North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 04 - COMMERCE › Chapter 11 - UTILITIES COMMISSION › Chapter 4 - FILING OF TRANSPORTATION TARIFFS › Section 11 R04-13 - PROCEDURE FOR DETERMINING FUEL SURCHARGES BY FERRY OPERATORS

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a) Any passenger ferry operating as a common
				carrier as defined by
				G.S.
				62-3(6) may apply pursuant
				to NCUC Rule
				4-4 for approval of a fuel
				surcharge.
(b) The application
				shall specify the fuel cost per gallon expressed to three decimal places that
				is proposed to be used as the basis of determining the fuel surcharge. In
				addition, although no single data point or price index will be mandated by this
				procedure, the application shall include documentation of its fuel prices
				during, at least, the previous six months and/or government or industry fuel
				cost forecasts in support of the fuel cost per gallon proposed by the
				applicant.
(c) The surcharge shall
				be computed in the manner set forth in Exhibit A of the Commission's Order
				issued January 28, 2009 in Docket No. A-100, Sub 0, unless otherwise ordered by
				the Commission. The base period used for computing the surcharge shall be the
				calendar year 2004 or the test year from the ferry operator's most recent rate
				case, whichever is later. If calendar year 2004 is used, the base period cost
				shall be calculated by dividing the total annual expense for the purchase of
				fuel in calendar year 2004 to operate the ferries by the number of gallons
				purchased during that period.
(d)
				Applications for a fuel surcharge increase may be filed no more frequently than
				every three months. Applications for a fuel surcharge shall be considered at
				the Commission's Staff Conference within two weeks of the date of filing. Upon
				approval of the surcharge, the ferry operator may implement the surcharge,
				effective the first day of the month following the ferry operator's filing the
				revised tariff rate schedules reflecting the surcharge with the Chief Clerk of
				the Commission.
(e) If the ferry
				sells an annual pass or other approved means of paying for transportation that
				are not individual single- or round-trip tickets, the surcharge shall apply
				only to the price of such passes sold following the approval of any surcharge
				and shall be equivalent to the approved surcharge at the time of sale
				multiplied by the projected average number of trips per passholder in the class
				of such passholders during the valid period of the pass. For purposes of
				calculating the number of customers, it will be assumed that each passholder
				travels the average number of trips (to be reflected in the number of
				customers) by all passholders in the class of such passholders during the valid
				period of the pass, calculated using historic ridership data.
(f) Any ferry operator implementing a fuel
				surcharge shall establish a fuel tracking account to account for the difference
				between the amount of fuel costs collected from customers as compared to the
				amount of fuel costs incurred by the carrier. A quarterly report on the
				activity recorded in a fuel tracking account shall be filed with the Commission
				within 45 days after the end of each calendar quarter in the manner set forth
				in Exhibit B of the Commission's Order issued January 28, 2009, in Docket No.
				A-100, Sub 0, unless otherwise ordered by the Commission. The balance of the
				fuel tracking account shall be considered in determining the amount of the fuel
				surcharge after the initially approved fuel surcharge.
(g) Applications or petitions for changes in
				the fuel surcharge may be filed by the ferry operator, the Public Staff, the
				Attorney General, or other interested parties.
(h) Copies of any application for a surcharge
				and for change in the surcharge shall be served upon the Public Staff, the
				Attorney General, and other party requesting a copy. Persons desiring a copy
				who notify the Chief Clerk of the Commission in writing shall be placed on a
				service list.
EXHIBIT A
FORMULA TO DETERMINE FUEL SUCHARGE
AND FUEL COMPONENT OF RATES
FOR FERRY OPERATORS
FUEL SURCHARGE:
A.
				Proposed Fuel Cost per Gallon for Surcharge $_____
B. Base Period Cost per Gallon
				$_____
C. Increase in Fuel Cost per
				Gallon (A - B) $_____
D. Gallons
				Purchased in Base Period _____
E.
				Annualized Increase in Cost of Gallons Purchased (C x D) $_____
F. Balance in Fuel Tracking Account
				$_____
G. Amount Used for Computing
				Surcharge (E + F) $_____
H. Number
				of Customers in Base Period _____
I. Computed Surcharge per Customer (G/H)
				$_____
FUEL COMPONENT OF RATES:
A. Proposed Fuel Cost per Gallon for
				Surcharge $_____
B. Gallons
				Purchased in Base Period _____
C.
				Annualized Fuel Costs (A x B) $_____
D. Balance in Fuel Tracking Account
				$_____
E. Tracked Fuel Costs (C +
				D) $_____
F. Number of Customers in
				Base Period _____
G. Fuel Cost
				Component of Rates (E/F) $_____
EXHIBIT B
[Name of Ferry Operator]
Quarterly Fuel Surcharge Tracking Report
For the Reporting Quarter Ended _________________ Balance at
				  the beginning of the quarter - Under (Over) Collection $_______ Fuel costs paid
				  to vendors:
1. Gallons purchased
				_______
2. Actual fuel costs paid
				$_______ Fuel costs collected from customers:
1. Number of customers _______
2. Fuel cost component of rates X
				$_______
3. Fuel costs collected
				$_______ Under (Over) Collection of fuel costs for the quarter [B-C] $_______
				Balance at the end of the quarter - Under (Over) Collection [A+D] $_______
CERTIFICATION
I hereby certify that the information contained in this
				  report is true to the best of my knowledge and belief.
_______________________________ ________________
Authorized Signature and Title Date
_______________________________ (_____)___________
Contact Person (Print Clearly) Telephone Number
NOTE: Providing false information to the Commission is
				  punishable by fine and/or imprisonment pursuant to
				  G.S.
				  62-310 and
				  62-326.