[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 63 (Tuesday, April 4, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 16383-16384]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-06501]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Extension

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

ACTION: Agency information collection activities: information 
collection extension; notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The EIA, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
intends to recertify the information collection request for Form EIA-
914 ``Monthly Crude Oil, Lease Condensate, and Natural Gas Production 
Report'' with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). EIA is 
requesting a three year extension to this form with changes and to 
solicit comments from the public.

DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be 
received on or before June 5, 2017. If you anticipate difficulty in 
submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in 
ADDRESSES as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Jessica Biercevicz. The mailing address is 
U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Energy Information Administration, 
Attn: Jessica Biercevicz, EI-24, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585. To ensure receipt of the comments by 
the due date, submission by email ([email protected]) is 
recommended. Alternatively, Jessica Biercevicz may be contacted by 
telephone at 202-586-4299.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Jessica Biercevicz at the contact information given 
above. Form EIA-914 and its instructions are also available on the 
internet.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 
agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including the use of 
automated collection techniques or other types of information 
technology.
    This information collection request contains: (1) OMB No. 1905-
0205.
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Monthly Crude Oil and 
Lease Condensate, and Natural Gas Production Report.
    (3) Type of Request: Extension, with changes, of a currently 
approved collection.
    (4) Purpose: Form EIA-914, ``Monthly Crude Oil and Lease 
Condensate, and Natural Gas Production Report,'' collects monthly data 
on natural gas production, crude oil and lease condensate production, 
and crude oil and lease condensate sales by API gravity category in 21 
state/areas (Alabama, Arkansas, California (including State Offshore), 
Colorado, Federal Offshore Gulf of Mexico, Federal Offshore Pacific, 
Kansas, Louisiana (including State Offshore), Michigan, Mississippi 
(including State Offshore), Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, 
Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas (including State Offshore), Utah, 
Virginia, West Virginia, Wyoming, and Other States (defined as all 
remaining states, except Alaska)). The data appears in the ``Monthly 
Crude Oil and Lease Condensate, and Natural Gas Production Report,'' on 
EIA's Web site and in the EIA publications, Monthly Energy Review, 
Petroleum Supply Annual volume 1, Petroleum Supply Annual volume 2, 
Petroleum Supply Monthly, Natural Gas Annual, and Natural Gas Monthly.
    (4a) The proposed changes include changing the title from ``Monthly 
Crude Oil, Lease Condensate, and Natural Gas Production Report,'' to 
``Monthly Crude Oil and Lease Condensate, and Natural Gas Production 
Report.''
    EIA is proposing to add Part 5 to Form EIA-914 regarding stabilizer 
activity. Part 5 will collect state-level volumes of crude oil and 
lease condensate going into stabilizer units. A stabilizer processes 
lighter gravity crude oil and condensate and removes the gaseous 
portion from the crude oil. The requested data will be reported as 
three new data elements: volume of oil and condensate as inputs to a 
stabilizer; outlet volume of stabilized oil; and outlet volume of 
natural gas liquids (NGL). Respondents only need to report the total 
volume of NGLs as a single category and do not need to provide separate 
estimates for each separate NGL. The reporting unit of measurement is 
in barrels per day (bpd).
    The increase in the production of light crude oils and condensate 
in the crude oil production industry is the main reason that EIA is 
proposing changes to Form EIA-914 to include the collection of state-
level volumes of crude oil and lease condensate going into stabilizer 
units. Stabilizers lower the Reed Vapor Pressure (RVP) of the crude oil 
and make it safe to transport and store. EIA is also proposing minor 
changes to Parts 2, 3, and 4. Currently, a respondent is limited to 
selecting only one pre-existing comment in the comments box drop down 
menu. EIA is proposing to allow respondents to select multiple 
frequently-used default comments, as well as the option to record 
specific comments in the text box. This facilitates a respondent's 
ability to provide a more complete and accurate explanation for the 
data reported on the form.
    For Parts 2, 3, 4, and 5, EIA also proposes to increase the number 
of states/areas for which production will be separately collected and 
reported from 17 to 22 states/areas. EIA proposes to add the following 
states/areas: Alabama, federal offshore Pacific, Michigan, Mississippi, 
and Virginia will be reported separately and no longer included in the 
``Other States'' group. Separately reporting for these five states/
areas reduces the number of states that are included in the ``Other 
States'' reporting category from 19 (including federal Pacific) to 14. 
Removing these five states/areas from the ``Other States'' category 
reduces the ``Other States'' category's oil production by approximately 
75% and gas production by 80%. EIA believes these proposed changes will 
reduce reporting burden for respondents, reduce reporting errors in the 
``Other States'' category, and make it easier for respondents to answer 
any follow up questions for ``Other States.'' Production for these 5 
states/areas will be estimated more accurately using the weighted least 
squares method rather than using the calendar year average ratio 
applied to the ``Other States'' group. The 14 states remaining in the 
``Other States'' group account for approximately 1% or less of the 
Lower 48 oil and gas production. EIA is proposing these changes to Form 
EIA-914 to increase the precision of its collection of information on 
crude oil and natural gas production activities in the United States.

