July 24, 2020
Via eTariff
Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary Federal Energy Regulatory Commission 888 First Street, NE Washington, D.C. 20426
Re: Silver Run Electric, LLC Docket No. ER20-2504-000
Dear Ms. Bose: Pursuant to Section 205 of the Federal Power Act (“FPA”)1 and the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission’s (“FERC” or “Commission”) Rules of Practice and Procedure, Silver Run Electric, LLC (“Silver Run”), through PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. (“PJM”),2 requests authorization to commence the collection of the regulatory asset authorized by the Commission in PJM Interconnection , L.L.C. et al.¸ 155 FERC ¶ 61,097 (2016) (“April 2016 Order”).3 Silver Run requests an effective date of September 23, 2020, which is more than 60 days from the date of this filing. Although this filing does not require a change in Silver Run’s approved Formula Rate Protocols, consistent with the Commission’s Notice Of Procedures For Making Statutory Filings When Authorization For New Or Revised Tariff Provisions Is Not Required, issued June 3, 2020, in Docket No. RM01-5-000, Silver Run makes this filing through eTariff with
1 16 U.S.C. Section 824(d) (2018). 2 Pursuant to Order No. 714, Electronic Tariff Filings, 124 FERC ¶ 61,270 (2008), PJM is
submitting this filing on behalf of Silver Run as part of an XML filing package that conforms with the Commission’s regulations. PJM has agreed to make all filings on behalf of the PJM Transmission Owners in order to retain administrative control over the PJM Tariff. Thus, Silver Run has requested PJM to submit this filing in the eTariff system as part of the PJM’s electronic Intra PJM Tariff.
3 At the time of the April 2016 Order, Silver Run was known as Northeast Transmission Development, LLC (“Northeast Transmission”). Silver Run merged with Northeast Transmission on June 27, 2018 with Silver Run as the successor entity. Silver Run submitted a Notice of Succession which the Commission accepted through a delegated letter order. SilverRun Electric, LLC, Docket No. ER18-1983-000 (Aug. 24, 2018). Whether referring to Northeast Transmission or Silver Run, this filing will reference Silver Run.
Attachment H-27B of the PJM Open Access Transmission Tariff, containing Silver Run’s Formula Rate Protocol, indicating an updated effective date.4
I. BACKGROUND
On December 2, 2015, Silver Run submitted a filing under Section 205 of the FPA (“December 2015 Filing”) requesting authority to implement several transmission rate incentives pursuant to Section 219 of the FPA,5 Order No. 679,6 and the guidance of the Commission’s November 15, 2012 Transmission Incentives Policy Statement.7 The incentive request was associated with Silver Run’s selection by PJM to develop the Artificial Island Project (“Project”).8 In the April 2016 Order, the Commission granted Silver Run the use of certain transmission rate incentives.9 Among the incentive rate treatment granted was Silver Run’s request for authorization to recover all prudently-incurred pre-commercial and formation costs that are not capitalized, and to establish a regulatory asset, in Account 182.3, Other Regulatory Assets, that will include such costs incurred up to the date charges are first assessed to customers under Silver Run’s Formula Rate.10
The April 16 Order included authorization to amortize the regulatory asset over five years, starting from the date it begins to recover the regulatory asset as part of the revenue requirement under its Formula Rate. Further, the April 16, 2016 Order allowed Silver Run to accrue a carrying charge on the unamortized balance “until the asset is included in rate base.”11 On January 1, 2020, PJM began collecting Silver Run’s annual transmission revenue requirement (“ATRR”) through its open access transmission tariff (“Tariff”).
The Commission required that Silver Run make a Section 205 filing to demonstrate that the pre-commercial and formation costs are just and reasonable before it includes them in its rate base. In that filing, Silver Run must establish that the costs included in the regulatory asset are
4 Because there are no substantive changes to Attachment H-27B, there are no redline tariff sheets
included with this filing. 5 16 U.S.C. § 824s (2018). 6 Promoting Transmission Investment through Pricing Reform, Order No. 679, FERC Stats. &
Regs. ¶ 31,222, order on reh’g, Order No. 679-A, FERC Stats. & Regs. ¶ 31,236 (2006), order on reh’g, 119 FERC ¶ 61,062 (2007).
7 Promoting Transmission Investment Through Pricing Reform, 141 FERC ¶ 61,129 (2012) (“Transmission Investment Policy Statement”).
8 The Project is defined as “Silver Run substation, which will connect the existing Red Lion-Cartanza and Red Lion-Cedar Creek 230 kV transmission lines to a new 230 kV transmission line running from the Silver Run substation to the existing Salem substation in Lower Alloways Creek, New Jersey.” April 2016 Order at P 5.
9 See generally April 2016 Order at PP 14 - 97. The April 2016 Order also conditionally accepted Silver Run’s Formula Rate subject to the outcome of hearing and settlement judge procedures, to include the appropriate return on equity and incentive return on equity, if any.
10 April 2016 Order at P 44. 11 Id. at P 42.
costs that would otherwise have been chargeable to expense in the period incurred.12 It is pursuant to that directive that Silver Run submits this filing.
II. SECTION 205 FILING SPECIFICS
In accordance with the April 2016 Order, Silver Run makes this filing to support the prudency of $3,086,963 in costs deferred as a regulatory asset. Mr. Joseph Myers, the Chief Accounting Officer for LS Power Development, LLC, supports the filing through testimony describing the types of costs recorded, the categories created to identify and track costs, and internal controls around that process.
The regulatory asset was created February 1, 2016, in accordance with the Commission’s April 2016 Order,13 and includes costs from January 1, 2013 through December 31, 2019 (the “Period”). Costs incurred during the Period are categorized into five major categories: business services, legal and regulatory expenses, start-up costs, planning activities, and carrying costs. Costs associated with each category enabled Silver Run to conduct its daily operations and Project-specific business activities such as planning, budgeting, and satisfying regulatory requirements. Mr. Myers provides additional details around the types of costs that were included in those categories and the cost tracking process used to capture the costs.
Silver Run’s Carrying Costs on the regulatory asset were accrued monthly and compounded semiannually from its effective date of February 1, 2016 through March 31, 2020, at the weighted average cost of capital rate and totaled $576,620 for the period.
