Billing Procedures for Annual Charges For the Costs of Other Federal Agencies for Administering Part I of the Federal Power Act; Notice Reporting Costs for Other Federal Agencies' Administrative Annual Charges for Fiscal Year 2014, 40050-40051 [2015-17052]
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40050
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 133 / Monday, July 13, 2015 / Notices
name and contact information at the end
of your comments. For assistance,
please contact FERC Online Support at
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866)
208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659
(TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please
send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission, 888
First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426.
The first page of any filing should
include docket number P–2851–024.
Dated: July 1, 2015..
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015–16993 Filed 7–10–15; 8:45 am]
Scope of Eligible Costs
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. AD15–2–000]
Billing Procedures for Annual Charges
For the Costs of Other Federal
Agencies for Administering Part I of
the Federal Power Act; Notice
Reporting Costs for Other Federal
Agencies’ Administrative Annual
Charges for Fiscal Year 2014
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
1. The Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission (Commission) is required
to determine the reasonableness of costs
incurred by other Federal agencies
(OFAs) 1 in connection with their
participation in the Commission’s
proceedings under the Federal Power
Act (FPA) Part I 2 when those agencies
seek to include such costs in the
administrative charges licensees must
pay to reimburse the United States for
the cost of administering Part I.3 The
Commission’s Order on Remand and
Acting on Appeals of Annual Charge
Bills 4 determined which costs are
eligible to be included in the
administrative annual charges and it
established a process for Commission
review of future OFA cost submittals.
This order established a process
whereby the Commission would
annually request each OFA to submit
cost data, using a form 5 specifically
designed for this purpose. In addition,
the order established requirements for
1 The OFAs include: The U.S. Department of the
Interior (Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land
Management, Bureau of Reclamation, National Park
Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of
the Solicitor, Office of Environmental Policy &
Compliance, Office of Hearings and Appeals and
Office of Policy Analysis); the U.S. Department of
Agriculture (U.S. Forest Service); the U.S.
Department of Commerce (National Marine
VerDate Sep<11>2014
19:27 Jul 10, 2015
detailed cost accounting reports and
other documented analyses, which
explain the cost assumptions contained
in the OFAs’ submissions.
2. The Commission has completed its
review of the forms and supporting
documentation submitted by the U.S.
Department of the Interior (Interior), the
U.S. Department of Agriculture
(Agriculture), and the U.S. Department
of Commerce (Commerce) for fiscal year
2014. This notice reports the costs the
Commission included in its
administrative annual charges for fiscal
year 2015.
Jkt 235001
3. The basis for eligible costs that
should be included in the OFAs’
administrative annual charges is
prescribed by the Office of Management
and Budget’s (OMB) Circular A–25—
User Charges and the Federal
Accounting Standards Advisory Board’s
Statement of Federal Financial
Accounting Standards (SFFAS) Number
4—Managerial Cost Accounting
Concepts and Standards for the Federal
Government. Circular A–25 establishes
Federal policy regarding fees assessed
for government services and provides
specific information on the scope and
type of activities subject to user charges.
SSFAS Number 4 provides a conceptual
framework for federal agencies to
determine the full costs of government
goods and services.
4. Circular A–25 provides for user
charges to be assessed against recipients
of special benefits derived from federal
activities beyond those received by the
general public.6 With regard to
licensees, the special benefit derived
from federal activities is the license to
operate a hydropower project. The
guidance provides for the assessment of
sufficient user charges to recover the full
costs of services associated with these
special benefits.7 SFFAS Number 4
defines full costs as the costs of
resources consumed by a specific
governmental unit that contribute
directly or indirectly to a provided
service.8 Thus, pursuant to OMB
requirements and authoritative
accounting guidance, the Commission
must base its OFA administrative
Fisheries Service); and the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers.
2 16 U.S.C. 794–823d (2006).
3 See id. § 803(e)(1) and 42 U.S.C. 7178.
4 107 FERC ¶ 61,277, order on reh’g, 109 FERC
¶ 61,040 (2004).
