60-day notice from eLibrary

Document Accession #: 20250127-3038

Filed Date: 01/27/2025

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
[Docket No. IC25-6-000]
COMMISSION INFORMATION COLLECTION ACTIVITIES
(FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A);
CONSOLIDATED COMMENT REQUEST; EXTENSION
(January 27, 2025)
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION: Notice of information collection and request for comments.
SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting
public comment on the currently approved information collections, FERC Form No. 60
(Annual Report of Centralized Service Companies), FERC-61 (Narrative Description of
Service Company Functions), and FERC-555A (Preservation of Records Companies and
Service Companies Subject to PUHCA).
DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due [INSERT DATE 60
DAYS AFTER DATE OF PUBLICATION IN THE FEDERAL REGISTER].
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments (identified by Docket No. IC25-6-000) by
any of the following methods:
Electronic filing through http://www.ferc.gov, is preferred.
 Electronic Filing: Documents must be filed in acceptable native applications and
print-to-PDF, but not in scanned or picture format.

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 For those unable to file electronically, comments may be filed by USPS mail or by
hand (including courier) delivery:
o Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Addressed to: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street,
N.E., Washington, DC 20426.
o Hand (including courier) delivery: Deliver to: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue, Rockville, MD 20852.
Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in accordance with submission
guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov. For user assistance, contact FERC Online Support
by e-mail at: [email protected], or by phone at: (866) 208-3676 (toll-free).
Docket: Users interested in receiving automatic notification of activity in this docket or in
viewing/downloading comments and issuances in this docket may do so at:
http://www.ferc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Kayla Williams may be reached by e-mail at
[email protected] and telephone at (202) 502-8663.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the information collection requirements for
FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A with no changes to the current reporting
requirements.
OMB Control Nos. and Titles: 1902-0215 ((FERC Form No. 60 (Annual Report of
Centralized Service Companies), FERC-61 (Narrative Description of Service Company

Document Accession #: 20250127-3038

Docket No. IC25-6-000

Filed Date: 01/27/2025

3

Functions), and FERC-555A (Preservation of Records Companies and Service
Companies Subject to PUHCA)).
Abstract: In accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), the
Commission implemented the repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935
(PUHCA 1935) and implemented the provisions of a newly enacted Public Utility
Holding Company Act 2005 (PUHCA 2005). Pursuant to PUHCA 2005, the
Commission requires centralized service companies to file FERC Form No. 60 or FERC61, and comply with FERC-555A’s requirements unless the company is exempted or
granted a waiver pursuant to the Commission’s regulations. The information collected in
FERC Form No. 60 enables better monitoring for cross-subsidization, and aids the
Commission in carrying out its statutory responsibilities. In addition, centralized service
companies are required to follow the Commission’s preservation of records requirements
for centralized service companies.
FERC Form No. 60
FERC Form No. 60 is an annual reporting requirement for centralized service
companies set forth in 18 C.F.R. § 366.23. The report’s function is to collect financial
information (including balance sheet, assets, liabilities, billing and charges for associated
and non-associated companies) from centralized service companies subject to the
Commission’s jurisdiction. Unless the Commission exempts or grants a waiver pursuant
to 18 C.F.R. §§ 366.3 and 366.4 to the holding company system, every centralized
service company in a holding company system must prepare and file electronically with
the Commission the FERC Form No. 60, pursuant to the General Instructions in the form.

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4

FERC-61
FERC-61 is a filing requirement for service companies in holding company
systems (including special purpose companies) that are currently exempt or granted a
waiver of FERC’s regulations and would not have to file FERC Form No. 60. Instead,
those service companies are required to file, on an annual basis, a narrative description of
the service company’s functions during the prior calendar year (FERC-61). In
complying, a holding company may make a single filing on behalf of all of its service
company subsidiaries.
FERC-555A
The Commission’s regulations prescribe a mandated preservation of records
requirement for holding companies and service companies (unless otherwise exempted by
FERC). This requires them to maintain and make available to FERC, their books and
records. The preservation of records requirement provides for uniform records retention
by holding companies and centralized service companies subject to PUHCA 2005.
Data from FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A provide a level of
transparency that: 1) helps protect ratepayers from pass-through of improper service
company costs, 2) enables the Commission to review and determine cost allocations
(among holding company members) for certain non-power goods and services, 3) aids the
Commission in meeting its oversight and market monitoring obligations, and 4) benefits
the public, both as ratepayers and investors. In addition, the Commission’s audit staff
uses these records during compliance audits, reviews and special analyses.

