[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 2, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17964-17966]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-6801]


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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 3-
year extension of the surveys in the Natural Gas Data Collection 
Program Package. The surveys covered by this request include:
     Form EIA-176, ``Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental 
Gas Supply and Disposition''
     EIA-191, ``Monthly and Annual Underground Gas Storage 
Report''
     EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural Gas Purchases and 
Deliveries to Consumers''
     EIA-895, ``Monthly and Annual Quantity and Value of 
Natural Gas Production Report''
     EIA-910, ``Monthly Natural Gas Marketer Survey''
     EIA-912, ``Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage Report''
     EIA-757, ``Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey''

DATES: Comments must be filed by June 2, 2008. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ms. Amy Sweeney, Natural Gas Division, 
Office of Oil and Gas, Energy Information Administration. To ensure 
receipt of the comments by the due date, submission by fax (202-586-
4420) or e-mail ([email protected]) is recommended. The mailing 
address is Ms. Amy Sweeney, Energy Information Administration, U.S. 
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., EI-44, Washington, 
DC 20585. Also, Ms. Sweeney may be contacted by telephone at 202-586-
2627.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Ms. Sweeney 
at the address listed above. Also, the draft forms and instructions are 
available on the EIA Web site at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/fwd/proposed.html.

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 both 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 the collection of energy information conducted by or in 
conjunction with the EIA. Any comments help the EIA prepare data 
requests that maximize the utility of the information collected and 
assess the impact of collection requirements on the public. As required 
by section 3507(h)(1) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the EIA 
will later seek approval for this collection by the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB).
    The natural gas surveys included in the Natural Gas Data Collection 
Program Package collect information on natural gas production, 
underground storage, supply, processing, transmission, distribution, 
consumption by sector, and wellhead and consumer prices. This 
information is used to support public policy analyses of the natural 
gas industry and estimates generated from data collected on these 
surveys. The statistics generated from these surveys are posted to the 
EIA Web site (http://www.eia.doe.gov) in various EIA products, 
including the Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report (WNGSR), Natural Gas 
Monthly (NGM), Natural Gas Annual (NGA), Monthly Energy Review (MER), 
Short-Term Energy Outlook (STEO), Annual Energy Outlook (AEO), and 
Annual Energy Review (AER). Respondents to EIA natural gas surveys 
include State agencies, underground storage operators, transporters, 
marketers, and distributors. Each form included as part of this package 
is discussed in detail below.
    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

    EIA will be requesting a 3-year extension of the collection 
authority for each of the above-referenced surveys and will have minor 
changes made to the forms and instructions to provide simplicity and 
clarity. In addition, EIA proposes the changes outlined below.

Form EIA-176, ``Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental Gas Supply 
and Disposition''

    In Part 6 of the form, EIA proposes to collect ``Revenue'' data for 
deliveries of natural gas that are transported but not owned by the 
delivery company in item 11. This change will create consistency within 
the form, as item 10 (deliveries owned) currently includes ``Revenue'' 
among the collected data. By collecting Revenue for the gas transported 
but not owned by the EIA-176 respondents, the

[[Page 17965]]

quality of EIA's natural gas transportation price information will be 
improved. Prices would be derived by dividing the revenue from delivery 
of natural gas not owned by the volume of natural gas not owned by the 
delivery company. The new data would give EIA an annual benchmark with 
which to compare the monthly revenue from the delivery of gas not owned 
collected on Form EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural Gas Purchases 
and Deliveries.'' EIA has learned that having annual benchmark revenue 
data with which to compare monthly data results in better data quality 
as the monthly data are frequently subject to accounting adjustments 
that occur due to the staggered timing of meter readings during the 
month.

Form EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural Gas Purchases and Deliveries 
to Consumers''

    EIA is proposing to collect ``Revenue'' data for gas sold and 
transported to electric power customers as it does for residential, 
commercial, industrial, and other natural gas customers. EIA also 
proposes to collect customer counts, i.e., the number of customers, for 
each end-use sector as it does on the annual form, EIA-176.
    Currently electric revenue data are not collected, as the data used 
to determine published prices for natural gas used for electric 
generation come from other EIA surveys, Form EIA-423, ``Monthly Cost 
and Quality of Fuels for Electric Plants Report,'' and Form EIA-906, 
``Power Plant Report.'' However, not allowing respondents to report 
revenue for deliveries to the electric power sector on Form EIA-857 has 
caused some confusion as to where this revenue should be reported. 
Consequently, some revenue has been reported in the wrong end-use 
sector. Additionally, having the data available on a monthly basis will 
provide a useful comparison to the electric power revenue already 
collected on Form EIA-176, as comparing monthly to annual revenue data 
for the other end-use sectors frequently reveals discrepancies between 
the two series.
    EIA also proposes to collect customer counts, i.e., number of 
customers, for each of the end-use sectors for gas sold and transported 
to residential, commercial, industrial, electric power and other 
customers. Having this data will enable EIA to better monitor 
fluctuations in monthly volume reporting which are commonly the result 
of changes to the number of customers being served.