Exhibit SRE-101, provides an annual breakdown of the costs per category. All costs identified are related to the Project and were necessary in the development of the Project as part of Silver Run’s participation in its first transmission project in the PJM regional planning and solicitation process. These costs are just and reasonable as they include costs to obtain necessary approvals from FERC, regional activities with respect to PJM’s transmission planning and competitive solicitation process, other ordinary business costs, and internal and external labor that would have otherwise been expensed when incurred. The costs were prudently incurred and properly recorded as further supported by Mr. Myers’ testimony.
III. CONTENTS OF THE FILING
In addition to this Transmittal Letter, the filing contains the following items: 1. Appendix A – Testimony of Joseph L. Myers, Exhibit SRE-100; and 2. Appendix B – Regulatory Asset Cost Table, Exhibit SRE-101; 3. eTariff Record, Attachment H-27B, effective September 23, 2020.
12 Id. at P 44. 13 April 2016 Order at P 43.
IV. CORRESPONDENCE
The following person(s) are authorized to receive notice and communications with respect to this filing:
Michael R. Engleman Engleman Fallon, PLLC 1717 K Street NW, Suite 900 Washington, DC 20006 (202) 464-1332 [email protected]
Jamie Saunders LS Power Development, LLC 400 Chesterfield Center, Suite 110 Chesterfield, MO 63017 Tel: 636-534-3267 [email protected]
V. POSTING AND SERVICE
PJM has served a copy of this filing on all PJM Members and on all state utility regulatory commissions in the PJM Region by posting this filing electronically. In accordance with the Commission’s regulations,14 PJM will post a copy of this filing to the FERC filings section of its internet site, located at the following link: http://www.pjm.com/documents/ferc-manuals/ferc-filings.aspx with a specific link to the newly-filed document, and will send an e-mail on the same date as this filing to all PJM Members and all state utility regulatory commissions in the PJM Region15 alerting them that this filing has been made by PJM and is available by following such link. If the document is not immediately available by using the referenced link, the document will be available through the referenced link within 24 hours of the filing. Also, a copy of this filing will be available on the Commission’s eLibrary website located at the following link: http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/elibrary.asp in accordance with the Commission’s regulations and Order No. 714.
VI. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, Silver Run requests that the Commission accept this filing and authorize the amount contained in the regulatory asset as just and reasonable and authorized for recovery.
14 See 18 C.F.R §§ 35.2(e) and 385.2010(f)(3). 15 PJM already maintains, updates and regularly uses e-mail lists for all PJM members and affected
state commissions.
Respectfully submitted,
By: /s/ Michael R. Engleman Michael R. Engleman Engleman Fallon, PLLC 1717 K Street, NW Suite 900 Washington, DC 20006 Tel. (202) 464-1332 E-mail: [email protected] Counsel for Silver Run Electric, LLC
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ATTACHMENT H-27B
SILVER RUN ELECTRIC, LLC FORMULA RATE IMPLEMENTATION PROTOCOLS
The formula rate template (“Template”) and these formula rate implementation protocols
(“Protocols”) together comprise the filed rate (“Formula Rate”) of Silver Run Electric, LLC
(“SRE”) for transmission revenue requirement determinations under the PJM Interconnection,
LLC (“PJM”) Open Access Transmission Tariff (“PJM Tariff”). SRE shall follow the
instructions specified in the Formula Rate to calculate annually its net revenue requirement, as
set forth at page 1, line 9 of the Template (“Net Revenue Requirement”). The Net Revenue
Requirement shall be determined for January 1 to December 31 of a given calendar year (the
“Rate Year”). The Formula Rate shall become effective for recovery of SRE’s Net Revenue
Requirement upon the effective date for incorporation into the PJM Tariff through an appropriate
filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC” or “Commission”) under
Section 205 of the Federal Power Act (“FPA”), 16 U.S.C. § 824d.
Section 1. Annual Projection
a. No later than October 1 preceding the first Rate Year, and each subsequent Rate
Year, SRE shall determine its projected Net Revenue Requirement for the
upcoming Rate Year in accordance with SRE’s Formula Rate (“Annual
Projection”). The Annual Projection shall include the True-up Adjustment
described and defined in Section 2 below, if applicable.
b. Posting, Format, and Notice of Annual Projection. No later than October 1
preceding the first Rate Year, and each subsequent Rate Year, SRE shall cause an
electronic version of the Annual Projection to be posted in both a Portable
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Document Format (“PDF”) and fully-functioning Excel file at a publicly
accessible location on PJM’s internet website. Such posting shall include all
inputs in sufficient detail to identify the components of SRE’s projected Net
Revenue Requirement, explanations of the bases for the projections and input
data, and sufficient detail and explanation to enable Interested Parties1 to replicate
the calculation of the projected Net Revenue Requirement. If the date for making
such posting of the Annual Projection should fall on a weekend or a holiday
recognized by FERC, then the posting shall be made no later than the next
business day. Within ten (10) days of such posting, PJM shall provide notice of
such posting via the PJM Members Committee email subscription (“PJM
Exploder List”). Interested Parties can subscribe to the PJM Exploder List on the
PJM website.
c. Accounting Changes. With respect to any Accounting Change (as that term is
defined in Section 3.d.iii), SRE shall (i) identify any Accounting Changes,
including the initial implementation of an accounting standard or policy, the
initial implementation of accounting practices for unusual or unconventional
items where FERC has not provided specific accounting direction, correction of
errors and prior period adjustments that impact the projected Net Revenue
Requirement calculation, the implementation of new estimation methods or
policies that change prior estimates, and changes to income tax elections; (ii)
identify items included in the projected Net Revenue Requirement at an amount
1 As used in these Protocols, “Interested Parties” shall include but not be limited to: (i) any Eligible Customer under the PJM Tariff; (ii) any regulatory agency with rate jurisdiction over a public utility located within the PJM footprint; (iii) any consumer advocate authorized by state law to review and contest the rates for any such public utility; and (iv) any party with standing under FPA Section 205 or Section 206.
