[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 59 (Monday, March 29, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 14891-14893]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 99-7647]


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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.

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SUMMARY: The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is soliciting 
comments on the proposed extensions and revisions of the Natural Gas 
Program Package Forms: EIA-176, ``Annual Report of Natural and 
Supplemental Gas Supply and Disposition;'' EIA-191, ``Monthly 
Underground Gas Storage Report;'' EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural 
Gas Purchases and Deliveries to Consumers;'' and EIA-895, ``Monthly 
Quantity of Natural Gas Report.'' In addition, EIA proposes extensions 
without revision of the EIA-191S, ``Weekly Underground Gas Storage 
Report (Standby Form),'' and EIA-857S, ``Weekly Report of Natural Gas 
Supplies and Deliveries to Consumers (Standby Form).''

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 28, 1999. If 
you anticipate difficulty in submitting comments within the 60 days, 
contact the person identified below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Margaret Natof, Energy Information 
Administration, Office of Oil and Gas, Natural Gas Division, EI-44, 
Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585. 
Alternatively, Ms. Natof may be reached by phone at 202-586-6303, by e-
mail at [email protected], or by FAX at 202-585-4420.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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

[[Page 14892]]

I. Background

    The Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-275, 15 
U.S.C. 761 et seq.) and the Department of Energy Organization Act (Pub. 
L. No. 95-91, 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) requires the Energy Information 
Administration (EIA) to carry out a centralized, comprehensive, and 
unified energy information program. This program collects, evaluates, 
assembles, analyzes, and disseminates information on energy resource 
reserves, production, demand, technology, and related economic and 
statistical information. This information is used to assess the 
adequacy of energy resources to meet near and longer term domestic 
demands.
    The EIA, as part of its effort to comply with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), provides 
the general public and other Federal agencies with opportunities to 
comment on collections of energy information conducted by or in 
conjunction with the EIA. Any comments received help the EIA to prepare 
data requests that maximize the utility of the information collected, 
and to assess the impact of collection requirements on the public. 
Also, the 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.
    The individual forms are discussed in detail below:

Form EIA-176, ``Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental Gas Supply 
and Disposition''

    The Form EIA-176 provides the EIA with the major elements of 
information required in conjunction with data collected in other EIA 
surveys to develop gas supply and disposition balances and relevant 
cost, price, and related information at the State level.
    The information collected on the Form EIA-176 is needed and used 
for the following purposes:
    (1) To develop and make available to Congress, the States, and the 
public an accurate quantified overview of the supply of natural and 
supplemental gas available to each of the various States from all 
sources both internal and external to the State, and the manner in 
which such supply was utilized or otherwise disposed of,
    (2) To determine the quantity of natural and supplemental gas 
consumed within each of the various States by market sector, the 
average prices for such gas, and the changes in consumption and price 
patterns over time, and
    (3) For various EIA publications (including the Natural Gas Annual 
(NGA), Natural Gas Monthly (NGM), Annual Energy Review (AER), Annual 
Energy Outlook (AEO), Short Term Energy Outlook (STEO), and the Monthly 
Energy Review (MER), which are widely used by both public and private 
individuals and organizations.

EIA-191, ``Monthly Underground Gas Storage Report'

    Form EIA-191 requests monthly data on the location, capacity, and 
operations of all active underground natural gas storage fields. 
Storage data are a critical link in understanding the deliverability of 
the natural gas system of the United States and overall system 
operations.
    The information collected on Form EIA-191 will be used in the 
following ways:
    (1) To provide State-level data on underground natural gas storage 
with respect to injections, withdrawals, inventories, type of storage 
facility, location of facilities, and capacity for the EIA's NGM, MER, 
and AER. This monthly data collection also provides reliable baseline 
data on storage operations necessary for analyses, modeling, and 
comparison with normal industry operations in cases of severe weather, 
natural disaster, or other extreme circumstances,
    (2) To provide data on underground natural gas storage inventories 
for the EIA's AEO and STEO, and
    (3) To provide data on all aspects of underground natural gas 
storage to enable EIA and other elements of DOE to identify and assess 
the supplies of gas in storage by geographic location.

EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural Gas Purchases and Deliveries to 
Consumers

    Monthly State-level data collected on Form EIA-857 consist of the 
average price of natural gas purchased by local distribution companies 
at their citygates, consumption of natural gas by sector, and average 
price by sector. These data are necessary to provide timely information 
needed to measure the combined impact of government, industry, and 
consumer actions; geographic location; interfuel competition; climatic 
conditions; and a host of other factors upon the natural gas industry 
and natural gas consumers.
    The data collected on the Form EIA-857 are used to develop 
information for publication in EIA's NGM and MER, and to make the data 
available to Congress, State governments, industry, and the public.

