[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 245 (Friday, December 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60720-60721]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-27596]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

 Energy Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Extension

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: EIA, pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, intends 
to extend with changes for three years with the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB), Form EIA-846 Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey. 
Form EIA-846 collects information on energy consumption, expenditures, 
and building characteristics from establishments in the manufacturing 
sector of the U.S. economy.

DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be 
received on or before February 20, 2018. If you anticipate difficulty 
in submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in 
ADDRESSES as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to Tom Lorenz, U.S. Energy 
Information Administration, EI-22, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, 
Washington, DC 20585 or by fax at (202) 586-9753, or by email at 
[email protected].
    Access to the proposed form, instructions, and internet data 
collection screens can be found at: https://www.eia.gov/survey/form/eia_846/proposed/2018/form.pdf.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Tom Lorenz by phone at (202) 586-3442, or by email at 
[email protected].

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; (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology; and (e) ways to identify alternate sources of manufacturing 
consumption information EIA proposes to collect. EIA will evaluate 
comments on duplication of data sources based on terms of data 
coverage, level of aggregation, frequency of collection, data 
reliability, and statutory requirements to determine whether alternate 
data sources represent a suitable substitute for EIA data.
    This information collection request contains:
    (1) OMB Numbers: 1905-0169;
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Manufacturing Energy 
Consumption Survey (MECS);
    (3) Type of Request: Three-year extension with changes;
    (4) Purpose: Form EIA-846, is a self-administered sample survey 
that collects energy consumption and expenditures data from 
establishments in the manufacturing sector. These establishments are 
classified under the North American Industry Classification System 
(NAICS) sector codes 31-33. The information from this survey is used to 
publish aggregate statistics on the energy consumption of the 
manufacturing sector including energy used for fuel and nonfuel 
purposes. The survey also gathers information on energy-related issues 
such as energy prices, on-site electricity generation, purchases of 
electricity from utilities and non-utilities, and fuel switching 
capabilities. MECS is also used to benchmark EIA's industry forecasting 
model and update changes in the energy intensity and greenhouse gases 
data series.
    (4a) Proposed Change to Information Collection: EIA proposes the 
following minor change to Form EIA-846.
    1. Questions about Tire-Derived Fuel: EIA proposes asking questions 
about tire-derived fuel (TDF) in the Waste Oils and Tars, and Waste 
Byproduct Gases section of the questionnaire starting on page 35 of the 
current Form EIA-846A, to be inserted after questions 138-139, 
specifically from those industries, Paper (NAICS 322) and Nonmetallic 
Mineral Products (NAICS 327), that use it as an energy source. This is 
not a substantive change as EIA already asks respondents to report TDF 
on the MECS in a section titled, ``Other.'' To make the reporting of 
TDF clear and easier for respondents, the questions in this section 
about TDF are the same questions that have always been asked about this 
energy source: Purchases, expenditures, transfers-in, amount produced 
on-site, whether it's a product/byproduct of another energy source 
consumed on-site, and fuel consumption. Over the past three MECS 
cycles, TDF has become a growing energy source within the ``Other'' 
section and accounts for over half of the energy consumed that is 
reported in that section. The use of TDF may be understated in the 
current form because some establishments may not report TDF fuel use 
because respondents may not know where to report their TDF volumes. By 
directly asking for these data as a separate data element, EIA will 
improve the coverage and accuracy of the use of this energy source.
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 15,000;
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 3,750;
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 34,565;
    Average Burden per Response: 9.2 hours.
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: EIA 
estimates that there are no additional costs to respondents associated 
with this data collection. The annual burden cost to the respondents is 
estimated to

[[Page 60721]]

be $2,546,058 (34,565 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 as 15 U.S.C. 
772 (b) and the DOE Organization Act of 1977, Pub. L. 95-91, 
codified at 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq. 42 U.S.C. 7135(i) as amended by 
section 3101 of the Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, Pub. 
L. 99-509.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on December 15, 2017.
Nanda Srinivasan,
Director, Office of Survey Development and Statistical Integration, 
U.S. Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-27596 Filed 12-21-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P