[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 81 (Wednesday, April 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19549-19551]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-9761]


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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 revisions and a 
three-year extension to the Forms: EIA-851A, ``Domestic Uranium 
Production Report (Annual),'' EIA-851Q, ``Domestic Uranium Production 
Report (Quarterly),'' and EIA-858, ``Uranium Marketing Annual Survey.''

[[Page 19550]]


DATES: Comments must be filed by June 29, 2009. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Mr. Glenn McGrath. To ensure receipt of the 
comments by the due date, submission by FAX (202-287-1946) or e-mail 
Mr. McGrath at [email protected] is recommended. The mailing 
address is Energy Information Administration, CNRD, EI-52, Forrestal 
Building, U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., 
Washington, DC 20585. Alternatively, Mr. Glenn McGrath may be contacted 
by telephone at 202-586-4325.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Mr. Glenn 
McGrath at the address listed above. To review the proposed forms and 
instructions, please visit: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/nuc_survey_auth.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 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 EIA collects information about the uranium fuel cycle for use 
by government and private sector analysts. The survey information is 
disseminated in a variety of electronic products and files. For details 
on the EIA uranium program, please visit the nuclear page of the EIA 
Internet site at http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelnuclear.html.

II. Current Actions

    The EIA proposes the following changes:
    For the EIA-851Q, EIA proposes no changes to the data items.
    For the EIA-851A the principal change is the addition of Item 8, 
Reserves Estimate. This new item collects data on the amount of uranium 
reserves on U.S properties. This item will also collect location data 
on the properties that hold uranium along with data that collects how 
the resource data was determined. Among the properties for which this 
data will be collected are active and inactive mines and properties 
that can be developed for uranium production. This change is not 
expected to change the number of respondents that currently complete 
the form.
    This additional data should provide a better understanding of the 
amount of uranium reserves at properties that are being actively worked 
and those that can be developed for uranium production. The reserves 
will be grouped according to their forward cost classification, which 
will provide insight on the domestic reserves that can be accessed 
under different uranium price conditions.
    For the EIA-858, the principal change affects Item 2, Total Uranium 
Inventories. This item is being separated into two parts, A and B. In 
Item 2, Part A, a new data element, location, is being added to the 
Domestic-Origin and Foreign-Origin fields to allow for a better 
understanding of the physical location of the inventory component. Item 
2, Part B, Import/Export Balance is being added to determine the amount 
of an inventory component that has been imported and the amount that 
has been exported so that a net domestic mass balance can be 
determined. The benefit of this change is to better understand the 
material flow, including the size and location of the materials along 
the uranium processing chain. This data should enable industry 
observers to more accurately assess the quantity of uranium transfers 
into, out of, and within the U.S.

III. Request for Comments

    Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment 
on the proposals discussed in Item II. The following guidelines are 
provided to assist in the preparation of comments. Please indicate the 
form(s) to which your comments apply.

As a Potential Respondent to the Request for Information

    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?
    B. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the 
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information to be 
collected?
    C. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If 
not, which instructions need clarification?
    D. Can the information be submitted by the due dates?
    E. Public reporting burden per response are estimated as follows: 
EIA-851--5 hours; EIA-851Q--0.75 hours; and EIA-858--18 hours.
    F. The agency estimates that the only cost to a respondent is the 
time 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?
    G. 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.
    H. 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. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency and does the 
information have practical utility?
    B. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the 
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information 
disseminated?
    C. Is the information useful at the levels of detail to be 
collected?
    D. For what purpose(s) would the information be used? Be specific.
    E. 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.


[[Page 19551]]


    Statutory Authority: Section 3507(h)(1) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (15 
U.S.C. 761 et seq.), and the DOE Organization Act (42 U.S.C. 7101 et 
seq.).

    Issued in Washington, DC: April 23, 2009.
Stanley R. Freedman,
Acting Director, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-9761 Filed 4-28-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P