accounting requirements to
include monitoring for the fair value of
certain security investments, derivative
instruments, and hedging activities, and
added new schedules and accounts to
Forms 1 and 1–F.11
9. Order No. 646 implemented
quarterly reporting for entities that filed
Forms 1 and 1–F and added annual
reporting requirements for ancillary
services and electric transmission peak
loads.12 In 2005, Order No. 668 updated
the Commission’s accounting
requirements for utilities and licensees,
including independent system operators
(ISOs) and regional transmission
organizations (RTOs).13 The
Commission also revised its USofA and
Forms 1 and 1–F to accommodate
industry restructuring under the
Commission’s open-access transmission
policies and increased competition in
wholesale bulk power markets.14
III. Notice of Inquiry
10. As part of Commission staff’s
ongoing comprehensive review of the
Commission’s financial data
requirements, a series of public
meetings were held in Fall 2006 with
both filers and users of FERC’s financial
reports (Forms 1, 1–F, 2, 2–A and 3–Q).
On February 15, 2007, the Commission
issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) in
response to those discussions.15 The
NOI sought comments on the need for
changes or additions to the financial
information reported on these forms. In
response to the comments received, the
Commission determined that each of the
forms, representing different industries
subject to the Commission’s
jurisdiction, merited its own separate
review. Accordingly, the Commission
established a separate proceeding in
Docket No. RM07–9–000, addressing
only changes, additions, and
10 Electronic Filing of FERC Form No. 1, and
Elimination of Certain Designated Schedules in
Form Nos. 1 and 1–F, Order No. 626, FERC Stats.
& Regs. ¶ 31,130 (2002).
11 Accounting and Reporting of Financial
Instruments, Comprehensive Income, Derivatives
and Hedging Activities, Order No. 627, FERC Stats.
& Regs. ¶ 31,134 (2002).
12 Quarterly Financial Reporting and Revisions to
the Annual Reports, Order No. 646, FERC Stats. &
Regs. ¶ 31,158, order on reh’g, Order No. 646–A,
FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,163 (2004).
13 Accounting and Financial Reporting for Public
Utilities Including RTOs, Order No. 668, FERC
Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,199 (2005), reh’g denied, Order
No. 668–A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,215 (2006).
14 Id.
15 Assessment of Information Requirements for
FERC Financial Forms, Notice of Inquiry, FERC
Stats. & Regs. ¶ 35,554 (2007).
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amendments to the forms applicable to
interstate natural gas companies.16
IV. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
11. On January 18, 2008, the
Commission issued a Notice of
Proposed Rulemaking (NOPR) that
proposed to revise the Form 1 (and
Forms 1–F and 3–Q) and requested
comments on several issues, including:
(1) Differences between Form 1 data and
costs that are reflected in formula rate
inputs, (2) the non-jurisdictional utility
requirements and revising the Form
1–F reporting threshold for nonmajor
utilities, (3) reporting for affiliate
transactions, (4) filers whose reporting
and accounting systems are based on a
non-calendar fiscal year, (5) reporting
for ‘‘Other Revenues,’’ and (6) the
minimum threshold reporting levels for
certain line-item information.17 In
addition, the NOPR proposed two nonform related rule changes, concerning
notification of non-filing status and
grants of extension of time for good
cause. The NOPR also invited comments
on software updates, revisions to the
filing instructions, requests for
additional information for particular
accounts or schedules, and suggestions
to improve the quality, completeness
and consistency of data submissions.18
V. Discussion
A. Notice of Inquiry
12. In responding to the NOI, Form 1
public utility filers generally
emphasized the difficulty and expense
of Form 1 preparation, stated that the
current scope of information sought is
sufficient to evaluate jurisdictional
rates, and objected to particular filing
requirements as burdensome. In
contrast, Form 1 users, including
nonprofit publicly-owned utilities and
state commissions, disagree—requesting
that Form 1 provide additional
information to permit more effective
review to determine whether current
and proposed rates are just and
reasonable.
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B. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
13. In the NOPR, the Commission
affirmed that the information reported
in Forms 1, 1–F and 3–Q is critical to
16 Revisions to Forms. Statements, and Reporting
Requirements for Natural Gas Pipelines, Order No.
710, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,267, order on reh’g,
Order No. 710–A, 123 FERC ¶ 61,278 (2008).
17 Revisions to Forms, Statements, and Reporting
Requirements for Electric Utilities and Licensees,
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, 73 FR 5136 (Jan.
29, 2008), FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 32,627 (Jan. 18,
2008) (NOPR).
18 These proposals were listed in an appendix to
the NOPR, which is updated here with Commission
responses and provided in Appendix B to this Final
Rule.
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the work of the Commission and stated
its expectation that all filers would
continue to follow the instructions and
submit properly completed forms. The
NOPR emphasized the importance of
Form 1 data to the Commission, state
commissions, utility customers and
other interested persons as an important
and primary source of information to
assess whether rates charged remain just
and reasonable or may be unjust and
unreasonable. The NOPR stated that the
purpose of Form 1, in particular, is to
provide basic financial and operational
information to allow the Commission,
customers, and competitors to monitor a
utility’s rates for jurisdictional services.
Form 1 is an essential tool in the
Commission’s regulatory program. Form
1 makes publicly available the financial
information upon which cost-based
rates are developed and provides
information on the financial operations
of utilities. Form 1 and the underlying
data are used in ratemaking and for
customer rate and cost monitoring. In
addition, because it reflects the
Commission’s USofA, Form 1 ensures
that such data is uniform and
comparable between companies and
reporting periods. Form 1 is not a
substitute for a rate case filing or a
projection of future financial
performance, however. Instead the data
enables the form’s users to monitor and
assess a utility’s rates.
14. Pursuant to the Commission’s
comprehensive review of its financial
reporting forms and based on the
responses to the NOI, the Commission
determined that wholesale changes were
not justified, and instead proposed
targeted adjustments to the existing
reporting requirements.
15. In response to the NOPR, the
Commission received 13 timely
comments, one motion to submit
comments out-of-time, and one set of
reply comments.19 These comments are
summarized in the remainder of the
discussion section.
16. After careful consideration of the
comments received, the Commission is
adopting changes and revisions
proposed in the NOPR with certain
modifications and clarifications, as
discussed below.
17. No comments were filed objecting
to the NOPR’s proposals concerning (i)
accommodating filers whose books close
on a non-calendar fiscal year, (ii) filing
notifications of changes to non-filing
status, (iii) adopting a good cause
requirement for reviewing requests for
extension of time, and (iv) providing for
separate reporting of emissions
19 A
list of commenters is attached as Appendix
C.
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allowances, such as nitrogen oxide
(NOX) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). In fact,
comments were received supporting
several of these proposals, including the
non-calendar year accommodation and
emission allowances. Therefore, we
adopt the proposals as set forth in the
NOPR.
18. In addition, several commenters
proposed additional reporting
requirements or modifications to the
proposals made in the NOPR. To the
extent such comments proposed
revisions that were feasible and in
keeping with the goals expressed in the
NOPR, the Commission has attempted
to incorporate commenters’ suggestions
as discussed below. The discussion in
the ‘‘Commission Determination’’
sections addressing each NOPR
proposal provides additional detail to
clarify those proposals and respond to
the comments.
C. Effective Date
19. The NOPR proposed calendar year
2009 as the effective date to implement
these changes to the reporting
requirements, stating:
Accordingly, companies subject to the new
requirements would file their new Form 3–
Qs beginning with the Form 3–Q for the first
calendar quarter of 2009 and their new Forms
1 and 1–F in April 2010 for calendar year
2009.
20. The Commission believes that this
effective date provides sufficient time
for filing companies to collect the
information needed to fulfill the
reporting obligations proposed in the
NOPR and adopted in this Final Rule.
Because the changes adopted here are
limited in scope, filers have sufficient
opportunity to make the necessary
changes to their reporting systems to
capture the necessary data in the detail
needed to complete the new
requirements contained in this Final
Rule. This proposed effective date thus
provides an adequate time for utilities to
revise their information collection
procedures, and filers will have several
additional months before the first
reporting deadline to implement the
changes needed because the first report
due is the Form 3–Q, a quarterly report,
due in May 2009. Therefore, the
Commission adopts the changes
provided for in this Final Rule effective
calendar year 2009, consistent with the
date proposed in the NOPR.
D. Proposed Revisions
1. Formula Rates
21. In response to comments
requesting additional information to
accommodate formula rate review, the
NOPR proposed the addition of
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explanatory information when formula
rate inputs deviate from data reported in
Form 1. Specifically, the NOPR
proposed to revise the Form 1 to require
that, if the inputs to a formula rate
deviate from what is currently shown in
the Form 1, the filer must provide an
explanation for the deviation in a
footnote to the corresponding page, line
and column where the specific data is
reported. The Commission sought
comment on this proposal.20
Comments
22. Several commenters support the
Commission’s proposal for filing
utilities to explain departures from
Form 1 data in formula rates. SDG&E,
for example, notes that many utilities
with formula rates already make
periodic informational filings to explain
the use of modified Form 1 data. SDG&E
supports the NOPR proposal and
characterizes the proposal as a
pragmatic and narrowly-tailored effort
to provide additional information that
does not duplicate publicly available
material, while avoiding a ‘‘one size fits
all’’ modification to Form 1 that does
not address the varieties of formula rates
currently in effect or utilities’ uses of
variations from Form 1 data.
23. APPA also supports the
Commission’s intent that utilities
provide all information necessary for
calculating formula rates, but questions
whether the Commission’s proposal will
achieve the desired effect. APPA states
that the requirement that filers describe
in footnotes details on how formula
rates deviate from Form 1 information
may be difficult to monitor because staff
may lack the means to identify utilities
subject to the formula rate information
requirement. APPA suggests that the
Commission require a new schedule for
filers to identify their status in regard to
formula rates, which would require a
filer to indicate (1) whether it has
formula rates; and (2) where to find all
explanations for deviations between
formula rates and Form 1 information
(either informational filings or footnotes
in connection with specific page, line
and column numbers of Form 1). Such
a schedule would ensure that a utility
does not omit a necessary footnote and
would also locate deviations from Form
1 data. APPA predicts that such a
schedule would not change any Form 1
references currently contained in
formula rates and should not add any
substantial burden to respondents,
because it would not repeat the
information, but would simply reference
the location of the information already
compiled.
20 NOPR
at P 46.
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24. BPA agrees that since formula
rates routinely cite specific accounts
and page numbers, the Commission
should not revise Form 1 accounts or
page numbers, so as to necessitate
amendments to existing formula rates.
BPA supports the use of explanatory
footnotes, stating that the footnotes are
an essential aspect of Form 1 and may
provide the only means for a utility to
explain, and Form 1 user to understand,
the data. BPA suggests the need for
additional enforcement of Form 1
requirements, including penalties for
failure to meet footnote requirements.
25. In addition, BPA requests
clarification that a statement made in
paragraph 41 of the NOPR, ‘‘[t]he annual
rate adjustment may not initiate a rate
proceeding and the customer’s recourse,
if it believes the resulting rates are
unjust and unreasonable, is to file a
complaint under section 206 of the
FPA,’’ is not intended to change the
burden of proof in a section 206
proceeding involving a formula rate.
Specifically, BPA requests the
Commission clarify that the statement
does not shift the burden of proof from
the utility to establish that the formula
is correctly applied or that the correct
data is being used to populate the
formula.21
26. Nevada Companies suggests that a
transmission provider should post the
reasons for changes in formula rates on
its Web site within a prescribed period
of time, which would provide
immediate information to customers on
changes in rates rather than having to
wait for a quarterly or annual filing.
27. TAPS strongly supports the
NOPR’s effort to further the goal of
timely transparency through inclusion
of the relevant information in Form 1.
TAPS questions the level of detail in an
informational filing that would relieve a
utility of the requirement to describe
formula rate differences in Form 1.
TAPS states that the rule should require
that the transparency information be
included in Form 1 submissions of each
utility whose Form 1 data is input into
a formula rate. TAPS proposes that
waivers be considered where the utility
can show that it is legally committed to
make annual informational filings that
will provide all of the data, of the same
quality and reliability, that would
otherwise have to be included in its
Form 1, and will do so in time to
facilitate rate monitoring by customers,
regulators, and the public. TAPS also
requests that the Final Rule require
annual reporting of all historical cost,
21 BPA states its understanding that the burden of
proof otherwise remains on the party challenging a
Commission-approved formula.
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58723
load, and revenue information that is an
input into a Form 1 filing utility’s
formula rate.
28. The Michigan Commission
requests that the Commission initiate a
process to address problems associated
with its review of utility transmission
investment in conjunction with formula
rates. The Michigan Commission states
that a lack of necessary data reporting in
combination with formula rates can
shield utility investment decisions from
review. The Michigan Commission
suggests that the Commission initiate an
inquiry, possibly a technical conference,
to explore ways that formula rates can
be reviewed.
29. Several utility commenters object
to the requirement to add footnotes to
discuss differences between Form 1
financial information and formula rate
inputs for wholesale rates.22 AEP
believes that the Form 1 is a financial
report and should continue to be a
financial report and not a rate
verification report. AEP claims that
footnoting differences between Form 1
data and formula rate inputs would, for
some filers like AEP, be extensive,
voluminous and burdensome to comply
with. AEP suggests that multiple rates
will require reconciliation, including
separate wholesale customer service
rates and some regional transmission
organization rates. AEP states that the
Commission should obtain such
information from the seller when
needed on a case-by-case basis. AEP
suggests that the additional detail need
not be made public, and states that the
information is better provided as a
separate rate filing to be made whenever
the formula rate is being changed or
supported.
30. EEI encourages the Commission
not to add a requirement to Form 1 to
explain departures from Form 1
information used as inputs to formula
rates. EEI argues that companies should
not be required to footnote Form 1 data
to explain differences in formula rates,
so long as they document changes to
formula rate inputs, adhere to the
approved formula rate tariffs, and
provide information to the Commission
and affected customers on request or via
informational filings.
31. EEI suggests that the Commission
adopt an alternate policy, under which
companies adopting formula rates
would provide information to customers
about rate inputs, including underlying
costs and cost increases, in sufficient
detail to enable the customers to
understand the basis for their rates. EEI
states that if the Commission does
22 See AEP, EEI, FirstEnergy, and Duke
comments.
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impose a formula rate footnote
requirement in Form 1, the Commission
should: (1) Clarify that the footnote is
necessary only to explain departures
from Form 1 data when a formula rate
tariff calls for specific Form 1 data as
inputs and different input data are used;
(2) clarify that the footnote requirement
applies only to cost-based rates, not to
market-based rates (MBR); (3) specify
that, if a seller files informational filings
containing information about inputs to
its formula rates, a footnote is not
required; (4) specify that if customers
have audit rights under a formula rate
tariff, a footnote is not required; (5)
specify that if a company has explained
departures from Form 1 data as inputs
to a formula rate elsewhere in
information available to the
Commission and customers on request,
it is not required to do so again in Form
1; (6) specify that, if the footnote cannot
be added before Form 1 is filed, it can
be added at the next reporting cycle;
and (7) address how the footnote should
be prepared when multiple operating
companies or gas and electric
companies are involved and not all of
those companies are reflected in a given
Form 1.
32. FirstEnergy requests that the
Commission clarify that its proposal is
not a blanket requirement on companies
filing the Form 1 to include any changes
on inputs to formula rates in a footnote
to the relevant page in Form 1.
Similarly, the Commission should also
clarify that its proposed requirement
would not preclude companies from
submitting the formula input
information in filings other than Form 1.
33. FirstEnergy states that companies
should not be required to submit
informational filings or otherwise report
situations in which formula rate inputs
differ slightly from what is shown in
Form 1, and requests the Commission to
clarify whether such disclosures will
now be required. To the extent that such
information will be required,
FirstEnergy does not believe that Form
1 is an appropriate vehicle for reporting
information concerning a utility’s
formula rates. FirstEnergy states that
Forms 1 and 3–Q are financial
statements providing information in
accordance with the USofA and argues
that the forms are not, and should not
be, considered ratemaking documents to
be used for ratemaking purposes.
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Commission Determination
34. In this Final Rule, as we explain
below, we adopt the NOPR proposal
that Form 1 filers should provide
explanatory information when formula
rate inputs differ from Form 1 reported
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amounts.23 That is, with regard to
formula rates for which no
informational filings are required to be
regularly submitted to this Commission,
we revise the Form 1 to require that, if
the formula rate relies on Form 1 data
and if the input amounts to that formula
rate differ from what is shown in the
Form 1, the filer must provide a
narrative explaining the reason for the
difference. The explanation must be
provided in a footnote on the same page,
line and column where the specific data
is reported.
35. As described above, EEI states that
companies which provide service under
formula rates should make additional
information available if requested by
customers, on an as-needed basis, if
such information is not already being
provided in the informational filings.
EEI recommends that the Commission
adopt an alternative policy, under
which companies using formula rates
would provide information to customers
about rate inputs, including underlying
costs and cost increases, in sufficient
detail to enable the customers to
understand any deviations to the inputs
used in calculating the formula rates.
36. With respect to EEI’s requests for
various clarifications, we adopt portions
of EEI’s recommendations as follows.
Consistent with the NOPR proposal we
limit the footnoting requirement so that
it will only apply to utilities with
formula rates that do not make regular
(i.e., at least annual) informational
filings of cost data with the Commission
pursuant to the requirements of their
formula rates (or for example, pursuant
to the requirements of a Commissionapproved settlement or a Commission
directive). We believe it is unnecessary
to require companies that are required
to make regular informational filings to
include a footnote in Form 1 because
any difference from any Form 1 inputs
used in formula rates should already be
described in sufficient detail in their
informational filings.24
37. In addition, EEI requests
clarification of the treatment of formula
rates accepted under our MBR policies.
