[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 148 (Wednesday, August 2, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39377-39378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-18391]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Information Administration


Proposed Agency Information Collection Under OMB Review

AGENCY: Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of the Proposed Revision of Form RW-859, ``Nuclear Fuel 
Data,'' Proposed New Form RW-859S, ``Nuclear Fuel Data Supplement,'' 
and Solicitation of Comments.

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SUMMARY: The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is soliciting 
comments concerning the proposed revision to the Form RW-859, ``Nuclear 
Fuel Data,'' and proposed new survey Form RW-859S, ``Nuclear Fuel Data 
Supplement.''

DATES: Written comments must be submitted by October 2, 1995. If you 
anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find it difficult 
to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, you should 
advise the contact listed below of your intention to do so as soon as 
possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ms. Kathy Gibbard, Program Manager, Form 
RW-859 and RW-859S, U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information 
Administration (EI-531), 1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 
20585, or via e-mail (internet) [email protected]. FAX (202) 
254-5765.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the form and instructions should be directed to Ms. Gibbard 
at the address listed above, telephone (202) 254-5559.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background
II. Current Actions
III. Request for Comments

I. Background

    In order to fulfill its responsibilities under the Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. No. 93-275) and the Department of 
Energy Organization Act (Pub. L. No. 95-91), the Energy Information 
Administration is obliged to carry out a central, comprehensive, and 
unified energy data and information program. As part of this program, 
EIA collects, evaluates, assembles, analyzes, and disseminates data and 
information related to energy resource reserves, production, demand, 
and technology, and related economic and statistical information 
relevant to the adequacy of energy resources to meet demands in the 
near and longer term future for the Nation's economic and social needs.
    The Energy Information Administration, as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden (required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13)), conducts a presurvey 
consultation program to provide the general public and other Federal 
agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing 
reporting forms. This program helps to ensure that requested data can 
be provided in the desired format, reporting burden is minimized, 
reporting forms are clearly understood, and the impact of collection 
requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.
    The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982, as amended (NWPA), 42 U.S.C. 
10101 et seq., requires that the Secretary develop and implement 
programs to dispose of spent nuclear fuel. The Office of Civilian 
Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) uses the information from Form RW-
859 to understand and explore the specific requirements of developing 
and conducting programs to effectuate the purposes of the NWPA.
    The EIA administers the Form RW-859, ``Nuclear Fuel Data'', which 
is used to collect data from owners of commercial nuclear power plants 
and owners and caretakers of spent nuclear fuel. The Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 761 et seq.) authorizes the EIA 
to collect data. The current Form RW-859 collects data on every fuel 
assembly discharged from domestic commercial nuclear reactors, 

[[Page 39378]]
spent fuel projected to be discharged, and spent fuel storage pool 
inventories and capacities. The form has been approved through December 
31, 1997. Major revisions to Form RW-859 necessitate that the proposed 
form and new supplemental schedule be approved by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB).
II. Current Actions

    This notice is to solicit comments on proposed revisions to Form 
RW-859 and corresponding instructions. The extension request to OMB 
will be through December 31, 1998. The DOE is proposing to reduce the 
content of the Form RW-859 survey to only collect data elements that 
require annual update. Data that are not subject to annual revision 
will be collected every five years on a new Form RW-859S supplementary 
survey form. A summary of the proposed changes follows.
    The following items will no longer be collected on the survey:
     Capacity data other than licensed capacity and current 
usable capacity
     Temporarily discharged fuel (all discharged fuel will now 
be designated as permanently discharged) and changes in assembly status
     Cross-reference assembly identifiers including American 
National Standard Institute (ANSI) identifier and fuel fabricator 
assembly identifiers
     Data on reconstituted fuel.
    The following items will no longer be collected annually on the 
Form RW-859 survey, but will be collected once every five years on the 
Form RW-859S survey supplement:
     Dates not subject to annual revision (license renewal, 
reactor retirement, etc.)
     Cask-handling data
     Specific data on canisters and their contents
     Nonfuel components data.
    The following items have been added to the annual Form RW-859 
survey:
     Questions on quality assurance procedures and traceability
     Assembly-specific information on initial uranium content, 
initial enrichment, and burnup
     Current cycle start date.
    The following will now be collected on the five-year Form RW-859S 
supplement:
     Reactor information including type, nuclear steam system 
supplier, design type, operational status, location, and rating
     Pool site configuration
     Crane data including capacity, limiting factors, 
dimensions, and clearance
     Site specific access and configuration data for the 
receiving/upending area, cask handling area, pool cask loading area, 
and set-down platform area
     Transportation data including information on on-site 
roads, rail, and barge
     Historical assembly-specific data not previously reported.

III. Request for Comments

    Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment 
on the actions discussed in item II. The following guidelines are 
provided to assist in the preparation of responses. Please indicate to 
which form(s) your comments apply.

General Issues

    EIA is interested in receiving comments from persons regarding:
    A. Whether the proposed collection(s) of information is necessary 
for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility. Practical utility 
is the actual usefulness of information to or for an agency, taking 
into account its accuracy, adequacy, reliability, timeliness, and the 
agency's ability to process the information it collects.
    B. What enhancements can EIA make to the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected?

As a Potential Respondent

    A. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If 
not, which instructions require clarification?
    B. Can data be submitted in accordance with the due date specified 
in the instructions?
    C. Public reporting burden for the annual Form RW-859 data 
collection is estimated to average 40 hours per response. Public 
reporting burden for the five-year Form RW-859S supplement is estimated 
to be 100 hours for the initial data collection and 20 hours for 
subsequent data collections. Burden includes the total time, effort, or 
financial resources expended to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose 
or provide the information including: (1) Reviewing instructions; (2) 
developing, acquiring, installing, and utilizing technology and systems 
for the purposes of collecting, validating, verifying, processing, 
maintaining, disclosing and providing information; (3) adjusting the 
existing ways to comply with any previously applicable instructions and 
requirements; (4) training personnel to respond to a collection of 
information; (5) searching data sources; (6) completing and reviewing 
the collection of information; and (7) transmitting, or otherwise 
disclosing the information.
    Please comment on (1) the accuracy of our estimate and (2) how the 
agency could minimize the burden of the collection of information, 
including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.
    D. What is the estimated cost of completing these forms, including 
the direct and indirect costs associated with the data collection? 
Direct costs should include all costs, such as administrative costs, 
directly attributable to providing this information.
    E. Do you know of any other Federal, State, or local agency that 
collects similar data? If you do, specify the agency, the data 
element(s), and the methods of collection.
As a Potential User

    A. Can you use data at the levels of detail indicated on the forms?
    B. For what purpose would you use the data? Be specific.
    C. Are there alternate sources of data and do you use them? If so, 
what are their deficiencies and/or strengths?
    D. For the most part, information is published by EIA in U.S. 
customary units, e.g., cubic feet of natural gas, short tons of coal, 
and barrels of oil. Would you prefer to see EIA publish more 
information in metric units, e.g., cubic meters, metric tons, and 
kilograms? If yes, please specify what information (e.g., coal 
production, natural gas consumption, and crude oil imports), the metric 
unit(s) of measurement preferred, and in which EIA publication(s) you 
would like to see such information.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the form. They also 
will become a matter of public record.

    Statutory Authority: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13).

    Issued in Washington, DC, July 20, 1995.
John Gross,
Acting Director, Office of Statistical Standards, Energy Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 95-18391 Filed 8-1-95; 8:45 am]
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