[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 66 (Wednesday, April 7, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17702-17703]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-7861]
[[Page 17702]]
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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 following EIA Forms:
EIA-63A, ``Annual Solar Thermal Collector/Reflector
Shipments Report.''
EIA-63B, ``Annual Photovoltaic Cell/Module Shipments
Report.''
EIA-902, ``Annual Geothermal Heat Pump Shipments Report.''
DATES: Comments must be filed by June 7, 2010. If you anticipate
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the
person listed below as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Fred Mayes. To ensure receipt of the
comments by the due date, submission by FAX 202-287-1944 or e-mail
[email protected] is recommended. The mailing address is U.S.
Energy Information Administration, EI-52, Forrestal Building, U.S.
Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC
20585. Alternatively, Fred Mayes may be contacted by telephone at 202-
586-1508.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of any forms and instructions (the proposed draft collection)
should be directed to Fred Mayes at the address listed above. Also see
the forms and instructions at http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/fed_register/renewable_2011.html.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
II. Current Actions
III. Request for Comments
I. Background
The Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (15 U.S.C. 761 et
seq.) and the DOE Organization Act (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 and to promote
sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of
energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment.
The EIA, as part of its effort to comply with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.), 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. Also, the EIA will later seek approval for this collection by
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under Section 3507(a) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Form EIA-63A, ``Annual Solar Thermal Collector/Reflector Shipments
Report,'' collects information on the distribution of solar thermal
panels by manufacturers; Form EIA-63B, ``Annual Photovoltaic Cell/
Module Shipments Report,'' collects information on the distribution by
manufacturers of photovoltaic (PV) cells/modules; and Form EIA-902,
``Annual Geothermal Heat Pump Shipments Report,'' collects information
on distribution of geothermal heat pumps by manufacturers.
Specifically, all forms collect information on manufacturing, stocks,
imports, exports, and domestic shipments. The EIA has been collecting
the above information annually and proposes to continue the surveys.
The data collected will be disseminated in electronic products and
electronic data files for use by government and private sector
analysts. For details on EIA's renewables information program, please
visit the renewable and alterative fuels page at EIA's Web site at
http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelrenewable.html.
Please refer to the proposed forms and instructions for more
information about the purpose, who must 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. For instructions on obtaining
materials, see the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
II. Current Actions
The following actions are being taken for the EIA 63A, EIA-63B, and
EIA-902:
The forms now request the ``total equipment balance''
(inventories, production, shipments, imports, exports, stocks), rather
than just shipments, imports, and exports.
End uses are revised as appropriate for each survey but
were compressed into fewer categories where possible.
The number of units and/or number of systems shipped, as
appropriate, is now requested.
Shipments are now obtained by state for each sector, end
use. Previously, data did not cross-classify shipments by state by
sector or shipments by state by end use.
The eligible list of survey respondents is now expanded to
cover importer/exporter-only companies, domestic subsidiaries of
overseas manufacturers, and companies registered on a U.S. stock
exchange. This will greatly improve coverage of equipment that is
imported directly into the U.S. to an end user.
Changes related to Form EIA-902 only:
The American Refrigeration Institute (ARI)/International
Standards Organization (ISO) GHP classifications are replaced by
functional names of greater interest and usage by manufacturers.
Changes related to Forms EIA-63A and EIA-63B only:
The ``Other'' collector type was eliminated because too
many respondents chose it when a better choice was available.
Changes related to Form EIA-63B only:
The form now has separate schedules for collecting cells
and modules data. Data collected for cells and modules will be slightly
different.
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.
As a Potential Respondent to the Request for Information
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?
B. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information to be
collected?
C. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If
not, which instructions need clarification?
D. Can the information be submitted by the respondent by the due
date?
E. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to
average 4.5 burden hours per response for Form EIA-63A, 4.5 burden
hours per response for Form EIA-63B and 4.5 burden hours per response
for Form EIA-902. The
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estimated burden includes the total time necessary to provide the
requested information. In your opinion, how accurate is this estimate?
F. 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?
G. 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.
H. 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. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the
proper performance of the functions of the agency and does the
information have practical utility?
B. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information
disseminated?
C. Is the information useful at the levels of detail to be
collected?
D. For what purpose(s) would the information be used? Be specific.
E. 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 13(b) of the Federal Energy
Administration Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93-275, codified at 15 U.S.C.
772(b).
Issued in Washington, DC, April 1, 2010.
Stephanie Brown,
Director, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy Information
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-7861 Filed 4-6-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P