We clarify that a rate is subject to the
footnoting requirement if it relies on
Form 1 data and is on file with the
Commission. Such rates may be featured
23 Other than comprehensive formula rates, the
Commission’s regulations provide for automatic
adjustment of only those costs specified in section
35.14 of our regulations (fuel adjustment clause).
See Public Service Company of Oklahoma, 40 FERC
¶ 61,215, at 61,733 (1987).
24 Thus, utilities that are required to make regular
informational filings by their formula rates, a
Commission-approved settlement, or other
Commission order need not provide footnotes.
These filers must nevertheless complete the new
schedule provided in page 106.
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in tariffs of general applicability or
individual rate schedules.25 We further
adopt EEI’s suggestion that, if
companies have formula rates but do
not make such informational filings
with the Commission, they must
maintain sufficient records that explain
the changes made to those inputs 26
(and, of course, must adhere to the
approved formula rate tariffs on file)
and provide that information to the
Commission, state commissions and
affected customers on request.
Furthermore, we clarify that if
customers have audit rights under a
formula rate, a footnote is still required,
so that utilities can describe how the
rate was derived (as described herein).
38. With respect to EEI’s request that
the Commission specify that footnote
information that cannot be added before
Form 1 is filed may be added at the next
reporting cycle, we clarify that if the
necessary information is not available at
the time for filing (given that Form 1 is
an annual report), the utility must
provide the information in its next Form
1 filing.
39. As stated in the NOPR, we do not
propose to convert the Form 1 filing
process into a rate proceeding. As noted
by several commenters, Form 1 is an
historical financial reporting document.
However, Form 1 provides cost and
revenue data that aids in evaluating the
justness and reasonableness of rates in
a ratemaking proceeding, and Form 1
serves as a ready source of public
information to assess on an ongoing
basis the justness and reasonableness of
utility rates. In particular, for a formula
rate, Form 1 identifies costs that result
in annual fluctuations in rates as costs
rise and fall. Thus, Form 1 plays an
important role in the Commission’s rate
review process.
40. A key component of this rate
review process is the transparency
provided by requiring utilities to make
information on costs underlying rates
publicly available. This cost information
is, in turn, used by the Commission,
state commissions, and customers to
review and monitor a utility’s rates,
which, as appropriate, may ultimately
result in an investigation or a complaint
proceeding. Thus, Form 1 is a valuable
tool. Commenters’ attempts to establish
a bright line between financial reporting
25 We clarify that we do not seek the explanatory
information for fuel adjustment clauses, which are
governed by separate policies established in the
Commission’s regulations and which typically
would not reference Form 1. See 18 CFR 35.14.
26 This recordkeeping requirement is in addition
to any other Commission recordkeeping
requirement, see, e.g., 18 CFR Parts 101, 125,
including the footnoting requirement adopted in
this Final Rule.
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and rate making are insufficient for the
Commission to withdraw its proposals
to seek information that will assist the
Commission in carrying out its statutory
obligations to ensure that rates are just
and reasonable, and to assist others—
including customers—with monitoring
rates charged.
41. The NOPR did not propose to
revise the Commission’s USofA
accounting requirements to track
specific costs or cost estimates for future
projects as suggested by TAPS and the
Michigan Commission. Therefore, we
will not adopt proposals to track
additional costs that would require
changes to the Commission’s accounting
requirements.
42. In response to APPA’s comments
concerning how Commission staff will
determine whether a utility is subject to
a regular informational filing
requirement for its formula rate, we note
that the existence of such a filing
requirement is a matter of public record
for each formula rate. That is, the
requirement that a utility make a regular
informational filing describing the
information that will be used to
populate the formula rate is typically
established in the rate proceeding
accepting the formula rate. If an
interested entity believes that a utility
has failed to include the required
footnotes, or that a utility has not
responded in a timely manner to a
request for an explanation of the
applicable formula rate and the inputs
to that rate, it should discuss the matter
with the utility and, if not satisfied,
may, among other things, notify the
Commission through our enforcement
Hotline and the Commission’s Office of
Enforcement will take appropriate
action.
43. Based on the record in this
proceeding, the Commission does not
anticipate that this reporting
requirement will be unduly burdensome
because the information is already
available and can be transposed to a
footnote.
44. Several filing utilities request the
Commission to clarify the scope of the
formula rate footnoting requirement.
Initially, as noted above, the
Commission clarifies that a filing
company should footnote differences
from Form 1 data in formula rates that
are on file with this Commission and
that rely on Form 1 data, and that such
rates may be featured in tariffs of
general applicability or individual rate
schedules.27 The Commission also
27 As noted above, we do not seek the explanatory
information for fuel adjustment clauses, which are
governed by separate polices under the
Commission’s regulations and typically do not
reference Form 1. See 18 CFR 35.14.
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clarifies that it is not necessary to
provide a detailed reconciliation. The
Commission anticipates that the
footnotes would contain a simple
narrative explaining how the ‘‘rate’’ (or
billing) was derived if different from the
reported amount in the Form 1. For
instance, differences could be due to: (i)
Application of a percent allocation
factor for gross transmission plant that
is OATT related; (ii) excluding
particular items such as step-up
transformer investment; (iii) deducting
amounts for transmission for others
from total transmission expenses or
applying an OATT transmission factor;
or (iv) excluding particular cost items
from administrative and general
expenses or application of an OATT
labor factor. This list is not exhaustive,
we caution, but is strictly for illustration
purposes; the Commission anticipates
that similar issues would be footnoted
in Form 1. The description should
describe the difference, including any
reference to a Commission proceeding
approving the difference. Such an
explanation should be sufficient to alert
interested parties of the deviation and to
permit them to estimate and evaluate
the impact of the departure on rates.28
In this fashion, interested entities
should be able to, with reasonable
accuracy, monitor rates in light of
current costs and available financial
data.
45. In response to suggestions that
formula rate information be centralized,
a new schedule (page 106) will be
incorporated in Form 1 on which filers
will (1) indicate whether they have
formula rates; (2) provide details about
the formula rates; (3) indicate whether
the filer makes regular informational
filings and the location of the filings
(e.g., accession numbers) on the
Commission’s eLibrary Web site; and (4)
summarize, if required,29 the differences
between the Form 1 amounts and any
amounts included in a formula rate as
described above.30
46. AEP is concerned that reporting
may be difficult because of the number
and variety of rate schedules and tariffs
that may be covered by this
requirement. As stated above, we do not
anticipate that this requirement need
rise to the level of an accounting
reconciliation; a narrative description
28 The information contained in a formula rate
footnote (as for any Form 1 footnote) should be
specific to the data provided in the form, and not
simply transferred from consolidated financial
statements that may reflect different assumptions
and reporting requirements.
29 Whether or not a public utility or licensee must
provide this information is addressed above.
30 Revised Form 1 pages affected by this Final
Rule are provided in Appendix A.
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58725
(with reference to a rate proceeding
adopting the difference) may suffice.
47. In addition, a utility is not
precluded from filing modifications to
its formula rates to make cost references
consistent with Form 1 reporting
requirements as they are updated.31
48. In response to BPA and the
Michigan Commission, we clarify that
this Final Rule does not change our
policies with respect to the burden of
proof associated with challenges to
previously approved formula rates
under section 206.32 Form 1 is not filed
pursuant to sections 205 or 206 of the
FPA and, therefore, its submittal will
not initiate a rate proceeding or
investigation. A rate proceeding is
initiated by a rate filing under section
205, or an investigation initiated either
in response to a complaint or pursuant
to a notice of Commission investigation
under section 206. Additional
information to assess jurisdictional rates
may be requested from the utility or
sought through discovery in an
appropriate proceeding; the
Commission’s actions here do not, for
example, affect the scope of discovery in
litigated proceedings.
49. In addition, we reject TAPS’
proposals to change the Commission’s
accounting as beyond the scope of this
proceeding, which relates to reporting
requirements for the various accounts
defined by the USofA, and we reject the
Nevada Companies’ proposal to revise
our OASIS Web site posting
requirements; both should be addressed
in more appropriate proceedings
reviewing the Commission’s accounting
and OASIS regulations.
50. With respect to the Michigan
Commission’s suggestion that the
Commission initiate an inquiry into the
Commission’s formula rate policies and
whether formula rates can shield future
utility investment decisions from
review, the Commission declines to
initiate such an investigation. The
NOPR rejected calls for reporting
31 The Commission reiterates that utilities that are
required to make regular informational filings by
their formula rates, a Commission-approved
settlement, or other Commission requirement (e.g.,
a Commission requirement imposed as a condition
of acceptance of the formula rates) need not provide
footnotes. These filers must nevertheless complete
the new schedule provided in page 106.
32 See Order No. 710 at P 12 (noting that despite
changes made to gas reporting forms, a party filing
a complaint has the burden to show why the
information in the Commission’s financial forms
supports an allegation that the existing rates are not
just and reasonable, and that the changes adopted
in Order No. 710 do not limit an entity’s rights
under governing law and the Commission’s
regulations, nor change the Commission’s
obligation to rule on complaints, petitions, or other
requests for relief based on a full record and
substantial evidence).
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information on future transmission
investments, stating that Form 1 is
intended to provide information on a
utility’s financial activities for the
reporting year, but does not include
projections of future costs.33 Comments
filed in response to the NOPR have not
persuaded us to change our views.
Should an entity desire to question the
prudence of a utility’s transmission
investment decisions, it may file a
complaint with the Commission.34
2. Filing Thresholds for Form 1
51. The NOPR proposed to eliminate
the filing requirement for utilities that
are not subject to the Commission’s
jurisdiction because they are not public
utilities under Part II of the FPA, but
make sales that meet or exceed the
threshold for meeting the Commission’s
Forms 1 and 3–Q reporting
requirements.35 The NOPR also sought
comment on whether to revise the
definitions for major and nonmajor
utilities, inviting specific suggestions for
how this might be done with
justifications for proposed thresholds.36
The NOPR mentioned that the
Commission was aware of five nonjurisdictional utilities that otherwise
met or exceeded the threshold for
reporting: Alaska Electric and Power
Co.; CenterPoint Energy Houston
Electric, LLC; Hawaii Electric Light Co.,
Inc.; Hawaiian Electric Co., Inc.; and
Maui Electric Co., Ltd.
52. The NOPR cited an order where
the Commission recently granted waiver
of the financial form filing requirements
under such circumstances. In Morenci
Water and Electric Co., the Commission
granted a waiver from the requirement
of §§ 141.1 and 141.400 of the
Commission’s regulations that utilities
who are not public utilities under Part
II of the FPA but who otherwise meet
the threshold filing requirements for
Forms 1, 1–F and 3–Q must comply
with the reporting requirements
established in the regulations.37
Comments
53. No commenter objected to these
proposals. International Transmission
proposes, however, that non-major
electric utilities and non-jurisdictional
utilities that belong to a joint rate zone
33 NOPR
at P 54.
Undue Discrimination and
Preference in Transmission Service, Order No. 890,
72 FR 12,266 (March 15, 2007), FERC Stats. & Regs.
¶ 31,241 at P 435 (2007), order on reh’g, Order No.
890–A, 73 FR 2984 (Jan. 16, 2008), FERC Stats. &
Regs. ¶ 31,261 (2007), order on reh’g, Order No.
890–B, 123 FERC ¶ 61,299 (2008).
35 NOPR at P 50.
36 Id. P 48.
37 Morenci Water and Electric Co., 121 FERC
¶ 61,024 (2007).
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be required to file Form 1 and that, for
purposes of the filing thresholds, all of
the electric utilities in a joint rate zone
should be deemed major electric
utilities. International Transmission
thus proposes that, in addition to the
numerical filing thresholds, the General
Instructions to Part 101 be revised to
require that: (1) Nonmajor electric
utilities in joint rate zones with major
electric utilities be required to file Form
1; and (2) non-jurisdictional utilities in
joint rate zones with jurisdictional
public utilities also be required to file
Form 1.
Commission Determination
54. In this Final Rule we are removing
the words ‘‘whether or not the
jurisdiction of the Commission is
otherwise involved’’ from §§ 141.1(b)
and 141.400(b), which establish the
filing requirements for Form 1 and Form
3–Q, respectively. With this change,
companies that are not subject to the
Commission’s jurisdiction because they
are not public utilities (or licensees)
need no longer file Form 1 or 3–Q. If a
company is concerned that it may still
fall within the revised requirements of
§§ 141.1(b) or 141.400(b), but
nevertheless should be exempted from
filing Forms 1 and 3–Q, it may continue
to seek an individual waiver from the
Commission. No commenter, we add,
objected to the proposal to cease
requiring filing by companies that do
not otherwise fall under the
Commission’s jurisdiction, but meet the
minimum filing requirements found in
§§ 141.1 and 141.400 of the
Commission’s regulations.
55. The Commission rejects
International Transmission’s proposal to
revise the definitions that distinguish
major and nonmajor utilities, to require
utilities that participate in joint rate
zones with major utilities to also file
Form 1. International Transmission’s
proposal expands the reporting
requirement so that it would apply to
non-jurisdictional entities and also
would require small utilities to file
Form 1, regardless of the reporting
threshold. International Transmission’s
proposal would unreasonably increase
the reporting burdens on small utilities.
Therefore, we reject the proposal.
3. Affiliate Transactions
56. To provide further transparency
and improve the detection of crosssubsidization, the NOPR proposed to
add a new schedule and page 429,
‘‘Transactions with Associated
(Affiliated) Companies,’’ providing
information concerning affiliate
transactions. The NOPR proposed that
filers would report the following: (1) A
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Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4700
description of the good or service
charged or credited; (2) the name of the
associated (affiliated) company; (3) the
USofA account charged or credited; and
(4) the amount charged or credited.38
Comments
57. Several commenters support the
proposal,39 and some include proposals
to expand the reporting requirement.40
Others object to the affiliate transaction
reporting requirement 41 or argue that
such a requirement would be
duplicative of other reporting
obligations, unnecessary and
burdensome.42
58. APPA supports the Commission’s
proposal to add the new schedule to
collect information on affiliate
transactions. The Michigan Commission
states that detailed descriptions of costs
allocated to jurisdictional operations
from affiliates are essential to detect
cross-subsidization. It also requests
clarification whether the Commission
intends that an allocation for common
facilities that are billed to one or more
affiliates be reported as an affiliate
transaction. The Michigan Commission
requests that the Commission require
additional detail, consisting of a
description of all allocation factors used
by the utility and its affiliates and an
explanation of how ‘‘direct’’ and
‘‘common’’ costs are defined and
implemented.
59. Nevada Companies states that
affiliate transactions should be reported
by type of service provided and goods
transferred. The Nevada Companies
note that reporting amounts by types of
services provided would link this report
to master service agreements entered
into by many affiliated companies. They
also request a definition of good or
service.
60. SDG&E recommends that the
Commission clarify that the affiliate
transaction information required to be
provided is limited to transactions
between a jurisdictional utility and its
affiliates and does not include
transactions solely between or among
the affiliates.
61. Nevada Companies requests that
affiliate transaction information only be
reported annually for companies that
prepare similar information to fulfill
state requirements, suggesting the
proposed reporting requirement could
be met by state oversight. AEP objects to
an affiliate transaction reporting
38 NOPR
at P 51–52.
and Michigan Commission comments.
40 International Transmission, and SDG&E
comments.
41 See AEP, EEI, MidAmerican, and Nevada
Companies comments.
42 FirstEnergy and Duke comments.
39 APPA
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requirement and suggests that the issue
is a state regulatory matter.43
62. Duke requests that the
Commission clarify that the new page
429 is not intended to require the
reporting of affiliate transactions
between the electric utility and
centralized service companies, as this
information is already reported in FERC
Form No. 60 (Form 60). FirstEnergy
states that the new page would result in
a duplication of effort since the same
information is already reported to the
Commission in other FERC forms,
including the Form 60, and other places
in Form 1, such as page 332,
Transmission of Electricity by Others
and pages 326–327, Purchased Power.
At a minimum, FirstEnergy requests that
a set of parameters be established for
reporting the information requested, and
suggests filers be permitted to report the
information by general category rather
than by individual transactions.
63. MidAmerican objects to detailed
reporting of each affiliate transaction as
unnecessarily burdensome and states
that the information is already being
provided in other publicly available
documents. MidAmerican requests that
the Commission limit any affiliate
transaction reporting requirement and
(1) establish an aggregate annual
transaction reporting threshold of the
greater of (a) $250,000 per affiliate or (b)
one one-hundredth of one percent
(.01%) of the electric utility’s operating
revenues 44 and (2) exempt transactions
based on regulator-approved tariffs.45
The Nevada Companies request that
$100,000 be set as a reasonable
minimum amount to report the transfer
of a good, or an aggregate amount of
service.
64. EEI states that the affiliate
transaction reporting proposal is
inconsistent with the Commission’s
decisions in Orders No. 707 and 708 not
to require additional reporting.46
43 See
also Nevada Companies comments.
also supports a $250,000 reporting
threshold for affiliate transactions.
45 In particular, MidAmerican notes that it is
bound to serve affiliates due to its provision of
service to 2.5 million retail customers.
MidAmerican argues that provision of service in
accordance with a state-regulator-approved tariff
precludes the opportunity for cross-subsidization or
preferential service. MidAmerican states that the
same holds true where MidAmerican purchases
tariff services from an affiliate of its parent
(Berkshire Hathaway).
