[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 227 (Friday, November 25, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 85209-85210]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-28389]


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

COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Comment Request--
Proposal To Amend Collection 3038-0005: Instructions to CFTC Form CPO-
PQR

AGENCY: Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is announcing 
an opportunity for public comment on the proposed amendment to the 
collection of certain information by the agency. Under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA), Federal agencies are required to publish notice in 
the Federal Register concerning each proposed collection of 
information, including proposed extension of an existing collection of 
information, and to allow 60 days for public comment. This notice 
solicits comments on the proposed amendment of the instructions to CFTC 
Form CPO-PQR to permit commodity pool operators (CPOs) to use specified 
alternative accounting principles, standards or practices in presenting 
and calculating financial information in Form CPO-PQR to the same 
extent that CPOs are permitted to use such alternative accounting 
principles, standards or practices pursuant to CFTC Regulation 
4.22(d)(2) to present and compute financial statements in pool Annual 
Reports.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 24, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by ``Form CPO-PQR 
Instructions,'' or ``OMB Control No. 3038-0005'' by any of the 
following methods:
     The Agency's Web site, at http://comments.cftc.gov/. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments through the Web site.
     Mail: Christopher Kirkpatrick, Secretary of the 
Commission, Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Three Lafayette 
Centre, 1155 21st Street NW., Washington, DC 20581.
     Hand Delivery/Courier: Same as Mail above.
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov/. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments through the Portal.
    Please submit your comments using only one method.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Christopher Cummings, Special Counsel, 
Division of Swap Dealer and Intermediary Oversight, Commodity Futures 
Trading Commission, (202) 418-5445; email: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the PRA, Federal agencies must obtain 
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for each 
collection of information they conduct or sponsor. ``Collection of 
Information'' is defined in 44 U.S.C. 3502(3) and 5 CFR 1320.3 and 
includes agency requests or requirements that members of the public 
submit reports, keep records, or provide information to a third party. 
Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A), requires 
Federal agencies to provide a 60-day notice in the Federal Register 
concerning each proposed collection of information, including each 
proposed extension of an existing collection of information, before 
submitting the collection to OMB for approval. To comply with this 
requirement, the CFTC is publishing notice of the proposed collection 
of information listed below.
    Title: Rules Relating to the Operations and Activities of Commodity 
Pool Operators and Commodity trading Advisors and to Monthly Reporting 
by Futures Commission Merchants (OMB Control No. 3038-0005). This is a 
request for comment on a proposed amendment to a currently approved 
information collection.
    Abstract: The CFTC has amended Regulation 4.22(d) to permit a CPO 
that meets certain requirements to present and compute required Annual 
Reports in accordance with specified accounting principles, standards 
or practices other than United States generally accepted accounting 
principles (U.S. GAAP). At the same time, the CFTC amended Regulation 
4.27(c)(2) to permit a CPO that claims relief under Regulation 4.22(d) 
as amended to use the same alternative accounting principles, standards 
or practices in presenting and computing the financial information that 
the CPO is required to report on a quarterly basis to the CFTC in Form 
CPO-PQR. The instructions to Form CPO-PQR, however, specify that all 
financial information in the form must be presented and computed in 
accordance with U.S. GAAP. Accordingly, the CFTC is proposing to amend 
the instructions to Form CPO-PQR to permit use of alternative 
accounting principles, standards or practices by CPOs that claim relief 
under Regulation 4.22(d), as amended.
    With respect to the collection of information, the CFTC invites 
comments on whether the proposed amendment to Collection 3038-0005 is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the CFTC, 
including whether the information will have a practical use, and 
whether the proposed amendment will increase the burden on CPOs who are 
required to file Form CPO-PQR.
    All comments must be submitted in English, or if not, accompanied 
by an English translation. Comments will be posted as received to 
http://www.cftc.gov. You should submit only information that you wish 
to make available publicly. If you wish the Commission to consider 
information that you believe is exempt from disclosure under the 
Freedom of Information Act, a petition for confidential treatment of 
the exempt information may be submitted according to the procedures 
established in Sec.  145.9 of the Commission's regulations.\1\
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ 17 CFR 145.9.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Commission reserves the right, but shall have no obligation, to 
review, pre-screen, filter, redact, refuse or remove any or all of your 
submission from http://www.cftc.gov that it may deem to be 
inappropriate for publication, such as obscene language. All 
submissions that have been redacted or removed that contain comments on 
the merits of the Information Collection Request will be retained in 
the public comment file and will be considered as required under the 
Administrative Procedure Act and other applicable laws, and may be 
accessible under the Freedom of Information Act.
    Burden Statement: The CFTC is not revising its estimate of the 
burden for

[[Page 85210]]

this collection as a result of the amendment to the instructions to 
Form CPO-PQR because the requirement to provide the financial 
information remains substantively unchanged. There are no capital costs 
or operating and maintenance costs associated with this collection.

(Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.)

    Dated: November 21, 2016.
Robert N. Sidman,
Deputy Secretary of the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2016-28389 Filed 11-23-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6351-01-P