Title 18
SECTION 11.6
11.6 Exemption of State and municipal licensees and exemptees.
§ 11.6 Exemption of State and municipal licensees and exemptees.(a) Bases for exemption. A State or municipal licensee or exemptee may claim total or partial exemption from the assessment of annual charges upon one or more of the following grounds:
(1) The project was primarily designed to provide or improve navigation;
(2) To the extent that power generated, transmitted, or distributed by the project was sold directly or indirectly to the public (ultimate consumer) without profit;
(3) To the extent that power generated, transmitted, or distributed by the project was used by the licensee for State or municipal purposes.
(b) Projects primarily for navigation. No State or municipal licensee shall be entitled to exemption from the payment of annual charges on the ground that the project was primarily designed to provide or improve navigation unless the licensee establishes that fact from the actual conditions under which the project was constructed and was operated during the calendar year for which the charge is made.
(c) State or municipal use. A State or municipal licensee shall be entitled to exemption from the payment of annual charges for the project to the extent that power generated, transmitted, or distributed by the project is used by the licensee itself for State or municipal purposes, such as lighting streets, highways, parks, public buildings, etc., for operating licensee's water or sewerage system, or in performing other public functions of the licensee.
(d) Sales to public. No State or municipal licensee shall be entitled to exemption from the payment of annual charges on the ground that power generated, transmitted, or distributed by the project is sold to the public without profit, unless such licensee shall show:
(1) That it maintains an accounting system which segregates the operations of the licensed project and reflects with reasonable accuracy the revenues and expenses of the project;
(2) That an income statement, prepared in accordance with the Commission's Uniform System of Accounts, shows that the revenues from the sale of project power do not exceed the total amount of operating expenses, maintenance, depreciation, amortization, taxes, and interest on indebtedness, applicable to the project property. Periodic accruals or payments for redemption of the principal of bonds or other indebtedness may not be deducted in determining the net profit of the project.
(e) Sales for resale. Notwithstanding compliance by a State or municipal licensee with the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section, it shall be subject to the payment of annual charges to the extent that electric power generated, transmitted, or distributed by the project is sold to another State, municipality, person, or corporation for resale, unless the licensee shall show that the power was sold to the ultimate consumer without profit. The matter of whether or not a profit was made is a question of fact to be established by the licensee.
(f) Interchange of power. Notwithstanding compliance by a State or municipal licensee with the requirements of paragraph (d) of this section, it shall be subject to the payment of annual charges to the extent that power generated, transmitted, or distributed by the project was supplied under an interchange agreement to a State, municipality, person, or corporation for sale at a profit (which power was not offset by an equivalent amount of power received under such interchange agreement) unless the licensee shall show that the power was sold to ultimate consumers without profit.
(g) Construction period. During the period when the licensed project is under construction and is not generating power, it will be considered as operating without profit within the meaning of this section, and licensee will be entitled to total exemption from the payment of annual charges, except as to those charges relating to the use of a Government dam or tribal lands within Indian reservations.
(h) Optional showing. When the power from the licensed project enters into the electric power system of the State or municipal licensee, making it impracticable to meet the requirements set forth in this section with respect to the operations of the project only, such licensee may, in lieu thereof, furnish the same information with respect to the operations of said electric power system as a whole.
(i) Application for exemption. Applications for exemption from payment of annual charges shall be signed by an authorized executive officer or chief accounting officer of the licensee or exemptee and verified under oath. The application must be filed with the Secretary of the Commission in accordance with filing procedures posted on the Commission's Web site at http://www.ferc.gov within the time allowed (by § 11.20) for the payment of the annual charges. If the licensee or exemptee, within the time allowed for the payment of the annual charges, files notice that it intends to file an application for exemption, an additional period of 30 days is allowed within which to complete and file the application for exemption. The filing of an application for exemption does not by itself alleviate the requirement to pay the annual charges, nor does it exonerate the licensee or exemptee from the assessment of penalties under § 11.21. If a bill for annual charges becomes payable after an application for an exemption has been filed and while the application is still pending for decision, the bill may be paid under protest and subject to refund.
[Order 143, 13 FR 6681, Nov. 13, 1948. Redesignated and amended by Order 379, 49 FR 22778, June 1, 1984. Redesignated at 51 FR 24318, July 3, 1986; 60 FR 15048, Mar. 22, 1995; Order 737, 75 FR 43403, July 26, 2010]