[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 241 (Friday, December 15, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75518-75520]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21367]


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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 proposed revisions to and 
the three-year extension of the Natural Gas Production Report, Form 
EIA-914.

DATES: Comments must be filed by February 13, 2007. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ms. Rhonda Green at U.S. Department of 
Energy, Energy Information Administration, Reserves and Production 
Division, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1110, Dallas, Texas 75201-6801. To 
ensure receipt of the comments by the due date, submission by FAX (214-
720-6155) or e-mail ([email protected]) is recommended. 
Alternatively, Ms. Green may be contacted by telephone at (214) 720-
6161.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Ms. Rhonda 
Green 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,

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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.
    Operators of natural gas wells are the target respondents of Form 
EIA-914. Currently there are 227 respondents, a sample drawn from a 
universe of about 8,300 known operators. Using information collected on 
Form EIA-914, EIA estimates and disseminates timely and reliable 
monthly natural gas production data at the United States level, and for 
Texas, and Louisiana (both including State offshore natural gas 
production), New Mexico, Oklahoma, Wyoming and the Federal Gulf of 
Mexico. This collection is essential to the mission of the DOE for the 
development, implementation, and evaluation of energy policy and 
legislation in general, and the EIA in particular because of the 
increasing demand for natural gas in the United States and the 
requirement for accurate and timely natural gas production information 
necessary to monitor the United States natural gas supply and demand 
balance. Data are disseminated through the EIA Natural Gas Monthly and 
Natural Gas Annual. Secondary publications that use the data include 
EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook, Annual Energy Outlook, Monthly Energy 
Review and Annual Energy Review.
    When OMB approved Form EIA-914 in 2004, it asked EIA to report the 
following information at the time of renewal of this data collection:
     Status of cooperation with the Interstate Oil and Gas 
Compact Commission (IOGCC) to increase quality of reported data, and 
status of cooperation between the individual States and the Minerals 
Management Service (MMS), with particular focus on reducing duplicative 
collections;
     Whether improvements to State collections allow some 
States to be dropped from the survey frame, with a specific analysis of 
the Texas collection; and
     Status of Form EIA-895, ``Monthly and Annual Quantity and 
Value of Natural Gas Production Report.''
    The responses to these requests are as follows:

Cooperative Efforts With the IOGCC and MMS

    Since the implementation of Form EIA-914, EIA has met with members 
of the IOGCC and has discussed ways to increase the quality of reported 
natural gas production data. A written agreement was signed between 
IOGCC and EIA to improve the quality of State data. EIA works in 
consultation with the MMS to reduce duplicative data collections. MMS 
collects production data for revenue collection purposes. However, 
reliable MMS production data are typically unavailable for at least a 
year after the data are reported. Production estimates based on Form 
EIA-914 data are available 60 days after the close of a report month. 
The time frames of the two systems do not overlap.

Improvements to State Collections

    There have been no significant improvements in State data 
collections of natural gas production that would allow for EIA to use 
State data in lieu of what it collects on the EIA-914 survey. With 
respect to Texas, the State has made some changes to its data 
collection system (e.g., one form instead of two, electronic data 
submission), but report timing and data quality are the same as when 
the EIA-914 was first approved.

Status of Form EIA-895

    EIA continues to collect monthly natural gas production information 
from the States through Form EIA-895M, but will announce its decision 
to terminate the use of the monthly Form EIA-895M in 2007 and rely on 
the EIA-914 monthly natural gas production estimates thereafter. EIA 
plans to retain use of the annual Form EIA-895A for the following 
reasons:
    1. Once a year, the EIA-895A collects monthly production data for 
12 States that are not reported on Form EIA-914. In their comments on 
the March 7, 2005, Federal Register notice on extension of natural gas 
data collection forms, the Natural Gas Supply Association, the American 
Petroleum Institute, the Domestic Petroleum Council, the Independent 
Petroleum Association of America, the National Ocean Industries 
Association, and the U.S. Oil and Gas Association expressed concern 
about elimination of the EIA-895, because EIA would no longer publish 
monthly data for these 12 States. These monthly data allow industry 
participants to better understand State-level trends, plan business 
activity, and forecast future production. Based on conversations with 
trade group representatives in 2006, they remain opposed to elimination 
of this data collection.
    2. With the elimination of the monthly EIA-895M, the EIA-895A 
becomes the major source of data on natural gas vented and flared and 
on nonhydrocarbon gases removed. A 2004 GAO report called on EIA to 
collect more data on venting and flaring, not to eliminate its 
collection.
    3. The EIA-895A contains financial information not collected by the 
EIA-914 or the monthly Form-895M.
    4. The EIA-895A serves as a quality check on production data 
collected by the EIA-914 during the year.

II. Current Actions

    This notice is for a three-year extension of Form EIA-914, 
``Monthly Natural Gas Production Report,'' and a revision to add 
Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, and the 
Federal Offshore Pacific. By adding these additional areas, the 
geographic coverage and accuracy of the gas production estimates will 
be improved. The sampling methodology will be the same as for current 
States.

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?

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    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 at 3 
hours per respondent per month (this reflects no change from the 
original estimate). 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 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, December 11, 2006.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-21367 Filed 12-14-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P