[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 107 (Thursday, June 4, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31900-31901]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-13716]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Proposed New Agency Information Collection

AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. Department 
of Energy.

ACTION: Notice and request for OMB review and comment.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
EIA has submitted a request to the Office of OMB for a 3-year clearance 
of a new data collection survey--the EIA-63C, Densified Biomass Fuel 
Report.

DATES: Comments regarding this collection must be received on or before 
July 6, 2015. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, 
but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by 
this notice, please advise the DOE Desk Officer at OMB of your 
intention to make a submission as soon as possible. The Desk Officer 
may be telephoned at 202-395-4718 or contacted by email at 
[email protected].

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the:

DOE Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office 
of Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10102, 
735 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503, [email protected]
And to


[[Page 31901]]


Rebecca Peterson, U.S. Energy Information Administration, Mail Stop EI-
23, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20585, [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Direct any requests for additional 
information or copies of the information collection instrument and 
instructions to Rebecca Peterson at [email protected], or at 202-586-
4509. The collection instrument and instructions are also available on 
the Internet at: http://www.eia.gov/survey/form/eia_63c/proposed.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains:
    (1) OMB No.: New.
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: EIA-63C, Densified 
Biomass Fuels Report.
    (3) Type of Request: New.
    (4) Purpose: Production and consumption of densified biomass fuel 
is rising in the United States. One of the main reasons is the 
increasing use of biomass in lieu of fuel oil for residential heating. 
In addition, the United States is exporting rapidly rising amounts to 
the European community where greenhouse gas reduction programs are 
driving conversion from coal to biomass for electric power generation. 
The data collected on the Form EIA-63C will be used to estimate 
densified biomass fuel consumption in the United States as well as 
production, sales, and inventory at state, regional, and national 
levels. A summary of the data will be published on the EIA Web site and 
in various EIA publications, including the Monthly Energy Review. No 
company specific data will be released. The survey will be filed by 
operators of densified biomass fuel manufacturing facilities in the 
United States that have 10,000 tons or more of production capacity. An 
initial survey will be required from all U.S. densified biomass fuel 
manufacturers (approximately 200) to determine their production 
capacity, the amount produced in the past year, and the type(s) of 
pellets produced. The data gathered from this initial collection will 
be used to determine the official survey frame and frequency. For 
planning purposes, EIA is estimating that 150 respondents will be 
filing monthly.
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: Once the initial survey 
is completed, EIA is estimating the number of respondents to be 
approximately 150.
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 1,800 (150 
respondents x 12 months).
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 1,800 (150 respondents 
x 12 months x 1 hour for each response.
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: EIA 
estimates that there are no capital and start-up costs associated with 
this data collection. The information is maintained in the normal 
course of business. The cost of burden hours to the respondents is 
estimated to be $129,546 (1800 burden hours times the current hourly 
rate of $71.97). Therefore, other than the cost of burden hours, EIA 
estimates that there are no additional costs for generating, 
maintaining, and providing the information.

    Statutory Authority: Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93-275, codified as 15 U.S.C. 
772(b).

    Issued in Washington, DC, on May 29, 2015.
Nanda Srinivasan,
Director, Office of Survey Development and Statistical Integration, 
U.S. Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-13716 Filed 6-3-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P