[[Page 16384]]

    The burden hours per response will increase from 4.0 hours to 4.5 
hours due to the addition of Part 5 regarding the reporting of 
information on stabilizer activity. The proposal to add five states in 
Parts 2, 3, 4, and 5 will not affect total burden because it only 
involves adding approximately nine more respondents to the sampling 
frame and the total budgeted sample is being reduced from 600 to 500 
respondents.
    EIA proposes a permanent change in the confidentiality pledge to 
respondents to Form EIA-914. EIA revised its confidentiality pledge to 
EIA-914 survey respondents under the Confidential Information 
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 (note)) 
(CIPSEA) in an emergency Federal Register notice released on January 
12, 2017 in 82 FR 3764. These revisions are required by provisions of 
the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (Pub. L. 114-11, 
Division N, Title II, Subtitle B, Sec. 223). This law permits and 
requires the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to 
provide Federal civilian agencies' information technology systems with 
cybersecurity protection for their Internet traffic. Federal statistics 
provide key information that the Nation uses to measure its performance 
and make informed choices about budgets, energy, employment, health, 
investments, taxes, and a host of other significant topics. Strong and 
trusted confidentiality and exclusive statistical use pledges under the 
Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act 
(CIPSEA) and similar statistical confidentiality pledges are effective 
and necessary in honoring the trust that businesses, individuals, and 
institutions place in statistical agencies. In this notice EIA proposes 
to permanently revise the confidentiality pledge to EIA-914 respondents 
as follows:

    The information you provide on Form EIA-914 will be used for 
statistical purposes only and is confidential by law. In accordance 
with the Confidential Information Protection and Statistical 
Efficiency Act of 2002 and other applicable Federal laws, your 
responses will not be disclosed in identifiable form without your 
consent. Per the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015, 
Federal information systems are protected from malicious activities 
through cybersecurity screening of transmitted data. Every EIA 
employee, as well as every agent, is subject to a jail term, a fine, 
or both if he or she makes public ANY identifiable information you 
reported.

    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 500 respondents with 12 
responses each.
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: The annual number 
of total responses is 6,000.
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: The annual estimated 
burden is 27,000 hours.
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: 
Additional costs to respondents are not anticipated beyond costs 
associated with response burden hours. The information is maintained in 
the normal course of business. The cost of the burden hours is 
estimated to be $1,988,820 (27,000 burden hours times $73.66 per hour). 
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 at 15 U.S.C. 
772(b).

     Issued in Washington, DC, on February 27, 2017.
Nanda Srinivasan,
Director, Office of Survey Development and Statistical Integration, U. 
S. Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-06501 Filed 4-3-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P