90 FR 93 pgs. 20649-20651 - Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC; Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A); Consolidated Comment Request; Extension
Type: NOTICEVolume: 90Number: 93Pages: 20649 - 20651
Pages: 20649, 20650, 20651Docket number: [Docket No. IC25-6-000]
FR document: [FR Doc. 2025-08652 Filed 5-14-25; 8:45 am]
Agency: Energy Department
Sub Agency: Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
Official PDF Version: PDF Version
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission
[Docket No. IC25-6-000]
Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC; Commission Information Collection Activities (FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A); Consolidated Comment Request; Extension
AGENCY:
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.
ACTION:
Notice of information collection and request for comments.
SUMMARY:
In compliance with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission or FERC) is soliciting public comment on the currently approved information collections, FERC Form No. 60 (Annual Report of Centralized Service Companies), FERC-61 (Narrative Description of Service Company Functions), and FERC-555A (Preservation of Records of Holding Companies and Service Companies Subject to PUHCA 2005). No comments were received on the 60-day notice that was published on February 7, 2025.
DATES:
Comments on the collection of information are due June 16, 2025.
ADDRESSES:
Send written comments on FERC Form No. 60 (Annual Report of Centralized Service Companies), FERC-61 (Narrative Description of Service Company Functions), and FERC-555A (Preservation of Records of Holding Companies and Service Companies Subject to PUHCA 2005) to OMB through https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRA/icrPublicCommentRequest?ref_nbr=202504-1902-007. 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 submit a copy of your comments to the Commission via email to DataClearance@FERC.gov. You must specify the Docket No. (IC25-6-000) and the FERC Information Collection number (FERC-60, FERC-61, FERC-555A) 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.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Kayla Williams, (202) 502-6468. DataClearance@FERC.gov .
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Type of Request: Three-year extension of the information collection requirements for FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A with no changes to the current reporting requirements.
OMB Control Nos. and Titles: 1902-0215 ((FERC Form No. 60 (Annual Report of Centralized Service Companies), FERC-61 (Narrative Description of Service Company Functions), and FERC-555A (Preservation of Records of Holding Companies and Service Companies Subject to PUHCA)).
[top] Abstract: In accordance with the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct 2005), the Commission implemented the repeal of the Public Utility Holding Company Act of 1935 (PUHCA 1935) and
FERC Form No. 60
FERC Form No. 60 is an annual reporting requirement for centralized service companies set forth in 18 CFR 366.23. The report's function is to collect financial information (including balance sheet, assets, liabilities, billing and charges for associated and non-associated companies) from centralized service companies subject to the Commission's jurisdiction. Unless the Commission exempts or grants a waiver pursuant to 18 CFR 366.3 and 366.4 to the holding company system, every centralized service company in a holding company system must prepare and file FERC Form No. 60 electronically with the Commission, pursuant to the General Instructions in the form.
FERC-61
FERC-61 is a filing requirement for service companies in holding company systems (including special purpose companies) that are currently exempt or granted a waiver of FERC's regulations and would not have to file FERC Form No. 60. Instead, those service companies are required to annually file a narrative description of the service company's functions during the prior calendar year (FERC-61). In complying, a holding company may make a single filing on behalf of all its service company subsidiaries.
FERC-555A
The Commission's regulations prescribe a mandated preservation of records requirement for holding companies and service companies (unless otherwise exempted by FERC). This requires them to maintain and make available to FERC, their books and records. The preservation of records requirement provides for uniform records retention by holding companies and centralized service companies subject to PUHCA 2005.
Data from FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A provide a level of transparency that: (1) helps protect ratepayers from pass-through of improper service company costs, (2) enables the Commission to review and determine cost allocations (among holding company members) for certain non-power goods and services, (3) aids the Commission in meeting its oversight and market monitoring obligations, and (4) benefits the public, both as ratepayers and investors. In addition, the Commission's audit staff uses these records during compliance audits, reviews, and special analyses.
If data from FERC Form No. 60, FERC-61, and FERC-555A were not available, it would be difficult for the Commission to meet its statutory responsibilities under EPAct 1992, EPAct 2005, and PUHCA 2005, and the Commission would have fewer of the regulatory mechanisms necessary to ensure transparency and protect ratepayers.
Type of Respondent: Centralized service companies.