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other than on a historic cost basis (e.g., fair value adjustments); (iii) identify any
reorganization or merger transaction during the previous year and explain the
effect of the accounting for such transaction(s) on inputs to the projected Net
Revenue Requirement; and (iv) provide, for each item identified pursuant to
Section 1.c.i – iii of these Protocols, a narrative explanation of the individual
impact of such changes on the projected Net Revenue Requirement.
d. Annual Projection Meeting. No less than twenty (20) business days and no more
than thirty (30) business days after October 1, SRE shall hold a stakeholder
meeting with Interested Parties in order for SRE to explain its Annual Projection
and to provide Interested Parties an opportunity to seek information and
clarifications regarding the Annual Update (“Annual Projection Meeting”). SRE
shall cause to be posted on the PJM internet website and distributed to the PJM
Exploder List, the time, date and location of the Annual Projection Meeting no
fewer than seven (7) days prior to the Annual Projection Meeting, and SRE shall
provide remote access to the Annual Projection Meeting to allow all Interested
Parties the opportunity to remotely participate in such meetings. If a certain
deadline for Interested Parties falls on a weekend or holiday recognized by the
Commission, then the deadline will be extended to the next business day.
e. Revisions to the Annual Projection. To the extent SRE agrees to make changes in
the Annual Projection for a given Rate Year, such revised Annual Projection shall
be promptly posted at a publicly accessible location on PJM’s internet website
and distributed to the PJM Exploder List. Changes posted prior to December 1 of
the preceding Rate Year, or the next business day if December 1 is not a business
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day (or such later date as can be accommodated under PJM’s billing practices),
shall be reflected in the Annual Projection collected during the Rate Year;
changes posted after that date will be reflected, as appropriate, in the True-up
Adjustment for the Rate Year.
f. Review and Challenge of the Annual Projection. The Annual Projection,
including the True-Up Adjustment, for each Rate Year shall be subject to review,
challenge, true-up and refunds or surcharges with interest pursuant to Sections 4,
5, and 6 of these Protocols.
Section 2. True-Up Adjustment and Actual Net Revenue Requirement
a. SRE will calculate the amount of under- or over-collection of its actual Net
Revenue Requirement during the preceding Rate Year (“True-Up Adjustment”)
after the FERC Form No. 1 data for that Rate Year has been filed with the
Commission. The True-Up Adjustment shall be the sum of the True-Up
Adjustment Over/Under Recovery as determined in Section 2(b) and the Interest
on the True-Up Adjustment Over/Under Recovery as determined in Section 2(c).
b. Calculation of the True-Up Adjustment. To determine any over- or under-
recovery (“True-Up Adjustment Over/Under Recovery”), SRE’s projected Net
Revenue Requirement collected during the previous Rate Year2 will be compared
to SRE’s actual Net Revenue Requirement for the previous Rate Year. SRE shall
calculate its actual Net Revenue Requirement in accordance with SRE’s Formula
2 If the initial use of the Formula Rate covers only part of a calendar year, the initial projected Net Revenue Requirement will be divided by the number of months the Formula Rate is in effect to calculate the monthly projected cost of service to be collected each month of the first year. Similarly, the actual Net Revenue Requirement will be divided by the number of months the rate is in effect to calculate the actual cost of service to be collected each month of the first year. The first True-up Adjustment will compare the projected Net Revenue Requirement billed and the actual Net Revenue Requirement for that initial Rate Year.
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Rate and based upon: (i) SRE’s FERC Form No. 1 for that same Rate Year; (ii)
any FERC orders specifically applicable to SRE’s calculation of its annual
revenue requirement; (iii) the books and records of SRE (which shall be
maintained consistent with the FERC Uniform System of Accounts (“USofA”));
(iv) FERC accounting policies and practices applicable to the calculation of
annual revenue requirements under formula rates; and (v) any aspects of the PJM
OATT Governing Documents3 that apply to the calculation of annual revenue
requirements under individual transmission owner formula rates.
c. Calculation of Interest. Interest on any True-up Adjustment Over/Under
Recovery of the actual Net Revenue Requirement shall be calculated in
accordance with Attachment 6 of the Formula Rate.
d. Variance Analysis. SRE will include a variance analysis of, at minimum, actual
Net Revenue Requirement components of rate base, operating and maintenance
expenses, depreciation expense, taxes, return on rate base, and revenue credits as
compared to the corresponding components in the projected Net Revenue
Requirement that was calculated for the prior Rate Year with an explanation of
material changes.
Section 3. Annual Update
a. No later than July 1 following each Rate Year, SRE shall calculate its actual Net
Revenue Requirement and the True-up Adjustment as described in Section 2
(“Annual Update”) for such Rate Year.
b. Posting and Notice of the Annual Update; Publication Date. No later than July 1
3 PJM OATT Governing Documents include the PJM OATT, Bylaws, Criteria, and Membership Agreements.
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following each Rate Year, SRE shall cause such Annual Update, together with
such other information described in this Section 3, to be posted in both a PDF and
fully-functioning Excel format at a publicly accessible location on PJM’s internet
website and distributed to the PJM Exploder List. The date on which
the last of the events listed in this Section 3.b occurs shall be that year’s
“Publication Date,” which shall occur within ten (10) days of SRE posting the
Annual Update. If the date for making the Annual Update posting should fall on a
weekend or a holiday recognized by the FERC, then the posting shall be due on
the next business day.
c. Annual Update Meeting. No less than twenty (20) business days and no more
than thirty (30) business days after July 1, SRE shall hold a stakeholder meeting
with Interested Parties in order for SRE to explain its Annual Update and to
provide Interested Parties an opportunity to seek information and clarifications
regarding the Annual Update (“Annual Update Meeting”). SRE shall cause to be
posted on the PJM website and distributed to the PJM Exploder List, the time,
date and location for the Annual Update Meeting no fewer than seven (7) days
prior to the Annual Update Meeting, and shall provide remote access to Annual
Update Meetings to allow all Interested Parties the opportunity to remotely
participate in such meetings. If a certain deadline for Interested Parties falls on a
weekend or holiday recognized by the Commission, then the deadline will be
extended to the next business day.
