S 930 — Western Area Power Administration Transparency Act

930 IntroducedReported in Senate (IS)](RS)] <DOC> 115thCalendar CONGRESSNo. 1st Session S.

534 115th CONGRESS 2d Session S.

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources _______________________________________________________________________July A30, BILL2018 ToReported requireby theMs. Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration to establish a pilot project to provide increased transparency for customers, and for other purposes.

BeMurkowski, itwith enactedan byamendment [Strike out all after the Senateenacting clause and Houseinsert ofthe Representativespart printed in italic] _______________________________________________________________________ A BILL To require the Administrator of the UnitedWestern StatesArea ofPower AmericaAdministration into Congressestablish assembled,a SECTIONpilot 1.project to provide increased transparency for customers, and for other purposes.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, <DELETED>SECTION 1.

SHORT TITLE.</DELETED> <DELETED> This Act may be cited as the ``Western Area Power Administration Transparency Act''.</DELETED> <DELETED>SEC.

2.

WESTERN AREA POWER ADMINISTRATION PILOT PROJECT.</DELETED> <DELETED> (a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration (referred to in this section as the ``Administrator'') shall establish a pilot project, as part of the continuous process improvement program and to provide increased transparency for customers, to publish on a publicly available website of the Western Area Power Administration, a database of the following information, beginning with fiscal year 2008, relating to the Western Area Power Administration:</DELETED> <DELETED> (1) By power system and in a consistent format, rates charged to customers for power and transmission service.</DELETED> <DELETED> (2) By power system, the amount of capacity or energy sold.</DELETED> <DELETED> (3) By region, a detailed accounting, at the functional level and the budget activity level, of all expenditures, capital costs, and staffing costs, including-- </DELETED> <DELETED> (A) indirect costs, including overhead costs;</DELETED> <DELETED> (B) direct charges and direct allocations;</DELETED> <DELETED> (C) the number of contract staff;</DELETED> <DELETED> (D) costs related to independent consultants;</DELETED> <DELETED> (E) the number of full-time equivalents;

and</DELETED> <DELETED> (F) charges to the region from the headquarters office of the Western Area Power Administration for all annual and capital costs.</DELETED> <DELETED> (4) For the headquarters office of the Western Area Power Administration, a detailed accounting at the functional level and the budget activity level, of all expenditures and capital costs, including--</DELETED> <DELETED> (A) indirect costs, including overhead costs;</DELETED> <DELETED> (B) direct charges and direct allocations;</DELETED> <DELETED> (C) the number of contract staff;</DELETED> <DELETED> (D) costs related to independent consultants;</DELETED> <DELETED> (E) the number of full-time equivalents;</DELETED> <DELETED> (F) a summary of any expenditures described in this paragraph, with the total amount paid by each region and power system;

and</DELETED> <DELETED> (G) expenses incurred on behalf of other Federal agencies or programs or third parties for the administration of programs not related to the marketing, transmission, or wheeling of Federal hydropower resources, including--</DELETED> <DELETED> (i) indirect costs, including overhead costs;</DELETED> <DELETED> (ii) direct charges and allocations;</DELETED> <DELETED> (iii) the number of contract staff;

and</DELETED> <DELETED> (iv) the number of full-time equivalents.</DELETED> <DELETED> (5) Capital expenditures, including--</DELETED> <DELETED> (A) capital investments delineated by the year in which each investment is placed into service;

and</DELETED> <DELETED> (B) the sources of capital for each investment.</DELETED> <DELETED> (b) Annual Summary.--</DELETED> <DELETED> (1) In general.--Not later than 120 days after the end of each fiscal year in which the pilot project is being carried out under this section, the Administrator shall make available on a publicly available website--</DELETED> <DELETED> (A) updates to documents made available on the date of the initial publication of the information on the website under subsection (a);</DELETED> <DELETED> (B) an identification of the magnitude of annual changes in the information published on the website under subsection (a);</DELETED> <DELETED> (C) a description of the reasons for the changes identified under subparagraph (B);</DELETED> <DELETED> (D) subject to paragraph (2), the total amount of the unobligated balances retained by the Western Area Power Administration at the end of the prior fiscal year within each marketing area and headquarters by--</DELETED> <DELETED> (i) purpose or function;</DELETED> <DELETED> (ii) source of funding;</DELETED> <DELETED> (iii) anticipated program allotment;

and</DELETED> <DELETED> (iv) underlying authority for each source of funding;

and</DELETED> <DELETED> (E) the anticipated level of unobligated balances that the Western Area Power Administration expects to retain at the end of the fiscal year in which the annual summary is published, as delineated by each of the categories described in clauses (i) through (iv) of subparagraph (D).</DELETED> <DELETED> (2) Limitation.--Amounts in the Upper Colorado River Basin Fund established by section 5(a) of the Act of April 11, 1956 (commonly known as the ``Colorado River Storage Project Act'') (43 U.S.C.

