[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 171 (Wednesday, September 2, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54548-54549]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-19321]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Agency Information Collection Extension

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Submission for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) review; 
comment request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted an information 
collection request to the OMB for extension under the provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection requests a 
three-year extension of its Energy Priorities and Allocations System, 
OMB Control Number 1910-5159. The proposed collection will be used to 
allow persons to request special priorities assistance from DOE to fill 
a rated order issued in accordance with the Defense Production Act 
(DPA) and DOE's implementing regulations. DOE published a Federal 
Register notice on May 4, 2020 soliciting 60 days of public comment. 
DOE received one comment on that notice.

DATES: Comments regarding this collection must be received on or before 
October 2, 2020. 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 OMB Desk Officer of your 
intention to make a submission as soon as possible. The Desk Officer 
may be telephoned at 202-395-4718.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Christopher A. Lawrence, U.S. Department of Energy, at 
[email protected] or 202-586-5260.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains: (1) OMB No.: 1910-5159; (2) Information Collection Request 
Title: Energy Priorities and Allocations System; (3) Type of Request: 
Extension; (4) Purpose: To meet requirements of the Defense Production 
Act (DPA) priorities and allocations authority necessary or appropriate 
to promote the national defense. Data supplied will be used to evaluate 
applicants requesting special priorities assistance to fill a rated 
order issued in accordance with the DPA and DOE's implementing 
regulations. 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 through the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology. This data will 
also be used to conduct audits and for enforcement purposes. This 
collection will only be used if the Secretary of Energy determines that 
his authority under the DPA is necessary to prevent or address an 
energy shortage or energy reliability concern. The last collection by 
DOE under this authority was in 2001; (5) Annual Estimated Number of 
Respondents: 10, as this collection is addressed to a substantial 
majority of the energy industry; (6) Annual Estimated Number of Burden 
Hours: 32 minutes per response; (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and 
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $381.57.
    One comment was received on DOE's sixty-day notice (Kubitz, No 1). 
The commenter requested that companies provide information about 
current production of oil, maximum available oil production, and costs 
of incremental energy production, in order to information Defense 
Production Act decisions or orders. Id. The commenter stated that 
knowing the capacity of the industry as a whole by aggregating 
potential production from various companies would aid in allocation and 
prioritization of any necessary energy production under the Defense 
Production Act. Id. This information is already being collected by the 
Energy Information Administration within DOE to track the nation's 
petroleum supply. EIA surveys collect data on petroleum refinery 
operations, blending, biofuels production, natural gas liquids 
production, inventory levels, imports, inter-regional movements, and 
storage capacity for crude oil, petroleum, products, and biofuels. 
Information regarding EIA's work on petroleum supply can be found at 
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/. DOE can review the information provided 
to EIA through its surveys to evaluate applicants submitting Form DOE F 
544. Therefore, to avoid duplication, DOE will not be revising Form DOE 
F 544.

    Statutory Authority:  Defense Production Act of 1950 as amended 
(50 U.S.C. 4501, et seq.); Executive Order 13603.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on August 27, 
2020, by Bruce J. Walker, Assistant Secretary, Office of Electricity, 
pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of Energy. That 
document with the original signature and date is maintained by DOE. For 
administrative purposes only, and in compliance with requirements of 
the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned DOE Federal 
Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to sign and submit the

[[Page 54549]]

document in electronic format for publication, as an official document 
of the Department of Energy. This administrative process in no way 
alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the 
Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on August 27, 2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020-19321 Filed 9-1-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P