FERC Form No. 2, (NOPR in RM19-12) Annual Report of Major Natural Gas Companies

Forms and Documents

Document Name	Status
Form Form 2 FERC Form No. 2, Annual Report of Major Natural Gas Companies Form and Instruction	Modified
RM19-12NOPR consolid supp state_final3-14-19clean.docx Supporting Statement A	2019-03-14
cfr_2_2a.docx Supplementary Document	2019-01-29
Form 2_2A Statute.doc Supplementary Document	2011-01-27

IC Document Collections

IC ID	Document Title	Status
22943	FERC Form No. 2, Annual Report of Major Natural Gas Companies Form and Instruction	Modified

ICR Details

OMB Control No: 1902-0028	ICR Reference No: 201901-1902-006
Status: Historical Inactive	Previous ICR Reference No: 201706-1902-002
Agency/Subagency: FERC	Agency Tracking No: FERC Form No. 2
Title: FERC Form No. 2, (NOPR in RM19-12) Annual Report of Major Natural Gas Companies
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR:  No
Type of Review Request: Regular
OIRA Conclusion Action: Comment filed on proposed rule and continue	Conclusion Date: 03/14/2019
	Date Received in OIRA: 02/08/2019
Terms of Clearance: In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, OMB is filing comment and withholding approval at this time. The agency shall examine public comment in response to the proposed rulemaking and will include in the supporting statement of the next ICR--to be submitted to OMB at the final rule stage--a description of how the agency has responded to any public comments on the ICR, including comments on maximizing the practical utility of the collection and minimizing the burden.

	Inventory as of this Action	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	12/31/2020	36 Months From Approved	12/31/2020
Responses	92	0	92
Time Burden (Hours)	149,868	0	149,868
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

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Abstract: NOPR in RM19-12. The consolidated supporting statement is being submitted for Forms 1, 1F, 3Q(electric and gas), 2, 2A, 6, 6Q, 714A, & 60. The Commission is proposing to transition from the current use of the Visual FoxPro software, which is no longer supported by its developer, to a type of Extensible Markup Language (XML) called eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL). The XBRL standard would be used to file the Commission’s Form Nos. 1, 1-F, 2, 2-A, 3-Q electric, 3-Q natural gas, 6, 6-Q, 60, and 714. The use of XBRL should make the information in these forms easier for filers and data users to analyze and assist in automating regulatory filings and business information processing. In addition, the Commission believes that transitioning from the current Visual FoxPro system to XBRL will decrease the costs, over time, of preparing the necessary data for submission and complying with future changes to filing requirements set forth by the Commission. The Commission is also proposing to revise its regulations to require filers of Form No. 1-F to file their report in electronic media pursuant to 18 CFR 385.2011. General. The FERC Form No. 2 is a financial and operating report for natural gas rate regulation for major pipelines. "Major" is defined as companies having combined gas sold for resale and gas transported or stored for a fee that exceeds 50 million Dekatherms in each of the three previous calendar years. The Commission investigates, collects and records data and prescribes rules and regulations concerning accounts, records and memoranda as necessary to administer the Natural Gas Act (NGA).

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Authorizing Statute(s): US Code: 15 USC 717(g)-717(i) Name of Law: Natural Gas Act
  

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

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Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
1902-AF58	Proposed rulemaking	84 FR 1412	02/04/2019

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Federal Register Notices & Comments

Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? No

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Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
FERC Form No. 2, Annual Report of Major Natural Gas Companies	Form 2	Annual Report of Major Natural Gas Companies

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Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: Yes

Burden Increase Due to: Miscellaneous Actions

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: Under the Commission’s regulations, certain entities are required to report information to the Commission by filing one or more forms. Currently, these entities use a Commission-distributed software application called Visual FoxPro. Each entity is required to gather its relevant financial and other data and enter the data into Visual FoxPro, which the entity maintains on its own computer system. The entity then uses the Visual FoxPro software to transmit the information to the Commission. However, Microsoft Corporation, the developer of Visual FoxPro, no longer supports this product. Recognizing that Microsoft Corporation no longer supports Visual FoxPro, on April 25, 2015, the Commission issued an order announcing its intention to replace the current Visual FoxPro filing format for Form Nos. 1, 1-F, 2, 2-A, 3-Q electric, 3-Q natural gas, 6, 6-Q, 60, and 714 (collectively, the VFP Forms) with an XML-based filing format. The Commission stated that XML is the current industry standard for submission of electronic data, such as that captured in its forms, and that the XML data format has significant advantages over other approaches because it is non-proprietary, and would establish a single standard for nearly all Commission forms while also providing consistency with the Commission’s current electronic tariff (eTariff) filings and the Electric Quarterly Report (EQR) systems. The XML format facilitates the sharing of data across different information systems, particularly via the Internet, by structuring the data using tags to identify particular data elements.

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Annual Cost to Federal Government: $143,379

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination.     No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? Uncollected

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Common Form ICR:  No

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On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).

The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:

(a) It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions;

(b) It avoids unnecessary duplication;

(c) It reduces burden on small entities;

(d) It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents;

(e) Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices;

(f) It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements;

(g) It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

(i) Why the information is being collected;

(ii) Use of information;

(iii) Burden estimate;

(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);

(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and

(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;

(h) It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

(i) It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable); and

(j) It makes appropriate use of information technology.

If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.

Certification Date: 02/08/2019

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