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Docket No. IC25-6-000

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5

If data from FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A were not available, it
would be difficult for the Commission to meet its statutory responsibilities under EPAct
1992, EPAct of 2005, and PUHCA 2005, and the Commission would have fewer of the
regulatory mechanisms necessary to ensure transparency and protect ratepayers.
Type of Respondent: Centralized service companies
Estimate of Annual Burden:1 The Commission estimates the annual public reporting
burden and cost (rounded in the tables) for the information collections as:2
FERC-60 Annual Burden Estimate
F.
Total
D.
Annual
C.
Total No.
E.
Burden
Annual No.
of
Average
Hours &
of
Responses Burden
Cost
B.
Responses (Column B Hours & (Column D
No. of
per
x Column Cost Per x Column
Respondents Respondent
C)
Response
E)

G.
Cost per
Respondent
(Column F ÷
Column B)

1

Burden is defined as 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3. The burden hours and costs are
rounded for ease of presentation.

2

The cost for the Form 60 and FERC-61 is based on FERC’s 2024 Commissionwide average salary cost (salary plus benefits) of $100/hour. The Commission staff
believes the FERC FTE (full-time equivalent) average cost for wages plus benefits is
representative of the corresponding cost for the industry respondents.
For the FERC-555A, the $39.53 hourly cost figure comes from the average cost (wages
plus benefits) of a file clerk (Occupation Code 43-4071) as posted on the BLS website
(https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm).

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Docket No. IC25-6-000

37

1

6

37

78 hrs.
$7,800

2,886 hrs.
$288,600

FERC-61 Annual Burden Estimate
F.
Total
D.
Annual
C.
Total No.
E.
Burden
Annual No.
of
Average
Hours &
of
Responses Burden
Cost
B.
Responses (Column B Hours & (Column D
No. of
per
x Column Cost Per x Column
Respondents Respondent
C)
Response
E)
0.5 hrs.
7 hrs.
143
1
14
$50
$700

B.
No. of
Respondents
51

$7,800

G.
Cost per
Respondent
(Column F ÷
Column B)

FERC-555A Annual Burden Estimate
C.
D.
Annual
Total No.
E.
F.
No. of
of
Average
Total Annual
Responses Responses
Burden
Burden
per
(Column B Hours & Hours & Cost
Responden x Column
Cost Per
(Column D x
t
C)
Response
Column E)
1,080 hrs.
55,080 hrs.
1
51
$42,692.40 $2,177,312.40

$50

G.
Cost per
Responden
t
(Column F
÷ Column
B)
42,692.40

FERC-555A Record Retention
3

Previously, the Commission estimated the number of FERC-61 respondents by
including the potential for a holding company to file for a group of companies. In
contrast, the current estimate is updated to instead reflect the actual number of filers
filing the FERC-61, as opposed to the potential number of companies represented by the
population of filers. The current approach is more precisee as it can be confirmed by
reviewing the most recent number of FERC-61 filers. It is also consistent with the
manner in which the number of respondents is estimated for other Commission
collections. The varying corporate sizes and complexities inherent in the filing
community is already taken into account via the burden hours estimate that is based on
average filer burden.

Document Accession #: 20250127-3038

Filed Date: 01/27/2025

Docket No. IC25-6-000

Electronic
Storage

7

Total No.
of
Responses

Cost per
Respondent

51

$10.00

Total
Annual
Cost
$510

Total Annual Cost: $2,468,472.40 [$288,600 (FERC Form No. 60) + $700 (FERC-61) +
$2,177,312.40 (FERC-555A)] (Labor Cost) + $510 (Record Retention storage cost) =
$2,468,472.40.]
A more granular breakdown of the FERC-60/61/555A cost categories follows:
Labor Cost: The total estimated annual cost for labor burden to respondents is
$2,466,612.40 [$288,600 (FERC Form No. 60) + $700 (FERC-61) + $2,177,312.40
(FERC-555A)]
FERC Form No. 60: 37 respondents x $7,800 per respondent = $288,600
FERC-61: 14 respondents x $50 per respondent = $700
FERC-555A: 51 respondents x $42,692.40 per respondent = $2,177,312.40
We expect the labor cost of FERC-555A record keeping to trend downward over time as
companies move their records almost entirely to electronic record keeping and storage.
Storage Cost:4 In addition to the FERC-555A labor (burden cost provided above),
there are additional costs that represent record retention and storage costs. Previously, the
estimate included paper storage costs, but firms no longer rely on paper storage to

4

Internal analysis assumes 100% electronic storage.

Document Accession #: 20250127-3038

Docket No. IC25-6-000

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8

maintain the majority of their records, therefore the Commission is removing the costs for
paper storage. For electronic storage, the Commission estimates $10.00 per respondent
annually. Total annual electronic storage cost to industry ($10.00 x 51 respondents):
$510. This calculation estimates storage of 1GB per year at $10.00. We expect that this
estimate should continue to trend downward over time as the cost of electronic storage
technology, including cloud storage, continues to decrease. For example, external hard
drives of approximately 1000GB are available for approximately $75. In addition, cloud
storage plans from multiple providers for 1TB of storage (with a reasonable amount of
requests and data transfers) are available for less than $7 per month.
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 the collections of information, 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
collections of information on those who are to respond, including the use of automated
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.

Document Accession #: 20250127-3038

Filed Date: 01/27/2025

Document Content(s)
Final_FERC 60 60A 61 555A 60 Day Notice.docx..............................1