The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission is seeking a three-year extension of a requirement for certain natural gas intrastate and interstate pipelines to file annual reports on shipper transactions.

The current expiration date for the requirement is May 31 of this year. Under existing Commission regulations, intrastate pipelines that perform transportation service under Section 311 of the National Gas Policy Act or interstate pipes that hold blanket certificates issued under Section 7 of the Natural Gas Act are required to file annual reports of transportation transactions with the agency. The report calls for the pipelines to provides the names of shippers, types of transactions, quantity shippers and the revenues received.

“The information collected in these reports is used by the Commission to monitor the jurisdictional transportation activities of intrastate and Hinshaw pipelines and the unbundled sales activities of interstate natural gas pipelines and to ensure the integrity of the gas sales market that remains within the Commission’s jurisdiction,” FERC said in a notice issued Wednesday [IC05-549].

FERC estimated that the cost burden to the pipes to fulfill the reporting requirement is $544,628 annually. It further estimated that it takes a pipeline about 1,290 hours to satisfy the reporting requirement.

The Commission is seeking comments on: 1) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the data will have practical utility; 2) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; 3) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and 4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who must respond. The deadline for comments is April 25.

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