[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 37 (Monday, February 25, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8530-8532]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-4392]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration


Agency informaiton collection activities: proposed collection; 
comment request

AGENCY: Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of Energy 
(DOE).

ACTION: Agency information collection activities: proposed collection; 
comment request.

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SUMMARY: The EIA is soliciting comments on the proposed revision and 
three-year extension under section 3507(h)(1) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 of the surveys in the Natural Gas Data Collection 
Program Package. The surveys covered by this request for comment 
include Form 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;'' EIA-895, ``Monthly Quantity and Value of 
Natural Gas Production Report;'' EIA-910, ``Monthly Natural Gas 
Marketer Survey;'' and EIA-912, ``Weekly Underground Natural Gas 
Storage Report.''

DATES: Comments must be filed by April 26, 2002. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sylvia Norris, Natural Gas Division, Office 
of Oil and Gas, Energy Information Administration. To ensure receipt of 
the comments by the due date, submission by fax (202-586-4420) or e-
mail ([email protected]) is recommended. The mailing address is 
Sylvia Norris, Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of 
Energy, P.O. Box 8279, Silver Spring, MD 20907. Also, Ms. Norris may be 
contacted by telephone at 202-586-6106.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Ms. Norris 
at the address listed above.
    Also, the draft forms and instructions are available on the EIA Web 
site at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/fwd/proposed.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   
I. Background
II. Current Actions
III. Request for Comments

I. Background

    The Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-275, 15 
U.S.C. 761 et seq.) and the DOE Organization Act (Pub. L. 95-91, 42 
U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) require the 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) under section 3507(h)(1) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.
    The natural gas surveys included in the Natural Gas Data Collection 
Program Package collect information on natural gas production, 
underground storage, transmission, distribution, consumption by sector, 
and wellhead and consumer prices. This information is used to support 
public policy analyses of the natural gas industry and is posted to the 
EIA Web site (www.eia.doe.gov) in various EIA products, including the 
Natural Gas Weekly Update, Natural Gas Monthly, Natural Gas Annual, 
Monthly Energy Review, and Annual Energy Review. Respondents to natural 
gas surveys include State agencies, underground storage operators, 
transporters, marketers, and distributors. The forms are discussed in 
detail below.

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

    The Form EIA-176 provides EIA with the major elements of 
information required in conjunction with data collected in other EIA 
surveys to develop annual 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 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 States by market sector, the average sales 
prices for such gas, and the changes in consumption and price patterns 
over time, and
    (3) For dissemination in various EIA data products including the 
Natural Gas Annual (NGA), Natural Gas Monthly (NGM), Annual Energy 
Review (AER), Annual Energy Outlook (AEO), Short-Term Energy Outlook 
(STEO), Winter Fuels Report, and Monthly Energy Review (MER), which are 
widely used by both public and private organizations and individuals.

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

[[Page 8531]]

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, and capacity. These data will be made available to 
EIA's NGM, NGA, MER, and AER. 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 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 the Form EIA-857 consist of 
average price of natural gas purchased by local distribution companies 
at their city gates, consumption of natural gas by sector, and average 
sales 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; climatic 
conditions; and other factors on 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 STEO, NGM, Winter Fuels Report, 
and MER, and to make the data available to Congress, State governments, 
industry, and the public.

EIA-895, ``Monthly Quantity and Value of Natural Gas Production 
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 and from coalbed methane 
wells, volumes vented and flared, volumes of nonhydrocarbon gases 
removed, gas used as fuel on leases, and the amount of natural gas 
available for market. These data are routinely collected by the States 
for taxation, conservation, or statistical purposes. The aggregate data 
are published in the NGM, NGA, MER, Winter Fuels Report, and AER.

EIA-910, ``Monthly Natural Gas Marketer Survey''

    Form EIA-910 collects monthly information for developing accurate 
estimates of State-level prices paid by residential and commercial 
consumers of natural gas. Data from the EIA-910 are combined with data 
from other EIA natural gas surveys to produce more complete and 
accurate price estimates than are currently available from data based 
on the EIA-857. The data are incorporated into EIA's monthly 
publications, used by modelers and analysts, and used to answer 
questions from policymakers, Congress, and the general public.

EIA-912, ``Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage Report''

    EIA has developed a survey instrument and report format to provide 
a weekly data series on underground storage of natural gas similar to 
that currently published by the American Gas Association. AGA has 
announced that it will discontinue its data collection by May 1, 2002. 
The EIA-912 data collection responds to requests to provide weekly 
measures of natural gas underground storage operations. EIA has 
received emergency clearance for the operation of the new series and 
will release data from the survey on May 9, 2002. However, EIA must 
obtain a standard (3-year) clearance for the survey and will include a 
request for a standard (non-emergency) clearance in its Natural Gas 
Data Collection Program Package to be sent to OMB for approval in 
September 2002.
    EIA will use the data to prepare analytical products assessing 
storage operations in the three AGA regions and their impact on 
supplies available for the winter heating season and in more detailed 
analyses correlating demand, heating-degree-days, and prior inventory 
levels. Such correlations will help EIA to understand the impact of 
storage operations on natural gas supply and demand.