620d(a)), shall not be considered an unobligated balance retained by the Western Area Power Administration for purposes of paragraph (1)(D).</DELETED> <DELETED> (c) Termination.--The pilot project under this section shall terminate on the date that is 7 years after the date of enactment of this Act.</DELETED> SECTION 1.

(a) In General.--Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Western Area Power Administration (referred to in this section as the ``Administrator'') shallshall-- (1) establish a pilot project, as part of the continuous process improvement program and to provide increased transparency for customers,customers-- (A) to publishmake on a publicly available website of the Western Area Power Administration, a database of theinformation following information, beginning with fiscal year 2008, relating to the Western Area Power Administration:Administration in accordance with paragraph (2);

(1) By power system and in(B) ato consistentprovide format,annual ratesupdates charged to customersthe fordatabase powerin andaccordance transmissionwith service.subsection (b);

and (2) Bypublish poweron system,a publicly available website of the amountWestern Area Power Administration, a database of capacitythe orfollowing energyinformation, sold.beginning with fiscal year 2008, relating to the Western Area Power Administration:

(3)(A) By region,power asystem detailed accounting, at the functional level and thein budgeta activityconsistent level,format, ofrates allcharged expenditures,to capitalcustomers costs,for power and staffingtransmission costs,service. including-- (A) indirect costs, including overhead costs;

(B) directBy chargespower andsystem, directthe allocations;amount of capacity or energy sold.

(C) By region, an accounting, at the numbertask level, budget activity level, organizational code level, and object class level, of contractall staff;expenditures, including-- (i) indirect costs, including overhead costs;

(D)(ii) costsdirect relatedcharges toand independentdirect consultants;allocations;

(E)(iii) thecosts numberrelated ofto full-timecontract equivalents;staff;

and(iv) (F)costs chargesrelated to theindependent regionconsultants; from the headquarters office of the Western Area Power Administration for all annual and capital costs.

(4)(v) For the headquartersnumber office of thefull-time Westernequivalents; Area Power Administration, a detailed accounting at the functional level and the budget activity level, of all expenditures and capital costs, including-- (A) indirect costs, including overhead costs;

(B)(vi) direct charges to the region from the headquarters office of the Western Area Power Administration for all annual and directcapital allocations;costs;

(C)and (vii) expenses incurred on behalf of other Federal agencies or programs or third parties for the numberadministration of contractprograms staff;not related to the marketing, transmission, or wheeling of Federal hydropower resources within the Western Area Power Administration marketing area, including-- (I) indirect costs, including overhead costs;

(D)(II) costsdirect relatedcharges toand independentallocations; consultants;

(E)(III) thecosts numberrelated ofto full-timecontract equivalents;staff;

(F)and a(IV) summary of any expenditures described in this paragraph, with the totalnumber amountof paidfull-time byequivalents. each region and power system;

and(D) (G)For expensesthe incurredheadquarters onoffice behalf of otherthe FederalWestern agenciesArea orPower programsAdministration, oran thirdaccounting, partiesat for the administrationtask oflevel, programsbudget notactivity relatedlevel, toorganizational thecode marketing,level, transmission,and orobject wheelingclass level, of Federalall hydropowerexpenditures, resources, including-- (i) indirect costs, including overhead costs;

(ii) direct charges and direct allocations;

(iii) thecosts numberrelated ofto contract staff;

and (iv) thecosts numberrelated ofto full-timeindependent equivalents.consultants;

(5)(v) Capital expenditures, including-- (A) capital investments delineated by the yearnumber inof whichfull-time eachequivalents; investment is placed into service;

and(vi) (B)a summary of any expenditures described in this paragraph, with the sourcestotal ofamount capitalpaid forby each investment.region and power system;

(b)and Annual(vii) Summary.--expenses (1)incurred Inon general.--Notbehalf laterof thanother 120Federal daysagencies afteror theprograms endor ofthird eachparties fiscalfor year in which the pilotadministration projectof isprograms beingnot carriedrelated outto under this section, the Administratormarketing, shalltransmission, makeor availablewheeling onof aFederal publiclyhydropower availableresources website--within (A) updates to documents made available on the dateWestern ofArea thePower initialAdministration publicationmarketing ofarea, theincluding-- information(I) onindirect thecosts, websiteincluding underoverhead subsectioncosts; (a);

(B)(II) andirect identificationcharges ofand theallocations; magnitude of annual changes in the information published on the website under subsection (a);

(C)(III) acosts descriptionrelated ofto thecontract reasonsstaff; for the changes identified under subparagraph (B);

(D)and subject(IV) to paragraph (2), the totalnumber amount of thefull-time unobligatedequivalents. balances retained by the Western Area Power Administration at the end of the prior fiscal year within each marketing area and headquarters by-- (i) purpose or function;