§366.3. Exemption from Commission access to books and records; waivers of accounting, record-retention, and reporting requirements. — Inbound Citations

(a) Unless otherwise exempted or granted a waiver by Commission rule or order pursuant to §§ 366.3 and 366.4, every holding company shall maintain and make available to the Commission books, accounts, memoranda, and other records of all of its transactions in sufficient detail to permit examination, audit and verification of the financial statements, schedules and reports either required to be filed with the Commission or issued to stockholders, as necessary and appropriate for the protection of utility customers with respect to jurisdictional rates.

(1) Unless otherwise exempted or granted a waiver by Commission rule or order pursuant to §§ 366.3 and 366.4, beginning January 1, 2008, every service company must maintain and make available to the Commission such books, accounts, memoranda, and other records in such manner and preserve them for such periods as the Commission prescribes in part 368 of this chapter, in sufficient detail to permit examination, audit, and verification, as necessary and appropriate for the protection of utility customers with respect to jurisdictional rates.

(1) Unless otherwise exempted or granted a waiver by Commission rule or order pursuant to §§ 366.3 and 366.4, every centralized service company (see § 367.2 of this chapter) in a holding company system, regardless of whether that service company is providing services to a public utility, a natural gas company, or both, must file an annual report, FERC Form No. 60, as provided in § 369.1 of this chapter. Every report must be submitted on the FERC Form No. 60 then in effect and must be prepared in accordance with the instructions incorporated in that form.

(a) Unless otherwise exempted or granted a waiver by Commission rule or order pursuant to §§ 366.3 and 366.4 of this chapter, this Uniform System of Accounts applies to any centralized service company operating, or organized specifically to operate, within a holding company system for the purpose of providing non-power services to any public utility or any natural gas company, or both, in the same holding company system.

(1) Unless the holding company system is exempted or granted a waiver by Commission rule or order pursuant to §§ 366.3 and 366.4, every centralized service company (See § 367.2 of this chapter) in a holding company system must prepare and file electronically with the Commission the FERC Form No. 60 then in effect pursuant to the General Instructions set out in the form.

(e) Nothing in paragraphs (a)-(d) of this section shall affect the authority of the Commission under the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 791 et seq.), the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717 et seq.), or other applicable law, including the authority of the Commission with respect to rates, charges, classifications, rules, regulations, practices, contracts, facilities, and services under the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act and with respect to access to books and records under the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act.

(3) Notwithstanding § 366.4(a)(1) and (2), holding companies that are exempt holding companies pursuant to § 366.3(a) are not required to notify the Commission of their status or to submit FERC-65 (notification of holding company status).

(e) Nothing in paragraphs (a)-(d) of this section shall affect the authority of the Commission under the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 791 et seq.), the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717 et seq.), or other applicable law, including the authority of the Commission with respect to rates, charges, classifications, rules, regulations, practices, contracts, facilities, and services under the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act and with respect to access to books and records under the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act.

(i) Persons who, pursuant to § 366.3(b)(2), seek exemption from the requirements of § 366.2 and the accounting, record-retention, and reporting requirements of §§ 366.21, 366.22, and 366.23, may seek such exemption by filing FERC-65A (exemption notification); FERC-65A must be subscribed, consistent with § 385.2005(a) of this chapter, but need not be verified. These filings will be noticed in the Federal Register.

(ii) Persons who file FERC-65A must include a form of notice suitable for publication in the Federal Register in accordance with the specifications in § 385.203(d) of this chapter.

(iii) Persons who file FERC-65A in good faith shall be deemed to have a temporary exemption upon filing.

(iv) If the Commission has taken no action within 60 days after the date of filing FERC-65A, the exemption shall be deemed to have been granted. The Commission may toll the 60-day period to request additional information or for further consideration of the request; in such case, the temporary exemption will remain in effect until such time as the Commission has determined whether to grant or deny the exemption. Authority to toll the 60-day period is delegated to the Secretary or the Secretary's designee.