d. The Annual Update for the Rate Year:
(i) Shall provide, via the Formula Rate worksheets, sufficiently detailed
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supporting documentation for data (and all adjustments thereto or
allocations thereof) used in the Formula Rate that are not stated in the
FERC Form No. 1;4
(ii) Shall provide sufficient detail and sufficient explanation to enable
Interested Parties to replicate the calculation of the Annual True-Up
results from the FERC Form No. 1 and verify that each input to the
Template is consistent with the requirements of the Formula Rate;
(iii) Shall identify:
A. any change in accounting that affects inputs to the Template or the
resulting charges billed under the Formula Rate (“Accounting
Change”), including:
I. the initial implementation of an accounting standard or
policy;
II. the initial implementation of accounting practices for
unusual or unconventional items where FERC has not
provided specific accounting direction;
III. correction of errors and prior period adjustments that
impact the True-Up Adjustment calculation;
IV. the implementation of new estimation methods or policies
4 It is the intent of the Formula Rate, including the supporting explanations and allocations described therein, that each input to the Formula Rate for purposes of determining the actual Net Revenue Requirement for a given Rate Year will be either taken directly from the FERC Form No. 1 or reconcilable to the FERC Form No. 1 by the application of clearly identified and supported information. If the referenced form is superseded, the successor form(s) shall be utilized and supplemented as necessary to provide equivalent information as that provided in the superseded form. If the referenced form is discontinued, equivalent information as that provided in the discontinued form shall be utilized.
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that change prior estimates; and
V. changes to income tax elections;
B. any items included in the Annual True-Up at an amount other than
on a historic cost basis (e.g., fair value adjustments);
C. any reorganization or merger transaction during the previous year
and an explanation of the effect of the accounting for such
transaction(s) on inputs to the True-Up Adjustment;
D. for each item identified pursuant to Sections 3.d.iii.A – C of these
Protocols, the individual impact (in narrative format) of such
changes on the True-Up Adjustment;
(iv) Shall not seek to modify the Formula Rate and shall not be subject to
challenge by any Interested Party seeking to modify the Formula Rate
(i.e., any modifications to the Formula Rate will require, as applicable, an
FPA Section 205 or Section 206 filing or initiation of a Section 206
investigation); and
(v) Shall include for the applicable Rate Year the following information
related to affiliate cost allocation: (A) a detailed description of the
methodologies used to allocate and directly assign costs between SRE and
its affiliates by service category and function, including any changes to
such cost allocation methodologies from the prior year, and the reasons
and justification for those changes; and (B) the magnitude of such costs
that have been allocated or directly assigned between SRE and each
affiliate by service category or function.
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e. Stated Value Inputs. The following Formula Rate inputs shall be stated values to
be used in the Formula Rate until changed pursuant to an FPA Section 205 or
Section 206 proceeding: (i) rate of return on common equity (“ROE”); and (ii) the
depreciation and/or amortization rates as set forth in Attachment 10 to the
Formula Rate template.
f. Review and Challenge of the Annual Update. The Annual Update shall be subject
to review, challenge, true-up and refunds or surcharges in accordance with the
procedures set forth in Sections 4, 5, and 6 of these Protocols, including the
prudence of any costs and expenditures included for recovery in the Annual
Update; provided, however, that nothing in these Protocols is intended to modify
the Commission’s applicable precedent with respect to the burden of going
forward or burden of proof under formula rates in such prudence challenges.
g. Example – Timeline for 2019 Annual Update:
On or before October 1, 2018, SRE will determine the projected Net Revenue
Requirement for the 2019 Rate Year. SRE will post the Annual Projection for the
2019 Rate Year in accordance with Section 1 above. SRE will not determine a
True-up Adjustment or post an Annual Update on July 1, 2019 if no costs have
been recovered under the Formula Rate during 2018. On or before October 1,
2019, SRE will post the Annual Projection for the 2020 Rate Year. On or before
July 1, 2020, SRE will post its first Annual Update, consisting of the actual Net
Revenue Requirement and True-Up Adjustment for the 2019 Rate Year
determined pursuant to Section 2 above. Such True-Up Adjustment will be
reflected in the Annual Projection of the Net Revenue Requirement for the 2021
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Rate Year posted on or before October 1, 2020. The Annual Update posted July
1, 2020 will be subject to the customer review and challenge procedures described
in Sections 4, 5, and 6 of these Protocols.
Section 4. Annual Review Procedures
The Annual Update and Annual Projection for each Rate Year shall be subject to the following
review procedures (“Annual Review Procedures”):
a. Information Requests and Responses
(i) Deadlines. Interested Parties shall have until January 1 following each
annual Publication Date (unless such period is extended with the written
consent of SRE or by FERC order) to serve reasonable information and
document requests on SRE. SRE shall make a good faith effort to respond
to information and document requests pertaining to the Annual Update and
Annual Projection within fifteen (15) business days of receipt of such
requests. SRE shall respond to all timely information and document
requests by February 1 following each annual Publication Date; provided,
however, that SRE may reasonably extend the deadline for its own
responses in the event that it extends the deadline for submission of
information and document requests. If the date for submitting or
responding to information and document requests should fall on a
weekend or a holiday recognized by the FERC, then the submissions or
responses shall be due on the next business day.
(ii) Scope. Information requests shall be limited to what is necessary to
determine: (A) the extent, effect, or impact of an Accounting Change; (B)
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whether the True-Up Adjustment fails to include data properly recorded in
accordance with the Protocols; (C) the proper application of the Template
and procedures in the Protocols; (D) the accuracy of data and consistency
with the Formula Rate of the charges shown in the Annual Update or
Annual Projection; (E) the prudence of the actual costs and expenditures;
(F) the effect of any change to the underlying USofA or applicable form;
and (G) any other information that may reasonably have substantive effect
on the calculation of the charge pursuant to the Formula Rate.
(iii) Limitation on Scope. Information requests shall not solicit information
concerning costs or allocations where the costs or allocation methods have
been determined to be appropriate by FERC in the context of prior SRE
Annual Updates, except that such information requests shall be permitted
if they (A) seek to determine if there has been a change in circumstances,
(B) are in connection with corrections pursuant to Section 6 of these
Protocols, or (C) relate to costs or allocations that have not previously
been challenged and adjudicated by FERC.
