[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 25 (Thursday, February 6, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Page 5625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-2918]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
[Docket No. RM95-4-000]


Revisions to Uniform System of Accounts, Forms, Statements, and 
Reporting Requirements for Natural Gas Companies; Revised Electronic 
Filing Specifications for Rate Filings Submitted Pursuant to Section 4 
of the Natural Gas Act

January 31, 1997.
    On September 28, 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 
(Commission) issued Order No. 582, reorganizing, rewriting, and 
updating its regulations governing the form, composition and filing of 
rates and charges for the transportation of natural gas in interstate 
commerce.\1\ The changes made by the rule include modifications to the 
Commission's electronic filing requirements.
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    \1\ Filing and Reporting Requirements for Interstate Natural Gas 
Companies Rate Schedules and Tariffs, Order No. 582, 60 FR 52960 
(October 11, 1995), II FERC Stats. & Regs. para. 19,100-19,183 
(1995) (regulatory Text), III FERC Stats. & Regs. para. 31,025 
(1995) (preamble).
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    Although Order No. 582 revised the electronic filing requirements 
for all statements filed pursuant to Subpart D of Part 154, and all 
workpapers in spreadsheet format, it did not include the final 
electronic filing specifications. The Commission suspended the 
electronic filing instructions in effect at the time Order No. 582 was 
issued until such time as new instructions are placed into effect.
    On April 2, 1996,\2\ the Commission authorized the Commission staff 
to issue further electronic and paper filing specifications related to 
the forms that were modified by Order Nos. 581 and 582.\3\ In 
compliance with the Commission's directive, staff is issuing the 
instruction manual for filing rate cases electronically.
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    \2\ Order on Electronic and Paper Filing Specifications for Form 
No. 11, 75 FERC para. 61,009 (1996).
    \3\ Revisions to Uniform System of Accounts, Forms, Statements, 
and Reporting Requirements for Natural Gas Companies, Order No. 581, 
60 Fed. Reg. 53,019 (October 11, 1995), 72 FERC para. 61,301 (1995), 
order on reh'g, Order No. 581, 74 FERC para. 61,223 (1996).
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    As has been the case with the electronic filing requirement 
established by Order No. 581, staff worked with industry 
representatives to complete the electronic rate case filing 
instructions. The specifications were discussed at working group 
meetings held on December 12, 1995, February 8, March 21, and October 
10, 1996. As a result of those discussions, staff has finalized the 
electronic filing specifications. The Instruction Manual for Electronic 
Filing of the Rate Filings is attached at Attachment A.\4\ To afford 
the pipelines adequate time to adapt to these filing instructions, the 
instructions will become effective with filings submitted on or after 
May 31, 1997, If a pipeline's initial case is submitted prior to May 
31, 1997, and, therefore, is not submitted in electronic format, 
subsequent filings in that docket need not be filed electronically.\5\
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    \4\ The Attachment is not being published in the Federal 
Register. The filing formats can be obtained by writing to the 
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Public Reference and Files 
Maintenance Branch, Division of Information Services, Washington, DC 
20426, or in person in Room 2A, 888 First Street, NE., Washington, 
DC. The instructions are also available on the Commission's bulletin 
board system. For information about connecting to the bulletin board 
system, call (202) 208-2474.
    \5\ The tariff sheets and the form of notice which are not 
affected by the moratorium must be filed in electronic format, 
however.
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Lois D. Cashell,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 97-2918 Filed 2-5-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-M