Form EIA-895, ``Monthly and Annual Quantity and Value of Natural Gas 
Production Report''

    EIA proposes the continuation of EIA-895, ``Annual Quantity and 
Volume of Natural Gas Production Report'' in its present form with the 
addition of natural gas production gross withdrawals data from 
``Shale'' sources. Natural gas produced from this source has increased 
in recent years and is expected to rise in the future; therefore, EIA 
finds it necessary to accurately capture this source of natural gas 
production.
    EIA has discontinued Form EIA-895M, ``Monthly Quantity and Volume 
of Natural Gas Production Report'' as the EIA-914, ``Monthly Natural 
Gas Production Report'' became the new source of monthly natural gas 
production data in January 2007.

Form EIA-910, ``Monthly Natural Gas Marketer Survey''

    EIA proposes three changes to Form EIA-910:
    A. EIA proposes that respondents report customer count, volume, and 
revenue data for each local distribution company's territory in which 
the respondent operates instead of at the State level, as currently 
reported. Having such information would enable EIA to more closely 
compare marketer volumes against volumes transported on the account of 
marketers on Form EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural Gas Purchases 
and Deliveries to Consumers,'' and resolve discrepancies between the 
two sources.
    B. In states where EIA collects data from natural gas marketers on 
Form EIA-910, natural gas marketers sell significant amounts of natural 
gas to residential and commercial end users. The data collected have 
shown that the prices from the sales by natural gas marketers have 
differed from prices of natural gas sold by local distribution 
companies, in many cases by more than ten percent. Therefore, EIA has 
determined that states should be considered for collection on the Form 
EIA-910 that meet one of the following criteria: (1) More than 40 
percent of natural gas in a particular state in the residential and/or 
commercial sector is sold by natural gas marketers, or (2) the amount 
of natural gas sold by marketers in a state and sector comprises at 
least 2 percent of natural gas sales in the residential or commercial 
sector at the U.S. level. Based on these criteria, the states of 
Alaska, California, Maine, Oklahoma, and Wyoming are proposed for 
collection on Form EIA-910 while the states of Massachusetts and 
Michigan are proposed to be removed from the Form EIA-910 survey frame. 
Currently none of the proposed states for inclusion on Form EIA-910 
have market penetration of natural gas marketers at significant levels 
in the residential sector. However, EIA also proposes to collect data 
from natural gas marketers serving residential customers, if any, in 
those states in order to monitor the market and provide data for EIA's 
annual update of the status of residential choice in the natural gas 
market. EIA proposes that the collection of forms from Alaska, 
California, Maine, Oklahoma, and/or Wyoming begin in July 2009, and 
that Massachusetts and Michigan no longer be collected beginning in 
January 2009.
    C. EIA proposes that natural gas volume data on Form EIA-910, 
``Natural Gas Marketer Report,'' be collected only in Mcf (thousand 
cubic feet) rather than Btu (heat content) or Mcf.

Form EIA-757, ``Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey''

    EIA proposes adding this new approved form as part of the EIA 
natural gas collection so that it will be on the same clearance cycle 
with all EIA natural gas survey forms. No changes are proposed to the 
Form EIA-757.

III. Request for Comments

    Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment 
on the actions discussed in items II and III. The following guidelines 
are provided to assist in the preparation of comments. Please indicate 
to which forms 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?

[[Page 17966]]

    C. Can the information be submitted by the due date?
    D. Public reporting burden for the surveys included in the Natural 
Gas Data Collection Program Package is shown below as an average 
hour(s) per response. The estimated burden includes the total time 
necessary to provide the requested information. In your opinion, how 
accurate are these estimates for the proposed forms?
    (1) Form EIA-176, ``Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental Gas 
Supply and Disposition,'' 12 hours per response.
    (2) Form EIA-191A, ``Annual Underground Gas Storage Report,'' 1 
hour per response.
    (3) Form EIA-191M, ``Monthly Underground Gas Storage Report,'' 2.5 
hours per response.
    (4) Form EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural Gas Purchases and 
Deliveries to Consumers,'' 3.5 hours per response.
    (5) Form EIA-895, ``Annual Quantity and Value of Natural Gas 
Production Report,'' .5 hours per response.
    (6) Form EIA-910, ``Monthly Natural Gas Marketer Survey,'' 2 hours 
per response.
    (7) Form EIA-912, ``Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage 
Report,'' 0.5 hours per response.
    (8) Form EIA-757, ``Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey,'' Schedule 
A, 0.5 hours per response; Schedule B, 1.5 hours per response.
    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.), 
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.).

    Issued in Washington, DC, March 27, 2008.
Jay Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Energy Information Administration.
 [FR Doc. E8-6801 Filed 4-1-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P