(iv) Public Availability of Information Requests and Responses. Information
requests received by SRE and SRE’s responses thereto will be posted at a
publicly accessible location on PJM’s internet website and a link to the
website will be distributed to the PJM Exploder List; provided, however,
that if responses to information and document requests include material
deemed by SRE to be confidential information, such information will not
be publicly posted but will be made available to requesting parties
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pursuant to a confidentiality agreement to be executed by SRE and the
requesting party.
(v) Privilege. SRE shall not claim that responses to information and
document requests provided pursuant to these protocols are subject to any
settlement privilege in any subsequent proceeding addressing SRE’s
Annual Update or Annual Projection.
(vi) Disputes. To the extent SRE and any Interested Person(s) are unable to
resolve disputes related to information requests submitted in accordance
with these Annual Review Procedures, SRE or the Interested Person(s)
may petition the FERC to appoint an Administrative Law Judge as a
discovery master to resolve the discovery dispute(s) in accordance with
these Protocols and consistent with FERC’s discovery rules.
b. Informal Challenges
(i) Deadlines. Interested Parties shall have the period of time from the
Publication Date until March 1 (“Review Period”) to review the
calculations and to notify SRE in writing of any specific challenges to the
Annual Update and Annual Projection (“Informal Challenge”), including
challenges related to Accounting Changes; provided, however, that such
Review Period may be extended with the written consent of SRE or by
FERC order. If March 1 should fall on a weekend or a holiday recognized
by the FERC, then Informal Challenges shall be due on the next business
day. SRE shall make a good faith effort to respond to Informal Challenges
within twenty (20) days of receipt of such challenge. SRE shall respond to
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all Informal Challenges no later than April 1; provided, however, that SRE
may reasonably extend the deadline for its own responses in the event that
it extends the Review Period. If April 1 should fall on a weekend or a
holiday recognized by the FERC, then SRE’s responses to Informal
Challenges shall be due on the next business day.
(ii) Contents and Scope. An Interested Party submitting an Informal
Challenge to SRE must specify the inputs, supporting explanations,
allocations, calculations, or other information to which it objects, and
provide an appropriate explanation and documents to support its
challenge. A party may raise in an Informal Challenge all issues that may
be necessary to determine: (A) the extent, effect, or impact of an
Accounting Change; (B) whether the True-Up Adjustment fails to include
data properly recorded in accordance with the Protocols; (C) the proper
application of the Template and procedures in the Protocols; (D) the
accuracy of data and consistency with the Formula Rate of the charges
shown in the Annual Update; (E) the prudence of the actual costs and
expenditures; (F) the effect of any change to the underlying USofA or
applicable form; and (G) any other information that may reasonably have
substantive effect on the calculation of the charge pursuant to the Formula
Rate.
(iii) Responses to Informal Challenges. In its responses, SRE shall notify the
challenging party of the extent to which SRE agrees or disagrees with the
challenge. If SRE disagrees with the Informal Challenge, its response
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shall include supporting documentation.
(iv) Public Availability of Informal Challenges and Responses. SRE shall
promptly cause to be posted all Informal Challenges and SRE’s responses
to such Informal Challenges at a publicly accessible location on PJM’s
internet website and a link to the website will be e-mailed to the PJM
Exploder List; provided, however, that if Informal Challenges or SRE’s
responses to such Informal Challenges include material deemed by SRE to
be confidential information, such challenges and responses will not be
publicly posted but will be made available to requesting parties pursuant
to a confidentiality agreement to be executed by SRE and the requesting
party.
(v) Senior Representatives. SRE, and where applicable, the transmission
provider, shall appoint a senior representative to work with the Interested
Person(s) that submitted the Informal Challenge (or its representative)
toward a resolution of the challenge.
c. Accounting Changes
(i) Challenges Related to Accounting Changes. Informal or Formal
Challenges (as described in Sections 4 and 5) related to Accounting
Changes shall be treated in the same manner under these Protocols as
other challenges to the Annual Update or Annual Projection. Failure to
make an Informal Challenge with respect to an Accounting Change in an
Annual Update or Annual Projection shall not act as a bar with respect to a
Formal Challenge with respect to that Annual Update, nor shall such
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failure bar a subsequent Informal Challenge related to a subsequent
Annual Update to the extent such Accounting Change affects the
subsequent Annual Update.
(ii) Remedies. If a change made by SRE to its accounting policies, practices
or procedures, or the application of the Formula Rate, is found by the
FERC to be unjust, unreasonable, or unduly discriminatory or preferential,
then the calculation of the charges to be assessed during the Rate Year
then under review, and the charges to be assessed during any subsequent
Rate Years, including any True-up Adjustments, shall not include such
change, but shall include any remedy that may be prescribed by FERC in
the exercise of its discretion as of the effective date of such remedy, to
ensure that the Formula Rate continues to operate in a manner that is just,
reasonable, and not unduly discriminatory or preferential.
Section 5. Resolution of Challenges
a. Deadlines. Any Interested Person(s) may file a challenge with the FERC
(“Formal Challenge”) contesting some action or inaction by SRE with respect to
the Annual Update or Annual Projection, and shall do so no later than May 15
following the end of the Review Period; provided, however, that such deadline
may be extended with the written consent of SRE to continue efforts to resolve an
issue or by FERC order. If May 15 should fall on a weekend or a holiday
recognized by the FERC, then Formal Challenges shall be due on the next
business day.