46 Cross-Subsidization Restrictions on Affiliate
Transactions, Order No. 707, 73 FR 11013 (Feb. 29,
2008), FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,264, order on reh’g,
Order No. 707–A, 73 FR 43072 (Jul. 24, 2008), FERC
Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,272 (2008); Blanket
Authorization Under FPA Section 203, Order No.
708, 73 FR 11003 (Feb. 29, 2008), FERC Stats. &
Regs. ¶ 31,265, order on reh’g, Order No. 708–A, 73
FR 43066 (Jul. 24, 2008), FERC Stats. & Regs.
¶ 31,273 (2008).
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International Transmission and Nevada
Companies object to an affiliate
reporting requirement that would apply
to transactions between regulated public
utilities. International Transmission
cites the Commission’s proposal that
page 429 is to ‘‘provide further
transparency and improve the detection
of cross-subsidization.’’ 47 International
Transmission states that a broad, onesize-fits-all requirement that includes
reporting of transactions between
affiliated regulated public utilities
would not produce useful information
for detecting improper crosssubsidization for the benefit of nonutility affiliates. International
Transmission argues that the regulated
affiliates’ Form 1 filings already provide
ample transparency and that the affiliate
transaction reporting requirement is
therefore not necessary for affiliate
transactions between regulated public
utilities.
Commission Determination
65. Consistent with our natural gas
reporting requirements established in
Order No. 710, we will adopt the NOPR
proposal and incorporate new page 429,
Transactions with Associated
(Affiliated) Companies. Consistent with
the reporting threshold established in
Order No. 710, the schedule instructions
incorporate a $250,000 threshold for
reporting individual transactions. While
some commenters suggested alternative
thresholds, we find that the threshold
we adopt here reasonably balances the
burden while still reporting needed
information. Therefore, we will not
adopt the suggested alternative
proposals.
66. In response to requests that the
Commission specify the affiliated or
associated company transactions to
which new page 429 applies, we clarify
that the schedule applies to all
affiliated/associated company nonpower goods and services transactions
including those with other regulated
public utilities, centralized and other
service companies, and other affiliated
or associated companies providing nonpower goods and services to the
respondent or receiving non-power
goods or services from the respondent.
However, we also clarify that page 429
does not apply to transactions between
affiliate or associate companies that do
not include the respondent utility.
67. We disagree with EEI that the
‘‘affiliate transaction reporting proposal
is inconsistent with the Commission’s
decisions in Orders No. 707 and 708 not
to require additional reporting.’’ We
note that, although Order No. 707 did
not adopt a reporting requirement, at the
same time the NOPR in this proceeding
alerted interested persons that the
Commission was separately proposing
the additional affiliate transaction
reporting requirements that are adopted
in this Final Rule. Order No. 707 was
intended to update our rate filing
regulations to reflect our expanded
authority following the repeal of the
Public Utility Holding Company Act of
1935 (PUHCA 1935).48 In Order No.
707, the Commission codified in its rate
regulations 49 restrictions on affiliate
transactions between franchised public
utilities that have captive customers or
that own or provide transmission
service over jurisdictional transmission
facilities, on the one hand, and their
market-regulated power sales affiliates
or non-utility affiliates, on the other.
Order No. 707 addressed both power
and non-power goods and services
transactions between the utility and its
affiliates and specifically power sales
affiliates. This proceeding provides
expanded affiliate/associate transaction
reporting to facilitate monitoring
affiliate/associate non-power goods and
services transactions as part of a
comprehensive proceeding to update
our reporting requirements. Thus, while
Order No. 707 did not expand reporting
to implement the revised rate filing
regulations adopted in the wake of the
repeal of PUHCA 1935, this proceeding
is based on the need for data to monitor
on an ongoing basis utility rates to
ensure that they remain just and
reasonable. On the basis of the record in
this proceeding, we find that the
additional reporting requirement
adopted here is appropriate because it
will assist the Commission and the
public in monitoring a utility’s rates.
68. Order No. 708 adopted a blanket
authorization permitting certain
dispositions under section 203, such as
the disposition of less than 10 percent
of public utility voting securities to a
holding company that does not thereby
exceed certain voting interest
thresholds. The requirements in Order
No. 708 to report security dispositions
made pursuant to blanket authorizations
were designed to implement the new
authorizations. Order No. 708 does not
establish general reporting requirements
or policies and the requirements
established there are not relevant to the
proposal adopted in this Final Rule.
69. The Form 60 requirements are
limited to total direct costs, total
indirect costs and total costs of goods
and services provided to each associate
company by centralized service
48 15
47 Citing
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companies. The new reporting
requirement provides more detailed
information (in the form of individual
transactions) about non-power goods
and services provided by utilities to
other affiliated/associated companies
and non-power goods and services
provided by affiliated/associated
companies to utilities which is lacking
in the Form 60 requirements. While the
proposed Form 1 information
requirement might be part of the total
reported in Form 60, at least for
transactions where centralized service
companies provide non-power goods
and services to the respondent utility, it
is not duplicative. As compared to the
other information in Form 1, we clarify
that the new requirements apply only to
non-power goods and services and thus
do not apply to power sales. Therefore,
we find that the new reporting
requirements have not been shown to be
duplicative of other requirements.
70. The Michigan Commission
requests clarification whether the
Commission intends that an allocation
of common facilities that are billed to
one or more affiliates be reported as an
associate/affiliate transaction. We clarify
that apportionment of costs of a
common facility should be reflected on
page 429. Some examples of items that
could be reported as an associate/
affiliate transaction include the amount
of rent or property apportioned to a
utility for a common building; the
apportioned cost of a computer network
along with costs to maintain such
network, the apportioned cost of a
garage used to house common trucks;
the apportioned cost of phone networks
and other phone costs. The allocation
should also be disclosed as required in
Instruction 3 of page 429 which requires
the basis of the allocation.
71. Nevada Companies requests that
affiliate transaction information need
only be reported annually for companies
that prepare similar information to
fulfill state requirements, suggesting the
proposed reporting requirement could
be met by state oversight. AEP objects to
an affiliate transaction reporting
requirement and suggests that the issue
is a state regulatory matter. We disagree
that this information is a state regulatory
matter; the information is needed for
monitoring Commission-jurisdictional
rates. Also, more generally, not all states
provide oversight. Furthermore, as
noted above, this action is consistent
with the Commission’s adoption of a
similar requirement for natural gas
companies in Order No. 710.
72. International Transmission asserts
that a broad, one-size-fits-all
requirement that includes reporting of
transactions between affiliated,
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regulated public utilities would not
produce useful information for detecting
improper cross-subsidization for the
benefit of non-utility affiliates. While
the Commission appreciates that
additional requirements may be useful
to address concerns in particular cases,
the Commission believes that the
reporting requirement adopted here will
provide useful information and will aid
in detecting improper crosssubsidization.
73. We clarify, for purposes of page
429, that by ‘‘goods’’ we mean any
goods, equipment (including
machinery), materials, supplies,
appliances, or similar property
(including coal, oil, or steam, but not
including electric energy, natural or
manufactured gas, or utility assets)
which is sold, leased, or furnished, for
a charge. Similarly, for purposes of page
429, by ‘‘service,’’ we mean any
managerial, financial, legal, engineering,
purchasing, marketing, auditing,
statistical, advertising, publicity, tax,
research, or any other service (including
supervision or negotiation of
construction or of sales), information or
data, which is sold or furnished for a
charge.50 These definitions should
address the concerns of commenters
who are uncertain whether a particular
charge or arrangement need be reported
as an affiliate transaction.
4. CPA Certification for a Non-Calendar
Fiscal Year
74. The NOPR noted that, although
Form 1 is filed on a calendar year basis,
some reporting companies operate on a
non-calendar fiscal year. In response to
comments describing the burden to
prepare two sets of audited statements
faced by companies that do not use a
calendar fiscal year, the NOPR proposed
to eliminate the burden by requiring
public utilities using non-calendar fiscal
years to continue to file annual reports
each April, and file a certified set of
financial statements following the end
of the fiscal year.51 The second, certified
set of financial statements is to be
independently audited and
accompanied by a certified public
accountant (CPA) certification as
required by the Commission’s
50 See
18 CFR 366.1; 18 CFR 367.1(a)(20) and (44);
Repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act
of 1935 and Enactment of the Public Utility Holding
Company Act of 2005, Order No. 667, FERC Stats.
& Regs. ¶ 31,197 (2005), order on reh’g, Order No.
667–A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,213, order on reh’g,
Order No. 667–B, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,224
(2006), order on reh’g, Order No. 667–C, 118 FERC
¶ 61,133 (2007) (incorporating definitions from
Securities and Exchange Commission, Public Utility
Holding Company Act of 1935 Release No. 125
(1936) (codified at 17 CFR 250.80)).
51 NOPR at P 56.
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regulations.52 This revision will permit
non-calendar year public utilities to
avoid duplicative audits.
75. This approach is consistent with
the Commission’s existing practice; i.e.,
the Commission’s historical practice of
granting individual requests for waiver
of the CPA certification requirement for
Forms 1 and 1–F filers so long as the
certification accompanies the fiscal
year-end financial information filed
after the annual Form 1 or 1–F is
submitted.53
Comments
76. No commenter objects to the
proposal. EEI encourages the
Commission to clarify that, with
adoption of the NOPR’s proposed
amendment to 18 CFR 41.11, companies
will no longer need to seek a waiver, or
if a company must continue to seek a
waiver they need do so only once and
the waiver would then apply in
perpetuity barring a subsequent filing by
the company or notice by the
Commission.
Commission Determination
77. We adopt the NOPR proposal to
revise § 41.11 to accommodate filing
parties who follow accounting and
reporting practices under which their
fiscal year does not match the calendar
year. Companies seeking waiver of the
calendar-year independent accountant
certification requirement must request
authority to file the independent
accountant certification based on their
fiscal year information. Once the request
is granted, however, we will not require
the company to annually renew the
request. Instead, the company must
annually notify the Commission in
writing at the time that it files its initial
annual report that it will continue to file
the certification based on fiscal year
information (or is returning to a
calendar year reporting). The
certification for fiscal year companies
must be filed no later than 150 days
after the end of their fiscal year which
is a period comparable to calendar year
filers.
5. ‘‘Other Revenues’’ (Pages 300–301)
78. The NOPR proposed to expand the
reporting of ‘‘Other Revenue’’ data
referenced in pages 300 and 301 to
enable the Commission and the forms’
users to achieve a meaningful
understanding of the nature of the
business activities from which the
52 18
CFR 41.11.
e.g., PacifiCorp, Docket Nos. AC00–20–000
and AC00–20–001 (Apr. 14, 2000) (unpublished
letter order).
53 See,
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revenues are derived.54 Greater detail
concerning these revenue accounts
could provide data that would enable
the Commission and utility customers to
identify revenues received by the filing
companies and to understand how these
transactions may affect the companies’
cost of service. To that end, the NOPR
proposed to revise the instructions on
page 300 to require that details of items
included in Other Revenues be reported
in a footnote to pages 300–301.
79. Page 300 itemizes total electric
operating revenues, composed of
various types of sales of electricity
(consisting of accounts 440–449), less
provision for rate refunds, in addition to
Other Operating Revenue. The data
provided on page 300 on Other
Operating Revenue includes accounts
450 (forfeited discounts), 451
(miscellaneous service revenues) and
453–457.2 (including water and water
power sales, rents, other electric
revenues, regional control service
revenues and miscellaneous revenues).
Because Form 1 contains only a
cumulative total for the reporting year of
the various Other Revenues, the NOPR
proposed that filers include a detailed
breakdown of the various sources of
other revenues in a footnote to page 300
for any revenues not otherwise specified
on pages 328–330, Transmission of
Electricity for Others (including
transactions referred to as ‘‘wheeling’’).
80. Form 1 reports Total Other
Operating Revenues (page 300, line 26),
which include Revenues from
Transmission of Electricity for Others
(page 300, line 22, account 456.1). The
details of account 456.1 are reported on
pages 328–330, (Transmission of
Electricity for Others (including
transactions referred to as ‘‘wheeling’’)).
The NOPR proposed two changes and
requested comment. First, the NOPR
proposed to revise the instructions on
page 300 to require that for any
revenues reported on line 26, excluding
amounts reported on line 22, the filer
must in a footnote report details on the
other line items to page 300.55 Second,
the NOPR asked for specific comment
on a New York Commission proposal to
clarify the instructions on pages 300–
301 to indicate that delivery-only
revenues shall be recorded as Other
Electric Revenues (Account 456), while
sales of electricity shall be recorded on
a full-service basis (Accounts 440
through 448), to reflect that the USofA
54 NOPR at P 57. NOI commenters coined the
phrase ‘‘Other Revenue’’ to refer to the unspecified
revenues referenced on pages 300 and 301. In
response to comments on the NOPR proposal, the
scope of the Other Revenue reporting requirement
is more precisely defined in the discussion below.
55 Id.
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does not unbundle electric operating
revenues.56
Comments
81. The New York Commission
supports the proposal, stating that the
Commission should require electric
utilities to report other income and
other income deductions in order to
assess whether rates are just and
reasonable. The Michigan Commission
also supports the proposal, describing
Form 1 as currently reporting a
cumulative total for only two broad
categories of revenue: ‘‘Revenue from
Transmission of Electricity for Others’’
and ‘‘Other Electric Revenues.’’ The
Michigan Commission requests that the
Commission require filers to provide
additional details, i.e., revenue for
wholesale distribution, retail
distribution, opportunity sales, and
retail sales (with a breakout of bundled
and customer choice sales); breakouts
by state jurisdiction and rate schedule;
and reporting of the value of ‘‘unbilled
sales.’’ The Michigan Commission also
requests that the Commission require a
breakout of ‘‘Revenue from
Transmission for Others’’ by rate
schedule.
82. Nevada Companies suggest
$500,000 as a reasonable minimum
threshold for reporting Other Revenues
and also suggests, as with affiliate
transactions, that the items be reported
by category and not by transaction.
83. EEI requests that the Commission
clarify that the requirement for
additional details on page 300 applies
only to FERC account 456, Other
Electric Operating Revenues, and
specify whether the requirement applies
to account 457.2, Miscellaneous
Revenues used by RTOs and ISOs. EEI
requests that the Commission establish
a threshold of $500,000 or 10 percent of
the balance in the FERC account,
whichever is greater.
84. Duke is opposed to the
Commission’s proposal to add a
footnote to page 300 in order to provide
users with additional detail related to
all Other Revenues not otherwise
specified on pages 328–330, arguing that
the benefit from the proposed
requirement is outweighed by the
additional burden placed on filers. Duke
proposes that any breakout requirement
should only apply to the two accounts
that are truly ‘‘miscellaneous’’ in nature,
account 451, Miscellaneous Service
Revenues, and account 456, Other
Electric Operating Revenues, and
should only require categorization of the
56 The New York Commission proposal is
provided as line item 36 of Appendix B
(corresponding to Appendix C of the NOPR).
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types of charges included in these two
accounts.
85. FirstEnergy objects to the New
York Commission’s proposed revision.
FirstEnergy generally notes that
reporting practices should follow
accounting practices. If, however, the
Commission is proposing a change in
accounting practice, FirstEnergy
submits that this proceeding is not the
appropriate forum to propose such a
change, which should be addressed in a
separate rulemaking preceding that does
not relate solely to proposals on
reporting requirements.
86. APPA supports the proposal to
clarify the pages 300–301 instructions to
distinguish unbundled, delivery-only
transactions from the remainder of the
transactions and provide consistency in
filer data. Cogentrix supports the New
York Commission proposal that
delivery-only revenues be recorded in
Other Electric Revenues (account 456),
while sales of electricity (including
bundled sales) be recorded in accounts
440 through 448.
Commission Determination
87. In this Final Rule, we adopt the
NOPR proposals to revise the
instructions on pages 300 and 301.
Several commenters requested
clarifications to the scope of the
additional reporting requirement for
Other Revenues. In response, we clarify
that a filing company shall provide in a
footnote information on ‘‘any revenues’’
not otherwise specified in the
breakdowns of Other Revenues
provided on page 300 or on pages 328–
330.57 The Commission clarifies that the
information provided on these pages
should be comprehensive, meaning that
any and all revenues should be
described for each source of income in
the same degree of detail as for the
specific items for which a breakout is
already required. For example account
456, Other Electric Revenues would
include, among other items, commission
on sale or distribution of electricity of
others when sold under rates filed by
such others; compensation for minor or
incidental services provided for others
such as customer billing, engineering,
57 Page 300 already tracks various specific sources
of other revenue, including Forfeited Discounts
(account 450), Sales of Water and Water Power
(account 453), Rent from Electric Property (account
454), Interdepartmental Rents (account 455),
Revenues from Transmission of Electricity of Others
(account 456.1) and Regional Control Service
Revenues (account 457.1). These accounts are not
subject to the additional reporting requirement (or
the $250,000 reporting threshold). Page 300 also
incorporates three general accounts, Miscellaneous
Service Revenues (account 451), Other Electric
Revenues (account 456), and Miscellaneous
Revenues (account 457.2).
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etc.; profit or loss on sale of material;
and supplies not ordinarily purchased
for resale and not handled through
merchandising and jobbing accounts.
The Commission anticipates that the
additional information should provide
details on the amounts included in the
general accounts (account 451,
Miscellaneous Service Revenues, line 17
of page 300; account 456, Other Electric
Revenues, line 21; and account 457.2,
Miscellaneous Revenues, line 24) and
that such reporting, along with the
detail on page 300, should account for
all sources of the filing company’s other
revenue.
