Notice2025-12547
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form Nos. 6 and 6-Q); Comment Request; Extension
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
July 7, 2025
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentFederal Energy Regulatory Commission
Abstract
In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved information collections, FERC Form Nos. 6 (Annual Report of Oil Pipeline Companies) and 6-Q (Quarterly Report of Oil Pipeline Companies). The Commission published a 60-day notice in the Federal Register on March 26, 2025 and received no comments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 127 (Monday, July 7, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 127 (Monday, July 7, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29862-29864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-12547]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC25-9-000]
Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form Nos. 6
and 6-Q); Comment Request; Extension
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of information collections and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA), the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission
or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved
information collections, FERC Form Nos. 6 (Annual Report of Oil
Pipeline Companies) and 6-Q (Quarterly Report of Oil Pipeline
Companies). The Commission published a 60-day notice in the Federal
Register on March 26, 2025 and received no comments.
DATES: Comments on collections of information are due August 6, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC Form Nos. 6 and 6-Q to OMB
through <a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRA/icrPublicCommentRequest?ref_nbr=202505-1902-003">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRA/icrPublicCommentRequest?ref_nbr=202505-1902-003</a>. You can also visit
<a href="https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain">https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain</a> and use the drop-down under
``Currently under Review'' to select the ``Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission'' where you can see the open opportunities to provide
comments. Comments should be sent within 30 days of publication of this
notice.
Please also submit a copy of your comments to the Commission via
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#35715441547659505447545b565075737067761b525a43"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="3f7b5e4b5e7c535a5e4d5e515c5a7f797a6d7c11585049">[email protected]</span></a>. You must specify the Docket No. IC25-
9-000 and the FERC Information Collection number (FERC-6 and FERC-6Q)
in your email. If you are unable to submit via email, comments may be
sent by USPS mail or by hand (including courier) delivery:
<bullet> Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street
NE, Washington, DC 20426.
<bullet> All other delivery methods: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, MD 20852.
Docket: To view comments and issuances in this docket, please visit
<a href="https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search">https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search</a>. Once there, you can also
sign-up for automatic notification of activity in this docket.
[[Page 29863]]
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kayla Williams, (202) 502-6468.
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#fabe9b8e9bb9969f9b889b94999fbabcbfa8b9d49d958c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e2a6839683a18e878390838c8187a2a4a7b0a1cc858d94">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Type of Request: Three-year extensions of FERC Form Nos. 6 and 6-Q,
information collections with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
Titles: FERC Form Nos. 6 (Annual Report of Oil Pipeline Companies)
and 6-Q (Quarterly Report of Oil Pipeline Companies).
OMB Control Nos.: 1902-0022 (FERC Form No. 6), 1902-0206 (FERC Form
No. 6-Q).
Type of Respondent: Oil pipelines.
The Commission published a 60-day notice on March 26, 2025 in the
Federal Register (90 FR 13742) and received no comments.
Abstract: Under the Interstate Commerce Act (ICA),\1\ the
Commission is authorized to collect and record data to the extent the
Commission may consider such data necessary or useful for the purpose
of carrying out the provisions of the ICA. The Commission must ensure
just and reasonable rates for transportation of crude oil and petroleum
products by pipelines in interstate commerce.
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\1\ 49 U.S.C. Part 1, Section 20, 54 Stat. 916.
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FERC Form No. 6, Annual Report of Oil Pipeline Companies
In 1977, the Department of Energy Organization Act transferred to
the Commission from the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) the
responsibility to regulate oil pipeline companies. In accordance with
the transfer of authority, the Commission was delegated the
responsibility to require oil pipelines to file annual reports of
information necessary for the Commission to exercise its statutory
responsibilities.\2\ The transfer included the ICC Form P, the
predecessor to FERC Form No. 6.\3\
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\2\ Section 402(b) of the Department of Energy Organization Act
(DOE Act), 42 U.S.C. 7172 provides that ``[t]here are hereby
transferred to, and vested in, the Commission all functions and
authority of the Interstate Commerce Commission or any officer or
component of such Commission where the regulatory function
establishes rates or charges for the transportation of oil by
pipeline or established the valuation of any such pipeline.''
\3\ The ICC developed the Form P to collect information on an
annual basis to enable it to carry out its regulation of oil
pipeline companies under the Interstate Commerce Act. A
comprehensive review of the reporting requirements for oil pipeline
companies was performed on September 21, 1982, when the Commission
issued Order No. 260 revising the former ICC Form P, ``Annual Report
of Carriers by Pipeline'' and redesignating it as FERC Form No. 6,
``Annual Report of Oil Pipeline Companies.
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To reduce burden on industry, FERC Form No. 6 has three tiers of
reporting requirements:
1. Each oil pipeline carrier whose annual jurisdictional operating
revenues has been $500,000 or more for each of the three previous
calendar years must file FERC Form No. 6 (18 CFR 357.2 (a)). Oil
pipeline companies subject to the provisions of section 20 of the ICA
must submit FERC Form No. 6-Q. (18 CFR 357.4(b)). Newly established
entities must use projected data to determine whether FERC Form No. 6
must be filed.
