Opinion ID: 349481
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Compliance with the Federal Reporting Services Act

Text: 40 Superior argues that Order 543 violates the Federal Reporting Services Act, 44 U.S.C.A. §§ 3501 et seq. (1969 & Supp.1977), because the FPC announced that it would not re-submit Form 64 annually as required unless it initiates changes in the form itself. This attack on the Order rests upon a misconception of the FPC's position. What the FPC actually said was: 41 While we recognize that this Form is subject to reclearance by the Comptroller General (GAO) pursuant to Section 3512(b) of Title 44 of the United States Code and GAO's implementing regulations, 9 we regard Form No. 64 as adopted by this order to be a permanent ongoing report form in furtherance of our statutory responsibilities under the Natural Gas Act. Accordingly, absent any Commission initiated changes in the form during the upcoming year, we do not propose in any subsequent reclearance procedure to once again justify the necessity for the form and its reporting requirements. 42 9. See 4 C.F.R. Section 10.11 (General Accounting Office), Renewals or revisions of existing plans and report forms. 43 We determine that the FPC meant to do no more than express its intention to take advantage of 4 C.F.R. § 10.11(a)(1) (1977), which streamlines the pre-clearance procedure by permitting agencies to incorporate by reference into their applications for renewal, material previously submitted to the GAO to the extent that it is still current. Because the FPC referred to the portion of the GAO's regulations that deals with renewals or revisions of existing report forms, we assume that it is familiar with what is required 19 and did not intend to suggest that it would do anything less. Of course, if it is true, as the FPC represented during oral argument, that the GAO has amended its original clearance of Form 64 for one year of use to provide that the year shall not begin until this court has rendered its decision in this case, then the obligation to obtain pre-implementation approval may be regarded as already having been discharged for the forthcoming year. 44