b. Contents of Formal Challenges. Formal Challenges shall be filed pursuant to
Page 16
these protocols. All information and correspondence produced by SRE pursuant
to these Protocols may be included in any Formal Challenge or other FERC
proceeding relating to the Formula Rate, subject to any applicable confidentiality
and Critical Energy Infrastructure Information restrictions. The Interested
Person(s) filing such a Formal Challenge shall do all of the following:
(i) Clearly identify the action or inaction which is alleged to violate the
Formula Rate (including the Template and/or these Protocols);
(ii) Explain how the action or inaction violates the Formula Rate (including
the Template and/or these Protocols);
(iii) Set forth the business, commercial, economic, or other issues presented by
the action or inaction as such relate to or affect the Interested Person(s)
filing the Formal Challenge, including: (A) the extent or effect of an
Accounting Change; (B) whether the True-Up Adjustment fails to include
data properly recorded in accordance with the Protocols; (C) the proper
application of the Template and procedures in the Protocols; (D) the
accuracy of data and consistency with the Formula Rate of the charges
shown in the Annual Update; (E) the prudence of the actual costs and
expenditures; (F) the effect of any change to the underlying USofA or
applicable form; and (G) any other information that may reasonably have
substantive effect on the calculation of the charge pursuant to the Formula
Rate;
(iv) Make a good faith effort to quantify the financial impact or burden (if any)
created for the Interested Person(s) filing the Formal Challenge as a result
Page 17
of the action or inaction;
(v) State whether the issues presented are pending in an existing Commission
proceeding or a proceeding in any other forum in which the Interested
Person(s) filing the Formal Challenge is a party, and, if so, provide an
explanation as to why timely resolution cannot be achieved in that forum;
(vi) State the specific relief or remedy requested, including any request for stay
or extension of time, and the basis for that relief;
(vii) Include all documents that support the facts in the Formal Challenge in
possession of, or otherwise attainable by, the Interested Person(s) filing
the Formal Challenge, including, but not limited to, contracts and
affidavits; and
(viii) State whether the Interested Person(s) filing the Formal Challenge utilized
the Informal Challenge procedures described in these protocols to dispute
the action or inaction raised by the Formal Challenge, and, if not, describe
why not.
c. Docketing and Service. Interested Person(s) shall submit Formal Challenges with
the Commission in the same docket as the informational filing described in
Section 7 and shall serve Formal Challenges on SRE by electronic service on the
date of such filing in accordance with Section 385.2010(f)(3) of the
Commission’s regulations.
d. Other Requirements. Failure to raise an issue in an Informal Challenge shall not
bar an Interested Person from raising that issue in a Formal Challenge, provided
the Interested Person submitted an Informal Challenge during the Review Period
Page 18
with respect to one or more other issues.
e. Responses to Formal Challenges by SRE. Any response by SRE to a Formal
Challenge must be submitted to the FERC within thirty (30) calendar days of the
date of the filing of the Formal Challenge, and shall be served on the Interested
Person(s) filing the Formal Challenge and the PJM Exploder List on the date of
such filing. If such deadline should fall on a weekend or a holiday recognized by
the FERC, then SRE’s responses to Informal Challenges shall be due on the next
business day.
f. Burden. In any Formal Challenge proceeding concerning a given year’s Annual
Update (including corrections) or Accounting Change(s), SRE shall demonstrate
the justness and reasonableness of the rate resulting from its application of the
Formula Rate by demonstrating that it has reasonably and accurately calculated
the Annual Update and/or reasonably adopted and applied the Accounting
Change.
g. Reservation of Rights under FPA Sections 205 and 206. Except as specifically
provided in these Protocols, nothing herein shall be deemed to limit in any way
the right of SRE to file unilaterally, pursuant to Section 205 of the FPA and the
regulations thereunder, an application seeking changes to the Formula Rate or to
any of the stated value inputs requiring a Section 205 filing under these Protocols
(including, but not limited to, ROE and depreciation rates), or the right of any
Interested Parties or the Commission to seek such changes pursuant to Section
206 of the FPA and the regulations thereunder.
h. Limited Section 205 Filings. SRE may, at its discretion and at a time of its
Page 19
choosing, make a limited filing pursuant to Section 205 to modify stated values in
the Formula Rate for depreciation rates. SRE will submit a limited Section 205
filing to update its depreciation rates at least once every five years thereafter.
The sole issue in any such limited Section 205 proceeding shall be whether such
proposed change(s) is just and reasonable, and it shall not address other aspects of
the Formula Rate.
Section 6. Changes to Annual Updates
a. If SRE determines or concedes under Sections 4 and/or 5 of these Protocols that
corrections to the Annual Update are required (including but not limited to those
requiring corrections to its FERC Form No. 1 or input data used for a Rate Year
that would have affected the Annual Update for that Rate Year), SRE shall
promptly cause a correction to the Annual Update to be posted at a publicly
accessible location on PJM’s internet website and such correction to be
distributed to the PJM Exploder List.
b. Such corrections shall be reflected in the next Annual Update, with interest.
Interest on any over- or under-recovery due to corrections for preceding True-up
Adjustments shall be calculated monthly on such over- or under-recovery from
January 1 of the corrected Rate Year through December 31 of the Rate Year in
which such over- or under-recovery is reflected (“Correction Period”). That is
equivalent to two years interest applied to over- or under- collection. The
applicable monthly interest rates for the Correction Period for an over-recovery or
under-recovery shall be the annual interest rates for each month pursuant to 18
C.F.R. § 35.19a divided by twelve (12) for each month from the beginning of the
Page 20
Correction Period through December 31 of the Rate Year immediately preceding
the Rate Year in which such over-recovery is reflected.
c. Such corrections shall be subject to review at the time they are made, and the
corrected posting shall be followed by a review period (“Correction Review
Period”), during which the scope of review shall be limited to the aspects of the
Annual Update affected by the corrections. SRE and any Interested Person(s)
shall work together in good faith to set a reasonable duration for such Correction
Review Period and the deadlines for submission and/or responses to information
and document requests, Informal Challenges, and Formal Challenges.
Section 7. Informational Filing
a. Deadline. SRE shall submit to FERC an informational filing (“Informational
Filing”) of its projected Net Revenue Requirement for a Rate Year, including the
True-Up Adjustment determined during the preceding Annual Update, by April
15 of the Rate Year; provided, however, that SRE may delay the deadline for
filing the Informational Update to account for any previous delays in the Review
Period or deadline for submitting or responding to Informal Challenges. If April
15 should fall on a weekend or a holiday recognized by the FERC, then the
Informational Filing shall be due on the next business day.
b. Contents. This Informational Filing must include the information that is
reasonably necessary to determine: (i) that input data under the formula rate are
properly recorded in any underlying workpapers; (ii) that SRE has properly
applied the formula rate and these procedures; (iii) the accuracy of data and the
consistency with the formula rate of the Net Revenue Requirement and rates
Page 21
under review; (iv) the extent of Accounting Changes that affect Formula Rate
inputs; and (v) the reasonableness of projected costs. The Informational Filing
must also describe any corrections or adjustments made during that period, and
must describe all aspects of the Annual Update or its inputs that are the subject of
an ongoing dispute under the Informal or Formal Challenge procedures. Finally,
the Informational Filing shall include for the applicable Rate Year the following
information related to affiliate cost allocation: a detailed description of the
methodologies used to allocate and directly assign costs between SRE and its
affiliates by service category or function; the magnitude of such costs that have
been allocated or directly assigned between SRE and each affiliate by service
category or function; and a copy of any service agreement between SRE and any
SRE affiliate that went into effect during the Rate Year.
c. Challenges. Any challenges to the implementation of the Template must be made
through the procedures described in Sections 4 and 5 of these protocols or in a
separate complaint proceeding, and must not be made in response to the
Informational Filing.
