[Federal Register: November 8, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 215)]
[Notices]
[Page 64735-64737]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08no04-40]
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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 Form EIA-1605,
``Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases,'' (long form) and the Form
EIA-1605EZ, ``Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases,'' (short form).
DATES: Comments must be submitted by January 7, 2005, to the addresses
listed below.
ADDRESSES: Send all comments to the attention of Stephen E. Calopedis.
To ensure receipt of the comments by the due date, submission by e-mail
stephen.calopedis@eia.doe.gov) or FAX (202-586-3045) is recommended.
Comments submitted by mail should be sent to Stephen E. Calopedis, U.S.
Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, EI-81, 1000
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585. Questions on this
action should be directed to Stephen E. Calopedis at 202-586-1156 or
stephen.calopedis@eia.doe.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of existing reporting forms and instructions should be directed
to Stephen E. Calopedis at 202-586-1156 or
stephen.calopedis@eia.doe.gov. The existing forms and instructions can
also be downloaded from the program's Web site at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/Forms.html
.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
II. Current Actions
III. Request for Comments
[[Page 64736]]
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 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 Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program collections are
conducted pursuant to Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992
(Pub. L. 102-486, 42 U.S.C. 13385) under General Guidelines issued by
the DOE's Office of Policy and International Affairs. The EIA-1605 and
EIA-1605EZ forms are designed to collect voluntarily reported data on
greenhouse gas emissions, achieved reductions of these emissions, and
increased carbon fixation, as well as information on commitments to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and sequester carbon in future years. A
summary of the results of the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases
Program appear in the Program's annual report titled Voluntary
Reporting of Greenhouse Gases (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/vrrpt/).
Additionally, EIA produces and makes publicly available, a ``public-
use'' database containing all the non-confidential information reported
to EIA's Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program on the Forms
EIA-1605 and EIA-1605EZ (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/databases.html
).
Please refer to the existing forms and instructions for more
information about the purpose, who may report, when to report, where to
submit, the elements to be reported, detailed instructions, provisions
for confidentiality, and uses (including possible nonstatistical uses)
of the information (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/Forms.html). For
instructions on obtaining materials, see the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CONTACT section.
II. Current Actions
EIA will be requesting OMB approval for a one-year extension with
no changes to the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program,
Forms EIA-1605 and EIA-1605EZ.
This request for a one-year extension of the expiration date of the
existing Forms EIA-1605 and EIA-1605EZ is being made to ensure that a
data collection instrument is in place while the proposed revised
Guidelines to the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program are
in the process of being finalized (see discussion below describing this
process). A one-year extension, rather than a three-year extension, is
being proposed because EIA anticipates significant changes to the data
collection forms and data elements to result from the revisions to the
Program Guidelines.
Revised Guidelines for the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases
Program
On February 14, 2002, President Bush announced a series of programs
and initiatives to address the issue of global climate change,
including a greenhouse gas intensity reduction goal, energy technology
research programs, targeted tax incentives to advance the development
and adoption of new technologies, and voluntary programs to promote
actions to reduce greenhouse gases. In addition, the President directed
the Secretary of Energy, in consultation with the Secretary of
Commerce, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Administrator of the
Environmental Protection Agency, to propose improvements to the current
Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program required under section
1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992. These improvements are to
enhance measurement accuracy, reliability, and verifiability, working
with and taking into account emerging domestic and international
approaches. The President also directed the Secretary of Energy to
recommend reforms to ensure that businesses and individuals that
register reductions are not penalized under a future climate policy and
to give transferable credits to companies that can show real emissions
reductions.
The purposes of the proposed revised Guidelines are to: (1)
Establish revised procedures and reporting requirements for filing
voluntary reports, and (2) encourage corporations, government agencies,
non-profit organizations, individuals and other private and public
entities to submit annual reports of their total entity-wide greenhouse
gas emissions, net emission reductions, and carbon sequestration
activities that are complete, reliable and consistent.
