Statement of Operating Conditions (SOC)

Commission regulation § 284.123(e) requires a pipeline to file a statement that includes its interstate rates, its rate election pursuant to § 284.123(b), and a description of how it will engage in its transportation arrangements including but not limited to operating conditions, quality standards, and financial vitality of a shipper. Any changes must be filed with the Commission within 30 days.

Order No. 714  requires all tariffs, including SOC tariff revisions, and rate change applications for natural gas pipelines to be filed electronically. Order No. 714 and additional orders have further detailed specific requirements.

A SOC should contain the following material:

1. A title record that identifies the company and company contact information;
2. A rate summary tariff record that lists all the applicable charges and fees for each service provided under the SOC. The list of charges and fees should include maximum and minimum reservation and usage charges, fuel, lost and unaccounted for charges or retention rates, and surcharges. § 284.123(e).
3. A statement of all the terms and conditions of service for all offered interstate services. § 284.123(e).
4. If required, a section on the company’s Standards of Conduct. Part 358.

A SOC may contain the following material:

1. A map of the pipeline to show zone boundaries. This map should not be of Critical Energy Infrastructure quality (18 C.F.R. 388.113 (c)(1)). Providing a red-line strike-out version of any SOC changes is preferred.

A SOC should not contain the following material:

1. Rates, terms and conditions of service for any service not offered to interstate shippers.
2. Supporting documentation from the tariff filing – such as Transmittal Letters, court or Commission orders, and rate derivations.

SOC Format:

1. Must be in a text-searchable electronic format. § 284.123(f).
2. .rtf format is preferred, and is required to be in .rtf format if the SOC is sectionalized. See OSEC Implementation Guide. In the Part 284 tariff program, whole document in .rtf (preferred) or .pdf format are acceptable.
3. The rate summary section as a separate tariff record is preferred.

Note that the Commission commonly refers to SOCs as “tariffs”.

Additionally, when submitting a tariff record in PDF format, the OSEC Implementation Guide requires that a title page be included that contains the following information:

1. Tariff Submitter;
2. FERC Tariff Program name;
3. Tariff Title;
4. Tariff Record Proposed Effective Date;
5. Tariff Record Title;
6. Option Code, and
7. Other information as the FERC may require by notice or order.