[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 85 (Wednesday, May 3, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26079-26080]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-6667]


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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 
modifications to data collection Form EIA-902, ``Annual Geothermal Heat 
Pump Manufacturers Survey,'' and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The EIA is soliciting comments on the proposed revisions and 
extension through November 30, 2007 to the Form EIA-902, ``Annual 
Geothermal Heat Pump Manufacturers Survey.''

DATES: Comments must be filed by July 3, 2006. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Fred Mayes. To ensure receipt of the 
comments by the due date, submission by FAX (202) 287-1964 or e-mail 
[email protected] is recommended. The mailing address is U.S. 
Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, EI-52, 1000 
Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20585. Alternatively, Fred Mayes 
may be contacted by telephone at (202) 287-1750.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Fred Mayes 
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

[[Page 26080]]

1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35), provides the general 
public and other Federal agencies with opportunities to comment on 
proposed collections of energy information conducted by or in 
conjunction with the EIA. Any comments that are received help the EIA 
to finalize data requests that maximize the utility of the information 
collected, and to assess the impact of collection burden on the public. 
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 Form EIA-902, ``Annual Geothermal Heat Pump Manufacturers 
Survey,'' collects information about the manufacture and distribution 
of geothermal heat pumps and the status of the industry. The survey 
information is disseminated in electronic products and electronic data 
files. For details on EIA's renewables information program, please 
visit EIA's Web site at http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelrenewable.html.

II. Current Actions

    The EIA will request OBM approval of: (a) A 14-month extension, 
through November 30, 2007, and (b) modifications to Form EIA-902 
described below. The proposed changes EIA is requesting reflect the 
increasing emergence of the renewable industry as a whole and the 
geothermal energy industry in particular. The changes proposed herein 
would be effective for EIA's calendar year 2007 data collection (2006 
data) but would expire on November 30, 2007. The reason for this 
shortened interim clearance proposal is so that EIA can synchronize the 
forms clearance schedule for three of its renewable energy data 
collections. Specifically, EIA desires to consolidate the expiration 
date of Form EIA-902 with the expiration dates of Form EIA-63A, 
``Annual Solar Thermal Collector Manufacturers Survey,'' and Form EIA-
63B, ``Annual Photovoltaic Module/Cell Manufacturers Survey.'' 
Synchronizing the expiration date of these three forms, which all 
collect information from manufactures of renewable energy equipment, 
will permit EIA to conduct a more comprehensive review of its data 
needs for this market sector and develop a unified data collection 
approach which would lead to more efficient survey processing by EIA.
    EIA recognizes that its information collections must continue to 
adapt as the industry changes. It is especially critical to Federal 
policymakers and State governments, who increasingly rely on the data 
to understand and respond to the current and emerging impacts of 
renewable industry developments on consumers nationally and in their 
particular State. In addition, as government energy policy moves 
towards market-based solutions, market data becomes even more 
important. The proposed form EIA-902 presented here incorporates 
discussions with trade associations of the geothermal energy industry.
    EIA proposes the following changes to Form EIA-902: (1) Collect 
estimates of the coefficient of performance (COP) and the energy 
efficiency ratio (EER) for geothermal heat pumps by heat pump type; (2) 
collect the total rated capacity of geothermal heat pumps shipped (3.0) 
instead of the number of units shipped by destination; (3) collect the 
total rated capacity of domestic shipments by customer type (4.0) 
instead of the total number of geothermal heat pump shipments by 
customer type; (4) redefine the economic sectors to correspond to the 
standard sectors used by EIA; (5) collect total rated capacity of 
domestic shipments by economic sector (5.0) , instead of average rated 
capacity for all shipments ; and (6) add a FAX number to the 
information collected for the respondent contact. The form and 
instructions will be modified to show these changes.

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.

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 be 
an average 4.20 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. No. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35).

    Issued in Washington, DC, April 26, 2006.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-6667 Filed 5-2-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P