2. Oil pipeline carriers exempt from filing FERC Form No. 6 whose
annual jurisdictional operating revenues have been more than $350,000
but less than $500,000 for each of the three previous calendar years
must prepare and file page 301, ``Operating Revenue Accounts (Account
600),'' and page 700, ``Annual Cost of Service Based Analysis
Schedule,'' of FERC Form No. 6. When submitting pages 301 and 700, each
exempt oil pipeline carrier must include page 1 of FERC Form No. 6, the
Identification and Attestation schedule (18 CFR 357.2 (a)(2)).
3. Oil pipeline carriers exempt from filing FERC Form No. 6 and
page 301 and whose annual jurisdictional operating revenues were
$350,000 or less for each of the three previous calendar years must
prepare and file page 700, ``Annual Cost of Service Based Analysis
Schedule,'' of FERC Form No. 6. When submitting page 700, each exempt
oil pipeline carrier must include page 1 of FERC Form No. 6, the
Identification and Attestation schedule (18 CFR 357.2 (a)(3)).
The Commission uses the data in FERC Form No. 6 to perform audits
and reviews of the financial condition of oil pipelines; assess energy
markets; conduct oil pipeline rate proceedings and economic analysis;
conduct research for use in administrative litigation; and administer
the requirements of the ICA. Data from FERC Form No. 6 facilitates the
calculation of the actual rate of return on equity for oil pipelines.
The actual rate of return on equity is particularly useful information
when evaluating a pipeline's rates.
The Commission also uses data on page 301 of FERC Form No. 6 to
compute annual charges which are then assessed against oil pipeline
companies to recover the Commission's annual costs as mandated by Order
No. 472. The annual charges are required by Section 3401 of the Omnibus
Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986.
Furthermore, the majority of state regulatory commissions use FERC
Form No. 6 and the Commission's Uniform System of Accounts (USofA) to
satisfy their reporting requirements for those companies under their
jurisdiction. In addition, the public uses the data in FERC Form No. 6
to assist in monitoring rates, the financial condition of the oil
pipeline industry, and in assessing energy markets.
FERC Form No. 6-Q, Quarterly Financial Report of Oil Pipeline Companies
The Commission uses the information collected in FERC Form No. 6-Q
to carry out its responsibilities in implementing the statutory
provisions of the ICA to include the authority to prescribe rules and
regulations concerning accounts, records, and memoranda, as necessary
or appropriate. Financial accounting and reporting provides necessary
information concerning a company's past performance and its future
prospects. Without reliable financial statements prepared in accordance
with the Commission's USofA and related regulations, it would be
difficult for the Commission to accurately determine the costs that
relate to a particular time period, service, or line of business.
The Commission uses data from FERC Form No. 6-Q to assist in: (1)
implementation of its financial audits and programs; (2) continuous
review of the financial condition of regulated companies; (3)
assessment of energy markets; and (4) rate proceedings and economic
analyses.
Financial information reported in the quarterly FERC Form No. 6-Q
provides the Commission, as well as customers, investors and others, an
important tool to help identify emerging trends and issues affecting
jurisdictional entities within the energy industry. It also provides
timely disclosures of the impacts that new accounting standards, or
changes in existing standards, have on jurisdictional entities, as well
as the economic effects of significant transactions, events, and
circumstances. The reporting of this information by jurisdictional
entities assists the Commission in its analysis of profitability,
efficiency, risk, and in its overall monitoring.
FERC Form Nos. 6 and 6-Q
Estimates of Annual Burden \4\ and Cost \5\:
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\4\ ``Burden'' is the total time, effort, or financial resources
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or
provide information to or for a Federal agency. For further
explanation of what is included in the information collection
burden, refer to 5 CFR 1320.3.
\5\ Commission staff estimates that the industry's skill set and
cost (for wages and benefits) for completing and filing FERC Form
Nos. 6 and 6-Q are comparable to the Commission's skill set and
average cost. The FERC 2025 average salary plus benefits for one
FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is $103/hour. Note--the 60-day
Federal Register Notice mistakenly indicated the FERC FTE average
salary cost was $104/hour. Accordingly, these tables include a minor
correction from those published in the 60-day Federal Register
Notice.
[[Page 29864]]
FERC Form 6--Annual Burden Estimate
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D. Total F. Total
C. Annual number of E. Average annual burden G. Cost per
B. Number of respondents number of responses burden hours hours & cost respondent
responses per (column B x & cost per (column D x (column F /
respondent column C) response column E) column B)
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269............................. 1 269 161 hrs., 43,309 hrs., $16,583
$16,583 $4,460,827
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FERC Form 6-Q--Annual Burden Estimate
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D. Total F. Total
C. Annual number of E. Average annual burden G. Cost per
B. Number of respondents number of responses burden hours hours & cost respondent
responses per (column B x & cost per (column D x (column F /
respondent column C) response column E) column B)
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247............................. 3 741 150 hrs., 111,150 hrs. , $46,350
$15,450 $11,448,450
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30-Day Comments
Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) whether the collections of
information are necessary for the proper performance of the functions
of the Commission, including whether the information will have
practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimates of the
burden and cost of information collections, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information collections; and (4) ways to
minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are
to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
Dated: July 1, 2025.
Carlos D. Clay,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-12547 Filed 7-3-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on July 7, 2025.
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