[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 176 (Tuesday, September 12, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47357-47360]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-22629]



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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Information Administration


Proposed Revision and Extension of Coal Data Collections

AGENCY: Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of the proposed revision and extension of coal data 
collections and solicitation of comments.

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SUMMARY: The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is soliciting 
comments concerning the proposed revision and extension of the coal 
data collections included in the Coal Program Package. The following 
surveys are covered by this action: Form EIA-1, ``Weekly Coal 
Monitoring Report--General Industries and Blast Furnaces,'' (Standby), 
Form EIA-3, ``Quarterly Coal Consumption Report--Manufacturing 
Plants,'' Form EIA-3A, ``Annual Coal Quality Report--Manufacturing 
Plants,'' Form EIA-4, ``Weekly Coal Monitoring Report--Coke Plants,'' 
(Standby), Form EIA-5, ``Coke Plant Report--Quarterly,'' Form EIA-5A, 
``Annual Coal Quality Report--Coke Plants,'' Form EIA-6, ``Coal 
Distribution Report,'' Form EIA-7A, ``Coal Production Report,'' and 
Form EIA-20, ``Weekly Telephone Survey of Coal Burning Utilities,'' 
(Standby).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before November 13, 
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 

[[Page 47358]]
advise the contact listed below of your intention to do so as soon as 
possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Thomas Murphy, Coal Data Systems Branch, 
EI-521, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 
20585. Alternatively, Mr. Murphy can be reached at [email protected] 
(Internet e-mail), 202-254-5561 (voice), or 202-254-6233 (facsimile).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the forms and instructions should be directed to Thomas 
Murphy at the address listed above.

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 coal surveys included in the Coal Program Package collect 
information on coal production, distribution, receipts, consumption, 
quality, stocks, and prices. Data are used to support public policy 
analyses of the coal industry and are published in various EIA 
publications. Respondents to the surveys include coal producers, coal 
distributors, and coal consumers.
    The EIA is attempting to employ electronic data collection methods 
in order to better serve those customers that have or intend to have 
FAX, Internet, and other electronic reporting capabilities for use in 
submitting their data to the EIA. If you are a coal survey respondent, 
please respond to questions E and I at the end of this notice so that 
we can better serve you in the future.

II. Current Actions

    Based upon an internal review of coal program data requirements and 
consultations with the coal industry and data users we propose to 
implement one of the following two options with respect to the surveys 
in the Coal Program Package. Our objective in proposing these options 
is to modify the EIA coal data program by reducing respondent reporting 
burden and survey operating costs, without degrading the accuracy and 
coverage of the EIA's coal data.

Option 1

EIA-6
    This option proposes to reduce the frequency of the current survey 
from quarterly to annual. Quarterly estimates of State-level coal 
consumption in the ``Other Industrial'' and ``Residential and 
Commercial Sectors'' would be made by EIA.
    This option would also fill the resulting data gap of quarterly 
production and producer stocks by using Mine Safety and Health 
Administration (MSHA) quarterly coal production and producer stock data 
so that no quarterly coal production or stock data would be collected 
by EIA. The use of MSHA quarterly data has been discussed with MSHA. 
MSHA plans to collect producer stock data for EIA on their quarterly 
survey Form 7000-2, ``Quarterly Mine, Employment and Coal Production 
Report.'' Quarterly distributor stock data would be estimated at the 
State-level by EIA.
EIA-3
    This option would delete the requirement for disaggregation by coal 
rank (anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, and lignite) and replace 
it with a check-off box to indicate the predominant rank of coal 
receipts.
    In Part III of this survey, we propose to delete the question 
relating to the share of electricity sold to electric utilities and 
rely on the EIA-867 for this information.
EIA-5
    This option would delete the requirement for disaggregation of all 
coal data by coal rank. Additionally, a column would be added to Part 
III of the current form to clarify reporting for intra-company 
transfers of coke.
EIA-3A/EIA-5A
    We propose to reduce the frequency of these surveys from annual to 
triennial.
EIA-7A
    Since the reporting requirements for this survey can vary 
significantly, depending upon the type of respondent (mine only, 
preparation plant only, and mine collocated with a preparation plant), 
we propose to have a common identification page and split the remainder 
of this survey into three separate schedules, each of which will be 
tailored to suit the type of respondent.
    In addition, we propose to eliminate the collection of certain 
identification information and employment data, relying instead on MSHA 
data on Form 7000-2.
EIA-1/EIA-4/EIA-20
    We propose to request that these forms be re-cleared without 
changes.
Option 1 Burden Impact
    The annual respondent burden for the current coal forms is 19,380 
hours. The EIA estimates that Option 1 would reduce the annual 
respondent burden to 8,437 hours, a decrease of 10,943 hours (56 
percent).

