83 FR 12751 - Order on Intent To Revoke Market-Based Rate Authority

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission

Federal Register Volume 83, Issue 57 (March 23, 2018)

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 57 (Friday, March 23, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12751-12752]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2018-05975]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission


Order on Intent To Revoke Market-Based Rate Authority

Before Commissioners: Kevin J. McIntyre, Chairman; Cheryl A. 
LaFleur, Neil Chatterjee, Robert F. Powelson, and Richard Glick.

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                                                   Docket Nos.
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Electric Quarterly Reports.............  ER02-2001-020
Fibrominn LLC..........................  ER12-1161-002
BluCo Energy LLC.......................  ER12-1279-000
Alternate Power Source Inc.............  ER11-4550-000
Atlantic Coast Energy Corporation......  ER13-734-000
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    1. Section 205 of the Federal Power Act (FPA), 16 U.S.C. 824d 
(2012), and 18 CFR part 35 (2017), require, among other things, that 
all rates, terms, and conditions for jurisdictional services be filed 
with the Commission. In Order No. 2001, the Commission revised its 
public utility filing requirements and established a requirement for 
public utilities, including power marketers, to file Electric Quarterly 
Reports.\1\
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    \1\ Revised Public Utility Filing Requirements, Order No. 2001, 
FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,127, reh'g denied, Order No. 2001-A, 100 
FERC ] 61,074, reh'g denied, Order No. 2001-B, 100 FERC ] 61,342, 
order directing filing, Order No. 2001-C, 101 FERC ] 61,314 (2002), 
order directing filing, Order No. 2001-D, 102 FERC ] 61,334, order 
refining filing requirements, Order No. 2001-E, 105 FERC ] 61,352 
(2003), order on clarification, Order No. 2001-F, 106 FERC ] 61,060 
(2004), order revising filing requirements, Order No. 2001-G, 120 
FERC ] 61,270, order on reh'g and clarification, Order No. 2001-H, 
121 FERC ] 61,289 (2007), order revising filing requirements, Order 
No. 2001-I, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,282 (2008). See also Filing 
Requirements for Electric Utility Service Agreements, 155 FERC ] 
61,280, order on reh'g and clarification, 157 FERC ] 61,180 (2016) 
(clarifying Electric Quarterly Reports reporting requirements and 
updating Data Dictionary).
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    2. The Commission requires sellers with market-based rate 
authorization to file Electric Quarterly Reports summarizing 
contractual and transaction information related to their market-based 
power sales as a condition for retaining that authorization.\2\ 
Commission staff's review of the Electric Quarterly Reports indicates 
that the following four public utilities with market-based rate 
authorization have failed to file their Electric Quarterly Reports: 
Fibrominn LLC, BluCo Energy LLC, Alternate Power Source Inc., and 
Atlantic Coast Energy Corporation. This order notifies these public 
utilities that their market-based rate authorizations will be revoked 
unless they comply with the Commission's requirements within 15 days of 
the date of issuance of this order.
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    \2\ See Refinements to Policies and Procedures for Market-Based 
Rates for Wholesale Sales of Electric Energy, Capacity and Ancillary 
Services by Public Utilities, Order No. 816, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 
31,374 (2015), order on reh'g, Order No. 816-A, 155 FERC ] 61,188 
(2016); Market-Based Rates for Wholesale Sales of Electric Energy, 
Capacity and Ancillary Services by Public Utilities, Order No. 697, 
FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,252, at P 3, clarified, 121 FERC ] 61,260 
(2007), order on reh'g, Order No. 697-A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 
31,268, clarified, 124 FERC ] 61,055, order on reh'g, Order No. 697-
B, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,285 (2008), order on reh'g, Order No. 
697-C, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,291 (2009), order on reh'g, Order 
No. 697-D, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,305 (2010), aff'd sub nom. Mont. 
Consumer Counsel v. FERC, 659 F.3d 910 (9th Cir. 2011), cert. 
denied, 133 S. Ct. 26 (2012).
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    3. In Order No. 2001, the Commission stated that:

[i]f a public utility fails to file a[n] Electric Quarterly Report 
(without an appropriate request for extension), or fails to report 
an agreement in a report, that public utility may forfeit its 
market-based rate authority and may be required to file a new 
application for market-based rate authority if it wishes to resume 
making sales at market-based rates.\3\
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    \3\ Order No. 2001, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,127 at P 222.

