[Federal Register: December 15, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 241)]
[Notices]
[Page 75518-75520]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr15de06-44]
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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 proposed revisions to and
the three-year extension of the Natural Gas Production Report, Form
EIA-914.
DATES: Comments must be filed by February 13, 2007. If you anticipate
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the
person listed below as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ms. Rhonda Green at U.S. Department of
Energy, Energy Information Administration, Reserves and Production
Division, 1999 Bryan Street, Suite 1110, Dallas, Texas 75201-6801. To
ensure receipt of the comments by the due date, submission by FAX (214-
720-6155) or e-mail (RHONDA.GREEN@EIA.DOE.GOV) is recommended.
Alternatively, Ms. Green may be contacted by telephone at (214) 720-
6161.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Ms. Rhonda
Green 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,
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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.
Operators of natural gas wells are the target respondents of Form
EIA-914. Currently there are 227 respondents, a sample drawn from a
universe of about 8,300 known operators. Using information collected on
Form EIA-914, EIA estimates and disseminates timely and reliable
monthly natural gas production data at the United States level, and for
Texas, and Louisiana (both including State offshore natural gas
production), New Mexico, Oklahoma, Wyoming and the Federal Gulf of
Mexico. This collection is essential to the mission of the DOE for the
development, implementation, and evaluation of energy policy and
legislation in general, and the EIA in particular because of the
increasing demand for natural gas in the United States and the
requirement for accurate and timely natural gas production information
necessary to monitor the United States natural gas supply and demand
balance. Data are disseminated through the EIA Natural Gas Monthly and
Natural Gas Annual. Secondary publications that use the data include
EIA's Short-Term Energy Outlook, Annual Energy Outlook, Monthly Energy
Review and Annual Energy Review.
When OMB approved Form EIA-914 in 2004, it asked EIA to report the
following information at the time of renewal of this data collection:
Status of cooperation with the Interstate Oil and Gas
Compact Commission (IOGCC) to increase quality of reported data, and
status of cooperation between the individual States and the Minerals
Management Service (MMS), with particular focus on reducing duplicative
collections;
Whether improvements to State collections allow some
States to be dropped from the survey frame, with a specific analysis of
the Texas collection; and
Status of Form EIA-895, ``Monthly and Annual Quantity and
Value of Natural Gas Production Report.''
The responses to these requests are as follows:
Cooperative Efforts With the IOGCC and MMS
Since the implementation of Form EIA-914, EIA has met with members
of the IOGCC and has discussed ways to increase the quality of reported
natural gas production data. A written agreement was signed between
IOGCC and EIA to improve the quality of State data. EIA works in
consultation with the MMS to reduce duplicative data collections. MMS
collects production data for revenue collection purposes. However,
reliable MMS production data are typically unavailable for at least a
year after the data are reported. Production estimates based on Form
EIA-914 data are available 60 days after the close of a report month.
The time frames of the two systems do not overlap.
Improvements to State Collections
There have been no significant improvements in State data
collections of natural gas production that would allow for EIA to use
State data in lieu of what it collects on the EIA-914 survey. With
respect to Texas, the State has made some changes to its data
collection system (e.g., one form instead of two, electronic data
submission), but report timing and data quality are the same as when
the EIA-914 was first approved.
Status of Form EIA-895
EIA continues to collect monthly natural gas production information
from the States through Form EIA-895M, but will announce its decision
to terminate the use of the monthly Form EIA-895M in 2007 and rely on
the EIA-914 monthly natural gas production estimates thereafter. EIA
plans to retain use of the annual Form EIA-895A for the following
reasons:
1. Once a year, the EIA-895A collects monthly production data for
12 States that are not reported on Form EIA-914. In their comments on
the March 7, 2005, Federal Register notice on extension of natural gas
data collection forms, the Natural Gas Supply Association, the American
Petroleum Institute, the Domestic Petroleum Council, the Independent
Petroleum Association of America, the National Ocean Industries
Association, and the U.S. Oil and Gas Association expressed concern
about elimination of the EIA-895, because EIA would no longer publish
monthly data for these 12 States. These monthly data allow industry
participants to better understand State-level trends, plan business
activity, and forecast future production. Based on conversations with
trade group representatives in 2006, they remain opposed to elimination
of this data collection.
2. With the elimination of the monthly EIA-895M, the EIA-895A
becomes the major source of data on natural gas vented and flared and
on nonhydrocarbon gases removed. A 2004 GAO report called on EIA to
collect more data on venting and flaring, not to eliminate its
collection.
3. The EIA-895A contains financial information not collected by the
EIA-914 or the monthly Form-895M.
4. The EIA-895A serves as a quality check on production data
collected by the EIA-914 during the year.
II. Current Actions
This notice is for a three-year extension of Form EIA-914,
``Monthly Natural Gas Production Report,'' and a revision to add
Alaska, California, Colorado, Kansas, Montana, North Dakota, and the
Federal Offshore Pacific. By adding these additional areas, the
geographic coverage and accuracy of the gas production estimates will
be improved. The sampling methodology will be the same as for current
States.
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.
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?
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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 at 3
hours per respondent per month (this reflects no change from the
original estimate). 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 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, December 11, 2006.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. E6-21367 Filed 12-14-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P