88. In the NOPR, the Commission did
not propose a threshold for disclosing
‘‘Other Revenues.’’ Nevada Companies
suggest $500,000 as a reasonable
minimum threshold guideline for
reporting Other Revenues. EEI requests
that the Commission establish a
threshold of $500,000 or 10% of the
balance in the USofA account,
whichever is greater. Consistent with
the statements the Commission made in
Order No. 710–A when adopting the
threshold amounts for grouping natural
gas items, we find that the absence of a
minimum threshold could add a
substantial burden to the forms’ filers.58
We find that an alternative threshold of
$250,000 is reasonable and not unduly
burdensome, and will, nevertheless,
provide meaningful data to this
Commission, state commissions, and
customers. We also note that the
threshold here is consistent with that
used in FERC Form No. 2 (Form 2). In
keeping with this analysis, the
Commission adopts a minimum
threshold of $250,000 per source of
income, consistent with the amounts
reported on page 308 of Form 2, which
reports other operating revenues.
89. The Michigan Commission
requests that the Commission require
filers to provide additional breakouts of
revenue for wholesale distribution,
retail distribution, opportunity sales,
and retail sales (with a breakout of
bundled and customer choice sales);
breakouts by state jurisdiction and rate
schedule; and reporting of the value of
‘‘unbilled sales.’’ Michigan Commission
also requests that the Commission
require a breakout of ‘‘Revenue from
Transmission for Others’’ by rate
schedule. The requests by Michigan
Commission would require changes to
the Commission’s accounting
requirements. We are not prepared to,
and did not propose in the NOPR to,
revise our accounting requirements at
this time; the Michigan Commission
proposals are beyond the scope of our
original proposal and so we decline to
adopt them at this time.
90. With regard to commenters’
suggestions that a delivery-only
transaction be separately disclosed,
rather than included in electric sales
(accounts 440–447), such an accounting
requirement would require revision to
the USofA, which is beyond the scope
Page No.
Title of schedule
1 ...............
216 .........................
2 ...............
232 .........................
Construction Work in
Progress—Electric
(Account 107).
Other Regulatory Assets
(Account 182.3).
3 ...............
233 .........................
Miscellaneous Deferred
Debits (Account 186).
4 ...............
269 .........................
Other Deferred Credits
(Account 253).
5 ...............
278 .........................
Other Regulatory Liabilities (Account 254).
6 ...............
353 .........................
Research, Development,
and Demonstration Activities.
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Commission Determination
93. We are not persuaded to adopt the
alternate thresholds or graduated
reporting requirements proposed by
some commenters. The Commission
58 See
Order No. 710–A at P 7.
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91. The NOPR found that it is
reasonable to increase certain threshold
levels for reporting specific cost items
and invited comment. Specifically, the
NOPR proposed to increase the
threshold reporting levels for (i) page
216 (Construction Work in Progress) to
$1 million, (ii) pages 232, 233 and 278
(Other Regulatory Assets, Miscellaneous
Deferred Debits and Other Regulatory
Liabilities) to group items featuring an
aggregate outstanding balance of
$100,000 or less, (iii) page 269 (Other
Deferred Credits) to $100,000, and (iv)
pages 352 and 353 (Research and
Development) to $50,000.59
Comments
92. Several commenters support the
proposals to increase the threshold
reporting levels.60 BPA, however, states
that Form 1 should contain more
information and detail rather than less
and that no accounts or level of detail
should be removed from the current
Form 1 requirements. Duke and Nevada
Companies each proposes alternative
thresholds as detailed in the following
table.
Nevada companies
$1,000,000 or less may
be grouped.
Graduated scale based
on total assets base.
Report projects
$10,000,000 or more.
Amounts less than
$100,000 may be
grouped by classes.
Amounts less than
$100,000 may be
grouped by classes.
Amounts less than
$100,000 may be
grouped by classes.
Amounts less than
$100,000 may be
grouped by classes.
Group items under
$50,000.
$1,000,000, or a graduated scale based on
total asset base.
$1,000,000, or a graduated scale based on
total asset base.
$1,000,000, or a graduated scale based on
total asset base.
$1,000,000, or a graduated scale based on
total asset base.
Graduated scale based
on total asset base.
$1,000,000.
at P 60.
Frm 00012
6. Increases to Threshold Reporting
Levels
Duke
believes that the proposed thresholds
are reasonable and not unduly
burdensome. The thresholds balance the
burden on utilities, and, in fact, in
raising the thresholds, lessen the burden
59 NOPR
Jkt 217001
NOPR proposal
of this proceeding and which we
decline to do at this time. Therefore, we
will not require companies to separate
out delivery-only transactions in their
Form 1.
Fmt 4701
$100,000.
$1,000,000.
n.a.
while continuing to provide meaningful
data to this Commission, state
commissions, and customers that wish
to review a utility’s rates. Furthermore,
the uniformity of the reporting
60 See
Sfmt 4700
$1,000,000.
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AEP, EEI, and FirstEnergy comments.
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requirement helps ensure that
comparable data is available for all
major utilities. Therefore, we adopt the
revised reporting thresholds proposed
in the NOPR 61 and reject the alternative
threshold reporting levels and proposals
for graduated reporting requirements.
7. Proposed Technical Corrections
94. In response to the NOI, the
Commission received a number of
suggested technical changes and
instruction revisions. The Commission
listed the suggestions that showed merit
in the NOPR, Appendix C and invited
comment on specific proposals. The
proposals are reproduced in Appendix
B to this Final Rule along with the
Commission’s responses. The NOPR
specifically sought comment on the
proposals in Appendix C, line 25 (RTO
accounting on pages 310–311, 326–327,
332, 397–398), line 32 (measuring sales
for resale as financial transactions,
pages 310 and 326), line 34 (designating
reporting hours and accounting for
financial transactions, page 401A), and
line 35 (utility of column (b), pages 301
and 326).62
Comments
95. SDG&E believes many of the
proposed revisions and technical
corrections are appropriate and provide
needed information for rate review
without imposing undue burdens on the
filer.63
96. In regard to the proposal to
measure sales for resale as financial
transactions (pages 310 and 326) on line
32 of Appendix C, APPA supports
providing guidelines on how to report
volume information on the sales for
resale and purchased power schedule
on pages 310 and 326. The proposal
asks the Commission to address the
reporting of financial transactions;
APPA believes that the Commission
should also address the reporting of
negative volumes on these schedules.
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Commission Determination
97. The comments received did not
offer specifics in response to the NOPR
61 Filers that use Form 1 to meet more specific
reporting requirements for incentive rate treatment
for construction work in progress (CWIP) or other
costs must continue to meet the obligations arising
with the approval of such incentive rates, despite
these thresholds. Cf., e.g., Potomac-Appalachian
Transmission Highline, LLC, 122 FERC ¶ 61,188, at
P 155–56 (2008); Trans-Allegheny Interstate Line
Co., 119 FERC ¶ 61,219, at P 45 (2007) (requiring
reporting of financial details in Form 1 footnotes as
condition of approval for CWIP rate incentive).
62 An additional proposal concerning consistency
in distinguishing delivery revenues and electricity
sales (pages 300–301) has already been addressed
in the discussion of Other Revenues, above.
63 BPA and FirstEnergy also generally support the
corrections.
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requests for comments on the proposals
in Appendix C, line 25 (RTO accounting
on pages 310–311, 326–327, 332, 397–
398), line 34 (designating reporting
hours and accounting for financial
transactions, page 401A), or line 35
(utility of column (b), pages 301 and
326). In addition, with respect to
APPA’s proposal to address reporting of
negative volumes, we decline to adopt
such a proposal at this time; APPA has
not adequately explained how negative
volumes arise in purchase or sales
transactions. Due to the lack of specific
proposals, the Commission will not
implement the remainder of these
changes at this time. In addition, for
Appendix C, line 32, no commenter
provided a specific proposal for
reporting volume information;
consequently, we will not revise our
reporting requirements at this time.
8. Additional Technical Revisions
98. EEI’s comments include a number
of additional suggested improvements,
clarifications and corrections to the
forms and software: (1) General—on
various pages, EEI requests the
Commission to ensure that all data,
descriptions, and amounts roll over
from one period to the next, to avoid
companies having to re-enter the data;
(2) General—standardize the number
formats used to represent credits
throughout the form—for example, on
page 119, column (c), the format is
‘‘¥50,500,’’ while in column (d) the
format is ‘‘(50,500);’’ (3) pages 120–
121—EEI requests a correction to ensure
that all footnotes print to identify which
column is involved when footnotes are
added to columns (b) or (c); (4) pages
122a–122b and 231–EEI requests the
instructions be revised to reflect
Commission staff guidance that these
schedules are to be presented on a yearto-date basis; (5) pages 122a–122b—EEI
requests the row heights on the two
pages be adjusted to be the same,
making information easier to follow; (6)
pages 329–330—EEI states that the page
title should reference account 456.1, not
456; (7) pages 352–353—correct the
printing parameters so that the dollars
for line 47 print on the same page as the
description for that line; (8) page 398—
clarify whether a standard unit of
measure should be applied to Number
of Units Sold in column (e), and, if not,
how dissimilar units of measure are to
be totaled on line 8; and (9) pages 426–
427—the Form 1 submission software
(FOSS) should calculate totals for
column (f) by Substation Classification.
99. In addition, EEI supplements the
technical revisions proposed in the
NOPR and requests that the Commission
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address the following issues: 64 (a) The
ability to load data more cleanly into the
software, including Excel data; (b) the
ability to copy and paste information
from Microsoft Word and other nativeformat documents without losing
formatting such as underlines,
paragraphs, and headers; (c) the ability
to print preview for Notes to Financials
and Important Changes pages; (d)
corrections to the ‘‘total amount’’
functions in the software, in particular
on pages 224, 320–323, 336, 354–355;
(e) corrections to improper page
references, in particular on pages with
footnotes; (f) corrections to the
software’s cross-checking function; and
(g) corrections to text on various pages
of the forms, as noted in NOI comments.
Commission Determination
100. With respect to EEI’s new
suggestions, the Commission confirms:
(1) The copy forward feature is available
for many page schedules, and if
additional pages need such a feature,
filers may make requests to
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov (copying on
these pages is an option and not
mandated); (2) the printing of negative
numbers on page 119, column (d) will
be corrected; (3) the footnote printing
issues on pages 120–121 will be
addressed; (4) the instructions on pages
122a, 122b and 231 will be updated; (5)
the row heights on pages 122a and 122b
will be changed, as requested; (6) the
page title on pages 329 and 330 will be
corrected (consistent with page 328);
and (7) printing parameters on pages
352–353 will be corrected to address
text continuity. As for the two
remaining suggestions from the list, we
clarify: (8) that a standard unit of
measure on page 398 is not appropriate,
because the unit of measure should
instead be that used in the filer’s billing
determinants; 65 and (9) consistent with
EEI’s request the software already
permits filers to calculate totals on
pages 426–427, column (f) by
substation.66
101. With respect to EEI’s request that
the Commission ensure compatibility
between the Form 1 reporting software
and commonly used commercial
products such as spreadsheet, word
processing and accounting software, the
64 AEP supports the software improvements
proposed by EEI to enable them to load data
efficiently into the FERC software.
65 To facilitate reporting, we will revise the
software so that a total can be entered on line 8,
columns (b) and (e), number of units, if filers wish
to use a standard unit of measure (otherwise there
will be no total).
66 This feature can be accomplished by entering
either ‘‘Subtotal’’ or ‘‘Total’’ as the first characters
in column (a), which will result in the system
calculating values for other columns, accordingly.
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Commission is mindful of the continual
upgrading of commercial software and
strives to ensure that the Commission’s
forms can accommodate the changes.
However, we note that several
comments concerning the eForm
software (FOSS) appear to be based on
a misunderstanding of the software’s
capability. The Commission encourages
filing companies to contact the
Commission’s Online Support (via email or phone) to resolve technical
issues concerning the FOSS software.
Through calls to Online Support, issues
may be addressed in a direct and timely
manner that is specific to an individual
filing company’s concerns. In this
manner, the Commission, the regulated
entities, and the public in general will
be best and most efficiently served.
102. As to the specific issues
described in the comments, the
Commission notes that the software
incorporates the ability to import data
from any spreadsheet program
(including Excel or Open Office) that is
able to export the data using the ‘‘dbf’’
format. Many schedules support this
capability and also support (but do not
require) data roll-over from past reports.
If importing or data roll-over capability
is desired for other pages, filing
companies should contact
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov. In addition,
the software includes the capability to
import word processing files in the
Word format into Form 1, Notes to the
Financial Statements. It is possible
compatibility issues with specific
versions of word processing software
(such as Microsoft Word) may result in
some formatting being lost. Users
experiencing technical difficulties may
contact the Commission at
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov. The
software also features print preview
capability and data roll-over functions.
As for corrections to the ‘‘total amount’’
functions on various pages, we have
been unable to duplicate the errors
referred to in the comments. If a filing
company is having difficulty with a
particular calculation, assistance is
available by contacting
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov. Finally,
steps have been taken to include data
cross-checking in the 2008 Form 1
submission software, and we will make
corrections to the text on various pages
of the forms to address EEI’s suggested
editorial changes.67
67 Absent reference to particular pages, the
Commission is unable to address EEI’s remaining
request that the Commission correct unspecified
improper page references and footnotes.
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E. Miscellaneous
1. Retaining Form 3–Q
103. In the NOPR, we rejected
requests that the Commission eliminate
Form 3–Q as being unnecessary. The
Commission believes that the quarterly
reports are important because they
allow more timely evaluations of
existing rates and improve the
transparency and currency of financial
information.
Comments
104. AEP, EEI, and Nevada
Companies suggest that the Commission
reconsider whether the burden of
completing the Form 3–Q is warranted
when compared to the limited value of
data it provides.
Commission Determination
105. We decline to adopt this change
for the reasons stated in the NOPR: 68
The Commission believes that the
increased frequency of financial information
provided in Form 3–Q is important. The
quarterly reports allow for more timely
evaluations of existing rates and improve the
transparency and currency of financial
information submitted to the Commission.
106. The comments provide no
compelling reason to eliminate Form
3–Q.
2. Confidentiality Concerns
107. In response to NOI comments,
the NOPR rejected calls that certain
financial data should be considered
confidential because of concerns raised
regarding competitive risks and harm to
critical infrastructure. The NOPR
affirmed the Commission’s commitment
to maintaining the public availability of
financial data filed in Form 1 and other
reports and found that additional
precautions or protection of financial
data are not necessary.
Comments
108. APPA commends the
Commission for continuing to improve
its collection of financial data and for its
commitment to maintaining the public
availability of the data. AEP
recommends the Commission
reconsider its position and cease to
require the release of what it
characterizes as competitively sensitive
commercial information to potential
competitors that could disadvantage
sellers in competitive markets.
109. EEI encourages the Commission
to protect commercially sensitive
information, in the interest of promoting
fair competition and the development of
robust competitive markets. EEI further
68 NOPR
PO 00000
at P 61.
Frm 00014
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4700
encourages the Commission to
reconsider its handling of commercially
sensitive information in the financial
forms, to ensure that information is not
released at a plant or company level if
such information may harm companies,
either in their competition with others
or in their negotiations with suppliers.
In particular, EEI requests, as it has
done in previous efforts to revise the
reporting requirements that the
Commission cease releasing in discrete
form individual generating plant costs
and operating performance information,
and instead release such information
only in aggregated form that, according
to EEI, avoids commercial harm.
Commission Determination
110. As stated in the NOPR and
elsewhere, the Commission remains
committed to the public availability of
cost-of-service data for public utilities.
Since 1937, Form 1 data have provided
a critical component of the
Commission’s regulatory program and
that of its predecessor, the Federal
Power Commission.69 While the
electricity market is changing, regulated
public utilities still provide
jurisdictional power and transmission
services for which information is
needed in connection with the
Commission fulfilling its statutory
responsibilities. Because transmission
service is a critical component in
electricity service and most
transmission rates are cost-based, Form
1 data are critical to evaluating the
underlying costs of providing
transmission service and the resulting
rates. In addition, Form 1 data provide
the basis for many rates for generation
service (both cost-based and marketbased), which may be determined on a
unit by unit basis. Making this cost data
publicly available provides customers
with a means to monitor the
reasonableness of their rates, and thus
assists the Commission’s efforts to
ensure that rates remain just and
reasonable. The Commission also has
previously reviewed and rejected
suggestions that it should adopt nonpublic status for Form 1 data.70
Consistent with our long-standing
precedent, and in light of the
commenters’ failure to convince us
69 See generally Connecticut Light and Power Co.,
2 FPC 853 (1944).
70 See PECO Energy Co., et al., 88 FERC ¶ 61,330
(1999); Consolidated Edison Co., 72 FERC ¶ 61,184
(1995). See also Alabama Power Company v. FPC,
511 F.2d 383, 390–91 (DC Cir. 1974) (upholding
fuel purchases reporting requirement, and rejecting
claims that disclosure would lead to bargaining
disadvantages in future fuel contract negotiations as
outweighed by benefits of disclosure).
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otherwise, we decline to adopt nonpublic status for such data here.
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3. Requests To Reconsider Rejected
Revisions
111. Duke suggests that the
Commission misconstrued its proposal
in Docket No. RM07–9–000, proposing
to eliminate the requirement to report
executive officers’ salaries on page 104
and argues that the information is not
relevant and may be obtained
elsewhere.71 Duke also renews its
objection that the requirement to
footnote amounts reported in pages
328–330, column (m), is unduly
burdensome, because the detail largely
concerns ancillary services data and
filers must insert repetitive footnotes
that do little to further the user’s
understanding of the charges.
