[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 214 (Tuesday, November 5, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 67393-67395]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-28065]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

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

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The EIA is soliciting comments on the proposed reinstatement 
of the Form EIA-871A/I, and the proposed new EIA-871J, ``2003 
Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey.''

DATES: Comments must be filed by January 6, 2003. If you anticipate

[[Page 67394]]

difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Martha Johnson. To ensure receipt of the 
comments by the due date, submission by FAX ((202) 586-0018) or e-mail 
([email protected]) is recommended. The mailing address is 
Martha Johnson, Survey Manager, EI-63/Forrestal Building, U.S. 
Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585-0660. Alternatively, Ms. 
Johnson may be contacted by telephone at (202) 586-1135.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Martha 
Johnson 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, 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(a) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.
    The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) has been 
conducted seven times covering the years 1979, 1983 and 1986 under the 
name of the ``Nonresidential Buildings Energy Consumption Survey'', and 
years 1989, 1992, 1995 and 1999 under the current name, ``Commercial 
Buildings Energy Consumption Survey''. CBECS collects baseline data on 
energy consumption and expenditures in commercial buildings, and on the 
energy-related characteristics of those buildings. To obtain this 
information, interviews are conducted for a sample of commercial 
buildings in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. For buildings 
in the survey, data are collected on the types, amount and cost of 
energy consumed in the building, how the energy is used, structural 
characteristics of the buildings, activities conducted inside the 
buildings that relate to energy use, building ownership and occupancy, 
energy conservation measures, and energy-using equipment. The 
information will be collected using Computer Assisted Personal 
Interviewing (CAPI) for the 2003 CBECS. For those buildings that cannot 
provide energy consumption data for the building, the data will be 
obtained in a mail survey from the suppliers of electricity, natural 
gas, fuel oil and district heat to the building, after receiving 
permission from the building owner, manager or tenant. This mail survey 
to the energy suppliers is mandatory. The data obtained from this 
survey are available to the public in a variety of EIA electronic 
tables and reports at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs. Public use 
files that have been screened to protect the identity of the individual 
respondents are also available electronically at the above web address. 
Selected data from the surveys are also published in the Monthly Energy 
Review and the Annual Energy Review.

II. Current Actions

    This will be a proposed reinstatement of a previously approved 
collection and three-year clearance request to OMB. The request in the 
expiration data will extend the EIA-871A/J to November 30, 2005.
    Anticipated changes for the 2003 CBECS include:
    [sbull] A complete redesign of the sample, to include new Primary 
Sampling Units (PSU), Secondary Sampling Units (SSU) and segments.
    [sbull] Collecting the data in a personal interview (rather than by 
telephone) using CAPI.
    [sbull] Collecting energy data from a subsample of establishments 
within enclosed shopping malls and strip shopping centers.
    [sbull] Collecting limited energy data from university facilities 
and hospital complexes as a whole on Form EIA-871J.
    [sbull] Reinstating select energy-related building characteristics 
questions (Form EIA-871A) that are of a high priority to CBECS data 
users. These building characteristics include building footprint and 
equipment renovation questions.
    [sbull] Expanding some energy-related building characteristics 
questions to assist in the analysis of the CBECS data. These questions 
focus on new energy technology and include expanded office equipment 
questions, specifically related to digital technology, and expanded 
heating and cooling equipment questions.
    [sbull] Reformatting the Building Characteristics Questionnaire 
(Form EIA-871A) so that fewer respondents are asked all questions.

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. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the 
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information to be 
collected?
    B. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If 
not, which instructions need clarification?
    C. Can the information be submitted by the due date?
    D. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to 
average approximately 45 minutes per interview for the building 
respondent and approximately 30 minutes per energy supplier response in 
those cases where the data must be collected from the energy suppliers 
(Forms EIA-871C-F). The estimated burden includes the total time 
necessary to provide the requested information. In your opinion, how 
accurate is this estimate?

[[Page 67395]]

    E. 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?
    F. 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.
    G. 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. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the 
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information 
disseminated?
    B. Is the information useful at the levels of detail to be 
collected?
    C. For what purpose(s) would the information be used? Be specific.
    D. 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.

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

    Issued in Washington, DC, October 30, 2002.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy 
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-28065 Filed 11-4-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P