[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 206 (Thursday, October 24, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65345-65346]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-27123]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration


Policy Statement; Solicitation Of Comments On The Proposed Policy 
For Information In Statistical Tables Based On Confidential Historical 
Electric Power Survey Data

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

ACTION: Policy Statement; Solicitation of Comments on the Proposed 
Policy for Information in Statistical Tables Based on Confidential 
Historical Electric Power Survey Data.

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SUMMARY: The EIA is requesting comments on a proposed policy to 
discontinue the use of disclosure limitation methods for information in 
statistical tables derived from confidential historical electric power 
survey data. This request is based on the need to provide additional 
tabulations that will improve and broaden the understanding of the 
electric power industry by releasing additional information. These data 
may be released at the national, State, or regional level. For this 
policy, confidential historical electric power survey data are defined 
as any electric power data collected in an EIA survey under a pledge of 
confidentiality during a survey period at least 3 years prior to the 
time of dissemination. These statistical tables are disseminated in 
various EIA products, including the Electric Power Monthly, Electric 
Power Annual, Coal Industry Annual, Quarterly Coal Report, Renewable 
Energy Annual, Natural Gas Monthly, Natural Gas Annual, Petroleum 
Marketing Monthly, Petroleum Supply Monthly, Petroleum Marketing 
Annual, Petroleum Supply Annual, Volumes 1 and 2, and Annual Energy 
Review. (EIA's electric power data are available on the web at http://www.eia.doe.gov/).

DATES: Comments must be filed by December 23, 2002. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Comments on this proposed policy should be directed to Dean 
Fennell. To ensure receipt of the comments by the due date, submission 
by FAX (202-287-1934) or e-mail ([email protected]) is 
recommended. The mailing address is Energy Information Administration, 
EI-53, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., 
Washington, DC 20585-0650. Alternatively, Mr. Fennell may be contacted 
by telephone at 202-287-1744.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Mr. Fennell at the address listed above.

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 provides the public and other Federal agencies with 
opportunities to comment on collections of energy information conducted 
by EIA. As appropriate, EIA also requests comments on important issues 
relevant to the dissemination of energy information. Comments received 
help the EIA when preparing information collections and information 
products necessary to support EIA's mission.
    The EIA collects survey information about the electric power 
industry from companies and organizations involved in the generation, 
transmission, distribution, and sales of electric power. This survey 
information is disseminated in a variety of information products and 
electronic data files used by government and private sector 
policymakers and analysts.

II. Current Actions

    EIA is requesting public comments on a proposed policy to 
discontinue the use of disclosure limitation methods for information in 
statistical tables derived from confidential historical electric power 
survey data. This request is based on the need to provide additional 
tabulations that will improve and broaden the understanding of the 
electric power industry. These data may be released at the national, 
State, or regional level. (An example of this is publishing national 
level fuel consumption data in the Annual Energy Review, or publishing 
State or regional level data for fuel consumption, useful thermal 
output, or generation in reports such as the Electric Power Monthly or 
Natural Gas Annual.)
    For this policy, confidential historical electric power survey data 
are defined as any electric power data collected in an EIA survey under 
a pledge of confidentiality during a survey period at least 3 years 
prior to the time of dissemination. The 3-year period includes the 
reporting year (the year for which data are currently being collected) 
and two prior years where data have been finalized. In the case of 
annual data, the EIA would disseminate information for 1998 and prior 
years without suppressing individual sensitive data cells in summary 
tables. For monthly data, historical data would be disseminated for 
1999 and prior years without suppressing individual sensitive data 
cells in summary tables. While EIA will continue to maintain the 
confidentiality of individual data forms, EIA believes that the release 
of these historical data in tabular form (State, regional, or national 
level) will not affect the competitiveness of an individual company. 
EIA will continue to use its disclosure rules, which are designed to 
protect confidential data, and withhold sensitive data in summary level 
tables for the years that remain protected. At present, EIA will 
withhold sensitive annual data for 1999, 2000, and 2001 and sensitive 
monthly data for 2000, 2001, and 2002.
    With respect to the confidentiality of information collected in 
EIA's electric power surveys, there are two categories. Some 
information is collected under a pledge of confidentiality and EIA 
takes various actions to ensure the protection of such information. 
Those steps include access controls on the individually-identifiable 
information, as well as the use of disclosure limitation methods to 
ensure statistical tables based on the confidential information do not 
have sensitive data cell values. A sensitive data cell value is one 
that could be used by a knowledgeable person to estimate too closely 
the confidential information reported by an individual survey 
respondent. EIA never publicly releases individually-identifiable 
information collected under a pledge of confidentiality.
    Other electric power survey information is considered 
nonconfidential because EIA has determined that the public release of 
the information would not cause substantial

[[Page 65346]]

competitive harm to the survey respondents. EIA uses nonconfidential 
survey information in its products and may also make the information 
publicly available in individually-identifiable form.
    EIA's proposed policy would eliminate the use of disclosure 
limitation methods on information displayed in statistical tables based 
on confidential historical electric power survey data if the survey 
data is at least 3 years old. EIA believes that because the data are 
old, this policy would not cause substantial competitive harm to the 
competitive position of any electric power survey respondent. This 
policy would expand the electric power information that could be 
provided in EIA information products by eliminating the requirement to 
withhold sensitive cells and other nonsensitive cells necessary to 
ensure protection of sensitive information.

III. Request for Comments

    The public should comment on the actions discussed in item II. The 
questions below are general issues on which EIA is seeking public 
comments.

General Issues:

    A. Is the proposed policy appropriate for EIA's confidential 
historical electric power survey data?
    B. Is the assumption that the proposed policy would not cause 
substantial competitive harm to the competitive position of any survey 
respondent reasonable?
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be considered 
during development of EIA's final policy regarding the use of 
disclosure limitation methods for information in statistical tables 
with confidential historical electric power survey data. The comments 
will also become a matter of public record.
    After EIA has completed development, a Federal Register notice will 
be issued announcing the policy.

    Statutory Authority: Section 52 of the Federal Energy 
Administration Act (Pub. L. 93-275, 15 U.S.C. 790a).

    Issued in Washington, DC, October 18, 2002.
Guy F. Caruso,
Administrator, Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-27123 Filed 10-23-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P