5 Other Federal Agency Cost Submission Form,
available at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/
forms.asp#ofa.
6 OMB Circular A–25 § 6.
PO 00000
Frm 00059
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
annual charge on all direct and indirect
costs incurred by agencies in
administering Part I of the FPA. The
special form the Commission designed
for this purpose, the ‘‘Other Federal
Agency Cost Submission Form,’’
captures the full range of costs
recoverable under the FPA and the
referenced accounting guidance.9
Commission Review of OFA Cost
Submittals
5. The Commission received cost
forms and other supporting
documentation from the Departments of
the Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce
(OFAs). The Commission completed a
review of each OFA’s cost submission
forms and supporting reports. In its
examination of the OFAs’ cost data, the
Commission considered each agency’s
ability to demonstrate a system or
process which effectively captured,
isolated, and reported Part I costs as
required by the ‘‘Other Federal Agency
Cost Submission Form.’’
6. The Commission held a Technical
Conference on March 26, 2015 to report
its initial findings to licensees and
OFAs. No OFA representatives attended
the conference. Following the technical
conference, licensees had the
opportunity to submit comments 10 to
the Commission regarding its initial
review.
7. Written comments were filed by
Idaho Falls Group (Idaho Falls). Idaho
Falls generally supported the
Commission’s analysis but raised
questions regarding certain various
individual cost submissions. The
Commission will address the issues in
the Appendix to this notice.
8. After additional reviews, full
consideration of the comments
presented, and in accordance with the
previously cited guidance, the
Commission accepted as reasonable any
costs reported via the cost submission
forms that were clearly documented in
the OFAs’ accompanying reports and/or
analyses. These documented costs will
be included in the administrative
annual charges for fiscal year 2015.
Summary of Reported & Accepted Costs
for Fiscal Year 2014
7 OMB
Circular A–25 § 6. a. 2.
Number 4 ¶ 7.
9 To avoid the possibility of confusion that has
occurred in prior years as to whether costs were
being entered twice as ‘‘Other Direct Costs’’ and
‘‘Overhead,’’ the form excluded ‘‘Other Direct
Costs.’’
10 See Letter from Charles R. Sensiba, Van Ness
Feldman, to the Honorable Kimberly D. Bose, FERC,
Docket No. AD15–2–000 (filed May 11, 2015).
8 SFFAS
E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM
13JYN1
40051
Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 133 / Monday, July 13, 2015 / Notices
Municipal
Reported
Non-Municipal
Accepted
Reported
Total
Accepted
Reported
Accepted
Department of Interior
Bureau of Indian Affairs ...........................
Bureau of Land Management ..................
Bureau of Reclamation ............................
National Park Service ..............................
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service .................
U.S. Geological Survey ............................
Office of the Solicitor ...............................
Office of Environmental Policy & Compliance ......................................................
Office of Hearings and Appeals ...............
Office of Policy Analysis ..........................
143,046
98,020
141
280,357
881,471
........................
13,599
143,046
96,140
141
280,357
880,657
........................
13,599
216,666
1,494
39,044
278,416
1,036,499
........................
111,186
216,666
2,212
39,044
278,416
1,035,447
........................
108,414
359,713
99,514
39,185
558,773
1,917,972
—
124,785
359,713
98,352
39,185
558,773
1,916,104
—
122,013
55,825
489
........................
55,825
489
........................
132,834
1,840
9,646
132,834
1,840
9,646
188,658
2,329
9,646
188,658
2,329
9,646
1,594,016
2,043,640
1,572,941
400,071
3,418,606
2,115,043
7,459,258
1,532,460
6,400,174
Department of Agriculture
U.S. Forest Service ..................................
493,060
378,925
1,550,580
Department of Commerce
National Marine Fisheries Service ...........
Total ..................................................
1,563,763
3,529,771
Figure 1
of how the Commission determined
their reasonableness.
9. Figure 1 summarizes the total
reported costs incurred by Interior,
Agriculture, and Commerce with respect
to each OFA’s participation in
administering Part I of the FPA.