On May 6, 2002 (67 FR 30370), the Department of Energy solicited
public comments on various issues relevant to its efforts to implement
the President's directives. After consideration of these public
comments, the Secretaries of Energy, Commerce and Agriculture, and the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency wrote the
President on July 8, 2002, stating that improvements to the existing
Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program should:
1. Include fair, objective, and practical methods for reporting
baselines, reporting boundaries, calculating real results, and awarding
transferable credits for actions that lead to real reductions.
2. Standardize widely accepted, transparent accounting methods.
3. Support independent verification registry reports.
4. Encourage reporters to report greenhouse gas intensity
(emissions unit of output) as well as emissions reductions.
5. Encourage corporate or entity-wide reporting.
6. Provide credits for actions to remove carbon dioxide from the
atmosphere as well as for actions to reduce emissions.
7. Include a process for evaluating the extent to which past
reductions may qualify for credits.
8. Assure that the Voluntary Reporting Program is an effective tool
for reaching the President's goal of reducing U.S. greenhouse gas
intensity (greenhouse gas emissions per unit of real economic output)
by 18 percent over the 2002 to 2012 time frame.
9. Factor in international strategies as well as State-level
efforts.
10. Minimize transactions costs for reporters and administrative
costs for the Government, where possible, without compromising the
foregoing recommendations.
The DOE also held four public workshops (67 FR 64106) in the fall
of 2002 to enable interested persons to discuss and provide comments on
possible improvements to the Program guidelines. Public comments
submitted to DOE's Office of Policy and International Affairs on
possible revisions to the Voluntary Reporting of
[[Page 64737]]
Greenhouse Gases Program Guidelines are available at http://www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/index.html
.
On December 5, 2003 (68 FR 68204), DOE released proposed Revised
General Guidelines for the Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gas
Program. On January 12, 2004, DOE also held a public workshop to
discuss the proposed guidelines and to receive comments. A transcript
and audio recording of the proceedings of this workshop are available
at http://www.pi.energy.gov/enhancingGHGregistry/proposedguidelines/index.html.
Written comments on the proposed revised General Guidelines
are available on-line at http://ostiweb.osti.gov/pighg/ghgb0202.idc.
Process for Finalizing and Implementing Revised Program Guidelines
DOE's Office of Policy and International Affairs plans to issue
proposed revised General Guidelines for public comment during the Fall
of 2004. In parallel with this effort, DOE's Office of Policy and
International Affairs intends to issue for public comment proposed
revised Technical Guidelines in the Fall of 2004. The Technical
Guidelines will specify the methods and factors to be used in measuring
and estimating greenhouse gas emissions and emission reductions under
the revised General Guidelines. DOE plans to issue in final form all
necessary guidelines in 2005. Upon finalization and issuance of the
revised Guidelines, EIA plans to develop and issue new reporting forms
and instructions for reporting under the revised Program Guidelines.
Given the uncertainty, however, over whether the proposed revised
Guidelines will be approved and issued in time to allow EIA to
implement a new reporting system in calendar year 2005 to collect
calendar year 2004 and earlier data, EIA has chosen to request this
one-year extension of the expiration date on the existing forms as an
option in the event that the finalization and issuance of the revised
Guidelines take longer than expected. It is important to note here that
it is not the intent of this notice to solicit comment on the Guideline
revision and finalization process above, but rather to extend the
expiration date on the existing data collection, Forms EIA-1605 and
EIA-1605-EZ, so that EIA has a data collection instrument in place for
calendar year 2004 data while the Guideline revision process is
completed.
III. Request for Comments
Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment
on the actions discussed in item III. The following issues 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 40 hours per response on Form EIA-1605 (long form) and 4 hours
per response on Form EIA-1605EZ (short form). 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, November 2, 2004.
Nancy J. Kirkendall,
Director, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy Information
Administration.
[FR Doc. 04-24814 Filed 11-5-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P