Section 8. Joint Informational Meeting
Transmission Owners with transmission projects that are subject to region-wide cost
sharing shall endeavor to hold a joint informational meeting to enable all Interested Parties to
understand how those Transmission Owners are implementing their formula rates for cost
recovery of such projects (“Joint Informational Meeting”). Notice of the Joint Informational
Meeting, including the time, date, and location, shall be posted on the PJM website and
distributed to the PJM Exploder List no less than seven (7) days prior to such meeting, and the
Page 22
Transmission Owners shall provide remote access to Joint Informational Meetings to allow all
Interested Parties the opportunity to remotely participate in such meetings. SRE will participate
in Joint Informational Meetings once it begins development of a project for which costs are to be
regionally allocated. If a certain deadline for Interested Parties falls on a weekend or holiday
recognized by the Commission, then the deadline will be extended to the next business day.
Section 9. Competitive Concessions
For transmission development projects assigned to SRE as a result of the PJM
competitive proposal process, SRE may, in its sole discretion, agree with PJM to apply a
competitive concession that will result in a lower Net Revenue Requirement on a project-specific
basis than that which would otherwise be produced by the SRE Attachment H-27A formula rate.
Any competitive concession will appear as a zero or negative input to the formula, and will be
determined on a project-specific basis using a workpaper that will be provided to Interested
Parties as supporting documentation for each SRE Annual Update.
APPENDIX A:
EXHIBIT SRE-100
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA BEFORE THE
FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION
Silver Run Electric, LLC | Docket No. ER20- -000
DIRECT TESTIMONY OF JOSEPH L. MYERS
1 I. Introduction
2 Q. PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND BUSINESS ADDRESS
3 A. My name is Joseph L. Myers. My business address is One Tower Center, 21st Floor,
4 East Brunswick, New Jersey, 08816.
5 Q. IN WHAT CAPACITY ARE YOU EMPLOYED?
6 A. I am Senior Vice President and Chief Accounting Officer for LS Power Development,
7 LLC (“LSP Development”), which is the general partner and manager of LS Power
8 Associates, L.P. (“LS Power”), which is an indirect owner of Silver Run Electric, LLC
9 (“SRE”). LSP Development is a Delaware limited liability company and the employer of
10 the staff for LS Power.
11 Q. PLEASE SUMMARIZE YOUR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND.
12 A. I obtained a Bachelor of Science in Commerce, majoring in Accounting, from Rider
13 University (previously Rider College) in 1984. I received a Masters of Business
14 Administration with a concentration in Finance from St. John’s University of New York
15 in 1994. I am licensed as a Certified Public Accountant in the State of New Jersey.
16 Q. PLEASE DESCRIBE YOUR PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE.
17 A. From 1984 to 1987, I held staff accounting positions with Louis Linowitz and Company
Page 2 of 6
1 and Whittaker, Clark, and Daniels, Inc. From 1987 to 1996, I was employed by Asea
2 Brown Boveri, Inc. (ABB), where I held several financial positions at both the corporate
3 and operational levels, including Financial Controller, Manager of Financial Analysis,
4 and Supervisor of Consolidations. My responsibilities included project finance
5 accounting, business analysis, project control, business systems implementation,
6 forecasting, budgeting, financial reporting, and taxation. From 1996 to 1998, I was
7 employed by Datascope Corporation in Paramus, New Jersey, as the Operations
8 Controller for the Patient Monitoring Division. In this capacity, I was primarily
9 responsible for operational and financial control, strategic planning, and the financial
10 evaluation of product development opportunities. From 1998 to 2004, I was employed as
11 the Controller for Consolidated Edison Development, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of
12 Consolidated Edison Inc., where I was responsible for the accounting, financial reporting,
13 financial planning and analysis, and tax matters for power generation and infrastructure
14 projects including the development and evaluation of potential investment opportunities.
15 From 2004 to 2007, I was the Director of Corporate Accounting for Foster Wheeler Ltd.
16 located in Clinton, New Jersey. I was responsible for the coordination and management
17 of the corporate accounting function, including the preparation of financial statements
18 and other financial reports; and responsible for developing and administering sound
19 accounting principles to assure accurate financial reporting. I also was the Sarbanes
20 Oxley Compliance Officer for the corporate headquarters. In 2007, I joined LS Power
21 and over time assumed my current responsibilities.
22 Q. HAVE YOU PREVIOUSLY TESTIFIED BEFORE ANY REGULATORY 23 COMMISSIONS?
24 A. Yes. I have submitted testimony before the Public Utility Commission of Texas in
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1 Docket Nos. 40604 and 43950 and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Docket
2 ER16-453, ER17-135, ER19-605, and ER20-716.
3 Q. WHAT ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT 4 AND CHIEF ACCOUNTING OFFICER?
5 A. I manage LSP Development’s corporate accounting organization to ensure that financial
6 information for all LS Power business activities, including those of SRE, is
7 collected, summarized, and reported in accordance with accounting principles generally
8 accepted in the United States. Further, LSP Development’s corporate accounting
9 organization helps to ensure that the books and records of SRE are maintained in a
10 manner consistent with sound regulatory policies and procedures to reflect compliance
11 with rules established and regulatory orders issued by the Federal Energy Regulatory
12 Commission (“Commission”) and other applicable regulatory bodies.
13 Q. PLEASE EXPLAIN THE PURPOSE OF YOUR TESTIMONY.
14 A. The purpose of my testimony is to describe the pre-commercial and formation costs
15 incurred as part of our regulatory asset incentive associated with the Artificial Island
16 Project, as permitted by the FERC in its April 26, 2016 order in Docket No. ER16-453-
17 000 (“April 2016 Order”).