Additionally, Figure 1 summarizes the
reported costs that the Commission
determined were clearly documented
and accepted for inclusion in its FY
2015 administrative annual charges.
asabaliauskas on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Jkt 235001
Points of Contact
12. If you have any questions
regarding this notice, please contact
Norman Richardson at (202) 502–6219
or Raven Rodriquez at (202) 502–6276.
Dated: July 7, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P
10. As presented in the preceding
table, the Commission determined that
$6,400,174 of the $7,459,258 in total
reported costs were determined to be
reasonable and clearly documented in
the OFAs’ accompanying reports and/or
analyses. Based on these findings, 14%
of the total reported cost was
determined to be unreasonable. The
Commission noted the most significant
issues with regard to the insufficiency of
documentation provided by the OFAs
was the lack of supporting
documentation to substantiate costs
reported on the ‘‘Other Federal Agency
Cost Submission Form’’ as well as the
inability to segregate Municipal and
Non-Municipal costs.
11. The cost reports that the
Commission determined were clearly
documented and supported could be
traced to detailed cost-accounting
reports, which reconciled to data
provided from agency financial systems
or other pertinent source
documentation. A further breakdown of
these costs is included in the Appendix
to this notice, along with an explanation
19:27 Jul 10, 2015
551,280
3,929,485
[FR Doc. 2015–17052 Filed 7–10–15; 8:45 am]
Summary Findings of Commission’s
Costs Review
VerDate Sep<11>2014
1,132,389
2,981,588
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. EL15–82–000]
Illinois Industrial Energy Consumers v.
Midcontinent Independent System
Operator, Inc.; Notice of Complaint
Take notice that on June 30, 2015,
pursuant to Rule 206 of the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission’s
(Commission) Rules of Practice and
Procedure, 18 CFR 385.206 and sections
206, 222, and 306 of the Federal Power
Act (FPA), 16 U.S.C. 824(e), 824(v), and
825(e), Illinois Industrial Energy
Consumers (Complainant) filed a formal
complaint against Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.
(Respondent) asserting that
Respondent’s Open Access
Transmission, Energy and Operating
Reserves Market Tariff is unjust,
unreasonable, and unduly
discriminatory, in violation of the FPA,
PO 00000
Frm 00060
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
as more fully explained in the
complaint.
Any person desiring to intervene or to
protest this filing must file in
accordance with Rules 211 and 214 of
the Commission’s Rules of Practice and
Procedure (18 CFR 385.211, 385.214).
Protests will be considered by the
Commission in determining the
appropriate action to be taken, but will
not serve to make protestants parties to
the proceeding. Any person wishing to
become a party must file a notice of
intervention or motion to intervene, as
appropriate. The Respondent’s answer
and all interventions, or protests must
be filed on or before the comment date.
The Respondent’s answer, motions to
intervene, and protests must be served
on the Complainants.
The Commission encourages
electronic submission of protests and
interventions in lieu of paper using the
‘‘eFiling’’ link at https://www.ferc.gov.
Persons unable to file electronically
should submit an original and 5 copies
of the protest or intervention to the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,
888 First Street NE, Washington, DC
20426.
