[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 82 (Monday, April 29, 2002)]
[Proposed Rules]
[Pages 20922-20923]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-10445]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

18 CFR Chapter I

[Docket No. RM02-7-000]


Accounting and Reporting of Asset Retirement Obligations

April 23, 2002
AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Notice of technical conference and updated agenda.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) 
previously issued a Notice of Informal Technical Conference on March 
29, 2002, announcing that the Commission staff will hold a technical 
conference on May 7, 2002 to discuss the financial accounting, 
reporting and ratemaking implications related to asset retirement 
obligations associated with the retirement of tangible long-lived 
assets. In addition, the March 29, 2002, notice requests written 
comments be submitted on or before April 29, 2002. Today's notice 
updates the agenda, showing the names of panelists and times for each 
panel. All interested parties are invited to attend.

DATES: The May 7, 2002, technical conference begins at 9 a.m. and ends 
at 4 p.m.

ADDRESSES: Technical conference will be held in the Commission Meeting 
Room of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street, 
NE., Washington, DC 20426.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mark Klose (Project Manager/Technical 
Issues), at (202) 219-2595 or [email protected], Raymond Reid 
(Technical Issues), at (202) 219-2928 or [email protected] or Julia 
Lake (Legal Issues), at (202) 208-2019 or [email protected]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In addition to publishing the full text of 
this document in the Federal Register, it is available for inspection 
in the Commission's Public Reference Room at 888 First Street, NE., 
Room 2A, Washington, DC 20426, during regular business hours and is 
posted on both the Commission's Issuance Posting System (CIPS) and the 
Records and Information Management Systems (RIMS), and may be viewed 
and printed remotely via the Internet through Commission's Home Page: 
http: //www.ferc.gov.
    As announced in the Notice of Conference issued March 29, 2002,\1\ 
Commission staff will hold a technical conference on May 7, 2002 to 
discuss the financial accounting, reporting and ratemaking implications 
related to asset retirement obligations associated with the retirement 
of tangible long-lived assets. This one-day conference will begin at 9 
a.m. and end at approximately 4 p.m., and will be held in the 
Commission Meeting Room of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 
888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC. All interested persons are 
invited to attend.
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    \1\ See 67 FR 16071 (April 4, 2002).
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Notice of Techical Conference and Updated Agenda

    The Commission staff will discuss the following topics with 
panelists:
    1. The types of fixed assets that have an asset retirement 
obligation that would be recognized and measured under such a 
requirement.
    2. The impact asset retirement obligations have on depreciation 
accounting and depreciation procedures.
    3. The accounting implementation issues related to the recognition 
of asset retirement obligations for existing and future long-lived 
assets.
    4. The impact on the Uniform Systems of Accounts and the 
Commission's rate regulations.
    Attached is the updated Agenda, showing names of panelists and 
times for each panel.
    Questions about the conference and the program should be directed 
to Mark Klose (Project Manager/Technical Issues), at (202) 219-2595 or 
[email protected], Raymond Reid (Technical Issues), at (202) 219-2928 
or [email protected] or Julia Lake (Legal Issues), at (202) 208-
2019 or [email protected]

Magalie R. Salas,
Secretary.

May 7, 2002 Conference Agenda

I. Opening Remarks--FERC Staff

    9 a.m-9:15 a.m.
    John M. Delaware, Deputy Executive Director and Chief Accountant

II. Panel 1--CPA Firms/Academia

    9:15 a.m.-10:45 a.m.
CPA Firms
    Jan Umbaugh, Partner, Deloitte & Touche, LLP.
    Mike Barrett, Partner, Ernst & Young, LLP.
    Carl Gilbert, Partner, KPMG, LLP.
    Kim Staudt, Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP.

[[Page 20923]]

Academia
    Thomas Porter, Ph.D., Georgia State University.
Break
    10:45 a.m.-11 a.m.

III. Panel 2--Industry Associations/Jurisdictional Entities

    11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Edison Electric Institute
    Dane Watson, Property Accounting Services Manager TXU Business 
Services.
    James Henderson, Administrator, Depreciation Studies and Plant 
Accounting, American Electric Power.
Interstate Natural Gas Association of America
    Greg G. Gruber, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer & 
Treasurer, El Paso Pipeline Group.
Lunch Break
    12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m.

IV. Panel 3--NARUC/Other Regulatory Bodies, and Rural Electric 
Cooperatives

    1:30 p.m.--3 p.m.
National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners
    Pat Lee, Senior Analyst--PSC, Florida Public Service Commission.
Rural Utilities Services
    Kenneth Ackerman, Assistant Administrator, Program Accounting and 
Regulatory Analysis.
National Rural Electric Cooperative Association
    Steve Piecara, Director--Tax Finance and Accounting Policy.
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
    Shawn Deisz, Manager, Financial Reporting.
Old Dominion Electric Cooperative
    Bob Kees, Assistant Vice President & Controller.
Break
    3 p.m.-3:15 p.m.
    3:15 p.m.-4 p.m.

V. Panel 4--Other Parties

Brown, Williams, Moorhead and Quinn, Inc.
    Ed Feinstein, Vice President.
[FR Doc. 02-10445 Filed 4-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P