View all text of Part 29 [§ 29.1 - § 29.14]

§ 29.6 - Financing, accounting, and audit.

(a)(1) The Operator of the Pipeline shall notify each Permittee within a reasonable time as to the date of the tanker loadings and the volumes of TAPS oil loaded. The Permittee will send an invoice for transportation charges for TAPS oil (which includes five cents per barrel for the Fund) to the Owner of the oil. The Permittee will receive the five cents per barrel fee from the Owner of the oil in accordance with the terms of its particular pipeline tariff, filed with the appropriate governmental agency, and shall transfer the fee on or before the next business day to a Fund bank account designated by the Administrator. Collection of fees shall cease at the end of the month following the month in which $100 million has been accumulated in the Fund from any source. Collection of fees shall be resumed when the accumulation falls below $100 million. The Administrator shall notify the Pipeline carriers by the fifteenth of the month if fees are to be collected during the following month.

(2) The value of the Fund shall be the current market value of the Fund on the day at the end of each month or other agreed upon accounting period.

(b) Costs of the administration shall be paid from the money received by the Fund, and all sums not needed for administration and the satisfaction of claims shall be invested in accordance with § 29.11. The interest on and the proceeds from the sale of any obligations held in the Fund shall be credited to and form a part of the Fund. Income from such securities shall be added to the principal of the Fund if not used for costs of administration or settlement of claims.

(c) At the end of each month that fees are payable under the Act, or other agreed upon accounting period, the Operator of the Pipeline shall provide the Fund with a statement of the respective volumes of crude oil transported by the Operator of the Pipeline and delivered to vessels, the amount of fees charged and collected, and the Owners of TAPS oil from whom such fees were or are due. The Administrator shall provide a copy of the statement to the Owners of the oil, and to the State of Alaska.

(d) The Fund shall undertake an annual accounting.

(e) The Fund shall be subject to an annual audit by the Comptroller General, in coordination with the Administrator and the Secretary. Authorized representatives of the Comptroller General and the Secretary shall have complete access, for purposes of the audit or otherwise, to all books, accounts, financial records, reports, files, and all other papers, things, or property belonging to or in use by the Fund and they shall be afforded full facilities for verifying among other things, transactions with the balances on securities held by depositories, fiscal agents, and custodians. A report of each audit made by the Comptroller General shall be submitted to the Congress.