[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 95 (Monday, May 17, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27907-27908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-11106]


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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.

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SUMMARY: The EIA is soliciting comments on the proposed revision and 
three-year extension to the Form EIA-886, ``Annual Survey of 
Alternative Fueled Vehicle Suppliers and Users.''

DATES: Comments must be filed by July 16, 2004. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Mary Joyce. To ensure receipt of the 
comments by the due date, submission by fax (202-287-1944) or e-mail 
([email protected]) is recommended. The mailing address is Energy 
Information Administration, EI-52, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department 
of Energy, Washington, DC 20585. Alternatively, Mary Joyce may be 
contacted by telephone at (202) 287-1752.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Mary Joyce 
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.
    Form EIA-886, the Annual Survey of Alternative Fueled Vehicle 
Suppliers and Users, is an annual survey that collects information on:
    1.The number and type of alternative fueled vehicles (AFVs) that 
vehicle suppliers made available in the previous calendar year and plan 
to make available in the following calendar year;
    2.The number, type and geographic distribution of AFVs in use in 
the previous calendar year; and
    3.The amount and distribution of each type of alternative 
transportation fuel (ATF) consumed in the previous calendar year.
    The EIA-886 data are collected from suppliers and users of AFVs. 
The objectives of the EIA-886 survey are to:
    1. Comply with section 503 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT) 
that requires the EIA to collect information and provide estimates 
related to alternative fueled vehicles, alternate transportation fuels, 
and replacement fuels;
    2. Satisfy public requests for information on AFVs and ATFs;
    3. Provide Congress with a measure of the extent to which the 
objectives of EPACT are being achieved; and
    4. Provide EIA with a basis for estimating and forecasting total 
AFV and ATF use in the U.S.
    The results of the EIA-886 are released annually on EIA's Web site 
at http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelalternate.html.

II. Current Actions

    EIA will be requesting a three-year extension of approval to its 
alternative fuel survey with the following survey changes.
    1. Suppliers of AFVs, who report on section 3 of the form, will be 
requested to report the State where the AFV's were delivered or sold.
    2. Users of AFVs, who report on section 2, will be requested to 
categorize alternative fuel consumption by fuel type, State, vehicle 
type, primary application, and engine configuration. Previously, they 
were requested to report alternative fuel consumption by fuel type and 
State only.

[[Page 27908]]

    3. Users of AFVs will also be requested to report data on vehicle 
miles traveled by their AFVs. Vehicle miles traveled should be 
categorized in the same way as consumption, i.e., by fuel type, State, 
vehicle type, primary application, and engine configuration.
    4. Users of AFVs will be requested to report data on retirements of 
AFVs. These data will include vehicle and fuel type as well as number, 
average age, and disposition of retired vehicles.
    5. Instructions will be rewritten to clarify that users of AFVs 
should not report hybrid electric vehicles unless their primary fuel is 
an alternative fuel, or consumption of biodiesel unless it is consumed 
as 100-percent biodiesel. Suppliers of AFVs will continue to report 
hybrid vehicles.
    6. Federal agencies are no longer required to complete the survey 
because EIA's data collection efforts for Federal AFVs has been merged 
with the DOE/GSA's Federal Automotive Statistical Tool, an on-line 
tracking system for Executive Order 13149 and several EPACT 
requirements.
    The additional data will enable EIA to more accurately determine 
the location of AFVs and other advanced transportation vehicles in use 
in the U.S. They will also enable EIA to more accurately estimate total 
AFVs in use and total alternative fuel consumption in the U.S. EIA will 
also be able to satisfy customer requests for data about AFV miles 
traveled and AFV retirements.

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 section of the form (section 1, 2 or 3) 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 4.4 hours per response. The estimated burden includes the total 
time necessary to provide the requested information. In your opinion, 
how accurate is this estimate?
    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, May 11, 2004.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy 
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-11106 Filed 5-14-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P