When speaking with FERC staff about eTariff matters, you will commonly hear terms like the following:

• Company Identifier, Company Id, or CId
• Tariff, Tariff Identifier or Tariff Id
• Filing
• Type of Filing Code or ToFC
• Tariff Record
• Attachment

Similar terms are used within TariffShark, but the terms are not identical and can have slightly different meanings. This article will outline TariffShark’s terminology and draw parallels to FERC’s eTariff terms.

Company

A Company in TariffShark is a FERC-regulated entity for which electronic tariff filings are made.

FERC Term(s): Company Identifier, Company Id, or CId

Tariff Database

A Tariff Database is a repository into which your tariff work (Filing, Tariffs, Tariff Record Versions, etc.) is stored. A Tariff Database has associated with it a unique identifier which is assigned by TariffShark when the Tariff Database is created. In TariffShark, this ID is known as the Tariff Database ID and it gets sent to FERC in every eTariff filing you submit.

FERC Term(s): Tariff, Tariff Identifier, or Tariff Id

Filing

A Filing in TariffShark is a proposal to FERC to affect one or more changes to a company’s electronic tariff(s). Changes to the Tariff Record Versions that represent the content of your tariff(s) are included in a Filing as Filed Tariff Record Versions (or FTRVs) and supporting materials (such as a transmittal letter) are included as FERC Attachments.

FERC Term(s): Filing

Filing Type

A Filing Type in TariffShark describes the type of filing being made as defined by FERC regulations.

FERC Term(s): Type of Filing Code or ToFC

Tariff

A Tariff in TariffShark represents a tariff, rate schedule, service agreement, or similar document that must be filed electronically as a result of FERC Order 714. Large Tariffs, such as gas industry open access tariffs and electric industry open access transmission tariffs, must be managed and filed as a series of smaller documents. Small Tariffs, such as oil industry tariffs and electric industry market based rates, may be managed and filed in their entirety.

FERC Term(s): Tariff Record

Tariff Record

A Tariff Record is a portion of a Tariff in TariffShark. Large Tariffs, such as gas industry open access tariffs and electric industry open access transmission tariffs, must be managed and filed as a series of smaller documents (Tariff Records). In a Tariff that is composed of multiple Tariff Records, the top-most (or “root”) Tariff Record commonly represents the Tariff title page.

FERC Term(s): Tariff Record

Tariff Record Version

A Tariff Record Version (TRV) is a version of a Tariff Record. TRVs are where the content of your tariffs is stored. TRVs can exist independent of a Filing or they can be part of a Filing. Placing a TRV into a Filing causes a Filed Tariff Record Version (FTRV) to be created.

FERC Term(s): Tariff Record

Filed Tariff Record Version

A Filed Tariff Record Version, or FTRV, represents a Tariff Record Version (TRV) in a Filing. When a TRV is placed into a Filing, the result is the creation of an FTRV. When a TRV is in a Filing, it is there for a reason … and that reason is known as a Record Change Type. The valid Record Change Type values are “New”, “Change”, “Cancel”, “Withdraw”, and “Pro Forma”.

FERC Term(s): Tariff Record

FERC Attachment

A FERC Attachment in TariffShark is supplemental information above and beyond the content of your Tariff Record Versions that are sent to FERC when making an electronic Tariff filing. A transmittal letter is the most common example of a FERC Attachment.

FERC Term(s): Attachment

An NGA gas pipeline recently submitted a type 570 {Normal} eTariff filing and associated it with a prior filing.  The company had been hoping to receive a sub-docket, but the 570 submittal was assigned a new root docket number by FERC’s auto-docketing software.  We think this filing scenario raises an important question:  Under what circumstances is an eTariff filing assigned a new root docket number and under what circumstances is it assigned a sub-docket?  In this article, we will describe our understanding of the rules.

A Normal, New, or Cancel type filing is always assigned a new root docket number. This is true even if the filing is associated with an earlier eTariff filing.  The type 570 filing described above falls into this category.

A Compliance or Refiled type filing is assigned a new root docket number when it is not associated with earlier eTariff filing.  However, when such a filing is associated with an earlier eTariff filing, it is assigned the next available sub-docket number.

An Amendment, Motion, or Withdraw type filing MUST be associated with an earlier eTariff filing and is assigned the next available sub-docket number.

A Report type filing may or may not be associated with an earlier eTariff filing. When associated, it is assigned the next available sub-docket number … and when it isn’t, it is assigned a new root docket number.