Estimate of Annual Burden: ? 1 The Commission estimates the annual public reporting burden and cost (rounded in the tables) for the information collections as:? 2
Footnotes:
1 ?Burden is defined as 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 Title 5 Code of Federal Regulations 1320.3. The burden hours and costs are rounded for ease of presentation.
2 ?The cost for the FERC Form No. 60 and FERC-61 is based on FERC's 2024 Commission-wide average salary cost (salary plus benefits) of $100/hour. The Commission staff believes the FERC FTE (full-time equivalent) average cost for wages plus benefits is representative of the corresponding cost for the industry respondents. For the FERC-555A, the $39.53 hourly cost figure comes from the average cost (wages plus benefits) of a file clerk (Occupation Code 43-4071) as posted on the BLS website ( https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics2_22.htm ).
| B. Number of respondents | C. Annual number of responses per respondent | D. Total number of responses | E. Average burden hours & cost per response | F. Total annual burden hours & cost | G. Cost per respondent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (column B × column C) | (column D × column E) | (column F ÷ column B) | |||
| 37 | 1 | 37 | 78 hrs.; $7,800 | 2,886 hrs.; $288,600 | $7,800 |
| B. Number of respondents | C. Annual number of responses per respondent | D. Total number of responses | E. Average burden hours & cost per response | F. Total annual burden hours & cost | G. Cost per respondent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (column B × column C) | (column D × column E) | (column F ÷ column B) | |||
| 14? 3 | 1 | 14 | 0.5 hrs.; $50 | 7 hrs.; $700 | $50 |
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| B. Number of respondents | C. Annual number of responses per respondent | D. Total number of responses | E. Average burden hours & cost per response | F. Total annual burden hours & cost | G. Cost per respondent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (column B × column C) | (column D × column E) | (column F ÷ column B) | |||
| 51 | 1 | 51 | 1,080 hrs.; $42,692 | 55,080 hrs.; 2,177,312 | 42,692 |
| Total number of responses | Cost per respondent | Total annual cost | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Storage | 51 | $10 | $510 |
Total Annual Cost: $2,466,612 [$288,600 (FERC Form No. 60) + $700 (FERC-61) + $2,177,312 (FERC-555A)] (Labor Cost) + $510 (Record Retention storage cost) = $2,466,612. 4
Footnotes:
3 ?Previously, the Commission estimated the number of FERC-61 respondents by including the potential for a holding company to file for a group of companies. In contrast, the current estimate is updated to instead reflect the actual number of filers filing the FERC-61, as opposed to the potential number of companies represented by the population of filers. The current approach is more precise as it can be confirmed by reviewing the most recent number of FERC-61 filers. It is also consistent with the way the number of respondents is estimated for other Commission collections. The varying corporate sizes and complexities inherent in the filing community is already taken into account via the burden hours estimate that is based on average filer burden.
4 ?On the 60-day notice (90 FR 9144), there was a mathematical error that stated $2,468,472.40, which we are correcting in this notice.
A more granular breakdown of the FERC-60/61/555A cost categories follows:
Labor Cost: The total estimated annual cost for labor burden to respondents is $2,466,612 [$288,600 (FERC Form No. 60) + $700 (FERC-61) + $2,177,312 (FERC-555A)].
FERC Form No. 60: 37 respondents × $7,800 per respondent = $288,600.
FERC-61: 14 respondents × $50 per respondent = $700.
FERC-555A: 51 respondents × $42,692 per respondent = $2,177,312.
We expect the labor cost of FERC-555A record keeping to trend downward over time as companies move their records almost entirely to electronic record keeping and storage.
Storage Cost: ? 5 In addition to the FERC-555A labor (burden cost provided above), there are additional costs that represent record retention and storage costs. Previously, the estimate included paper storage costs, but firms no longer rely on paper storage to maintain the majority of their records, therefore the Commission is removing the costs for paper storage. For electronic storage, the Commission estimates $10 per respondent annually. Total annual electronic storage cost to industry ($10 × 51 respondents): $510. This calculation estimates storage of 1GB per year at $10. We expect that this estimate should continue to trend downward over time as the cost of electronic storage technology, including cloud storage, continues to decrease. For example, external hard drives of approximately 1000GB are available for approximately $75. In addition, cloud storage plans from multiple providers for 1TB of storage (with a reasonable amount of requests and data transfers) are available for less than $7 per month.
Footnotes:
5 ?Internal analysis assumes 100% electronic storage.
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: May 9, 2025.
Debbie-Anne A. Reese,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2025-08652 Filed 5-14-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6717-01-P