II. Current Actions

    EIA will be requesting a three-year extension of the collection 
authority for each of the above-referenced surveys. In addition, EIA 
proposes the changes outlined below that affect the EIA-176, EIA-191, 
EIA-857, and EIA-895. The request for extension of collection authority 
will include two surveys, Forms EIA-910 and EIA-912 cited above, which 
received approvals for implementation in separate clearance requests to 
OMB.

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

    EIA is proposing significant revisions to the Form EIA-176. Those 
revisions included elimination of the ``Company Activities'' and 
``Continuations'' sections of the Form. Numerous line items have been 
eliminated or combined to simplify reporting requirements and reduce 
respondent burden. One new reporting item has been added. The line item 
will collect volume of liquefied natural gas (LNG) in inventory as of 
December 31 of the report year. The Form has also been extensively 
reformatted and the instructions have been simplified and reviewed for 
increased clarity.

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

    The Form EIA-191 has been reformatted and several data elements 
have been eliminated in order to reduce respondent burden. The 
instructions have been reviewed and edited to provide greater clarity 
and simplicity.

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

    No significant changes are proposed for the Form EIA-857, although 
EIA did add items on total gas deliveries for reporting in 2002, and is 
interested in receiving comments about that revision. The instructions 
have been redrafted to provide simplicity and clarity.

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

    EIA is adding the word ``Production'' to the survey title for 
clarity. The proposed Form EIA-895 will include an additional category 
for reporting monthly production of natural gas from coalbed wells.

Form EIA-910, ``Monthly Natural Gas Marketer Survey''

    EIA is requesting extended clearance of the currently approved EIA-
910 in order to align the expiration dates for all forms in the Natural 
Gas Data Collection Program Package. No changes are proposed for either 
the survey form or instructions. EIA is requesting comments on whether 
the sample population (currently five States) covered by the EIA-910 
should be expanded.

Form EIA-912, ``Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage Report''

    The EIA-912 was recently approved to operate for six months under 
an emergency clearance under section

[[Page 8532]]

3507(j)(1) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. EIA will request 
further clearance to conduct the survey until the end of 2002. In this 
collection request, EIA will ask for approval to conduct the survey for 
three years beginning January 2003. The emergency clearances and 
continued approval are intended to continue the weekly data series 
(produced by the American Gas Association until May 2002) without 
interruption. Including the EIA-912 in the Fall 2002 clearance proposal 
will keep all Forms in the Natural Gas Data Collection Program Package 
on the same schedule. EIA is also requesting comments on the timing of 
dissemination of the information collected on Form EIA-912. Copies of 
the draft forms and instructions are available on the EIA Web site 
http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil__gas/fwd/proposed.html.

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 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 to the Request for Information

    A. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If 
not, which instructions need clarification?
    B. Can the information be submitted by the due date?
    C. Public reporting burden for the surveys included in the Natural 
Gas Data Collection Program Package is shown below as an average 
hour(s) per response. The estimated burden includes the total time 
necessary to provide the requested information. In your opinion, how 
accurate is this estimate for the proposed forms?
    (1) Form EIA-176, ``Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental Gas 
Supply and Disposition''; 12 hours per response.
    (2) Form EIA-191, ``Monthly Underground Gas Storage Report''; 3.6 
hours per response.
    (3) Form EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural Gas Purchases and 
Deliveries to Consumers''; 3.5 hours per response.
    (4) Form EIA-895, ``Monthly Quantity and Value of Natural Gas 
Production Report''; .5 hour per response.
    (5) Form EIA-910, ``Monthly Natural Gas Marketer Survey''; 2 hours 
per response.
    (6) Form EIA-912, ``Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage 
Report''; .5 hour per response.
    D. The agency estimates that the only cost to a respondent is for 
the time it will take to complete the collection. Will a respondent 
incur any start-up costs for reporting, or any recurring annual costs 
for operation, maintenance, and purchase of services associated with 
the information collection?
    E. What additional actions could be taken to minimize the burden of 
this collection of information? Such actions may involve the use of 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    F. 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 of the Information to be Collected

    A. Is the information useful at the levels of detail to be 
collected?
    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 weaknesses 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.

    Authority: Sec. 3507(h)(1) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

    Issued in Washington, DC, February 19, 2002.
Jay Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy 
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-4392 Filed 2-22-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P