Form EIA-895, ``Monthly Quantity of Natural Gas Report''

    Form EIA-895 collects monthly information from the appropriate 
State agencies concerning natural gas production. It provides details 
on gross withdrawals from gas and oil wells, on volumes vented and 
flared, used for repressuring, nonhydrocarbon gases removed, used as 
fuel on leases, and the amount of natural gas available for marketing. 
These data are routinely collected by the States for taxation and 
statistical purposes. The aggregate data are published in the NGM, NGA, 
MER, and AER.

Standby Forms EIA-857S, ``Weekly Report of Natural Gas Supplies and 
Deliveries to Consumers,'' and EIA-191S, ``Weekly Underground Gas 
Storage Report''

    The standby Forms EIA-857S and EIA-191S are designed to fill gaps 
in the natural gas data collections where monthly data are not 
sufficient for informed responses to natural disasters, severe weather, 
or other catastrophic events. The data would permit EIA to monitor the 
impact of regional disruptions on a weekly basis when the EIA 
Administrator determines that conditions or events warrant more 
frequent data.
    Data elements are similar to those on the ``parent'' Forms EIA-857 
and EIA-191, except the weekly forms are simplified to the maximum 
extent possible. The standby forms are intended only for use as 
determined necessary in extreme situations. EIA would notify OMB of the 
intent to use the form(s), the region(s) affected, and the estimated 
burden before EIA would begin using the forms.

II. Current Actions

    This notice includes a request for a three-year extension of all 
previously approved Natural Gas Program Package forms. EIA is proposing 
modifications to the Form EIA-176 and its instructions to simplify the 
form and instructions, clarify terms used in the form and instructions, 
change the reporting deadlines, collapse certain reporting categories, 
require the reporting of transportation revenues, and eliminate the 
short form. Proposed changes to Form EIA-857 include simplification and 
clarification of the form and its instructions, collapsing of certain 
data reporting lines, and a requirement for reporting of transportation 
revenues. For Forms EIA-191, and EIA-895, EIA is proposing minimal 
clarifications to the instructions. No changes are proposed

[[Page 14893]]

for the standby Forms EIA-857S and EIA-191S.
    Significant changes proposed for the Form EIA-176 include:
    (1) Changing the filing date from April 1 to March 1 following the 
end of the report year,
    (2) Changing the extension-for-filing date from May 15 to April 1,
    (3) Simplifying and clarifying the instructions, reporting 
requirements, and definitions of terms,
    (4) Eliminating the requirement to distinguish between firm and 
interruptible deliveries, whether sold and delivered directly to 
consumers (Part V, line 5.4.1 through 5.4.6) or transported and 
delivered to consumers for the account of others (Part V, lines 7.4.1 
through 7.4.6),
    (5) Eliminating the requirement to distinguish between gas volumes 
delivered to commercial or industrial consumers having nonutility 
generation of electricity from those not generating electricity, 
whether sold and delivered directly to consumers (Part V, lines 5.4.2 
and 5.4.3) or transported and delivered to consumers for the account of 
others (Part V, lines 7.4.2 and 7.4.3),
    (6) Adding a requirement to report the cost or revenue for data 
items in Part V, 7.4.1 through 7.4.6, ``Transported and delivered to 
consumers for the account of others,'' and
    (7) Eliminating the short form version of the EIA-176.
    Significant proposed changes to the Form EIA-857 include:
    (1) Simplifying and clarifying the instructions, reporting 
requirements, and definitions of terms,
    (2) Eliminating the requirement for respondents to distinguish 
between gas volumes delivered to commercial or industrial consumers 
having nonutility generation of electricity, whether sold and delivered 
directly to consumers (lines 7 through 10) or transported and delivered 
by consumers for the account of others (lines 14 through 17), and
    (3) Adding a requirement to report revenues for all volumes of gas 
transported and delivered for the account of others to residential, 
commercial, or industrial consumers (lines 13 though 18).

III. Request for Comments

    Prospective respondents and other interested persons are invited to 
comment on the actions discussed in item II. The following guidelines 
are provided to assist in the preparation of comments. 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 be made 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 information be submitted by the due date?
    C. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to 
average 20 hours for the annual EIA-176, 2 hours per month for the EIA-
191, 3 hours per month for the EIA-857, and \1/2\ hour per month for 
the EIA-895. Burden estimates for the Forms EIA-857S and EIA-191S would 
be determined and reported to the Office of Management and Budget at 
such time as the need to collect those data were invoked by the 
Administrator. The estimated burden includes the total time, effort, or 
financial resources expended to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose 
or provide the information.
    Please comment on (1) the accuracy of the agency's estimate and (2) 
how the agency could minimize the burden of the collecting this 
information, including the use of information technology.
    D. The agency estimates 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. Does any other Federal, State, or local agency collect similar 
information? If so, specify the agency, the data element(s), and the 
methods of collection.

As a Potential User

    A. Is the information useful at the levels of detail indicated on 
the form?
    B. For what purpose(s) would the information be used? Be specific.
    C. Are there alternate sources for the information and are they 
useful? 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: Sec. 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

    Issued in Washington, DC, March 23, 1999.
Lynda T. Carlson,
Director, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 99-7647 Filed 3-26-99; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P