(v) Paragraph (b)(1)(ii) of this section shall cease to have effect on December 5, 2026, unless the Commission determines that the cessation deadline should be extended to a date not more than 5 years in the future after offering the public an opportunity to provide input on the costs and benefits of paragraph (b)(1)(ii) and considering that input. The Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing its determination and revising or removing paragraph (b)(1)(ii) accordingly.

(e) Nothing in paragraphs (a)-(d) of this section shall affect the authority of the Commission under the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 791 et seq.), the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717 et seq.), or other applicable law, including the authority of the Commission with respect to rates, charges, classifications, rules, regulations, practices, contracts, facilities, and services under the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act and with respect to access to books and records under the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act.

(i) Persons who, pursuant to § 366.3(c), seek waiver of the accounting, record-retention, and reporting requirements of §§ 366.21, 366.22, and 366.23, may seek such waiver by filing FERC-65B (waiver notification); FERC-65B must be subscribed, consistent with § 385.2005(a) of this chapter, but need not be verified. FERC-65B will be noticed in the Federal Register.

(ii) Persons who file FERC-65B must include a form of notice suitable for publication in the Federal Register in accordance with the specifications in § 385.203(d) of this chapter.

(iii) Persons who file FERC-65B in good faith shall be deemed to have a temporary exemption upon filing.

(iv) If the Commission has taken no action within 60 days after the date of filing of FERC-65B, the waiver shall be deemed to have been granted. The Commission may toll the 60-day period to request additional information or for further consideration of the request; in such case, the temporary waiver will remain in effect until such time as the Commission has determined whether to grant or deny the waiver. Authority to toll the 60-day period is delegated to the Secretary or the Secretary's designee.

(v) Paragraph (c)(1)(ii) of this section shall cease to have effect on December 5, 2026, unless the Commission determines that the cessation deadline should be extended to a date not more than 5 years in the future after offering the public an opportunity to provide input on the costs and benefits of paragraph (c)(1)(ii) and considering that input. The Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing its determination and revising or removing paragraph (c)(1)(ii) accordingly.

(4) A company in a single-state holding company system, as defined in § 366.3(c)(1) of this chapter, may provide general administrative and management non-power goods and services to, or receive such goods and services from, other companies in the same holding company system, at cost, provided that the only parties to transactions involving these non-power goods and services are affiliates or associate companies, as defined in § 366.1 of this chapter, of a holding company in the holding company system.

(1) Single-state holding company systems; for purposes of § 366.3(c)(1), a holding company system will be deemed to be a single-state holding company system if the holding company system derives no more than 13 percent of its public-utility company revenues from outside a single state (for purposes of this waiver, revenues derived from exempt wholesale generators, foreign utility companies and qualifying facilities will not be considered public-utility company revenues);

(e) Nothing in paragraphs (a)-(d) of this section shall affect the authority of the Commission under the Federal Power Act (16 U.S.C. 791 et seq.), the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717 et seq.), or other applicable law, including the authority of the Commission with respect to rates, charges, classifications, rules, regulations, practices, contracts, facilities, and services under the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act and with respect to access to books and records under the Federal Power Act and Natural Gas Act.

(i) Persons that do not qualify for exemption pursuant to § 366.3(b)(2) may seek an individual exemption from this subchapter. They may not do so by means of filing FERC-65A and instead must file a petition for declaratory order as required under § 366.3(d). Such petitions will be noticed in the Federal Register.

(ii) Persons that file a petition must include a form of notice suitable for publication in the Federal Register in accordance with the specifications in § 385.203(d) of this chapter.

(iii) No temporary exemption will attach upon filing and the requested exemption will be effective only if approved by the Commission.

(iv) Persons may also seek exemptions for classes of transactions by filing a petition for declaratory order pursuant to § 385.207(a) of this chapter justifying the request for exemption. Any person seeking such an exemption shall bear the burden of demonstrating that such exemption is warranted.

(v) Paragraph (b)(3)(ii) of this section shall cease to have effect on December 5, 2026, unless the Commission determines that the cessation deadline should be extended to a date not more than 5 years in the future after offering the public an opportunity to provide input on the costs and benefits of paragraph (b)(3)(ii) and considering that input. The Commission will publish a document in the Federal Register announcing its determination and revising or removing paragraph (b)(3)(ii) accordingly.