This filing is accessible on-line at
https://www.ferc.gov, using the
‘‘eLibrary’’ link and is available for
electronic review in the Commission’s
Public Reference Room in Washington,
DC There is an ‘‘eSubscription’’ link on
the Web site that enables subscribers to
receive email notification when a
document is added to a subscribed
docket(s). For assistance with any FERC
Online service, please email
FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, or call
E:\FR\FM\13JYN1.SGM
13JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 133 (Monday, July 13, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40050-40051]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-17052]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. AD15-2-000]
Billing Procedures for Annual Charges For the Costs of Other
Federal Agencies for Administering Part I of the Federal Power Act;
Notice Reporting Costs for Other Federal Agencies' Administrative
Annual Charges for Fiscal Year 2014
1. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) is
required to determine the reasonableness of costs incurred by other
Federal agencies (OFAs) \1\ in connection with their participation in
the Commission's proceedings under the Federal Power Act (FPA) Part I
\2\ when those agencies seek to include such costs in the
administrative charges licensees must pay to reimburse the United
States for the cost of administering Part I.\3\ The Commission's Order
on Remand and Acting on Appeals of Annual Charge Bills \4\ determined
which costs are eligible to be included in the administrative annual
charges and it established a process for Commission review of future
OFA cost submittals. This order established a process whereby the
Commission would annually request each OFA to submit cost data, using a
form \5\ specifically designed for this purpose. In addition, the order
established requirements for detailed cost accounting reports and other
documented analyses, which explain the cost assumptions contained in
the OFAs' submissions.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\1\ The OFAs include: The U.S. Department of the Interior
(Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of
Reclamation, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
Office of the Solicitor, Office of Environmental Policy &
Compliance, Office of Hearings and Appeals and Office of Policy
Analysis); the U.S. Department of Agriculture (U.S. Forest Service);
the U.S. Department of Commerce (National Marine Fisheries Service);
and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
\2\ 16 U.S.C. 794-823d (2006).
\3\ See id. Sec. 803(e)(1) and 42 U.S.C. 7178.
\4\ 107 FERC ] 61,277, order on reh'g, 109 FERC ] 61,040 (2004).
\5\ Other Federal Agency Cost Submission Form, available at
https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/forms.asp#ofa.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. The Commission has completed its review of the forms and
supporting documentation submitted by the U.S. Department of the
Interior (Interior), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (Agriculture),
and the U.S. Department of Commerce (Commerce) for fiscal year 2014.
This notice reports the costs the Commission included in its
administrative annual charges for fiscal year 2015.
Scope of Eligible Costs
3. The basis for eligible costs that should be included in the
OFAs' administrative annual charges is prescribed by the Office of
Management and Budget's (OMB) Circular A-25--User Charges and the
Federal Accounting Standards Advisory Board's Statement of Federal
Financial Accounting Standards (SFFAS) Number 4--Managerial Cost
Accounting Concepts and Standards for the Federal Government. Circular
A-25 establishes Federal policy regarding fees assessed for government
services and provides specific information on the scope and type of
activities subject to user charges. SSFAS Number 4 provides a
conceptual framework for federal agencies to determine the full costs
of government goods and services.
4. Circular A-25 provides for user charges to be assessed against
recipients of special benefits derived from federal activities beyond
those received by the general public.\6\ With regard to licensees, the
special benefit derived from federal activities is the license to
operate a hydropower project. The guidance provides for the assessment
of sufficient user charges to recover the full costs of services
associated with these special benefits.\7\ SFFAS Number 4 defines full
costs as the costs of resources consumed by a specific governmental
unit that contribute directly or indirectly to a provided service.\8\
Thus, pursuant to OMB requirements and authoritative accounting
guidance, the Commission must base its OFA administrative annual charge
on all direct and indirect costs incurred by agencies in administering
Part I of the FPA. The special form the Commission designed for this
purpose, the ``Other Federal Agency Cost Submission Form,'' captures
the full range of costs recoverable under the FPA and the referenced
accounting guidance.\9\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\6\ OMB Circular A-25 Sec. 6.
\7\ OMB Circular A-25 Sec. 6. a. 2.
\8\ SFFAS Number 4 ] 7.
\9\ To avoid the possibility of confusion that has occurred in
prior years as to whether costs were being entered twice as ``Other
Direct Costs'' and ``Overhead,'' the form excluded ``Other Direct
Costs.''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commission Review of OFA Cost Submittals
5. The Commission received cost forms and other supporting
documentation from the Departments of the Interior, Agriculture, and
Commerce (OFAs). The Commission completed a review of each OFA's cost
submission forms and supporting reports. In its examination of the
OFAs' cost data, the Commission considered each agency's ability to
demonstrate a system or process which effectively captured, isolated,
and reported Part I costs as required by the ``Other Federal Agency
Cost Submission Form.''
