The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is providing pipeline operators the following information to facilitate the process of estimating their Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 User Fees. DOT has not yet billed pipeline operators for FY 2004 User Fees.* FY 2004 appropriations for the DOT have not yet been enacted. DOT is operating under Continuing Resolutions, the most recent of which provides an appropriation through January 31, 2004.
So that operators can estimate their financial liability related to the User Fee Assessment, we are providing the following relevant financial information. Based upon information available to DOT at this time, we have calculated an estimated per-mile assessment, shown below. Please note that this is an estimate, subject to revision based upon the final enacted appropriation. Please also review our final record of mileage by Operator Id. We derived this mileage from submission of the 2004 User Fee Assessment Request for Information Verification, which was due by September 30, 2003. FY 2004 user fee assessments are based upon mileage of record on December 31, 2002.
| Per Mile Fee | Total Miles | |
| Liquid Operators | $100.00 | 151,610 |
| Gas Transmission Operators | $137.00 | 304,657 |
While in FY 2003 we found it necessary to fund the Pipeline Safety Fund (PSF) through incremental assessments, we have deemed our current funding levels as sufficient and will not at this time invoice an assessment. We will re-examine our funding levels mid-January 2004, prior to the expiration of the continuing resolution. If at that time an interim assessment is necessary to replenish the PSF, we will provide notification on this website. Please refer to this website often for updated information.
Please note that the User Fee Assessment methodology for LNG operators has not changed. Operators should compute their liability using FY 2003 methodology. LNG operators will be invoiced at the same time we invoice Liquid and Gas Transmission operators.
* Section 60301 of Title 49, U.S. Code (formerly ‘7005 of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985) authorizes the assessment and collection of user fees to fund the pipeline safety program activities conducted under U.S. Code 60101 et seq.; by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT). Annual fiscal year appropriations form the basis of the user fee assessments that are deposited in the Pipeline Safety Fund (PSF). The PSF provides the funding for the DOT’s pipeline safety activities, including the daily operations and program activities of the Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS).