(a) In general. Unless otherwise exempted by Commission rule or order, each holding company and each associate company thereof shall maintain, and shall make available to the Commission, such books, accounts, memoranda, and other records as the Commission determines are relevant to costs incurred by a public utility or natural gas company that is an associate company of such holding company and necessary or appropriate for the protection of utility customers with respect to jurisdictional rates. However, for purposes of this subchapter, no provision in the subchapter shall apply to or be deemed to include:

(1) The United States;

(2) A state or political subdivision of a state;

(3) Any foreign governmental authority not operating in the United States;

(4) Any agency, authority, or instrumentality of any entity referred to in paragraphs (a)(1), (2), or (3) of this section; or

(5) Any officer, agent, or employee of any entity referred to in paragraphs (a)(1), (2), (3), or (4) of this section as such in the course of his or her official duty.

(b) Affiliate companies. Unless otherwise exempted by Commission rule or order, each affiliate of a holding company or of any subsidiary company of a holding company shall maintain, and shall make available to the Commission, such books, accounts, memoranda, and other records with respect to any transaction with another affiliate, as the Commission determines are relevant to costs incurred by a public utility or natural gas company that is an associate company of such holding company and necessary or appropriate for the protection of utility customers with respect to jurisdictional rates.

(c) Holding company systems. The Commission may examine the books, accounts, memoranda, and other records of any company in a holding company system, or any affiliate thereof, as the Commission determines are relevant to costs incurred by a public utility or natural gas company within such holding company system and necessary or appropriate for the protection of utility customers with respect to jurisdictional rates.

(d) E-Tag Authors and Balancing Authorities. E-Tag Authors and Balancing Authorities must take appropriate steps to ensure Commission view-only access to complete electronic tags (e-Tags), or any successor to e-Tags, used to schedule the transmission of electric power in wholesale markets, by designating the Commission as an addressee on the e-Tags. E-Tag Authors must include the Commission on the list of entities with view-only rights to the e-Tags. Balancing Authorities located within the United States must validate the inclusion of the Commission on the e-Tag before those e-Tags are electronically delivered to an address specified by the Commission. The complete e-Tag data to be made available under this section shall consist of:

(1) e-Tags for interchange transactions scheduled to flow into, out of or within the United States' portion of the Eastern or Western Interconnections, or into the Electric Reliability Council of Texas from the United States' portion of the Eastern or Western Interconnection; or from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas into the United States' portion of the Eastern or Western Interconnection; and

(2) Information on every aspect of the e-Tag, including all applicable e-Tag IDs, transaction types, market segments, physical segments, profile sets, transmission reservations, and energy schedules. In addition, e-Tag Authors and Balancing Authorities must also make available, upon request to the e-Tag Authors and Balancing Authorities, access to the complete e-Tags, or any successor to e-Tags, used to schedule the transmission of electric power in wholesale markets, to Regional Transmission Organizations, Independent System Operators, and their Market Monitoring Units, on an ongoing basis, subject to appropriate confidentiality restrictions.

(e) Confidentiality. No member, officer, or employee of the Commission shall divulge any fact or information that may come to his or her knowledge during the course of examination of books, accounts, memoranda, or other records as provided in this section, except as may be directed by the Commission or by a court of competent jurisdiction.