[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 146 (Thursday, July 30, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 40706-40707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-20377]
[[Page 40706]]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Information Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
AGENCY: Energy Information Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Agency information collection activities; Proposed collection;
comment request concerning the proposed revision and extension of the
coal data collections included in the Coal Program Package.
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SUMMARY: The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is soliciting
comments concerning the proposed revision and extension of the surveys
included in the Coal Program Package. The surveys covered by this
action are the 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, ``Quarterly
Coal Consumption Report--Coke Plants;'' Form EIA-5A, ``Annual Coal
Quality Report--Coke Plants;'' Form EIA-6, ``Coal Distribution
Report;'' Form EIA-6 (Schedule Q), ``Quarterly Coal Report'' (Standby);
Form EIA-7A, ``Coal Production Report;'' and Form EIA-20, ``Weekly
Telephone Survey of Coal Burning Utilities'' (Standby). The Standby
forms are designed to be utilized under certain conditions.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted within 60 days of the
publication of this notice. 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 Thomas Murphy, Coal, Nuclear, and
Renewables Division, EI-52, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of
Energy, Washington, DC 20585. Alternatively, Mr. Murphy can be reached
at [email protected] (Internet e-mail), 202-426-1151 (voice), or 202-
426-1311 (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. 93-275) and the Department of
Energy Organization Act (Pub. L. 95-91), the Energy Information
Administration (EIA) 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 EIA, 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 prepare data requests in the desired format, minimize
reporting burden, develop clearly understandable reporting forms, and
assess the impact of collection requirements on respondents. Also, EIA
will later seek approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for the collections under Section 3507(h) of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, Title 44, U.S.C. Chapter 35).
The coal surveys included in the Coal Program Package collect
information on coal production, distribution, receipts, consumption,
quality, stocks, and prices. This information is used to support public
policy analyses of the coal industry and is published in various EIA
publications, including the Coal Industry Annual, the Annual Energy
Review, and the Quarterly Coal Report. Respondents to the surveys
include coal producers, coal distributors, and coal consumers.
II. Current Actions
The EIA will request a 3-year extension of the collection authority
for each of the above-referenced surveys. Additionally, the EIA
proposes the following changes affecting the Form EIA-6 (Schedule Q),
the Form EIA-7A, and Form EIA-20.
Form EIA-6 (Schedule Q) and Form EIA-7A
Over the past three years, the EIA has worked closely with the U.S.
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) to identify opportunities
for reducing respondent reporting burden and survey operating costs by
sharing some of the information each agency currently collects from
coal producers and operators of coal processing facilities. By
Memorandum of Understanding, dated March 19, 1996, the EIA and MSHA
initiated a cooperative program providing for real-time comparison of
coal production information collected quarterly on MSHA Form 7000-2
with similar information collected quarterly on Schedule Q of Form EIA-
6 and annually on the Form EIA-7A. Concurrently, MSHA Form 7000-2
information on employment at coal mines was compared with similar
information collected on the EIA-7A. This initiative, which was
undertaken in consultation with the National Mining Association, (NMA),
and other coal data users, was aimed at establishing a basis for
agreeing upon a single source of high quality information to satisfy
the requirements of MSHA, the EIA, and NMA customers.
After evaluating the results of this program, the EIA has concluded
that the MSHA Form 7000-2 information can be used in place of the
corresponding information collected on the EIA surveys. Accordingly,
the EIA has suspended the quarterly collection of coal production and
coal stocks information on the EIA-6, Schedule Q, and now proposes to
re-classify the Schedule Q as a Standby survey available for use in the
event of a change in the availability of the MSHA data. The quarterly
coal production information previously obtained from this survey will
be obtained from MSHA. The first, second and third quarter ending coal
stocks will be estimated by the EIA, and the fourth quarter ending coal
stocks will be based on information reported annually on Form EIA-6.
Additionally, the EIA proposes to revise the Form EIA-7A by
eliminating or modifying most of the survey data elements currently
collected to calculate coal production, and by deleting entirely the
portion of the survey pertaining to employment and productivity at coal
mines and coal preparation plants. Instead, EIA-7A respondents will be
asked to report on the EIA-7A the same coal production value they
report to MSHA, and the EIA will obtain employment and
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productivity information directly from MSHA. The EIA will evaluate the
accuracy of the data reported to EIA for MSHA production versus the
data reported directly to MSHA at the end of the first annual
collection cycle. If the EIA deems the data to be comparable, in
subsequent years data will come directly from MSHA.
The collection of coal price information on the Form EIA-7A, which
is currently accomplished using the same data elements gathered to
calculate coal production, will be preserved by reformatting the survey
to request information on open market coal sales and revenues, as well
as information on captive market coal sales and transfers, and
corresponding value. Information on the amount of coal consumed at the
reporting facility will also be retained as a separate data element.
The collection of data on projected production during the next year
will be eliminated.
The EIA also proposes to modify the reporting requirements for the
Form EIA-7A. For Calendar Years beginning after 1997, mines producing
less than 10,000 short tons annually, and stand-along preparation
plants recording fewer than 5,000 person hours annually, will no longer
be required to submit the Form EIA-7A. Firms in the coal industry are
sent the survey materials and those meeting the thresholds must file.
Form EIA-20
The Form EIA-20 is a Standby survey that was developed to collect
weekly information on electric utility coal consumption and coal stocks
in the event of a coal supply disruption. The Instructions for this
Survey currently include an Appendix specifying a formula for
estimating the number of days the reporting facility could continue to
operate by burning the coal on hand at the end of the reporting period
(i.e., burn days). The EIA proposes to delete this Appendix and to
amend the Instructions to request that respondents calculate burn days
in accordance with their customary operating practices.
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
A. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the agency and does the
information have practical utility? Practical utility is defined as 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 by the due date?
C. The estimated public reporting burden for each of the surveys
included in the Coal Program Package is shown in the following Table.
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Estimated hours per
response
Survey(s) ----------------------
Current Proposed
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EIA-1, EIA-4, and EIA-20......................... 1.0 1.0
EIA-3............................................ .4 .4
EIA-5............................................ .9 .9
EIA-3A and EIA-5A................................ 1.0 1.0
EIA-6A........................................... 5.0 5.0
EIA-6, Schedule Q................................ .5 .5
EIA-7A........................................... 1.0 .75
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Burden includes the total time, effort, or financial resources
expended to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide the
information. The Forms EIA-1, 4, 6 (Schedule Q), and 20 are Standby
surveys. The above estimates reflect the anticipated burden per
response in the event these surveys are implemented.
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 information technology.
D. EIA estimates that respondents will incur no additional costs
for reporting other than the hours required to complete the collection.
What is the estimated: (1) total dollar amount annualized for capital
and start-up costs, and (2) recurring annual costs of operation and
maintenance, and purchase of services associated with this data
collection?
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 form?
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?
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, D.C. July 24, 1998.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 98-20377 Filed 7-29-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P