112. Further, Duke believes the
Commission misinterpreted Duke’s
suggested revisions related to pages
422–425. Duke does not request
eliminating the pages, but states rather
that it is proposing a means by which
the burden on the filer could be
reduced, without diminishing the
usefulness of the data reported. Duke
believes that reporting miles of
transmission lines by state and legal
entity, as well as the totals of the
different type of supporting structures
by voltage, would be sufficient and far
less burdensome for filers than current
practice. Duke questions the claim, cited
in the NOPR, stating that pages 422–425
(as well as pages 426 and 427) provide
valuable information on transmission
lines and substations that allows
commenters to track rate base amounts
on a facility-by-facility basis. Duke
disagrees and questions the necessity of
the ‘‘to’’ and ‘‘from’’ level of detail.72
According to Duke, the necessary data
to calculate transmission rates for RTO
members that file Form 1 is already
largely available in various RTO filings
or available upon request. Second, Duke
states that the ‘‘to’’ and ‘‘from’’ level of
detail for filers that are not members of
RTOs is insignificant because
transmission rates for these filers are
based on average system cost.
113. Duke proposes that the
information contained on pages 426 and
427 be updated in its entirety every
three years, and that in all other years
a filer only be required to report
additions, retirements and changes to
71 See NOPR at P 14 (summarizing Duke’s
comments responding to the NOI).
72 Duke comments at 5. Pages 422–425, col. (a)
and (b) provide information on transmission lines
(132 kV and above), which are designated as
running ‘‘from’’ location A ‘‘to’’ their destination at
location B. Transmission lines below 132 kV are
grouped together by voltage.
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the substations. Duke believes that
typically there are few changes year-byyear to the amount of information
presented on pages 426 and 427.
According to Duke, this change would
be beneficial not only to filers, but also
to users because the changes would be
more apparent to users.
114. APPA supports the
Commission’s determination that pages
422–423 and 426–427 should remain in
Form 1. BPA states that Form 1 should
contain more information rather than
less, and that no accounts or level of
detail should be removed from the
current Form 1 requirements.
Commission Determination
115. The Commission affirms its
decision to retain the existing
requirements. The information is useful
to the Commission’s oversight, and is
relied upon for the monitoring, review
and modification of rates. The
Commission disagrees that alternate
approaches of seeking the information,
i.e., on request or seeking comparable
information in various rate, tariff and
informational filings, are a substitute for
consistent and uniform reporting of the
data in Form 1. The Form 1 format
ensures that the data is available, is
consistent from year to year and is
comparable among filing utilities. In
addition, this information is valuable
because of the increasing demand, and
accompanying scrutiny, being placed on
the transmission grid; there is a
continuing need for information to
assess changes and improvements (both
existing and new) to transmission
infrastructure.
4. Requests for Additional Cost Data
116. In the NOPR, we rejected
requests for the collection of additional
Form 1 data, finding that additional
detail may be unnecessary. In light of
the comments received and given the
Commission’s experience with reporting
requirements, the Commission
determined that wholesale changes to
Form 1 were unnecessary especially in
light of the targeted changes proposed.
Therefore, the NOPR did not propose
that filers provide a cost and revenue
study or the type of detailed information
needed in a rate case, or detailed
information on pensions and other
employment benefits.73
Comments
a. Pension Information
117. The New York Commission
renews its request that the Commission
require electric utilities to file
information regarding pensions and
73 NOPR
PO 00000
at P 35.
Frm 00015
Fmt 4701
other employee benefits in order to
assess whether rates are just and
reasonable, and states that this need
outweighs the burden of imposing an
incremental reporting requirement upon
utilities. The New York Commission
indicates that the Commission’s
proposal appears inconsistent with its
position in Order No. 710.
b. Transmission Investment
118. The Michigan Commission
requests that the Commission clarify
whether additional detail on new
transmission plant in service is
required. TAPS proposes that the
Commission require subdivision of
account 353 in order to distinguish
account 353 costs associated with the
transmission and generator step-up
functions. This requirement would
apply irrespective of whether a Form 1
filing utility uses a formula rate. TAPS
states that for the Form 1 to work as a
basis for a preliminary rate assessment
and serve its other rate-regulatory
purposes, it should break out the costs
of facilities associated with generator
step-up transformation and report any
methodology used to divide account 353
between the transformation and
transmission functions. According to
TAPS, the Commission’s accounting
practices should reflect rate
functionalization for both stated and
formulaic rates so that customers and
regulators may monitor rates and
understand how the utility
functionalizes costs.
Commission Determination
119. Contrary to the New York
Commission’s view, our decision to rely
on existing reporting requirements with
respect to pension information in this
proceeding is not inconsistent with our
determination in Order No. 710. In that
proceeding, which adopted changes to
our reporting requirements in Form 2
for gas pipelines, we found that
insufficient information was available
because details about the types and
costs of employee benefits were not
readily available due to the pipelines’
participation in multi-employer benefit
plans in which they are assigned a
portion of the total cost and there was
flexibility in the way in which
information was described in a footnote
disclosure.74 However, in contrast, there
was no evidence of a widespread
impediment to understanding public
utilities’ pension obligations. Therefore,
we will not impose similar reporting
requirements here, but instead will rely
on our existing reporting requirements.
74 Order
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120. As stated in the NOPR, we are
not persuaded to expand the scope of
this proceeding, as would be necessary
to grant TAPS’ request to revise our
accounting requirements and provide in
this Final Rule the additional
information requested. This
determination is consistent with our
holdings elsewhere in this Final Rule
with respect to requests for additional
information related to formula rates and,
in particular, transmission investment.
F. Reporting Burden
121. In the NOPR, the Commission
estimated that the proposed new
affiliate transaction and other
information will take respondents 14
hours to collect and report on an
average annual basis per respondent.75
Comments
122. EEI comments that, recognizing
that reporting does involve substantial
costs, the Paperwork Reduction Act
(PRA) requires federal agencies to strive
to minimize the reporting burden and
avoid duplicative reporting
requirements.76 In prior triennial
reviews, EEI has asked the Commission
to review the Forms 1, 1–F, and 3–Q as
well as other FERC forms to determine
if all the information contained in the
forms is truly needed and whether it is
needed in as much detail.77 EEI
reiterates that general request here and
encourages the Commission to minimize
the reporting burden to the maximum
extent possible.
123. Duke estimates a burden greater
than 14 hours to meet the requirements
associated with the proposed Form 1,
page 429 alone; similarly, EEI suggests
that compiling the proposed affiliate
transaction information will take longer
than 14 hours.78 MidAmerican suggests
that the proposed Form 1 affiliate
transaction reporting requirement is
duplicative of existing federal and state
affiliate reporting requirements.
124. SDG&E on the other hand
believes that the proposed revisions to
the financial reporting obligations in the
NOPR generally are appropriately
balanced to fulfill the Commission’s
stated goal of obtaining necessary
75 NOPR
at P 66.
cites 44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.
77 EEI states that the Paperwork Reduction Act
requires each agency to undertake a triennial review
in consultation with the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) to demonstrate that information
collections are as reasonable and streamlined as
possible. EEI comments at 2–3.
78 EEI estimates that the proposed affiliate
transaction schedule alone would require on the
order of 100 to 300 hours per company to compile
in the proposed format. AEP similarly argues that
the affiliate transaction reporting would be
voluminous and burdensome.
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76 EEI
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information without imposing undue
burdens on the filer.
Commission Determination
125. The Commission’s estimate of
the reporting burden refers to the
Commission’s estimate of the additional
amount of time needed to comply with
the Form 1 revisions on an annual basis,
over and above the time needed to
prepare the Form 1 under existing
requirements. Thus, while the
Commission is sensitive to filing parties’
individual expectations that becoming
familiar with the new reporting
requirements, compiling and reporting
certain information may initially take
more time than the annual estimate,
these parties will not need to invest a
similar effort in subsequent years.
Furthermore, the revisions adopted in
this Final Rule are not extensive, and
largely consist of material that is already
required to be maintained for other
purposes. Therefore, although the initial
preparation to meet new reporting
requirements established in this Final
Rule may be greater, the Commission
believes that the total increase in the
time to meet all of the Form 1
requirements, existing as well as those
adopted in this rule, is not unduly
burdensome. Furthermore, the Final
Rule also relieves some parties of their
reporting obligations, and lessens the
reporting burden for all parties through
the increase in the threshold reporting
requirements for certain items.
126. FirstEnergy, AEP, MidAmerican,
and SDG&E comment on the estimated
burden of the affiliate transaction
reporting requirement; however, they do
not offer an alternative estimate.
Likewise, International Transmission
and MidAmerican challenge the total 14
hour estimate but fail to offer alternative
estimated burden hours.
127. While Duke cites how they
would have to review 187,700 lines of
accounting related to transactions for its
four respondent companies, Duke does
not specify what such a ‘‘review’’ would
entail, nor what the estimated burden
would be. Nevada Companies argue that
40 hours per quarter would be needed
or 160 hours annually for the affiliate
transaction reporting requirement. EEI
states it would take anywhere from 100
to 300 hours, according to its members,
to fulfill the affiliated transaction
requirement.
128. In response to Nevada
Companies’ burden estimate, the
Commission notes that the Final Rule
only requires a reporting of transactions
on an annual basis, not quarterly.
Therefore, we believe that Nevada
Companies’ have overestimated the
amount of time needed to comply with
PO 00000
Frm 00016
Fmt 4701
Sfmt 4700
the requirements. In addition, EEI’s
estimate likewise appears to be
excessive and does not take into account
clarifications made in this Final Rule.
EEI makes several assumptions that
have been resolved in a manner that
would significantly decrease its
estimate, including: (1) Similar to
Nevada Companies, EEI assumes that
the revised reporting requirements are
to be met on a quarterly basis, while the
Final Rule largely imposes annual
reporting requirements;79 (2) EEI
assumes that power transactions are
included, while the Final Rule clarifies,
that power transactions are excluded
from the new page 429 affiliated
transaction reporting requirement; 80 (3)
EEI requests reporting by service type
category rather than by transaction; 81
and (4) EEI’s estimate does not account
for the $250,000 affiliate transaction
reporting threshold of transaction/
service type adopted in response to
comments. In response to concerns
raised by the commenters, however, the
Commission has adjusted its estimate as
reflected below.
VI. Information Collection Statement
129. The collections of information
contained in this Final Rule have been
submitted to the Office of Management
and Budget for review under section
3507(d) of the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995; 82 the Commission is revising
the reporting requirements for public
utilities and licensees (and for Form 3–
Q, also natural gas companies)
contained in the above financial and
operational information collections.
Title: FERC Form No. 1, ‘‘Annual
Report of Major Electric Utilities,
Licensees, and Others’’; FERC Form No.
1–F, ‘‘Annual Report for Nonmajor
Public Utilities and Licensees; FERC
Form No. 3–Q, ‘‘Quarterly Financial
Report of Electric Utilities, Licensees,
and Natural Gas Companies.’’
Action: Final Rule.
OMB Control Nos. 1902–0021 (Form
1); 1902–0029 (Form 1–F); 1902–0205
(Form 3–Q).
Respondents: Businesses or other for
profit.
Frequency of responses: Annually and
quarterly.
Necessity of the information: The
information collected under the
requirements of Part 141 is essential to
the Commission’s fulfilling its statutory
responsibilities under the FPA. The
information collected is used in
79 See
EEI comments at 6.
comments at 10.
81 The Commission does not object so long as the
service is ongoing, and is not undertaken in
response to a particular, non-recurring event.
82 44 U.S.C. 3507(d).
80 EEI
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ratemaking and rate monitoring, for
oversight of company finances and
operations, and for adjudication and
regulation. The data currently reported
in the forms lack the information that
would allow the Commission to assess
and keep pace with changes in the
industry and the changes adopted here
better permit the Commission and the
public to evaluate the filers’
jurisdictional rates and operations. The
additional information to be collected
by the Final Rule will increase the
forms’ usefulness to both the
Commission and the public. Without
this information, it would be more
difficult for the Commission and the
public to assess costs and operations,
and thereby ensure that rates are just
and reasonable.
Burden Statement: In light of
comments from larger transmissionowning public utilities that it may take
additional time to comply with the new
affiliate transaction reporting
requirement added to Form 1 in this
Final Rule, the Commission is revising
its information collection estimates.
Taking into account the comments
received, the Commission estimates that
on average it will take large respondents
28 hours annually to comply with the
requirements adopted in the Final Rule
and smaller respondents 11 hours.
There are an estimated 211 major and 4
nonmajor electric utilities that will be
affected by the changes adopted for
Form 1 in the Final Rule, for a total of
215 respondents.83 Larger utilities with
more affiliate transactions may face a
greater burden in reporting affiliate
transaction, other revenues and formula
rate information. However, the
Commission believes that most of the
additional information required to be
reported is already maintained by the
utilities.
The Commission’s estimate has taken
into account the commenters’ proposed
burden estimates. However, the
Commission has adjusted these numbers
to reflect the clarifications made in the
Final Rule. Thus, commenters’ proposed
affiliated transaction burden estimates
of 100 to 300 hours are better
considered to be 25 to 75 hours, to
account for the fact that quarterly
reporting is not required. Furthermore,
because the Final Rule does not require
reporting of affiliate power transactions
on new page 429, the affiliate
transaction reporting estimate was
58735
halved to reflect the Commission’s
estimate of the transactions to be
reported. In addition, the Final Rule
adopts the $250,000 threshold for
affiliate transaction reporting, which
will result in a further reduction of the
initial estimates. The Commission finds
that a range of 8 to 20 hours is
appropriate to estimate the annual
burden of affiliate transaction reporting,
and, based on its understanding that
smaller entities will face a lower
burden, estimates the typical burden to
prepare the affiliate transaction
schedule to be 12 hours. Assuming a
similar burden for the formula rate
footnote disclosure, the Commission
estimates the total burden, including
other reporting, for the revised Form 1
reporting requirements adopted in this
Final Rule to be 25 hours. The
Commission adopts the Form 3–Q
burden of one hour as proposed in the
NOPR, since neither the formula rate or
affiliate transaction reporting
requirements are adopted for Form 3–Q.
The resulting total hours for the
following collections of information will
be:
Data collection form
Number of
respondents
Change in the
number of
hours per
respondent
Filing
periods
Change in the
total annual
hours
(a)
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e) = (b) × (c) × (d)
211
199
4
25
1
11
1
3
1
5,275
597
44
Relevant Totals .............................................................
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FERC Form 1 ......................................................................
FERC Form 3–Q ..................................................................
FERC Form 1–F ..................................................................
............................
............................
............................
5,916
Total Annual Hours for Collection:
(Est. Reporting + Recordkeeping (if
appropriate)) = 5,916.
Information Collection Costs: The
Commission estimates the costs to
comply with these requirements as
follows:
The Commission estimates that the
additional hours to complete the
additional reporting requirements will
be divided among a utility’s accounting
and internal and outside legal services
and support staff. The total annualized
costs for the information collection is
$538,356. This number is reached by
multiplying the total hours to prepare
responses (total: 5,916) by an hourly
wage estimate of $91 (an average that
incorporates senior accountant ($50),
financial analyst ($40), support staff
rates ($25) and legal ($250)) (salary
information source: Bureau of Labor
Statistics and market research). These
costs will be spread over 215 utilities,
however. On balance, the Commission
finds that the collection costs will not
be unduly burdensome.
Interested persons may obtain
information on the reporting
requirements by contacting: Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426
[Attention: Michael Miller, Office of the
Chief Information Officer, phone: (202)
502–8415, fax: (202) 273–0873, e-mail:
Michael.Miller@ferc.gov]. Comments
concerning the collection of information
and the associated burden estimates,
should be sent to the contact listed
above and to the Office of Management
83 These numbers are based on the most recent
filings.
84 See Regulations Implementing the National
Environmental Policy Act of 1969, Order No. 486,
FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 30,783 (1987).
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and Budget, Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Washington, DC
20503 [Attention: Desk Officer for the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
phone (202) 395–7345; fax (202) 395–
7285].
VII. Environmental Analysis
130. The Commission is required to
prepare an Environmental Assessment
or an Environmental Impact Statement
for any action that may have a
significant adverse effect on the human
environment.84 No environmental
consideration is needed for the
promulgation of a rule that addresses
information gathering, analysis, and
dissemination,85 or that addresses
accounting.86 This Final Rule involves
information gathering, analysis, and
85 See
86 See
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18 CFR 380.4(a)(5).
18 CFR 380.4(a)(16).
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dissemination, and accounting.
Consequently, neither an Environmental
Impact Statement nor an Environmental
Assessment is required.
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VIII. Regulatory Flexibility Act
131. The Regulatory Flexibility Act of
1980 (RFA) 87 requires rulemakings to
contain either a description or analysis
of the effect that the rule will have on
small entities or a certification that the
rule will not have a significant
economic impact on a substantial
number of small entities.88 Most utilities
regulated by the Commission do not fall
within the RFA’s definition of a small
entity.89 Thus, most utilities to which
the rules adopted herein apply would
not fall within the RFA’s definition of
small entities. As noted above, the
Commission has also sought to alleviate
the burden imposed on small entities by
(a) eliminating a non-jurisdictional
utility reporting requirement; (b)
accommodating non-calendar fiscal year
accounting; and (c) increasing the
minimum threshold reporting levels for
certain line-item information. In
creating the Form 1 and the Form 1–F,
moreover, the Commission established
two different reporting thresholds so
that smaller utilities would not be
encumbered with having to provide the
information necessary to comply with
the Form 1. Consequently, the Final
Rule adopted here will not have a
significant economic effect on a
substantial number of small entities.
