FERC 6 6Q - 30 Day - eLibrary

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION

[Docket No. IC25-9-000]

COMMISSION INFORMATION COLLECTION ACTIVITIES

(FERC Form Nos. 6 and 6-Q);

COMMENT REQUEST; EXTENSION

(July 1, 2025)

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

ACTION: Notice of information collections and request for comments.

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 [Insert Date 30 days after date of publication in the Federal Register].

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on FERC Form Nos. 6 and 6-Q

to OMB through https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRA/icrPublicCommentRequest?ref_nbr=202505-1902-003. You can also visit https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain 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 [email protected]. 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:

• Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20426.

• 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 https://elibrary.ferc.gov/eLibrary/search. Once there, you can also sign-up for automatic notification of activity in this docket.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Kayla Williams, (202) 502-6468. [email protected]

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. 

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

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 Burden⁴ and Cost⁵: 

FERC Form 6: Annual Burden Estimate
B.   No. of Respondents	C.   Annual No. of Responses per Respondent	D.   Total No. of Responses (Column B x Column C)	E.   Average Burden Hours & Cost Per Response	F.   Total Annual Burden Hours & Cost   (Column D x Column E)	G.   Cost per Respondent   (Column F ÷ Column B)
269	1	269	161 hrs.   $16,583	43,309 hrs.   $4,460,827	$16,583

 

FERC Form 6-Q: Annual Burden Estimate
B.   No. of Respondents	C.   Annual No. of Responses per Respondent	D.   Total No. of Responses (Column B x Column C)	E.   Average Burden Hours & Cost Per Response	F.   Total Annual Burden Hours & Cost   (Column D x Column E)	G.   Cost per Respondent   (Column F ÷ Column B)
247	3	741	150 hrs.   $15,450	111,150 hrs.   $11,448,450	$46,350

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.

Debbie-Anne A. Reese,

Secretary.

1 49 USC Part 1, Section 20, 54 Stat. 916.

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

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 C.F.R. § 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.