[Federal Register: November 5, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 214)]
[Notices]
[Page 67393-67395]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr05no02-36]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Information Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request
AGENCY: Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of Energy
(DOE).
ACTION: Agency information collection activities: proposed collection;
comment request.
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SUMMARY: The EIA is soliciting comments on the proposed reinstatement
of the Form EIA-871A/I, and the proposed new EIA-871J, ``2003
Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey.''
DATES: Comments must be filed by January 6, 2003. If you anticipate
[[Page 67394]]
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the
person listed below as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Martha Johnson. To ensure receipt of the
comments by the due date, submission by FAX ((202) 586-0018) or e-mail
(martha.johnson@eia.doe.gov) is recommended. The mailing address is
Martha Johnson, Survey Manager, EI-63/Forrestal Building, U.S.
Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585-0660. Alternatively, Ms.
Johnson may be contacted by telephone at (202) 586-1135.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Martha
Johnson at the address listed above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
I. Background
II. Current Actions
III. Request for Comments
I. Background
The Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 93-275, 15
U.S.C. 761 et seq.) and the DOE Organization Act (Pub. L. 95-91, 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.
The EIA, as part of its effort to comply with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35), 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. Any comments received help the EIA to prepare
data requests that maximize the utility of the information collected,
and to assess the impact of collection requirements on the public.
Also, the EIA will later seek approval by the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) under section 3507(a) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995.
The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey (CBECS) has been
conducted seven times covering the years 1979, 1983 and 1986 under the
name of the ``Nonresidential Buildings Energy Consumption Survey'', and
years 1989, 1992, 1995 and 1999 under the current name, ``Commercial
Buildings Energy Consumption Survey''. CBECS collects baseline data on
energy consumption and expenditures in commercial buildings, and on the
energy-related characteristics of those buildings. To obtain this
information, interviews are conducted for a sample of commercial
buildings in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. For buildings
in the survey, data are collected on the types, amount and cost of
energy consumed in the building, how the energy is used, structural
characteristics of the buildings, activities conducted inside the
buildings that relate to energy use, building ownership and occupancy,
energy conservation measures, and energy-using equipment. The
information will be collected using Computer Assisted Personal
Interviewing (CAPI) for the 2003 CBECS. For those buildings that cannot
provide energy consumption data for the building, the data will be
obtained in a mail survey from the suppliers of electricity, natural
gas, fuel oil and district heat to the building, after receiving
permission from the building owner, manager or tenant. This mail survey
to the energy suppliers is mandatory. The data obtained from this
survey are available to the public in a variety of EIA electronic
tables and reports at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs. Public use
files that have been screened to protect the identity of the individual
respondents are also available electronically at the above web address.
Selected data from the surveys are also published in the Monthly Energy
Review and the Annual Energy Review.
II. Current Actions
This will be a proposed reinstatement of a previously approved
collection and three-year clearance request to OMB. The request in the
expiration data will extend the EIA-871A/J to November 30, 2005.
Anticipated changes for the 2003 CBECS include:
[sbull] A complete redesign of the sample, to include new Primary
Sampling Units (PSU), Secondary Sampling Units (SSU) and segments.
[sbull] Collecting the data in a personal interview (rather than by
telephone) using CAPI.
[sbull] Collecting energy data from a subsample of establishments
within enclosed shopping malls and strip shopping centers.
[sbull] Collecting limited energy data from university facilities
and hospital complexes as a whole on Form EIA-871J.
[sbull] Reinstating select energy-related building characteristics
questions (Form EIA-871A) that are of a high priority to CBECS data
users. These building characteristics include building footprint and
equipment renovation questions.
[sbull] Expanding some energy-related building characteristics
questions to assist in the analysis of the CBECS data. These questions
focus on new energy technology and include expanded office equipment
questions, specifically related to digital technology, and expanded
heating and cooling equipment questions.
[sbull] Reformatting the Building Characteristics Questionnaire
(Form EIA-871A) so that fewer respondents are asked all questions.
III. Request for Comments
Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment
on the actions discussed in item II. The following guidelines are
provided to assist in the preparation of comments. ``Please indicate to
which form(s) your comments apply.''
General Issues
A. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the agency and does the
information have practical utility? Practical utility is defined as the
actual usefulness of information to or for an agency, taking into
account its accuracy, adequacy, reliability, timeliness, and the
agency's ability to process the information it collects.
B. What enhancements can be made to the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be collected?
As a Potential Respondent to the Request for Information
A. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information to be
collected?
B. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If
not, which instructions need clarification?
C. Can the information be submitted by the due date?
D. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to
average approximately 45 minutes per interview for the building
respondent and approximately 30 minutes per energy supplier response in
those cases where the data must be collected from the energy suppliers
(Forms EIA-871C-F). The estimated burden includes the total time
necessary to provide the requested information. In your opinion, how
accurate is this estimate?
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E. The agency estimates that the only cost to a respondent is for
the time it will take to complete the collection. Will a respondent
incur any start-up costs for reporting, or any recurring annual costs
for operation, maintenance, and purchase of services associated with
the information collection?
F. What additional actions could be taken to minimize the burden of
this collection of information? Such actions may involve the use of
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
G. Does any other Federal, State, or local agency collect similar
information? If so, specify the agency, the data element(s), and the
methods of collection.
As a Potential User of the Information To Be Collected
A. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information
disseminated?
B. Is the information useful at the levels of detail to be
collected?
C. For what purpose(s) would the information be used? Be specific.
D. Are there alternate sources for the information and are they
useful? If so, what are their weaknesses and/or strengths?
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the form. They also
will become a matter of public record.
Statutory Authority: Section 3507(h)(1) of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. chapter 35).
Issued in Washington, DC, October 30, 2002.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-28065 Filed 11-4-02; 8:45 am]
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