IX. Document Availability
132. In addition to publishing the full
text of this document in the Federal
Register, the Commission provides all
interested persons an opportunity to
view and/or print the contents of this
document via the Internet through the
Commission’s home page (https://
www.ferc.gov) and in the Commission’s
Public Reference Room during normal
business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Eastern time) at 888 First Street, NE.,
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426.
133. From the Commission’s home
page on the Internet, this information is
available in the Commission’s document
management system, eLibrary. The full
text of this document is available on
eLibrary in PDF and Microsoft Word
format for viewing, printing, and/or
downloading. To access this document
in eLibrary, type the docket number
excluding the last three digits of this
document in the docket number field.
134. User assistance is available for
eLibrary and the Commission’s Web site
87 5
U.S.C. 601–12.
88 Id.
89 5
U.S.C. 601(3).
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during normal business hours. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at 1–866–208–3676 (toll free) or
202–502–6652 or e-mail at
ferconlinesupport@ferc.gov, or the
Public Reference Room at (202) 502–
8371, TTY (202) 502–8659. E-mail at
public.referenceroom@ferc.gov.
X. Effective Date and Congressional
Notification
135. These regulations are effective
for calendar year 2009, i.e., as of January
1, 2009. The first report, the Form 3–Q
for the first quarter of 2009, will be due
in May 2009. The Commission has
determined, with the concurrence of the
Administrator of the Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs of
OMB, that this rule is not a ‘‘major rule’’
as defined in section 351 of the Small
Business Regulatory Enforcement
Fairness Act of 1996.
List of Subjects
18 CFR Part 41
Administrative practice and
procedures, Electric utilities, Reporting
and recordkeeping requirements,
Uniform System of Accounts.
18 CFR Part 141
Electric utilities and licensees,
Reporting requirements.
By the Commission.
Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr.,
Deputy Secretary.
In consideration of the foregoing, the
Commission amends parts 41 and 141 of
Title 18 of the Code of Federal
Regulations, as set forth below:
■
PART 41—ACCOUNTS, RECORDS,
MEMORANDA AND DISPOSITION OF
CONTESTED AUDIT FINDINGS AND
PROPOSED REMEDIES
1. The authority citation for part 41
continues to read as follows:
■
Authority: 16 U.S.C. 791a–825r, 2601–
2645; 42 U.S.C. 7101–7352.
2. Section 41.11 is revised to read as
follows:
■
§ 41.11
Report of certification.
Each Major and Nonmajor (including
those companies classified as
nonoperating under Part 101, General
Instruction 1(A)(3) of this chapter)
public utility or licensee operating on a
calendar year and not classified as Class
C or Class D prior to January 1, 1984
must file with the Commission a letter
or report of the independent accountant
certifying approval, together with or
within 30 days after the filing of the
Annual Report, Form No. 1, covering
the subjects and in the form prescribed
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in the General Instructions of the
Annual Report. For such utility or
licensee operating on a non-calendar
fiscal year, the letter or report of the
independent accountant certifying
approval must be filed within 150 days
of the close of the company’s fiscal year;
the letter or report must also identify
which, if any, of the examined
schedules do not conform to the
Commission’s requirements and shall
describe the discrepancies that exist.
The Commission will not be bound by
a certification of compliance made by an
independent accountant pursuant to
this paragraph.
PART 141—STATEMENTS AND
REPORTS (SCHEDULES)
3. The authority citation for part 141
is revised to read as follows:
■
Authority: 15 U.S.C. 79; 15 U.S.C. 717–
717z; 16 U.S.C. 791a–828c, 2601–2645; 31
U.S.C. 9701; 42 U.S.C. 7101–7352.
4. In § 141.1, paragraph (b)(1)(i) is
revised to read as follows:
■
§ 141.1 FERC Form No. 1, Annual report of
Major electric utilities, licensees and others.
*
*
*
*
*
(b) Filing requirements—(1) Who must
file—(i) Generally. Each Major and each
Nonoperating (formerly designated as
Major) electric utility (as defined in part
101 of Subchapter C of this chapter) and
each licensee as defined in section 3 of
the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 796),
including any agency, authority or other
legal entity or instrumentality engaged
in generation, transmission,
distribution, or sale of electric energy,
however produced, throughout the
United States and its possessions,
having sales or transmission service
equal to Major as defined above, must
prepare and file electronically with the
Commission the FERC Form 1 pursuant
to the General Instructions as provided
in that form.
*
*
*
*
*
■ 5. In § 141.400, paragraph (b)(1)(i) is
revised to read as follows:
§ 141.400 FERC Form No. 3–Q, Quarterly
financial report of electric utilities,
licensees, and natural gas companies.
*
*
*
*
*
(b) Filing requirements—(1) Who must
file—(i) Generally. Each electric utility
and each Nonoperating (formerly
designated as Major or Nonmajor)
electric utility (as defined in part 101 of
subchapter C of this chapter) and other
entity, i.e., each corporation, person, or
licensee as defined in section 3 of the
Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 792 et
seq.), including any agency or
instrumentality engaged in generation,
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transmission service must prepare and
file with the Commission FERC Form
No. 3–Q pursuant to the General
Instructions set out in that form.
*
*
*
*
*
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
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transmission, distribution, or sale of
electric energy, however produced,
throughout the United States and its
possessions, having sales or
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[FR Doc. E8–23458 Filed 10–6–08; 8:45 am]
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BILLING CODE 6717–01–C
Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 7, 2008)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 58720-58769]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-23458]
[[Page 58719]]
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Part II
Department of Energy
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Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
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18 CFR Parts 41 and 141
Revisions to Forms, Statements and Reporting Requirements for Electric
Utilities and Licensees; Final Rule
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 7, 2008 /
Rules and Regulations
[[Page 58720]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
18 CFR Parts 41 and 141
[Docket No. RM08-5-000; Order No. 715]
Revisions to Forms, Statements and Reporting Requirements for
Electric Utilities and Licensees
Issued September 19, 2008.
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Final Rule.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: This Final Rule amends the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission's reporting requirements for public utilities and licensees
to file financial forms, reports, and statements, including FERC Form
No. 1, FERC Form No. 1-F, and FERC Form No. 3-Q. These changes will
improve the forms, reports and statements to provide, in fuller detail,
the information the Commission needs to carry out its responsibilities
under the Federal Power Act to ensure that rates remain just and
reasonable. In addition, the changes will help provide public utility
customers, state commissions, and the public information to assess the
justness and reasonableness of electric rates.
DATES: Effective Date: This rule will become effective January 1, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: David Lengenfelder (Technical
Information), Forms Administration and Data Branch, Division of
Financial Regulation, Office of Enforcement, Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC 20426, Telephone:
(202) 502-8351, e-mail: david.lengenfelder@ferc.gov, Richard M.
Wartchow (Legal Information), Office of the General Counsel, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC
20426, Telephone: (202) 502-8744, e-mail: richard.wartchow@ferc.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Final Rule
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Paragraph
Numbers
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Introduction............................................ 1
II. Background............................................. 6
III. Notice of Inquiry..................................... 10
IV. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.......................... 11
V. Discussion.............................................. 12
A. Notice of Inquiry................................... 12
B. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking....................... 13
C. Effective Date...................................... 19
D. Proposed Revisions.................................. 21
1. Formula Rates................................... 21
2. Filing Thresholds for Form 1.................... 51
3. Affiliate Transactions.......................... 56
4. CPA Certification for a Non-Calendar Fiscal Year 74
5. ``Other Revenues'' (Pages 300-301).............. 78
6. Increases to Threshold Reporting Levels......... 91
7. Proposed Technical Corrections.................. 94
8. Additional Technical Revisions.................. 98
E. Miscellaneous....................................... 103
1. Retaining Form 3-Q.............................. 103
2. Confidentiality Concerns........................ 107
3. Requests To Reconsider Rejected Revisions....... 111
4. Requests for Additional Cost Data............... 116
F. Reporting Burden.................................... 121
VI. Information Collection Statement....................... 129
VII. Environmental Analysis................................ 130
VIII. Regulatory Flexibility Act........................... 131
IX. Document Availability.................................. 132
X. Effective Date and Congressional Notification........... 135
Revised Regulatory Text--18 CFR Parts 41 and 141.
Appendix A: Revised Form 1 Pages.
Appendix B: List of Proposed Technical Changes and
Responses.
Appendix C: List of Commenters.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
I. Introduction
1. This Final Rule amends the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission's (Commission) reporting requirements for public utilities
\1\ and licensees to file financial forms, reports, and statements,
including FERC Form No. 1 (Form 1), FERC Form No. 1-F (Form 1-F), and
FERC Form No. 3-Q (Form 3-Q). These changes will improve the forms,
reports and statements to provide, in fuller detail, the information
the Commission needs to carry out its responsibilities under the
Federal Power Act (FPA) to ensure that rates remain just and
reasonable. In addition, the changes will help provide public utility
customers, state commissions, and the public the information they need
to assess the justness and reasonableness of electric rates.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ While 18 CFR 141.1 nominally refers to ``electric
utilities,'' this regulation in fact applies to ``public
utilities.'' See 16 U.S.C. 824; accord 18 CFR Part 101, Definitions
29 and 40. The reference in 18 CFR 141.1 to ``electric utilities''
predates the 1978 addition of separate statutorily defined
``electric utilities,'' see 16 U.S.C. 796(22), when the only
utilities that were Commission regulated under the Federal Power Act
were the statutorily-defined public utilities, see 16 U.S.C. 824.
See, e.g., 18 CFR 141.1 (1977).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. This Final Rule complements the Commission's recent revisions to
the reporting requirements for natural gas
[[Page 58721]]
companies; \2\ it revises the financial forms filed by public utilities
and licensees--specifically, Form 1, Annual report for major electric
utilities, licensees, and others; Form 1-F, Annual report for nonmajor
public utilities, licensees and others; and Form 3-Q, Quarterly report
of electric utilities, licensees, and natural gas companies.
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\2\ 18 CFR Parts 158 and 260; Revisions to Forms, Statements,
and Reporting Requirements for Natural Gas Pipelines, Order No. 710,
Docket No. RM07-9-000, 73 FR 19389 (Apr. 10, 2008), FERC Stats. &
Regs. ] 31,267, order on reh'g, Order No. 710-A, 123 FERC ] 61,278
(2008).
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3. Specifically, the Final Rule adopts revised reporting
requirements which will enhance the Commission's and customers' review
of formula rates; permit better understanding of non-power goods and
services transactions with affiliates, and provide additional detail of
revenues not previously specified in Form 1. In addition, the Final
Rule will expedite reporting by clarifying Form 1 instructions and
cross-references and making certain technical improvements in the form.
Finally, the Final Rule responds to the burdens faced by filers by
adopting minimum reporting thresholds for certain accounting data,
eliminating the reporting requirement for certain utilities that are
not otherwise subject to this Commission's reporting obligations or
jurisdiction, and accommodating filers whose fiscal year does not fall
in the calendar year that is used for reporting purposes.
4. This Final Rule does not convert the submission of Form 1 and
other data into a FPA section 205 \3\ rate case filing or a cost-and-
revenue study, but is instead intended to better ensure a ready source
of data to assist the Commission and interested parties in evaluating
the justness and reasonableness of a utility's rates. The revised forms
do not limit or change an entity's rights or obligations under the FPA
and our regulations, and this Final Rule is not intended to change our
obligation to rule on complaints, petitions, or other requests for
relief based on a full record and substantial evidence.
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\3\ 16 U.S.C. 824d.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. The proposed effective date for implementation of these changes
is calendar year 2009. Accordingly, companies subject to the new
requirements would file their new Form 3-Qs following the first
calendar quarter of 2009 and their new Forms 1 and 1-F in April 2010
for calendar year 2009. In addition, this Final Rule eliminates the
filing requirement for utilities not subject to the Commission's
jurisdiction under section 201 of the FPA \4\ but required to file Form
1 solely because they met the reporting threshold in the regulations.
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\4\ 16 U.S.C. 824.
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II. Background
6. Under the Commission's regulations, entities classified as major
electric utilities are required to file Form 1. Entities classified as
nonmajor electric utilities are required to file Form 1-F.\5\ Sections
304, 307 and 309 of the FPA authorize the Commission to collect such
data.\6\ Form 1, in particular, requires information to be filed on an
annual basis by public utilities (and certain hydroelectric production
sources) under the Commission's jurisdiction. Form 1 collects corporate
information, summary financial information and balance sheet and income
information, as well as electric plant, sales, operating and
statistical data. Since its inception, Form 1 has been amended by the
Commission on numerous occasions to address and keep pace with the
transformation of the utility industry.
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\5\ A major electric utility is one that had, in the last three
consecutive years, sales or transmission services that exceeded (1)
one million megawatt-hours of total sales; (2) 100 megawatt-hours of
sales for resale; (3) 500 megawatt-hours of power exchanges
delivered; or (4) 500 megawatt-hours of wheeling for others
(deliveries plus losses). Utilities and licensees that are not
classified as major and had total sales in each of the last three
consecutive years of 10,000 megawatt-hours or more are classified as
nonnmajor. See 18 CFR Part 101.
\6\ 16 U.S.C. 825a, 825f, 825h; see also 16 U.S.C. 825j.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. In 1990, the Commission issued Order No. 529, which modified
Form 1 to improve reporting of bulk power transactions.\7\ In 1993, the
Commission issued Order No. 552, which revised the Uniform System of
Accounts (USofA) to account for allowances under the 1990 Clean Air Act
Amendments, and adopted corresponding reporting schedules for Forms 1
and 1-F.\8\
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\7\ Amendments to FERC Form Nos. 1 and 1-F, and Annual Charges,
and Fuel Cost and Purchased Economic Power Adjustment Clauses, Order
No. 529, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 30,904 (1990).
\8\ Revisions to Uniform System of Accounts to Account for
Allowances under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 and
Regulatory-Created Assets and Liabilities and to Form Nos. 1, 1-F, 2
and 2-A, Order No. 552, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 30,967 (1993).
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8. In 1994, the Commission issued Order No. 574, which required the
filing of an electronic version of Form 1, along with the paper
version. The electronic version was prepared pursuant to a computer
program supplied by the Commission.\9\ In 2002, the Commission issued
Order No. 626, which eliminated the paper filing requirement, relying
solely on electronic filing of Form 1.\10\ Also in 2002, the Commission
expanded USofA accounting requirements to include monitoring for the
fair value of certain security investments, derivative instruments, and
hedging activities, and added new schedules and accounts to Forms 1 and
1-F.\11\
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\9\ Electronic Filing of FERC Form No. 1 and Delegation to Chief
Accountant, Order No. 574, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,013 (1994)
(establishing the Form 1 Submission Software (FOSS)).
\10\ Electronic Filing of FERC Form No. 1, and Elimination of
Certain Designated Schedules in Form Nos. 1 and 1-F, Order No. 626,
FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,130 (2002).
\11\ Accounting and Reporting of Financial Instruments,
Comprehensive Income, Derivatives and Hedging Activities, Order No.
627, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,134 (2002).
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9. Order No. 646 implemented quarterly reporting for entities that
filed Forms 1 and 1-F and added annual reporting requirements for
ancillary services and electric transmission peak loads.\12\ In 2005,
Order No. 668 updated the Commission's accounting requirements for
utilities and licensees, including independent system operators (ISOs)
and regional transmission organizations (RTOs).\13\ The Commission also
revised its USofA and Forms 1 and 1-F to accommodate industry
restructuring under the Commission's open-access transmission policies
and increased competition in wholesale bulk power markets.\14\
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\12\ Quarterly Financial Reporting and Revisions to the Annual
Reports, Order No. 646, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,158, order on
reh'g, Order No. 646-A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,163 (2004).
\13\ Accounting and Financial Reporting for Public Utilities
Including RTOs, Order No. 668, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,199 (2005),
reh'g denied, Order No. 668-A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,215 (2006).
\14\ Id.
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III. Notice of Inquiry
10. As part of Commission staff's ongoing comprehensive review of
the Commission's financial data requirements, a series of public
meetings were held in Fall 2006 with both filers and users of FERC's
financial reports (Forms 1, 1-F, 2, 2-A and 3-Q). On February 15, 2007,
the Commission issued a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) in response to those
discussions.\15\ The NOI sought comments on the need for changes or
additions to the financial information reported on these forms. In
response to the comments received, the Commission determined that each
of the forms, representing different industries subject to the
Commission's jurisdiction, merited its own separate review.
Accordingly, the Commission established a separate proceeding in Docket
No. RM07-9-000, addressing only changes, additions, and
[[Page 58722]]
amendments to the forms applicable to interstate natural gas
companies.\16\
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\15\ Assessment of Information Requirements for FERC Financial
Forms, Notice of Inquiry, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 35,554 (2007).
\16\ Revisions to Forms. Statements, and Reporting Requirements
for Natural Gas Pipelines, Order No. 710, FERC Stats. & Regs. ]
31,267, order on reh'g, Order No. 710-A, 123 FERC ] 61,278 (2008).
