[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 114 (Tuesday, June 14, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38696-38697]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-13975]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

[Docket No. IC16-7-000]


Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form 6-Q); 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, DOE.

ACTION: Comment request.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 3507(a)(1)(D), the Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission (Commission or FERC) is submitting its information 
collection FERC Form 6-Q (Quarterly Financial Report of Oil Pipeline 
Companies) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review of 
the information collection requirements. Any interested person may file 
comments directly with OMB and should address a copy of those comments 
to the Commission as explained below. The Commission previously issued 
a Notice in the Federal Register (81 FR 19166, 4/4/2016) requesting 
public comments. The Commission received no comments on the FERC Form 
6-Q and is making this notation in its submittal to OMB.

DATES: Comments on the collection of information are due by July 14, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Comments filed with OMB, identified by the OMB Control No. 
1902-0206, should be sent via email to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs: [email protected]. Attention: Federal Energy 
Regulatory Commission Desk Officer.
    A copy of the comments should also be sent to the Commission, in 
Docket No. IC16-7-000, by either of the following methods:
     eFiling at Commission's Web site: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp.
     Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Federal Energy Regulatory 
Commission, Secretary of the Commission, 888 First Street NE., 
Washington, DC 20426.
    Instructions: All submissions must be formatted and filed in 
accordance with submission guidelines at: http://www.ferc.gov/help/submission-guide.asp. For user assistance contact FERC Online Support 
by email at [email protected], or by phone at: (866) 208-3676 
(toll-free), or (202) 502-8659 for TTY.
    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/docs-filing/docs-filing.asp.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ellen Brown may be reached by email at 
[email protected], by telephone at (202) 502-8663, and by fax at 
(202) 273-0873.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: FERC Form 6-Q, Quarterly Financial Report of Oil Pipeline 
Companies.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ The renewal request in this IC docket is for the current 
FERC Form 6-Q, with no change to the reporting requirements. The 
FERC Form 6-Q is also part of the Forms Refresh effort (started in 
Docket No. AD15-11), which is a separate activity.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    OMB Control No.: 1902-0206.
    Type of Request: Three-year extension of the FERC Form 6-Q 
information collection requirements with no changes to the current 
reporting requirements.
    Abstract: Under the Interstate Commerce Act (ICA),\2\ the 
Commission is authorized and empowered to make investigations and to 
collect and record data to the extent FERC may consider to be necessary 
or useful for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of the ICA. 
FERC must ensure just and reasonable rates for transportation of crude 
oil and petroleum products by pipelines in interstate commerce.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \2\ 49 U.S.C. part 1, section 20, 54 Stat. 916.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Commission uses the information collected by FERC Form 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

[[Page 38697]]

information concerning a company's past performance and its future 
prospects. Without reliable financial statements prepared in accordance 
with the Commission's Uniform System of Accounts and related 
regulations, the Commission would be unable to accurately determine the 
costs that relate to a particular time period, service, or line of 
business.
    The Commission uses data from the FERC Form 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,
    4. rate proceedings and economic analyses, and
    5. research for use in litigation.
    Financial information reported on the quarterly FERC Form 6-Q 
provides FERC, 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.
    Type of Respondents: Oil pipelines.
    Estimate of Annual Burden: \3\ The Commission estimates the annual 
public reporting burden for the information collection as:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \3\ The Commission defines burden 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. For further explanation of what is included in the 
information collection burden, reference 5 Code of Federal 
Regulations 1320.3.

                           FERC Form 6-Q: Quarterly Financial Report of Oil Companies
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                      Average      Total annual
                                  Annual  number   Total number    burden & cost  burden hours &     Cost per
      Number of respondents        of  responses   of responses    per response    total annual   respondent ($)
                                  per respondent                        \4\            cost
(1)                                          (2)     (1) * (2) =             (4)     (3) * (4) =       (5) / (1)
                                                             (3)                             (5)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
175.............................               3             525             150          78,750         $32,400
                                                                         $10,800      $5,670,000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Comments: Comments are invited on: (1) Whether the collection of 
information is 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 estimate of the burden and 
cost of the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information collection; 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.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \4\ The estimates for cost per response are derived using the 
2015 FERC average salary plus benefits of $149,489/year (or $72.00/
hour). Commission staff finds that the work done for this 
information collection is typically done by wage categories similar 
to those at FERC.

    Dated: June 8, 2016.
 Kimberly D. Bose,
 Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2016-13975 Filed 6-13-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P