FERC 6 6Q - 30 Day - Published

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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 127 / Monday, July 7, 2025 / Notices

• Sections 20(1) and 20(5) of the
Interstate Commerce Act (49 App.
U.S.C. 20(1) and 20(5)).
Cash management or ‘‘money pool’’
programs typically concentrate
affiliates’ cash assets in joint accounts
for the purpose of providing financial
flexibility and lowering the cost of
borrowing. In a 2002 investigation,
FERC staff found that balances in cash
management programs affecting FERCregulated entities totaled approximately
$16 billion. Additionally, other
investigations revealed large transfers of
funds (amounting to more than $1
billion) between regulated pipeline
affiliates and non-regulated parents

whose financial conditions were
precarious. The Commission found that
these and other fund transfers and the
enormous (mostly unregulated) pools of
money in cash management programs
could detrimentally affect regulated
rates.
To protect customers and promote
transparency, the Commission issued
Order 634–A (2003) requiring entities to
formalize in writing and file with the
Commission their cash management
agreements. At that time, the
Commission obtained OMB clearance
for this new reporting requirement
under the FERC–555 information
collection (OMB Control No. 1902–

0098). Now, the Commission includes
these reporting requirements for cash
management agreements under the
FERC–604 information collection (OMB
Control No. 1902–0267). The
Commission implemented these
reporting requirements in 18 CFR
141.500, 260.400, and 357.5.
Type of Respondents: Public utilities,
natural gas companies, and oil pipeline
companies.
Estimate of Annual Burden.1 The
Commission estimates the annual public
reporting burden for the information
collection as:

FERC–604, CASH MANAGEMENT AGREEMENTS

Number of respondents

Number of
responses per
respondent

Total number
of responses

Average
burden hours
& average cost 2
per response
($)

Total annual
burden hours & total
annual cost
($)

Cost per
respondent ($)

(1)

(2)

(1) * (2) = (3)

(4)

(3) * (4) = (5)

(5) ÷ (1) = (6)

1.5 hours; $155 ..............

67.5 hours; $6,953 .........

45 ....................................

1

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.
Dated: July 1, 2025.
Carlos D. Clay,
Deputy Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025–12545 Filed 7–3–25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

45

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
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission.
ACTION: Notice of information
collections and request for comments.
AGENCY:

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.

SUMMARY:

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 https://www.reginfo.gov/public/

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DATES:

1 Burden is defined as the total time, effort, or
financial resources expended by persons to
generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide
information to or for a federal agency. See 5 CFR

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1320 for additional information on the definition of
information collection burden.
2 The Commission staff estimates that the
industry’s hourly cost for wages plus benefits is

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$155

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 NE, 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.
similar to the Commission’s $103 FY 2025 average
hourly cost for wages and benefits ($214,093 annual
costs).

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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 127 / Monday, July 7, 2025 / Notices
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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
1 49

U.S.C. Part 1, Section 20, 54 Stat. 916.
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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2 Section

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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

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29863

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:
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

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29864

Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 127 / Monday, July 7, 2025 / Notices
FERC FORM 6—ANNUAL BURDEN ESTIMATE
C.
Annual
number of
responses per
respondent

B.
Number of
respondents

269 .......................................................................................

D.
Total number
of responses
(column B ×
column C)

1

E.
Average
burden hours
& cost per
response

269

161 hrs.,
$16,583

F.
Total
annual
burden
hours
& cost
(column D ×
column E)
43,309 hrs.,
$4,460,827

G.
Cost per
respondent
(column F ÷
column B)

$16,583

FERC FORM 6–Q—ANNUAL BURDEN ESTIMATE
C.
Annual
number of
responses per
respondent

B.
Number of
respondents

247 .......................................................................................

3

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P

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

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$46,350

salary cost was $104/hour. Accordingly, these
tables include a minor correction from those
published in the 60-day Federal Register Notice.

Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission

[FR Doc. 2025–12547 Filed 7–3–25; 8:45 am]

111,150 hrs. ,
$11,448,450

G.
Cost per
respondent
(column F ÷
column B)

benefits for one FERC full-time equivalent (FTE) is
$103/hour. Note—the 60-day Federal Register
Notice mistakenly indicated the FERC FTE average

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.

Deputy Secretary.

150 hrs.,
$15,450

F.
Total
annual
burden
hours
& cost
(column D ×
column E)

This constitutes notice, in accordance
with 18 CFR 385.2201(b), of the receipt
of prohibited and exempt off-the-record
communications.
Order No. 607 (64 FR 51222,
September 22, 1999) requires
Commission decisional employees, who
make or receive a prohibited or exempt
off-the-record communication relevant
to the merits of a contested proceeding,
to deliver to the Secretary of the
Commission, a copy of the
communication, if written, or a
summary of the substance of any oral
communication.
Prohibited communications are
included in a public, non-decisional file
associated with, but not a part of, the
decisional record of the proceeding.
Unless the Commission determines that
the prohibited communication and any
responses thereto should become a part
of the decisional record, the prohibited
off-the-record communication will not
be considered by the Commission in
reaching its decision. Parties to a
proceeding may seek the opportunity to

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Carlos D. Clay,

741

E.
Average
burden hours
& cost per
response

respond to any facts or contentions
made in a prohibited off-the-record
communication and may request that
the Commission place the prohibited
communication and responses thereto
in the decisional record. The
Commission will grant such a request
only when it determines that fairness so
requires. Any person identified below as
having made a prohibited off-the-record
communication shall serve the
document on all parties listed on the
official service list for the applicable
proceeding in accordance with Rule
2010, 18 CFR 385.2010.
Exempt off-the-record
communications are included in the
decisional record of the proceeding,
unless the communication was with a
cooperating agency as described by 40
CFR 1501.6, made under 18 CFR
385.2201(e) (1) (v).
The following is a list of off-therecord communications recently
received by the Secretary of the
Commission. Each filing may be viewed
on the Commission’s website at http://
www.ferc.gov using the eLibrary link.
Enter the docket number, excluding the
last three digits, in the docket number
field to access the document. For
assistance, please contact FERC Online
Support at FERCOnlineSupport@
ferc.gov or toll free at (866) 208–3676, or
for TTY, contact (202) 502–8659.

30-Day Comments

Dated: July 1, 2025.

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D.
Total number
of responses
(column B ×
column C)

[Docket No. RM98–1–000]

Records Governing Off-the-Record
Communications: Public Notice

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