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IV. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
11. On January 18, 2008, the Commission issued a Notice of Proposed
Rulemaking (NOPR) that proposed to revise the Form 1 (and Forms 1-F and
3-Q) and requested comments on several issues, including: (1)
Differences between Form 1 data and costs that are reflected in formula
rate inputs, (2) the non-jurisdictional utility requirements and
revising the Form 1-F reporting threshold for nonmajor utilities, (3)
reporting for affiliate transactions, (4) filers whose reporting and
accounting systems are based on a non-calendar fiscal year, (5)
reporting for ``Other Revenues,'' and (6) the minimum threshold
reporting levels for certain line-item information.\17\ In addition,
the NOPR proposed two non-form related rule changes, concerning
notification of non-filing status and grants of extension of time for
good cause. The NOPR also invited comments on software updates,
revisions to the filing instructions, requests for additional
information for particular accounts or schedules, and suggestions to
improve the quality, completeness and consistency of data
submissions.\18\
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\17\ Revisions to Forms, Statements, and Reporting Requirements
for Electric Utilities and Licensees, Notice of Proposed Rulemaking,
73 FR 5136 (Jan. 29, 2008), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 32,627 (Jan. 18,
2008) (NOPR).
\18\ These proposals were listed in an appendix to the NOPR,
which is updated here with Commission responses and provided in
Appendix B to this Final Rule.
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V. Discussion
A. Notice of Inquiry
12. In responding to the NOI, Form 1 public utility filers
generally emphasized the difficulty and expense of Form 1 preparation,
stated that the current scope of information sought is sufficient to
evaluate jurisdictional rates, and objected to particular filing
requirements as burdensome. In contrast, Form 1 users, including
nonprofit publicly-owned utilities and state commissions, disagree--
requesting that Form 1 provide additional information to permit more
effective review to determine whether current and proposed rates are
just and reasonable.
B. Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
13. In the NOPR, the Commission affirmed that the information
reported in Forms 1, 1-F and 3-Q is critical to the work of the
Commission and stated its expectation that all filers would continue to
follow the instructions and submit properly completed forms. The NOPR
emphasized the importance of Form 1 data to the Commission, state
commissions, utility customers and other interested persons as an
important and primary source of information to assess whether rates
charged remain just and reasonable or may be unjust and unreasonable.
The NOPR stated that the purpose of Form 1, in particular, is to
provide basic financial and operational information to allow the
Commission, customers, and competitors to monitor a utility's rates for
jurisdictional services. Form 1 is an essential tool in the
Commission's regulatory program. Form 1 makes publicly available the
financial information upon which cost-based rates are developed and
provides information on the financial operations of utilities. Form 1
and the underlying data are used in ratemaking and for customer rate
and cost monitoring. In addition, because it reflects the Commission's
USofA, Form 1 ensures that such data is uniform and comparable between
companies and reporting periods. Form 1 is not a substitute for a rate
case filing or a projection of future financial performance, however.
Instead the data enables the form's users to monitor and assess a
utility's rates.
14. Pursuant to the Commission's comprehensive review of its
financial reporting forms and based on the responses to the NOI, the
Commission determined that wholesale changes were not justified, and
instead proposed targeted adjustments to the existing reporting
requirements.
15. In response to the NOPR, the Commission received 13 timely
comments, one motion to submit comments out-of-time, and one set of
reply comments.\19\ These comments are summarized in the remainder of
the discussion section.
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\19\ A list of commenters is attached as Appendix C.
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16. After careful consideration of the comments received, the
Commission is adopting changes and revisions proposed in the NOPR with
certain modifications and clarifications, as discussed below.
17. No comments were filed objecting to the NOPR's proposals
concerning (i) accommodating filers whose books close on a non-calendar
fiscal year, (ii) filing notifications of changes to non-filing status,
(iii) adopting a good cause requirement for reviewing requests for
extension of time, and (iv) providing for separate reporting of
emissions allowances, such as nitrogen oxide (NOX) and
sulfur dioxide (SO2). In fact, comments were received
supporting several of these proposals, including the non-calendar year
accommodation and emission allowances. Therefore, we adopt the
proposals as set forth in the NOPR.
18. In addition, several commenters proposed additional reporting
requirements or modifications to the proposals made in the NOPR. To the
extent such comments proposed revisions that were feasible and in
keeping with the goals expressed in the NOPR, the Commission has
attempted to incorporate commenters' suggestions as discussed below.
The discussion in the ``Commission Determination'' sections addressing
each NOPR proposal provides additional detail to clarify those
proposals and respond to the comments.
C. Effective Date
19. The NOPR proposed calendar year 2009 as the effective date to
implement these changes to the reporting requirements, stating:
Accordingly, companies subject to the new requirements would
file their new Form 3-Qs beginning with the Form 3-Q for the first
calendar quarter of 2009 and their new Forms 1 and 1-F in April 2010
for calendar year 2009.
20. The Commission believes that this effective date provides
sufficient time for filing companies to collect the information needed
to fulfill the reporting obligations proposed in the NOPR and adopted
in this Final Rule. Because the changes adopted here are limited in
scope, filers have sufficient opportunity to make the necessary changes
to their reporting systems to capture the necessary data in the detail
needed to complete the new requirements contained in this Final Rule.
This proposed effective date thus provides an adequate time for
utilities to revise their information collection procedures, and filers
will have several additional months before the first reporting deadline
to implement the changes needed because the first report due is the
Form 3-Q, a quarterly report, due in May 2009. Therefore, the
Commission adopts the changes provided for in this Final Rule effective
calendar year 2009, consistent with the date proposed in the NOPR.
D. Proposed Revisions
1. Formula Rates
21. In response to comments requesting additional information to
accommodate formula rate review, the NOPR proposed the addition of
[[Page 58723]]
explanatory information when formula rate inputs deviate from data
reported in Form 1. Specifically, the NOPR proposed to revise the Form
1 to require that, if the inputs to a formula rate deviate from what is
currently shown in the Form 1, the filer must provide an explanation
for the deviation in a footnote to the corresponding page, line and
column where the specific data is reported. The Commission sought
comment on this proposal.\20\
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\20\ NOPR at P 46.
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Comments
22. Several commenters support the Commission's proposal for filing
utilities to explain departures from Form 1 data in formula rates.
SDG&E, for example, notes that many utilities with formula rates
already make periodic informational filings to explain the use of
modified Form 1 data. SDG&E supports the NOPR proposal and
characterizes the proposal as a pragmatic and narrowly-tailored effort
to provide additional information that does not duplicate publicly
available material, while avoiding a ``one size fits all'' modification
to Form 1 that does not address the varieties of formula rates
currently in effect or utilities' uses of variations from Form 1 data.
23. APPA also supports the Commission's intent that utilities
provide all information necessary for calculating formula rates, but
questions whether the Commission's proposal will achieve the desired
effect. APPA states that the requirement that filers describe in
footnotes details on how formula rates deviate from Form 1 information
may be difficult to monitor because staff may lack the means to
identify utilities subject to the formula rate information requirement.
APPA suggests that the Commission require a new schedule for filers to
identify their status in regard to formula rates, which would require a
filer to indicate (1) whether it has formula rates; and (2) where to
find all explanations for deviations between formula rates and Form 1
information (either informational filings or footnotes in connection
with specific page, line and column numbers of Form 1). Such a schedule
would ensure that a utility does not omit a necessary footnote and
would also locate deviations from Form 1 data. APPA predicts that such
a schedule would not change any Form 1 references currently contained
in formula rates and should not add any substantial burden to
respondents, because it would not repeat the information, but would
simply reference the location of the information already compiled.
24. BPA agrees that since formula rates routinely cite specific
accounts and page numbers, the Commission should not revise Form 1
accounts or page numbers, so as to necessitate amendments to existing
formula rates. BPA supports the use of explanatory footnotes, stating
that the footnotes are an essential aspect of Form 1 and may provide
the only means for a utility to explain, and Form 1 user to understand,
the data. BPA suggests the need for additional enforcement of Form 1
requirements, including penalties for failure to meet footnote
requirements.
25. In addition, BPA requests clarification that a statement made
in paragraph 41 of the NOPR, ``[t]he annual rate adjustment may not
initiate a rate proceeding and the customer's recourse, if it believes
the resulting rates are unjust and unreasonable, is to file a complaint
under section 206 of the FPA,'' is not intended to change the burden of
proof in a section 206 proceeding involving a formula rate.
Specifically, BPA requests the Commission clarify that the statement
does not shift the burden of proof from the utility to establish that
the formula is correctly applied or that the correct data is being used
to populate the formula.\21\
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\21\ BPA states its understanding that the burden of proof
otherwise remains on the party challenging a Commission-approved
formula.
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26. Nevada Companies suggests that a transmission provider should
post the reasons for changes in formula rates on its Web site within a
prescribed period of time, which would provide immediate information to
customers on changes in rates rather than having to wait for a
quarterly or annual filing.
27. TAPS strongly supports the NOPR's effort to further the goal of
timely transparency through inclusion of the relevant information in
Form 1. TAPS questions the level of detail in an informational filing
that would relieve a utility of the requirement to describe formula
rate differences in Form 1. TAPS states that the rule should require
that the transparency information be included in Form 1 submissions of
each utility whose Form 1 data is input into a formula rate. TAPS
proposes that waivers be considered where the utility can show that it
is legally committed to make annual informational filings that will
provide all of the data, of the same quality and reliability, that
would otherwise have to be included in its Form 1, and will do so in
time to facilitate rate monitoring by customers, regulators, and the
public. TAPS also requests that the Final Rule require annual reporting
of all historical cost, load, and revenue information that is an input
into a Form 1 filing utility's formula rate.
28. The Michigan Commission requests that the Commission initiate a
process to address problems associated with its review of utility
transmission investment in conjunction with formula rates. The Michigan
Commission states that a lack of necessary data reporting in
combination with formula rates can shield utility investment decisions
from review. The Michigan Commission suggests that the Commission
initiate an inquiry, possibly a technical conference, to explore ways
that formula rates can be reviewed.
29. Several utility commenters object to the requirement to add
footnotes to discuss differences between Form 1 financial information
and formula rate inputs for wholesale rates.\22\ AEP believes that the
Form 1 is a financial report and should continue to be a financial
report and not a rate verification report. AEP claims that footnoting
differences between Form 1 data and formula rate inputs would, for some
filers like AEP, be extensive, voluminous and burdensome to comply
with. AEP suggests that multiple rates will require reconciliation,
including separate wholesale customer service rates and some regional
transmission organization rates. AEP states that the Commission should
obtain such information from the seller when needed on a case-by-case
basis. AEP suggests that the additional detail need not be made public,
and states that the information is better provided as a separate rate
filing to be made whenever the formula rate is being changed or
supported.
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\22\ See AEP, EEI, FirstEnergy, and Duke comments.
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30. EEI encourages the Commission not to add a requirement to Form
1 to explain departures from Form 1 information used as inputs to
formula rates. EEI argues that companies should not be required to
footnote Form 1 data to explain differences in formula rates, so long
as they document changes to formula rate inputs, adhere to the approved
formula rate tariffs, and provide information to the Commission and
affected customers on request or via informational filings.
31. EEI suggests that the Commission adopt an alternate policy,
under which companies adopting formula rates would provide information
to customers about rate inputs, including underlying costs and cost
increases, in sufficient detail to enable the customers to understand
the basis for their rates. EEI states that if the Commission does
[[Page 58724]]
impose a formula rate footnote requirement in Form 1, the Commission
should: (1) Clarify that the footnote is necessary only to explain
departures from Form 1 data when a formula rate tariff calls for
specific Form 1 data as inputs and different input data are used; (2)
clarify that the footnote requirement applies only to cost-based rates,
not to market-based rates (MBR); (3) specify that, if a seller files
informational filings containing information about inputs to its
formula rates, a footnote is not required; (4) specify that if
customers have audit rights under a formula rate tariff, a footnote is
not required; (5) specify that if a company has explained departures
from Form 1 data as inputs to a formula rate elsewhere in information
available to the Commission and customers on request, it is not
required to do so again in Form 1; (6) specify that, if the footnote
cannot be added before Form 1 is filed, it can be added at the next
reporting cycle; and (7) address how the footnote should be prepared
when multiple operating companies or gas and electric companies are
involved and not all of those companies are reflected in a given Form
1.
32. FirstEnergy requests that the Commission clarify that its
proposal is not a blanket requirement on companies filing the Form 1 to
include any changes on inputs to formula rates in a footnote to the
relevant page in Form 1. Similarly, the Commission should also clarify
that its proposed requirement would not preclude companies from
submitting the formula input information in filings other than Form 1.
33. FirstEnergy states that companies should not be required to
submit informational filings or otherwise report situations in which
formula rate inputs differ slightly from what is shown in Form 1, and
requests the Commission to clarify whether such disclosures will now be
required. To the extent that such information will be required,
FirstEnergy does not believe that Form 1 is an appropriate vehicle for
reporting information concerning a utility's formula rates. FirstEnergy
states that Forms 1 and 3-Q are financial statements providing
information in accordance with the USofA and argues that the forms are
not, and should not be, considered ratemaking documents to be used for
ratemaking purposes.
Commission Determination
34. In this Final Rule, as we explain below, we adopt the NOPR
proposal that Form 1 filers should provide explanatory information when
formula rate inputs differ from Form 1 reported amounts.\23\ That is,
with regard to formula rates for which no informational filings are
required to be regularly submitted to this Commission, we revise the
Form 1 to require that, if the formula rate relies on Form 1 data and
if the input amounts to that formula rate differ from what is shown in
the Form 1, the filer must provide a narrative explaining the reason
for the difference. The explanation must be provided in a footnote on
the same page, line and column where the specific data is reported.
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\23\ Other than comprehensive formula rates, the Commission's
regulations provide for automatic adjustment of only those costs
specified in section 35.14 of our regulations (fuel adjustment
clause). See Public Service Company of Oklahoma, 40 FERC ] 61,215,
at 61,733 (1987).
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35. As described above, EEI states that companies which provide
service under formula rates should make additional information
available if requested by customers, on an as-needed basis, if such
information is not already being provided in the informational filings.
EEI recommends that the Commission adopt an alternative policy, under
which companies using formula rates would provide information to
customers about rate inputs, including underlying costs and cost
increases, in sufficient detail to enable the customers to understand
any deviations to the inputs used in calculating the formula rates.
36. With respect to EEI's requests for various clarifications, we
adopt portions of EEI's recommendations as follows. Consistent with the
NOPR proposal we limit the footnoting requirement so that it will only
apply to utilities with formula rates that do not make regular (i.e.,
at least annual) informational filings of cost data with the Commission
pursuant to the requirements of their formula rates (or for example,
pursuant to the requirements of a Commission-approved settlement or a
Commission directive). We believe it is unnecessary to require
companies that are required to make regular informational filings to
include a footnote in Form 1 because any difference from any Form 1
inputs used in formula rates should already be described in sufficient
detail in their informational filings.\24\
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\24\ Thus, utilities that are required to make regular
informational filings by their formula rates, a Commission-approved
settlement, or other Commission order need not provide footnotes.
These filers must nevertheless complete the new schedule provided in
page 106.
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37. In addition, EEI requests clarification of the treatment of
formula rates accepted under our MBR policies. We clarify that a rate
is subject to the footnoting requirement if it relies on Form 1 data
and is on file with the Commission. Such rates may be featured in
tariffs of general applicability or individual rate schedules.\25\ We
further adopt EEI's suggestion that, if companies have formula rates
but do not make such informational filings with the Commission, they
must maintain sufficient records that explain the changes made to those
inputs \26\ (and, of course, must adhere to the approved formula rate
tariffs on file) and provide that information to the Commission, state
commissions and affected customers on request. Furthermore, we clarify
that if customers have audit rights under a formula rate, a footnote is
still required, so that utilities can describe how the rate was derived
(as described herein).
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\25\ We clarify that we do not seek the explanatory information
for fuel adjustment clauses, which are governed by separate policies
established in the Commission's regulations and which typically
would not reference Form 1. See 18 CFR 35.14.
\26\ This recordkeeping requirement is in addition to any other
Commission recordkeeping requirement, see, e.g., 18 CFR Parts 101,
125, including the footnoting requirement adopted in this Final
Rule.
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38. With respect to EEI's request that the Commission specify that
footnote information that cannot be added before Form 1 is filed may be
added at the next reporting cycle, we clarify that if the necessary
information is not available at the time for filing (given that Form 1
is an annual report), the utility must provide the information in its
next Form 1 filing.
39. As stated in the NOPR, we do not propose to convert the Form 1
filing process into a rate proceeding. As noted by several commenters,
Form 1 is an historical financial reporting document. However, Form 1
provides cost and revenue data that aids in evaluating the justness and
reasonableness of rates in a ratemaking proceeding, and Form 1 serves
as a ready source of public information to assess on an ongoing basis
the justness and reasonableness of utility rates. In particular, for a
formula rate, Form 1 identifies costs that result in annual
fluctuations in rates as costs rise and fall. Thus, Form 1 plays an
important role in the Commission's rate review process.
40. A key component of this rate review process is the transparency
provided by requiring utilities to make information on costs underlying
rates publicly available. This cost information is, in turn, used by
the Commission, state commissions, and customers to review and monitor
a utility's rates, which, as appropriate, may ultimately result in an
investigation or a complaint proceeding. Thus, Form 1 is a valuable
tool. Commenters' attempts to establish a bright line between financial
reporting
[[Page 58725]]
and rate making are insufficient for the Commission to withdraw its
proposals to seek information that will assist the Commission in
carrying out its statutory obligations to ensure that rates are just
and reasonable, and to assist others--including customers--with
monitoring rates charged.
41. The NOPR did not propose to revise the Commission's USofA
accounting requirements to track specific costs or cost estimates for
future projects as suggested by TAPS and the Michigan Commission.
Therefore, we will not adopt proposals to track additional costs that
would require changes to the Commission's accounting requirements.
