[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 19 (Tuesday, January 30, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4248-4250]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-1409]


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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 new survey,

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``Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey''. When activated, this new 
survey will collect information on the status and operations of natural 
gas processing plants for use during periods of supply disruption in 
areas affected by an emergency, such as a hurricane.

DATES: Comments must be filed by April 2, 2007. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Barbara Mariner-Volpe, Natural Gas 
Division, (EI-44), Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Washington, DC 20585-0670. Ms. Mariner-Volpe may be contacted by 
telephone at (202) 586-5878, FAX at (202) 586-4420, or e-mail at 
[email protected]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Barbara Mariner-Volpe 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. No. 93-275, 
15 U.S.C. 761 et seq.) and the DOE Organization Act (Pub. L. No. 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. 3501, et seq.), 
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 proposed form, ``Survey of Natural Gas Processing Plants,'' 
will collect information from processing plant operators that will be 
used to monitor their operational status and assess operations of 
processing plants during a period when natural gas supplies are 
disrupted. The activation, selection of respondents, and frequency of 
the survey collection will be determined based on the location and 
severity of the supply disruption. For those processing plants whose 
operations have been disrupted, information about plant damage and the 
anticipated schedule of plant recovery will be collected. The data 
collected will be aggregated and used to develop measures of current 
processing activity and expected plant recovery in the disrupted area. 
The aggregate statistics will be used to inform the public, industry, 
and the government about the status of supply and delivery activities 
in the area affected by the disruption.
    The proposed form, ``Survey of Natural Gas Processing Plants,'' 
will consist of two schedules: Schedule A is a ``Baseline Report'' and 
Schedule B is the ``Emergency Status Report.'' The Baseline Report will 
collect information about processing plant characteristics and operator 
contact information, prior to any supply disruption. The information 
gathered in the Baseline Report, will be used to develop the sample of 
companies to survey using the Emergency Status Report. It is expected 
that information in the ``Baseline Report'' would be collected once to 
determine the baseline processing capacities of the processing plants. 
Depending upon the utility of the data and the availability of 
alternative data sources for updating the plant capacity measures, the 
baseline report may be collected once every three years. The Emergency 
Status Report will only be implemented if there is a supply disruption.
    The information reported on both schedules of the proposed form 
``Survey of Natural Gas Processing Plants,'' will be protected and not 
disclosed to the public to the extent that it satisfies the criteria 
for exemption under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 
552, the DOE regulations implementing the FOIA, 10 CFR 1004.11, and the 
Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. 1905. The EIA will protect the information 
in accordance with its confidentiality and security policies and 
procedures.

II. Current Actions

    EIA is proposing a new, mandatory survey, ``Survey of Natural Gas 
Processing Plants,'' that will collect information from natural gas 
processing plants. The proposed form will consist of two schedules: 
Schedule A is the ``Baseline Report'' and Schedule B is the ``Emergency 
Status Report.'' The ``Baseline Report'' will collect information at 
least once from all natural gas processing plants about plant 
characteristics and operator contact information, and may continue to 
collect that information every three years. The ``Emergency Status 
Report'' will be a standby form that will only be activated during an 
energy emergency situation. EIA will notify OMB for approval prior to 
activating Schedule B and collecting any information. When Schedule B 
is activated, it is expected that the data collection on Schedule B 
will be temporary and the frequency of the data collection (e.g., daily 
or weekly) will be determined at that time based on a number of factors 
including the severity of the emergency and the number of plants 
affected.
    Data will be used to monitor energy supply in the area(s) with 
outages to the natural gas processing plants. Respondents to Schedule B 
will be natural gas processing plants in the affected area(s) of the 
United States where a supply disruption occurred. Information collected 
will include: Plant characteristics and contact information, plant 
operation capacity and utilization (pre-event and current), plant 
operating constraints and plant restoration. The information may be 
collected by phone, fax, or e-mail, depending upon the preference of 
the respondent.

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. Can the information be submitted during a supply disruption? 
With what frequency?

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    C. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to 
average 0.5 hours for Schedule A and 1.5 hours for Schedule B. The 
estimated burden includes the total time necessary to provide the 
requested information. In your opinion, how accurate is this estimate?
    D. 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?
    E. 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.
    F. 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(j)(1) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13).

    Issued in Washington, DC, January 23, 2007.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. E7-1409 Filed 1-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P