Option 2

EIA-6
    This option would eliminate the EIA-6 survey entirely. To partially 
fill the resulting data gap for distribution to consumer sectors by 
origin and destination State, we propose to add origin State for 
receipts on the quarterly EIA-3 survey (manufacturing plants) and the 
quarterly EIA-5 survey (coke plants). The FERC Form 423 currently 
collects coal receipts data by origin for electric utility plants 
having a capacity of 50MW or more. Thus the origin and destination of 
coal going to most of the consuming sectors would be maintained. All 
methods of transportation data would be eliminated. Some of these data 
are available from outside sources, such as Resource Data 
International, Association of American Railroads, and the U.S. Corps of 
Engineers.
    This option also eliminates State-level data covering coal 
distribution to the agriculture, mining and construction sectors 
(currently 0.2 percent of total annual domestic distribution) and 
distribution data for the ``Residential'' and Commercial sectors 
(currently 0.6 

[[Page 47359]]
percent of total annual domestic distribution). Some of the data for 
the agriculture, mining, and construction industries, as well as the 
residential and commercial sectors can be captured on the annual Form 
EIA-867, to the extent that coal consumption in these sectors is 
attributable to coal-fired generators larger than 1 MW. Quarterly 
estimates of national-level consumption in the agriculture, mining, 
construction, and residential and commercial sectors would be made by 
the EIA.
    This option would fill the resulting data gap of quarterly 
production and producer stocks data by using Mine Safety and Health 
Administration (MSHA) quarterly coal production and producer stock data 
so that no quarterly coal production or stock data would be collected 
by EIA. MSHA plans to collect producer stock data for EIA on their 
quarterly survey Form 7000-2, ``Quarterly Mine Employment and Coal 
Production Report.'' Distributor stock data would be estimated by the 
EIA at the National level.
EIA-3
    This option would add State of origin of coal receipts data to the 
EIA-3 to fill one of the data gaps from elimination of the EIA-6. Coal 
consumption, cost, adjustments, and coal stocks (Columns B, D, E, F, 
and G of the current form) would be reported in the aggregate only. We 
propose to delete the requirement for disaggregation by coal rank 
(anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, and lignite) and replace it 
with a check-off box to indicate the predominant rank of coal receipts.
    In Part III of this survey, we propose to delete the question 
relating to the share of electricity sold to electric utilities and 
rely on the EIA-867 for this information.
EIA-5
    This option would add State of origin of coal receipts to the EIA-5 
to fill another of the data gaps from elimination of the EIA-6. Coal 
consumption, cost, adjustments, and coal stocks (Columns B, E, F, and G 
of the current form) would be reported in the aggregate only. We 
propose to delete the requirement for disaggregation of all coal data 
by coal rank. Additionally, a column would be added to Part III of the 
current form to clarify reporting for intra-company transfers of coke.
EIA-3A/EIA-5A
    We propose to reduce the frequency of these surveys from annual to 
triennial.
EIA-7A
    Since the reporting requirements for this survey can vary 
significantly, depending upon the type of respondent (mine only, 
preparation plant only, and mine collocated with preparation plant), we 
propose to have a common identification page and split the remainder of 
this survey into three separate schedules, each of which will be 
tailored to the type of respondent.
    In addition, we propose to eliminate the collection of certain 
identification information and employment data, relying instead on MSHA 
data on Form 7000-2 for this information.
EIA-1/EIA-4/EIA-20
    These are standby forms that would be used to monitor coal 
receipts, coal consumption, and coal stocks at major coal-burning 
facilities in the event of a coal supply disruption. We propose to 
request that these forms be re-cleared without changes.
Option 2 Burden Impact
    The annual respondent burden for the current coal forms is 19,380 
hours. The EIA estimates that Option 2 would reduce the annual 
respondent burden to 4,147 hours, a decrease of 15,233 hours (79 
percent).
III. Request for Comments

    Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment 
on the actions (Options 1 and 2) discussed in item II. Comments are 
also invited, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act, on the coal 
data collections, EIA-1, 3, 3A, 4, 5, 5A, 6, and 7A. The following 
guidelines are provided to assist in the preparation of your responses. 
When commenting on specific form(s), 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 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
    C. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If 
not, which instructions require clarification?
    D. Can data be submitted in accordance with the due date specified 
in the instructions?
    E. Public reporting burden hours per response for both options in 
this collection are detailed below.

                                                                        
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                      Form                         Option 1    Option 2 
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EIA-1...........................................        1.0         1.0 
EIA-3...........................................         .4          .8 
EIA-3A..........................................         .33         .33
EIA-4...........................................        1.0         1.0 
EIA-5...........................................         .9         1.4 
EIA-5A..........................................         .33         .33
EIA-6...........................................        5.0         0   
EIA-7A..........................................         .5          .5 
EIA-20..........................................        1.0         1.0 
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    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.
    F. What is the estimated cost of completing the form(s), 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.
    G. 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.
    H. Which option do you prefer and why (Option 1 or Option 2)?
    I. If you have the capability, what is your electronic reporting 
preference (FAX, Touch-Tone Telephone Data Entry, Internet, etc.)?
As a Potential User
    J. Can you use data at the levels of detail indicated on the 
form(s)? 

[[Page 47360]]

    K. For what purpose would you use the data? Be specific.
    L. Are there alternate sources of data and do you use them? If so, 
what are their deficiencies and/or strengths?
    M. For the most part, coal data is published by EIA in short tons 
of coal. Would you prefer to see EIA publish more data in metric tons? 
If yes, please specify what information (e.g., coal production, coal 
consumption) 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(s). 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, September 6, 1995.
John Gross,
Acting Director, Office of Statistical Standards, Energy Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 95-22629 Filed 9-11-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P