[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 99 (Wednesday, May 24, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23800-23801]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-10632]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

 Energy Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Extension

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

ACTION: Notice and Request for OMB Review and Comment.

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SUMMARY: The EIA has submitted an information collection request to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection requests a 
three-year extension of its Coal Markets Reporting System, OMB Control 
Number 1905-0167. The surveys encompassed by this request are a 
fundamental source of data on the Nation's coal production and 
disposition.

DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be 
received on or before June 23, 2017.

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:

[email protected], or U.S. Energy Information Administration, Mail Stop 
EI-23, Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 
20585. (Email is preferred.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to 
[email protected]. The proposed forms and instructions are available on 
the Internet at: http://www. eia.gov/survey/changes/coal/2016/. 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].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains:
    (1) OMB No. 1905-0167;
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Coal Markets Reporting 
System. The surveys included in this information request are:

EIA-3 ``Quarterly Survey of Industrial, Commercial, & Institutional 
Coal Users''
EIA-7A ``Annual Survey of Coal Production and Preparation''
EIA-8A ``Annual Survey of Coal Stocks and Coal Exports''
EIA-6 ``Emergency Coal Supply Survey (Standby)''
EIA-20 ``Emergency Weekly Coal Monitoring Survey for Coal Burning Power 
Producers (Standby)''

    (3) Type of Request: Three-year extension with changes;
    (4) Purpose: The 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.) 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 and to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and 
public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and 
the environment.
    The EIA, as part of its effort to comply with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (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.
    These EIA surveys are conducted to collect coal market data. The 
data elements collected include production, consumption, receipts, 
stocks, sales, and prices. Information pertaining to the quality of the 
coal is also collected. The information collected is used to support 
public policy analyses of the coal industry, economic modeling, 
forecasting, coal supply and demand studies, and support research and 
development programs. EIA publications, including the Monthly Energy 
Review, Quarterly Coal Report, Quarterly Coal Distribution Report, 
Annual Coal Report, and Annual Coal

[[Page 23801]]

Distribution Report, publish data collected on the coal production and 
consumption survey forms listed above.
    In addition, the EIA uses the data collected in short-term and 
long-term models such as the Short-Term Integrated Forecasting System 
(STIFS) and the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS) Coal Market 
Module. The forecast data also appear in the Short-Term Energy Outlook 
and the Annual Energy Outlook publications.
    Please refer to the forms and instructions for more information 
about the purpose, who must report, when to report, where to submit, 
elements to be reported, detailed instructions, provisions for 
confidentiality, and uses of the information.

EIA-3, Quarterly Survey of Industrial, Commercial, & Institutional Coal 
Users

    Changes to Form EIA-3:
     Change the title of the survey from the ``Quarterly Survey 
of Non-Electric Sector Coal Data'' to ``Quarterly Survey of Industrial, 
Commercial, & Institutional Coal Users.''
     In Part 2, Question 6 (Question 5 in the current form), 
revise reporting for co-fired sites to allow reporting more than one 
additional fuel source.
     In Part 2, Question 7 (Question 6 in the current form), 
remove the instruction that refers to ``scrubbers'' as a carbon dioxide 
emissions capture system. (A ``scrubber'' is used to control emissions 
of sulfur dioxide.)
     In Part 3, Question 2, remove Adjustments to Total Cost of 
Coal (received during the reporting quarter). Cognitive testing 
indicated that this data element was unnecessary.
     In Part 5, Questions 2 and 3, revise coking plant 
disposition categories and include distinction between domestic and 
export sales of coke and breeze to gather more accurate data on each 
type of sale.
     In Part 8, Question 2, revise coal refining plant 
disposition categories to allow for more accurate accounting of refined 
coal stocks.
     In Part 2, Question 2, add the question: ``Does this site 
operate a coke oven?'' This question will be used to identify active 
U.S. coking plants within manufacturing sites.
     In Part 3, Question 3A, add the question ``Please provide 
the contact information for your broker.'' Broker contact information 
will be used to help maintain the EIA-8A frame and eliminate 
duplicative reporting on Form EIA-7A.

EIA-7A, Annual Survey of Coal Production and Preparation

    Changes to Form EIA-7A:
     In Part 3, Question 5A, add the question ``What is the 
average depth of the mine below the surface?'' This question will 
assist with data discrepancies of coalbed data reported by comparing 
coalbeds mined with U.S. Geological Survey data.
     In Part 5, revise Question 2, which currently reads ``With 
the existing equipment in place, what is the maximum amount of coal 
that this mining operation can produce during the reporting year?'' to 
read ``With the existing equipment in place, what is the annual 
operating capacity of this mine?'' By comparing actual production to 
operating capacity, EIA can better assess if mines are producing at 
maximum capacity and can use this information as an indicator of market 
conditions affecting coal supply.
     In Part 5, revise Question 5, which currently reads ``As 
of December 31st of the reporting year, what is the estimated tonnage 
representing the amount of coal identified in the reserve that is 
technologically and economically feasible to extract?'' to read ``As of 
December 31st of the reporting year, what is the estimated amount of 
coal in the reserve that is feasible (economically/technologically) to 
extract?'' Rewording the current recoverable coal reserves question 
helps clarify to respondents to report the amount of coal that can be 
recovered from the coal reserve.
     In Part 5, remove Question 6, which asks ``What is the 
recovery rate used to estimate recoverable coal reserves at this 
mine?'' Cognitive testing indicates that the term ``recovery rate'' 
does not have a common understanding by respondents in the coal 
industry and respondents cannot provide consistent answers to this 
question.
     In Part 5, Question 7, revise reporting categories of coal 
mine sales to simplify question wording while adding export categories 
to include Open Market Export Sales, Captive Market Export Sales, and 
Broker Export Sales. The new categories will provide more accurate 
information on coal exports by type of sale and seller by eliminating 
potential double-counting of export coal sales on Form EIA-8A. This 
information will improve EIA's assessments of production trends and 
coal supply and exports by basin.

EIA-8A, Annual Survey of Coal Stocks and Coal Exports

    Changes to Form EIA-8A:
     In Part 2, Question 2, revise the list of locations where 
U.S. produced coal stocks are located to include ``IT--In Transit.'' 
This change will provide more accurate information on the quantity and 
disposition of coal stocks.
     In Part 3, Question 2, add new data field requesting port 
of export and destination country for export sales to gather more 
detailed export data. This data field will assist EIA in cross-survey 
comparisons with the EIA-7A and coal trade data collected by the U.S. 
Census Bureau to quantify and eliminate double-counting of export coal 
sales.
    EIA is requesting a three-year extension with no changes for the 
following mandatory emergency standby forms:

Form EIA-6, ``Emergency Coal Supply Survey (Standby)''

Form EIA-20, ``Emergency Weekly Coal Monitoring Survey for Coal Burning 
Power Producers (Standby)''

    (5) Estimated Number of Survey Respondents: 1,347.

     EIA-3 will consist of 432 respondents
     EIA-7A will consist of 848 respondents
     EIA-8A will consist of 48 respondents
     EIA-6 (standby) will consist of 11 respondents
     EIA-20 (standby) will consist of 8 respondents

    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Responses: 2,814.
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 5,059.
    (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 $372,646 (5,059 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, P.L. 93-275, codified at 15 U.S.C. 
772(b), and the DOE Organization Act of 1977, P.L. 95-91, codified 
at 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on April 27, 2017.
Nanda Srinivasan,
Director, Office of Survey Development and Statistical Integration, 
U.S. Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-10632 Filed 5-23-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P