42. In response to APPA's comments concerning how Commission staff
will determine whether a utility is subject to a regular informational
filing requirement for its formula rate, we note that the existence of
such a filing requirement is a matter of public record for each formula
rate. That is, the requirement that a utility make a regular
informational filing describing the information that will be used to
populate the formula rate is typically established in the rate
proceeding accepting the formula rate. If an interested entity believes
that a utility has failed to include the required footnotes, or that a
utility has not responded in a timely manner to a request for an
explanation of the applicable formula rate and the inputs to that rate,
it should discuss the matter with the utility and, if not satisfied,
may, among other things, notify the Commission through our enforcement
Hotline and the Commission's Office of Enforcement will take
appropriate action.
43. Based on the record in this proceeding, the Commission does not
anticipate that this reporting requirement will be unduly burdensome
because the information is already available and can be transposed to a
footnote.
44. Several filing utilities request the Commission to clarify the
scope of the formula rate footnoting requirement. Initially, as noted
above, the Commission clarifies that a filing company should footnote
differences from Form 1 data in formula rates that are on file with
this Commission and that rely on Form 1 data, and that such rates may
be featured in tariffs of general applicability or individual rate
schedules.\27\ The Commission also clarifies that it is not necessary
to provide a detailed reconciliation. The Commission anticipates that
the footnotes would contain a simple narrative explaining how the
``rate'' (or billing) was derived if different from the reported amount
in the Form 1. For instance, differences could be due to: (i)
Application of a percent allocation factor for gross transmission plant
that is OATT related; (ii) excluding particular items such as step-up
transformer investment; (iii) deducting amounts for transmission for
others from total transmission expenses or applying an OATT
transmission factor; or (iv) excluding particular cost items from
administrative and general expenses or application of an OATT labor
factor. This list is not exhaustive, we caution, but is strictly for
illustration purposes; the Commission anticipates that similar issues
would be footnoted in Form 1. The description should describe the
difference, including any reference to a Commission proceeding
approving the difference. Such an explanation should be sufficient to
alert interested parties of the deviation and to permit them to
estimate and evaluate the impact of the departure on rates.\28\ In this
fashion, interested entities should be able to, with reasonable
accuracy, monitor rates in light of current costs and available
financial data.
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\27\ As noted above, we do not seek the explanatory information
for fuel adjustment clauses, which are governed by separate polices
under the Commission's regulations and typically do not reference
Form 1. See 18 CFR 35.14.
\28\ The information contained in a formula rate footnote (as
for any Form 1 footnote) should be specific to the data provided in
the form, and not simply transferred from consolidated financial
statements that may reflect different assumptions and reporting
requirements.
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45. In response to suggestions that formula rate information be
centralized, a new schedule (page 106) will be incorporated in Form 1
on which filers will (1) indicate whether they have formula rates; (2)
provide details about the formula rates; (3) indicate whether the filer
makes regular informational filings and the location of the filings
(e.g., accession numbers) on the Commission's eLibrary Web site; and
(4) summarize, if required,\29\ the differences between the Form 1
amounts and any amounts included in a formula rate as described
above.\30\
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\29\ Whether or not a public utility or licensee must provide
this information is addressed above.
\30\ Revised Form 1 pages affected by this Final Rule are
provided in Appendix A.
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46. AEP is concerned that reporting may be difficult because of the
number and variety of rate schedules and tariffs that may be covered by
this requirement. As stated above, we do not anticipate that this
requirement need rise to the level of an accounting reconciliation; a
narrative description (with reference to a rate proceeding adopting the
difference) may suffice.
47. In addition, a utility is not precluded from filing
modifications to its formula rates to make cost references consistent
with Form 1 reporting requirements as they are updated.\31\
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\31\ The Commission reiterates that utilities that are required
to make regular informational filings by their formula rates, a
Commission-approved settlement, or other Commission requirement
(e.g., a Commission requirement imposed as a condition of acceptance
of the formula rates) need not provide footnotes. These filers must
nevertheless complete the new schedule provided in page 106.
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48. In response to BPA and the Michigan Commission, we clarify that
this Final Rule does not change our policies with respect to the burden
of proof associated with challenges to previously approved formula
rates under section 206.\32\ Form 1 is not filed pursuant to sections
205 or 206 of the FPA and, therefore, its submittal will not initiate a
rate proceeding or investigation. A rate proceeding is initiated by a
rate filing under section 205, or an investigation initiated either in
response to a complaint or pursuant to a notice of Commission
investigation under section 206. Additional information to assess
jurisdictional rates may be requested from the utility or sought
through discovery in an appropriate proceeding; the Commission's
actions here do not, for example, affect the scope of discovery in
litigated proceedings.
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\32\ See Order No. 710 at P 12 (noting that despite changes made
to gas reporting forms, a party filing a complaint has the burden to
show why the information in the Commission's financial forms
supports an allegation that the existing rates are not just and
reasonable, and that the changes adopted in Order No. 710 do not
limit an entity's rights under governing law and the Commission's
regulations, nor change the Commission's obligation to rule on
complaints, petitions, or other requests for relief based on a full
record and substantial evidence).
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49. In addition, we reject TAPS' proposals to change the
Commission's accounting as beyond the scope of this proceeding, which
relates to reporting requirements for the various accounts defined by
the USofA, and we reject the Nevada Companies' proposal to revise our
OASIS Web site posting requirements; both should be addressed in more
appropriate proceedings reviewing the Commission's accounting and OASIS
regulations.
50. With respect to the Michigan Commission's suggestion that the
Commission initiate an inquiry into the Commission's formula rate
policies and whether formula rates can shield future utility investment
decisions from review, the Commission declines to initiate such an
investigation. The NOPR rejected calls for reporting
[[Page 58726]]
information on future transmission investments, stating that Form 1 is
intended to provide information on a utility's financial activities for
the reporting year, but does not include projections of future
costs.\33\ Comments filed in response to the NOPR have not persuaded us
to change our views. Should an entity desire to question the prudence
of a utility's transmission investment decisions, it may file a
complaint with the Commission.\34\
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\33\ NOPR at P 54.
\34\ Preventing Undue Discrimination and Preference in
Transmission Service, Order No. 890, 72 FR 12,266 (March 15, 2007),
FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,241 at P 435 (2007), order on reh'g, Order
No. 890-A, 73 FR 2984 (Jan. 16, 2008), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,261
(2007), order on reh'g, Order No. 890-B, 123 FERC ] 61,299 (2008).
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2. Filing Thresholds for Form 1
51. The NOPR proposed to eliminate the filing requirement for
utilities that are not subject to the Commission's jurisdiction because
they are not public utilities under Part II of the FPA, but make sales
that meet or exceed the threshold for meeting the Commission's Forms 1
and 3-Q reporting requirements.\35\ The NOPR also sought comment on
whether to revise the definitions for major and nonmajor utilities,
inviting specific suggestions for how this might be done with
justifications for proposed thresholds.\36\ The NOPR mentioned that the
Commission was aware of five non-jurisdictional utilities that
otherwise met or exceeded the threshold for reporting: Alaska Electric
and Power Co.; CenterPoint Energy Houston Electric, LLC; Hawaii
Electric Light Co., Inc.; Hawaiian Electric Co., Inc.; and Maui
Electric Co., Ltd.
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\35\ NOPR at P 50.
\36\ Id. P 48.
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52. The NOPR cited an order where the Commission recently granted
waiver of the financial form filing requirements under such
circumstances. In Morenci Water and Electric Co., the Commission
granted a waiver from the requirement of Sec. Sec. 141.1 and 141.400
of the Commission's regulations that utilities who are not public
utilities under Part II of the FPA but who otherwise meet the threshold
filing requirements for Forms 1, 1-F and 3-Q must comply with the
reporting requirements established in the regulations.\37\
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\37\ Morenci Water and Electric Co., 121 FERC ] 61,024 (2007).
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Comments
53. No commenter objected to these proposals. International
Transmission proposes, however, that non-major electric utilities and
non-jurisdictional utilities that belong to a joint rate zone be
required to file Form 1 and that, for purposes of the filing
thresholds, all of the electric utilities in a joint rate zone should
be deemed major electric utilities. International Transmission thus
proposes that, in addition to the numerical filing thresholds, the
General Instructions to Part 101 be revised to require that: (1)
Nonmajor electric utilities in joint rate zones with major electric
utilities be required to file Form 1; and (2) non-jurisdictional
utilities in joint rate zones with jurisdictional public utilities also
be required to file Form 1.
Commission Determination
54. In this Final Rule we are removing the words ``whether or not
the jurisdiction of the Commission is otherwise involved'' from
Sec. Sec. 141.1(b) and 141.400(b), which establish the filing
requirements for Form 1 and Form 3-Q, respectively. With this change,
companies that are not subject to the Commission's jurisdiction because
they are not public utilities (or licensees) need no longer file Form 1
or 3-Q. If a company is concerned that it may still fall within the
revised requirements of Sec. Sec. 141.1(b) or 141.400(b), but
nevertheless should be exempted from filing Forms 1 and 3-Q, it may
continue to seek an individual waiver from the Commission. No
commenter, we add, objected to the proposal to cease requiring filing
by companies that do not otherwise fall under the Commission's
jurisdiction, but meet the minimum filing requirements found in
Sec. Sec. 141.1 and 141.400 of the Commission's regulations.
55. The Commission rejects International Transmission's proposal to
revise the definitions that distinguish major and nonmajor utilities,
to require utilities that participate in joint rate zones with major
utilities to also file Form 1. International Transmission's proposal
expands the reporting requirement so that it would apply to non-
jurisdictional entities and also would require small utilities to file
Form 1, regardless of the reporting threshold. International
Transmission's proposal would unreasonably increase the reporting
burdens on small utilities. Therefore, we reject the proposal.
3. Affiliate Transactions
56. To provide further transparency and improve the detection of
cross-subsidization, the NOPR proposed to add a new schedule and page
429, ``Transactions with Associated (Affiliated) Companies,'' providing
information concerning affiliate transactions. The NOPR proposed that
filers would report the following: (1) A description of the good or
service charged or credited; (2) the name of the associated
(affiliated) company; (3) the USofA account charged or credited; and
(4) the amount charged or credited.\38\
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\38\ NOPR at P 51-52.
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Comments
57. Several commenters support the proposal,\39\ and some include
proposals to expand the reporting requirement.\40\ Others object to the
affiliate transaction reporting requirement \41\ or argue that such a
requirement would be duplicative of other reporting obligations,
unnecessary and burdensome.\42\
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\39\ APPA and Michigan Commission comments.
\40\ International Transmission, and SDG&E comments.
\41\ See AEP, EEI, MidAmerican, and Nevada Companies comments.
\42\ FirstEnergy and Duke comments.
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58. APPA supports the Commission's proposal to add the new schedule
to collect information on affiliate transactions. The Michigan
Commission states that detailed descriptions of costs allocated to
jurisdictional operations from affiliates are essential to detect
cross-subsidization. It also requests clarification whether the
Commission intends that an allocation for common facilities that are
billed to one or more affiliates be reported as an affiliate
transaction. The Michigan Commission requests that the Commission
require additional detail, consisting of a description of all
allocation factors used by the utility and its affiliates and an
explanation of how ``direct'' and ``common'' costs are defined and
implemented.
59. Nevada Companies states that affiliate transactions should be
reported by type of service provided and goods transferred. The Nevada
Companies note that reporting amounts by types of services provided
would link this report to master service agreements entered into by
many affiliated companies. They also request a definition of good or
service.
60. SDG&E recommends that the Commission clarify that the affiliate
transaction information required to be provided is limited to
transactions between a jurisdictional utility and its affiliates and
does not include transactions solely between or among the affiliates.
61. Nevada Companies requests that affiliate transaction
information only be reported annually for companies that prepare
similar information to fulfill state requirements, suggesting the
proposed reporting requirement could be met by state oversight. AEP
objects to an affiliate transaction reporting
[[Page 58727]]
requirement and suggests that the issue is a state regulatory
matter.\43\
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\43\ See also Nevada Companies comments.
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62. Duke requests that the Commission clarify that the new page 429
is not intended to require the reporting of affiliate transactions
between the electric utility and centralized service companies, as this
information is already reported in FERC Form No. 60 (Form 60).
FirstEnergy states that the new page would result in a duplication of
effort since the same information is already reported to the Commission
in other FERC forms, including the Form 60, and other places in Form 1,
such as page 332, Transmission of Electricity by Others and pages 326-
327, Purchased Power. At a minimum, FirstEnergy requests that a set of
parameters be established for reporting the information requested, and
suggests filers be permitted to report the information by general
category rather than by individual transactions.
63. MidAmerican objects to detailed reporting of each affiliate
transaction as unnecessarily burdensome and states that the information
is already being provided in other publicly available documents.
MidAmerican requests that the Commission limit any affiliate
transaction reporting requirement and (1) establish an aggregate annual
transaction reporting threshold of the greater of (a) $250,000 per
affiliate or (b) one one-hundredth of one percent (.01%) of the
electric utility's operating revenues \44\ and (2) exempt transactions
based on regulator-approved tariffs.\45\ The Nevada Companies request
that $100,000 be set as a reasonable minimum amount to report the
transfer of a good, or an aggregate amount of service.
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\44\ SDG&E also supports a $250,000 reporting threshold for
affiliate transactions.
\45\ In particular, MidAmerican notes that it is bound to serve
affiliates due to its provision of service to 2.5 million retail
customers. MidAmerican argues that provision of service in
accordance with a state-regulator-approved tariff precludes the
opportunity for cross-subsidization or preferential service.
MidAmerican states that the same holds true where MidAmerican
purchases tariff services from an affiliate of its parent (Berkshire
Hathaway).
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64. EEI states that the affiliate transaction reporting proposal is
inconsistent with the Commission's decisions in Orders No. 707 and 708
not to require additional reporting.\46\ International Transmission and
Nevada Companies object to an affiliate reporting requirement that
would apply to transactions between regulated public utilities.
International Transmission cites the Commission's proposal that page
429 is to ``provide further transparency and improve the detection of
cross-subsidization.'' \47\ International Transmission states that a
broad, one-size-fits-all requirement that includes reporting of
transactions between affiliated regulated public utilities would not
produce useful information for detecting improper cross-subsidization
for the benefit of non-utility affiliates. International Transmission
argues that the regulated affiliates' Form 1 filings already provide
ample transparency and that the affiliate transaction reporting
requirement is therefore not necessary for affiliate transactions
between regulated public utilities.
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\46\ Cross-Subsidization Restrictions on Affiliate Transactions,
Order No. 707, 73 FR 11013 (Feb. 29, 2008), FERC Stats. & Regs. ]
31,264, order on reh'g, Order No. 707-A, 73 FR 43072 (Jul. 24,
2008), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,272 (2008); Blanket Authorization
Under FPA Section 203, Order No. 708, 73 FR 11003 (Feb. 29, 2008),
FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,265, order on reh'g, Order No. 708-A, 73 FR
43066 (Jul. 24, 2008), FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,273 (2008).
\47\ Citing NOPR at P 52.
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Commission Determination
65. Consistent with our natural gas reporting requirements
established in Order No. 710, we will adopt the NOPR proposal and
incorporate new page 429, Transactions with Associated (Affiliated)
Companies. Consistent with the reporting threshold established in Order
No. 710, the schedule instructions incorporate a $250,000 threshold for
reporting individual transactions. While some commenters suggested
alternative thresholds, we find that the threshold we adopt here
reasonably balances the burden while still reporting needed
information. Therefore, we will not adopt the suggested alternative
proposals.
66. In response to requests that the Commission specify the
affiliated or associated company transactions to which new page 429
applies, we clarify that the schedule applies to all affiliated/
associated company non-power goods and services transactions including
those with other regulated public utilities, centralized and other
service companies, and other affiliated or associated companies
providing non-power goods and services to the respondent or receiving
non-power goods or services from the respondent. However, we also
clarify that page 429 does not apply to transactions between affiliate
or associate companies that do not include the respondent utility.
67. We disagree with EEI that the ``affiliate transaction reporting
proposal is inconsistent with the Commission's decisions in Orders No.
707 and 708 not to require additional reporting.'' We note that,
although Order No. 707 did not adopt a reporting requirement, at the
same time the NOPR in this proceeding alerted interested persons that
the Commission was separately proposing the additional affiliate
transaction reporting requirements that are adopted in this Final Rule.
Order No. 707 was intended to update our rate filing regulations to
reflect our expanded authority following the repeal of the Public
Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA 1935).\48\ In Order No. 707,
the Commission codified in its rate regulations \49\ restrictions on
affiliate transactions between franchised public utilities that have
captive customers or that own or provide transmission service over
jurisdictional transmission facilities, on the one hand, and their
market-regulated power sales affiliates or non-utility affiliates, on
the other. Order No. 707 addressed both power and non-power goods and
services transactions between the utility and its affiliates and
specifically power sales affiliates. This proceeding provides expanded
affiliate/associate transaction reporting to facilitate monitoring
affiliate/associate non-power goods and services transactions as part
of a comprehensive proceeding to update our reporting requirements.
Thus, while Order No. 707 did not expand reporting to implement the
revised rate filing regulations adopted in the wake of the repeal of
PUHCA 1935, this proceeding is based on the need for data to monitor on
an ongoing basis utility rates to ensure that they remain just and
reasonable. On the basis of the record in this proceeding, we find that
the additional reporting requirement adopted here is appropriate
because it will assist the Commission and the public in monitoring a
utility's rates.
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\48\ 15 U.S.C. 79a, et seq.
\49\ 18 CFR Part 35.
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