15 USC 717g

§ 717g

TITLE 15—COMMERCE AND TRADE

tice and procedure in similar action or proceeding in the courts of the State where the property
is situated: Provided, That the United States district courts shall only have jurisdiction of cases
when the amount claimed by the owner of the
property to be condemned exceeds $3,000.
(June 21, 1938, ch. 556, § 7, 52 Stat. 824; Feb. 7,
1942, ch. 49, 56 Stat. 83; July 25, 1947, ch. 333, 61
Stat. 459; Pub. L. 95–617, title VI, § 608, Nov. 9,
1978, 92 Stat. 3173; Pub. L. 100–474, § 2, Oct. 6, 1988,
102 Stat. 2302.)
AMENDMENTS
1988—Subsec. (f). Pub. L. 100–474 designated existing
provisions as par. (1) and added par. (2).
1978—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 95–617, § 608(a), (b)(1), designated existing first paragraph as par. (1)(A) and existing second paragraph as par. (1)(B) and added par. (2).
Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 95–617, § 608(b)(2), substituted
‘‘subsection (c)(1)’’ for ‘‘subsection (c)’’.
1947—Subsec. (h). Act July 25, 1947, added subsec. (h).
1942—Subsecs. (c) to (g). Act Feb. 7, 1942, struck out
subsec. (c), and added new subsecs. (c) to (g).
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1988 AMENDMENT
Section 3 of Pub. L. 100–474 provided that: ‘‘The provisions of this Act [amending this section and enacting
provisions set out as a note under section 717w of this
title] shall become effective one hundred and twenty
days after the date of enactment [Oct. 6, 1988].’’
TRANSFER OF FUNCTIONS
Enforcement functions of Secretary or other official
in Department of Energy and Commission, Commissioners, or other official in Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission related to compliance with certificates of
public convenience and necessity issued under this section with respect to pre-construction, construction,
and initial operation of transportation system for Canadian and Alaskan natural gas transferred to Federal
Inspector, Office of Federal Inspector for Alaska Natural Gas Transportation System, until first anniversary
of date of initial operation of Alaska Natural Gas
Transportation System, see Reorg. Plan No. 1 of 1979,
§§ 102(d), 203(a), 44 F.R. 33663, 33666, 93 Stat. 1373, 1376, effective July 1, 1979, set out under section 719e of this
title. Office of Federal Inspector for the Alaska Natural
Gas Transportation System abolished and functions
and authority vested in Inspector transferred to Secretary of Energy by section 3012(b) of Pub. L. 102–486,
set out as an Abolition of Office of Federal Inspector
note under section 719e of this title. Functions and authority vested in Secretary of Energy subsequently
transferred to Federal Coordinator for Alaska Natural
Gas Transportation Projects by section 720d(f) of this
title.

§ 717g. Accounts; records; memoranda
(a) Rules and regulations for keeping and preserving accounts, records, etc.
Every natural-gas company shall make, keep,
and preserve for such periods, such accounts,
records of cost-accounting procedures, correspondence, memoranda, papers, books, and
other records as the Commission may by rules
and regulations prescribe as necessary or appropriate for purposes of the administration of this
chapter: Provided, however, That nothing in this
chapter shall relieve any such natural-gas company from keeping any accounts, memoranda, or
records which such natural-gas company may be
required to keep by or under authority of the
laws of any State. The Commission may prescribe a system of accounts to be kept by such

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natural-gas companies, and may classify such
natural-gas companies and prescribe a system of
accounts for each class. The Commission, after
notice and opportunity for hearing, may determine by order the accounts in which particular
outlays or receipts shall be entered, charged, or
credited. The burden of proof to justify every accounting entry questioned by the Commission
shall be on the person making, authorizing, or
requiring such entry, and the Commission may
suspend a charge or credit pending submission of
satisfactory proof in support thereof.
(b) Access to and inspection of accounts and
records
The Commission shall at all times have access
to and the right to inspect and examine all accounts, records, and memoranda of natural-gas
companies; and it shall be the duty of such natural-gas companies to furnish to the Commission,
within such reasonable time as the Commission
may order, any information with respect thereto
which the Commission may by order require, including copies of maps, contracts, reports of engineers, and other data, records, and papers, and
to grant to all agents of the Commission free access to its property and its accounts, records,
and memoranda when requested so to do. No
member, officer, or employee of the Commission
shall divulge any fact or information which may
come to his knowledge during the course of examination of books, records, data, or accounts,
except insofar as he may be directed by the
Commission or by a court.
(c) Books, accounts, etc., of the person controlling gas company subject to examination
The books, accounts, memoranda, and records
of any person who controls directly or indirectly
a natural-gas company subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission and of any other company controlled by such person, insofar as they
relate to transactions with or the business of
such natural-gas company, shall be subject to
examination on the order of the Commission.
(June 21, 1938, ch. 556, § 8, 52 Stat. 825.)
§ 717h. Rates of depreciation
(a) Depreciation and amortization
The Commission may, after hearing, require
natural-gas companies to carry proper and adequate depreciation and amortization accounts in
accordance with such rules, regulations, and
forms of account as the Commission may prescribe. The Commission may from time to time
ascertain and determine, and by order fix, the
proper and adequate rates of depreciation and
amortization of the several classes of property
of each natural-gas company used or useful in
the production, transportation, or sale of natural gas. Each natural-gas company shall conform its depreciation and amortization accounts
to the rates so ascertained, determined, and
fixed. No natural-gas company subject to the jurisdiction of the Commission shall charge to operating expenses any depreciation or amortization charges on classes of property other than
those prescribed by the Commission, or charge
with respect to any class of property a percentage of depreciation or amortization other than
that prescribed therefor by the Commission. No