[Federal Register: May 17, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 95)]
[Notices]
[Page 27907-27908]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17my04-57]
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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 revision and
three-year extension to the Form EIA-886, ``Annual Survey of
Alternative Fueled Vehicle Suppliers and Users.''
DATES: Comments must be filed by July 16, 2004. If you anticipate
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the
person listed below as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Mary Joyce. To ensure receipt of the
comments by the due date, submission by fax (202-287-1944) or e-mail
mary.joyce@eia.doe.gov) is recommended. The mailing address is Energy
Information Administration, EI-52, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department
of Energy, Washington, DC 20585. Alternatively, Mary Joyce may be
contacted by telephone at (202) 287-1752.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Mary Joyce
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.
Form EIA-886, the Annual Survey of Alternative Fueled Vehicle
Suppliers and Users, is an annual survey that collects information on:
1.The number and type of alternative fueled vehicles (AFVs) that
vehicle suppliers made available in the previous calendar year and plan
to make available in the following calendar year;
2.The number, type and geographic distribution of AFVs in use in
the previous calendar year; and
3.The amount and distribution of each type of alternative
transportation fuel (ATF) consumed in the previous calendar year.
The EIA-886 data are collected from suppliers and users of AFVs.
The objectives of the EIA-886 survey are to:
1. Comply with section 503 of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 (EPACT)
that requires the EIA to collect information and provide estimates
related to alternative fueled vehicles, alternate transportation fuels,
and replacement fuels;
2. Satisfy public requests for information on AFVs and ATFs;
3. Provide Congress with a measure of the extent to which the
objectives of EPACT are being achieved; and
4. Provide EIA with a basis for estimating and forecasting total
AFV and ATF use in the U.S.
The results of the EIA-886 are released annually on EIA's Web site
at http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelalternate.html.
II. Current Actions
EIA will be requesting a three-year extension of approval to its
alternative fuel survey with the following survey changes.
1. Suppliers of AFVs, who report on section 3 of the form, will be
requested to report the State where the AFV's were delivered or sold.
2. Users of AFVs, who report on section 2, will be requested to
categorize alternative fuel consumption by fuel type, State, vehicle
type, primary application, and engine configuration. Previously, they
were requested to report alternative fuel consumption by fuel type and
State only.
[[Page 27908]]
3. Users of AFVs will also be requested to report data on vehicle
miles traveled by their AFVs. Vehicle miles traveled should be
categorized in the same way as consumption, i.e., by fuel type, State,
vehicle type, primary application, and engine configuration.
4. Users of AFVs will be requested to report data on retirements of
AFVs. These data will include vehicle and fuel type as well as number,
average age, and disposition of retired vehicles.
5. Instructions will be rewritten to clarify that users of AFVs
should not report hybrid electric vehicles unless their primary fuel is
an alternative fuel, or consumption of biodiesel unless it is consumed
as 100-percent biodiesel. Suppliers of AFVs will continue to report
hybrid vehicles.
6. Federal agencies are no longer required to complete the survey
because EIA's data collection efforts for Federal AFVs has been merged
with the DOE/GSA's Federal Automotive Statistical Tool, an on-line
tracking system for Executive Order 13149 and several EPACT
requirements.
The additional data will enable EIA to more accurately determine
the location of AFVs and other advanced transportation vehicles in use
in the U.S. They will also enable EIA to more accurately estimate total
AFVs in use and total alternative fuel consumption in the U.S. EIA will
also be able to satisfy customer requests for data about AFV miles
traveled and AFV retirements.
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 section of the form (section 1, 2 or 3) 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 4.4 hours per response. The estimated burden includes the total
time necessary to provide the requested information. In your opinion,
how accurate is this estimate?
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, May 11, 2004.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-11106 Filed 5-14-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P