18 Q. HOW ARE DEFERRED PRE-COMMERCIAL COSTS ACCOUNTED FOR 19 BY SILVER RUN?
20 A. After the April 2016 Order, SRE established a regulatory asset made up of work
21 orders used to identify and track pre-commercial and formation costs related to the
22 Artificial Island Project. Each work order was assigned a cost category to define
23 the types of costs incurred related to pre-commercial and formation activities. The
24 five cost categories were: (1) business services, which were services provided to
Page 4 of 6
1 support daily operations such as cash management, accounting, and invoicing; (2)
2 legal and regulatory expenses, which included legal and other services provided to
3 support various filings at FERC, including the filing to establish formula rates; (3)
4 start-up costs, including permitting, surveying, feasibility studies, engineering, and
5 consulting fees; (4) planning activities, which included costs associated with
6 participating in the regional planning process; (5) and carrying charges.
7 Q. WERE THE PRE-COMMERICAL COSTS PRUDENTLY INCURRED 8 AND PROPERLY RECORDED?
9 A. Yes. Developing a cost tracking process through the use of specific work orders
10 allowed for the proper classification of costs as the appropriate general ledger
11 account, Account 182.3, Regulatory Assets, was embedded in each unique work
12 order. Training was provided to employees on the purpose and use of these
13 unique work orders. In addition, all costs were monitored and periodically
14 reviewed to ensure prudency and appropriateness.
15 Q. ARE THERE OTHER CHARGES NOT SPECIFICALLY RELATED TO 16 THE PROJECT THAT WERE ELIGIBLE FOR DEFERRAL?
17 A. No, all costs deferred as part of the regulatory asset incentive were exclusively
18 related to SRE’s Artificial Island Project.
19 Q. PLEASE SUMMARIZE THE PRE-COMMERCIAL COSTS DEFERRED 20 AS A REGULATORY ASSET BY SILVER RUN.
21 A. As described above, the pre-commercial costs deferred by SRE were included in
22 five cost categories: business services, legal and regulatory expenses, start-up
23 costs, planning activities, and carrying charges. All costs incurred would have
Page 5 of 6
1 ordinarily been recognized as expenses when incurred. A breakdown of these
2 costs, separated into these categories, is included as Exhibit No. SRE-101. A brief
3 description of the costs in each of these categories is as follows:
4 Business Services: Services provided to support the daily operations of 5 SRE. Types of costs include, but aren’t limited to, internal and external 6 labor costs related to accounting, front office support, cash management, 7 recurring FERC compliance obligations, and tax.
8 Legal and Regulatory Expenses: Internal and external labor costs related 9 to regulatory filings required to conduct business and address dockets on
10 file with regulatory agencies. Types of costs include, but aren’t limited to, 11 legal, consulting, regulatory filing fees, other regulatory fees, accountants, 12 engineers, witnesses, and traveling expenses.
13 Start-up Costs: Formation and other costs associated with business 14 development. Types of costs include, but aren’t limited to, state filing fees, 15 legal fees, and internal labor costs.
16 Planning Activities: Costs associated with participation in the regional 17 planning process. Types of costs include, but aren’t limited to, developing 18 reliability standards for the planning and operation of the system, 19 transmission information collection, and internal and external labor costs.
20 Carrying Charges: Accrued at the rate equal to SRE’s AFUDC on the 21 unamortized regulatory asset balance until included in rate base.
22 Total costs incurred and recorded as a regulatory asset were $3,086,963, as shown
23 by year and cost category in Exhibit SRE-101. The types of costs incurred in each
24 category varied and were driven by business activities occurring during each year.
25 For example, costs incurred from 2013 to 2014 primarily included start-up costs,
26 planning activities and business services. Start-up costs included costs such as
27 state filing fees for business formation, while planning and business service costs
28 included costs such as legal and consulting fees related to the development of
29 project participation, satisfying regulatory requirements, and internal labor. Costs
Page 6 of 6
1 incurred from 2015 through 2019 primarily included regulatory expenses such as
2 legal costs associated with FERC regulatory filings, business service costs such as
3 consulting fees and internal labor to support the daily operations of the company,
4 and carrying charges. Periodic reviews of these costs were conducted to ensure
5 prudency.
6 Q. HAVE ANY OF THE COSTS INCLUDED IN THE REGULATORY ASSET 7 BEEN INCLUDED AS CONSTRUCTION WORK IN PROGRESS 8 (“CWIP”)?
9 A. No, all costs included in the regulatory asset are costs that would have otherwise
10 been expensed when incurred.
11 Q. IS THIS REGULATORY ASSET SUBJECT TO SILVER RUN’S 12 CONSTRUCTION COST CAP?
13 A. Yes, subject to the terms of the Designated Entity Agreement (“DEA”) between
14 SRE and PJM.
15 Q. DOES THIS CONCLUDE YOUR TESTIMONY?
16 A. Yes.
APPENDIX B:
EXHIBIT SRE-101
Silver Run Electric, LLC Regulatory Asset Pre-commercial & formation costs
January 2013 – December 2019
Work Order Description 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 Grand Total Reg-PreComm-Business Services 28,819 $ 53,528 $ 96,045 $ 83,547 $ 74,040 $ 145,016 $ 236,428 $ 717,424 $ Reg-PreComm-FERC Reg. Expense - $ - $ 452,130 $ 689,587 $ 138,915 $ 156,965 $ 44,493 $ 1,482,090 $ Reg-PreComm-Start-up Costs 555 $ 555 $ 2,391 $ 25,838 $ 5,293 $ 13,576 $ 10,893 $ 59,101 $ Reg-PreComm-Planning Activity 78,398 $ 28,614 $ 60,635 $ 55,174 $ 21,691 $ 2,608 $ 4,609 $ 251,729 $ Reg-PreComm-Carrying Cost - $ - $ - $ 71,459 $ 118,129 $ 139,124 $ 215,136 $ 32,771 $ 576,620 $ Grand Total 107,771 $ 82,697 $ 611,200 $ 925,606 $ 358,069 $ 457,289 $ 511,559 $ 32,771 $ 3,086,963 $
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