6. The Commission held a Technical Conference on March 26, 2015 to
report its initial findings to licensees and OFAs. No OFA
representatives attended the conference. Following the technical
conference, licensees had the opportunity to submit comments \10\ to
the Commission regarding its initial review.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\10\ See Letter from Charles R. Sensiba, Van Ness Feldman, to
the Honorable Kimberly D. Bose, FERC, Docket No. AD15-2-000 (filed
May 11, 2015).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
7. Written comments were filed by Idaho Falls Group (Idaho Falls).
Idaho Falls generally supported the Commission's analysis but raised
questions regarding certain various individual cost submissions. The
Commission will address the issues in the Appendix to this notice.
8. After additional reviews, full consideration of the comments
presented, and in accordance with the previously cited guidance, the
Commission accepted as reasonable any costs reported via the cost
submission forms that were clearly documented in the OFAs' accompanying
reports and/or analyses. These documented costs will be included in the
administrative annual charges for fiscal year 2015.
Summary of Reported & Accepted Costs for Fiscal Year 2014
[[Page 40051]]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Municipal Non-Municipal Total
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reported Accepted Reported Accepted Reported Accepted
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Department of Interior
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureau of Indian Affairs................................ 143,046 143,046 216,666 216,666 359,713 359,713
Bureau of Land Management............................... 98,020 96,140 1,494 2,212 99,514 98,352
Bureau of Reclamation................................... 141 141 39,044 39,044 39,185 39,185
National Park Service................................... 280,357 280,357 278,416 278,416 558,773 558,773
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.......................... 881,471 880,657 1,036,499 1,035,447 1,917,972 1,916,104
U.S. Geological Survey.................................. .............. .............. .............. .............. -- --
Office of the Solicitor................................. 13,599 13,599 111,186 108,414 124,785 122,013
Office of Environmental Policy & Compliance............. 55,825 55,825 132,834 132,834 188,658 188,658
Office of Hearings and Appeals.......................... 489 489 1,840 1,840 2,329 2,329
Office of Policy Analysis............................... .............. .............. 9,646 9,646 9,646 9,646
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Department of Agriculture
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
U.S. Forest Service..................................... 493,060 378,925 1,550,580 1,594,016 2,043,640 1,572,941
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Department of Commerce
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Marine Fisheries Service....................... 1,563,763 1,132,389 551,280 400,071 2,115,043 1,532,460
Total............................................... 3,529,771 2,981,588 3,929,485 3,418,606 7,459,258 6,400,174
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Figure 1
9. Figure 1 summarizes the total reported costs incurred by
Interior, Agriculture, and Commerce with respect to each OFA's
participation in administering Part I of the FPA. Additionally, Figure
1 summarizes the reported costs that the Commission determined were
clearly documented and accepted for inclusion in its FY 2015
administrative annual charges.
Summary Findings of Commission's Costs Review
10. As presented in the preceding table, the Commission determined
that $6,400,174 of the $7,459,258 in total reported costs were
determined to be reasonable and clearly documented in the OFAs'
accompanying reports and/or analyses. Based on these findings, 14% of
the total reported cost was determined to be unreasonable. The
Commission noted the most significant issues with regard to the
insufficiency of documentation provided by the OFAs was the lack of
supporting documentation to substantiate costs reported on the ``Other
Federal Agency Cost Submission Form'' as well as the inability to
segregate Municipal and Non-Municipal costs.
11. The cost reports that the Commission determined were clearly
documented and supported could be traced to detailed cost-accounting
reports, which reconciled to data provided from agency financial
systems or other pertinent source documentation. A further breakdown of
these costs is included in the Appendix to this notice, along with an
explanation of how the Commission determined their reasonableness.
Points of Contact
12. If you have any questions regarding this notice, please contact
Norman Richardson at (202) 502-6219 or Raven Rodriquez at (202) 502-
6276.
Dated: July 7, 2015.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2015-17052 Filed 7-10-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