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    4. The Commission further stated that:

[o]nce this rule becomes effective, the requirement to comply with 
this rule will supersede the conditions in public utilities' market-
based rate authorizations, and failure to comply with the 
requirements of this rule will subject public utilities to the same 
consequences they would face for not satisfying the conditions in 
their rate authorizations, including possible revocation of their 
authority to make wholesale power sales at market-based rates.\4\
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    \4\ Id. P 223.

    5. Pursuant to these requirements, the Commission has revoked the 
market-based rate tariffs of market-based rate sellers that failed to 
submit their Electric Quarterly Reports.\5\
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    \5\ See, e.g., Electric Quarterly Reports, 82 FR 60,976 (Dec. 
26, 2017); Electric Quarterly Reports, 80 FR 58,243 (Sep. 28, 2015); 
Electric Quarterly Reports, 79 FR 65,651 (Nov. 5, 2014).
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    6. Sellers must file Electric Quarterly Reports consistent with the 
procedures set forth in Order Nos. 2001, 768,\6\ and 770.\7\ The exact 
filing dates for Electric Quarterly Reports are prescribed in 18 CFR 
35.10b (2017). As noted above, Commission staff's review of the 
Electric Quarterly Reports for the period up to the third quarter of 
2017 identified four public utilities with market-based rate 
authorization that failed to file Electric Quarterly Reports. 
Commission staff contacted or attempted to contact these entities to 
remind them of their regulatory obligations. Despite these reminders, 
the public utilities listed in the caption of this order have not met 
these obligations. Accordingly, this order notifies these public 
utilities that their market-based rate authorizations will be revoked 
unless they comply with the Commission's requirements within 15 days of 
the issuance of this order.
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    \6\ Electricity Market Transparency Provisions of Section 220 of 
the Federal Power Act, Order No. 768, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,336 
(2012), order on reh'g, Order No. 768-A, 143 FERC ] 61,054 (2013), 
order on reh'g, Order No. 768-B, 150 FERC ] 61,075 (2015).
    \7\ Revisions to Electric Quarterly Report Filing Process, Order 
No. 770, FERC Stats. & Regs. ] 31,338 (2012).
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    7. In the event that any of the above-captioned market-based rate 
sellers has already filed its Electric Quarterly Reports in compliance 
with the Commission's requirements, its inclusion herein is 
inadvertent. Such market-based rate seller is directed, within 15 days 
of the date of issuance of this order, to make a filing with the 
Commission identifying itself and providing details about its prior 
filings that establish that it complied with the Commission's Electric 
Quarterly Report filing requirements.
    8. If any of the above-captioned market-based rate sellers does not 
wish to continue having market-based rate authority, it may file a 
notice of cancellation with the Commission pursuant to section 205 of 
the FPA to cancel its market-based rate tariff.
    The Commission orders:
    (A) Within 15 days of the date of issuance of this order, each 
public utility listed in the caption of this order shall file with the 
Commission all delinquent Electric Quarterly Reports. If a public 
utility subject to this order fails

[[Page 12752]]

to make the filings required in this order, the Commission will revoke 
that public utility's market-based rate authorization and will 
terminate its electric market-based rate tariff. The Secretary is 
hereby directed, upon expiration of the filing deadline in this order, 
to promptly issue a notice, effective on the date of issuance, listing 
the public utilities whose tariffs have been revoked for failure to 
comply with the requirements of this order and the Commission's 
Electric Quarterly Report filing requirements.
    (B) The Secretary is hereby directed to publish this order in the 
Federal Register.

    By the Commission.

    Issued: March 19, 2018.
Kimberly D. Bose,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2018-05975 Filed 3-22-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6717-01-P