[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 98 (Thursday, May 20, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 29131-29133]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-11414]


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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 reinstatement 
and three-year extension of Form EIA-457A-G, ``Residential Energy 
Consumption Survey (RECS).''

DATES: Comments must be filed by July 19, 2004. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Stephanie J. Battles or Michael T. 
Laurence. To ensure receipt of the comments by the due date, submission 
by FAX (202-586-0018) or e-mail ([email protected] or 
[email protected]) is recommended. The mailing address is 
Office of Energy Markets and End-Use, Energy Consumption Division, EI-
63, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 
20585. Alternatively, Stephanie J. Battles may be contacted by 
telephone at (202) 586-7327 and Michael T. Laurence may be contacted by 
telephone at (202) 586-2453.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Ms. Battles 
or Mr. Laurence 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

[[Page 29132]]

Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under section 3507(a) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
    The Residential Energy Consumption Survey (RECS) is a periodic 
survey of U.S. residential households to collect energy consumption and 
expenditures data and track changes over time. The data are widely used 
throughout the government and the private sector for policy analysis 
and are made available to the public in print and electronic media 
products. Comprehensive data for the most recent survey, the 2001 RECS, 
are available only in electronic form at EIA's Residential Web site 
home page at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/recs/contents.html. Results 
from the 1997 and 1993 RECS are available in both printed form (e.g., 
U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, A Look at 
Residential Consumption in 1997, November 1999, DOE/EIA-0632(97); 
Housing Characteristics 1993, June, 1995, DOE/EIA-0314(93); and 
Household Energy Consumption and Expenditures 1993, October 1995, DOE/
EIA-032 (93)) and on the EIA Residential Web site home page. Results 
from all previous RECS are available only in printed form.
    Please refer to the proposed forms and instructions for more 
information about the purpose, who must report, when to report, where 
to submit, the elements to be reported, detailed instructions, 
provisions for confidentiality, and uses (including possible 
nonstatistical uses) of the information. For instructions on obtaining 
materials, see the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.

II. Current Actions

    This is a reinstatement of OMB No. 1905-0092 that expired February 
29, 2004. The reinstatement will be for a three-year period. No 
significant content or methodological changes are being implemented. 
Due to funding restraints, the RECS is conducted on a quadrennial 
schedule, a schedule established with the 1997 RECS. Computer-Assisted 
Personal Interviewing (CAPI), a technology implemented with the 1997 
RECS, and used again in the 2001 RECS, will be continued.
    Most of the content of the survey questionnaires to be used in the 
2005 RECS will be substantially the same as those used in the 2001 
RECS. On a few of the questions minor wording changes may be made in 
the interest of clarity. Some questions that yielded little useful data 
will be deleted, while questions dealing with new energy-consuming 
appliances and important analytical issues such as energy efficiency 
will be added. Questions that would enhance EIA's ability to more 
accurately identify the end-uses for which energy in households is 
consumed, and support end-use allocation and estimation algorithms, may 
also be added.
    The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted a request 
to include questions on RECS relating to potential appliances for an 
Energy Star rating such as computers and ceiling fans. In another 
request, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, with EPA as the 
potential sponsor, has submitted a request to include questions on RECS 
relating to household water use. Both requests are for information they 
need but don't feel it necessary to create a whole new survey. 
Including the added questions would assist EPA with their decision on 
adding new Energy Star appliances. Also, no comparable water or water-
energy survey currently exists at the national level. Since the RECS is 
highly detailed and constructed to be representative of the entire 
population, EPA-sponsored water questions on the RECS would be 
indispensable for analysis and policy planning on household water use. 
However, EPA funding has not yet been approved for either request, and 
if it is not approved, the additional questions relating to potential 
Energy Star products and household water use, will not be included on 
the RECS. This will be explained in the information collection request 
to OMB.
    The 2005 RECS will be conducted under the provisions of the 
Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act 
(CIPSEA) of 2002 (title 5, subtitle A, Pub. L. 107-347). As in the 
past, information provided by respondents will be used only for 
statistical purposes.
    Under the provisions of the law, every EIA employee, EIA contractor 
employee, and agent must keep confidential any individually 
identifiable information in his or her possession, and is subject to a 
jail term, a fine, or both, if he or she discloses or releases any 
identifiable information for nonstatistical purposes, without the 
informed consent of the respondent. The CIPSEA permits EIA to obtain 
actual identifiers of survey respondents and process raw survey data on 
its physical premises while protecting information associated with 
individual respondents.

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 40 minutes per response for Form EIA-457A, Household 
Questionnaire; 20 minutes per response for Form EIA-457B, Mail version 
of the Household Questionnaire; 15 minutes per response for Form EIA-
457C, Rental Agents, Landlords, and Apartment Managers; 30 minutes per 
response for Form EIA-457D, Household Bottle Gas (LPG or Propane) 
Usage; 30 minutes per response for Form EIA-457E, Household Electricity 
Usage; 30 minutes per response for Form EIA-457F, Household Natural Gas 
Usage; and 30 minutes per response for Form EIA-457G, Household Fuel 
Oil or Kerosene Usage. 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.

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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 12, 2004.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy 
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-11414 Filed 5-19-04; 8:45 am]
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