82_FR_50004 82 FR 49797 - Agency Information Collection Extension

82 FR 49797 - Agency Information Collection Extension

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Information Administration

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 207 (October 27, 2017)

Page Range49797-49798
FR Document2017-23398

EIA has submitted an information collection request to OMB for extension under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The information collection requests a three-year extension with changes of its Natural Gas Data Collection Program, under OMB Control No. 1905- 0175. The proposed collection will provide information on the supply and disposition of natural gas within the United States.

Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 207 (Friday, October 27, 2017) 
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 207 (Friday, October 27, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49797-49798]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-23398]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

 Energy Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Extension

AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of 
Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: EIA has submitted an information collection request to OMB for 
extension under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 
The information collection requests a three-year extension with changes 
of its Natural Gas Data Collection Program, under OMB Control No. 1905-
0175. The proposed collection will provide information on the supply 
and disposition of natural gas within the United States.

DATES: Comments regarding this information collection must be received 
on or before November 27, 2017. If you anticipate that you will be 
submitting comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period 
of time allowed by this notice, please advise the DOE Desk Officer at 
OMB of your intention to make a submission as soon as possible. The 
Desk Officer may be telephoned at 202-395-4718.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to Chad S. Whiteman, DOE 
Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of 
Management and Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10102, 735 
17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503, Chad S [email protected]. and 
to Mr. Michael Kopalek, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Energy 
Information Administration EI-25, 1000 Independence Ave. SW., 
Washington, DC 20585, [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Michael Kopalek, 202-586-4001, [email protected], 
https://www.eia.gov/survey/notice/ngdownstreamforms2018.php.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  This information collection request 
contains:
    (1) OMB Control Number 1905-0175;
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Natural Gas Data 
Collection Program;
    The surveys covered by this information collection request include:
     Form EIA-176, Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental 
Gas Supply and Disposition
     Form EIA-191, Monthly Underground Gas Storage Report
     Form EIA-757, Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey
     Form EIA-857, Monthly Report of Natural Gas Purchases and 
Deliveries to Consumers
     Form EIA-910, Monthly Natural Gas Marketer Survey
     Form EIA-912, Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage 
Report
    (3) Type of Request: Three-year extension with changes;
    (4) Purpose: The surveys included in the Natural Gas Data 
Collection Program Package collect information on natural gas 
underground storage, supply, processing, transmission, distribution, 
consumption by sector, and consumer prices. This information is used to 
support public policy analyses of the natural gas industry and 
estimates generated from data collected on these surveys. The 
statistics generated from these surveys are posted to the EIA Web site 
(http://www.eia.gov) and in various EIA products, including the Weekly 
Natural Gas Storage Report (WNGSR), Natural Gas Monthly (NGM), Natural 
Gas Annual (NGA), Monthly Energy Review (MER), Short-Term Energy 
Outlook (STEO), Annual Energy Outlook (AEO), and Annual Energy Review 
(AER). EIA requests a three-year extension of collection authority for 
each of the above-referenced surveys with changes to Forms EIA-176, 
EIA-191, EIA-757, EIA-910, and EIA-912.
    (4a) Proposed Changes to Information Collection:

Form EIA-176, Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental Gas Supply and 
Disposition

    Form EIA-176 collects data on natural, synthetic, and other 
supplemental gas supplies, their disposition, and certain revenues by 
state. The changes include:
    a. Add a question in Part 3(B) to ask respondents if they have an 
alternative-fueled vehicle fleet and how many and what kind of vehicles 
make up the fleet. This information improves survey frame coverage and 
data accuracy reported on Form EIA-886, Annual Survey of Alternative 
Fueled Vehicles;
    b. A new section Part 3(E) asking local distribution companies to 
provide all the counties where they deliver natural gas for end-use 
consumption. This information enables EIA to estimate the approximate 
service territory for a local distribution company. EIA has received 
public inquiries about service territories associated with natural gas 
distributors and this information will be useful to EIA and the public 
for understanding this retail market sector.
    c. Addition of a question in Part 3(F) asking respondents for the 
names and zip codes of any aboveground liquefied (LNG) natural gas 
storage facilities that

[[Page 49798]]

are owned, operated, or provide services to a survey respondent. This 
enables EIA to facilitate collection of LNG data by operators and their 
locations;
    d. Discontinue collecting the costs associated with purchase gas 
received within the service area. EIA has the capability to estimate 
values for this activity using monthly data. Deleting this data element 
reduces respondent reporting burden and relieves EIA resources used to 
validate the information;
    e. Discontinue the collection of year-end natural gas pump price in 
Part 3 Item B4. EIA determined that this question had large variation 
in data quality and inconsistent reporting methodologies.
    f. Move Part 6 Line 12.4 (from the drop down menu selection) sub-
item 9096, ``Other Natural gas consumed in your operations: 
Vaporization/LNG Fuel,'' to make it a standalone line item as new Line 
12.4, called ``Vaporization/Liquefaction/LNG Fuel.'' The collection of 
``Other Natural Gas'' consumed in operations that was previously listed 
on Line 12.4 will be shown as a new Line 12.6 in Part 6 with the three 
other drop down choices (Utilities Use, Other, and Other Expenses) 
available to the user. In the past, many respondents have missed 
reporting this data element. The change is designed to improve the 
coverage and accuracy of respondents reporting this information and 
will assist EIA in its modeling and analysis; and
    g. Add a question in Part 6 Line 12.5, ``Vehicle fuel used in 
company fleet'' to collect information on fuel consumption by company 
vehicles. Based on cognitive testing of Form EIA-176 form, respondents 
were reporting natural gas vehicle fuel for their own company fleet as 
company use. This affects the accuracy of the vehicle fuel volumes and 
prices reported in Part 6 Items 10.5 and 11.5. Company consumption 
volumes do not have associated revenue and should not be included in 
10.5 and 11.5. Adding this question gives respondents a place on Form 
EIA-176 to report company-owned vehicle fuel volumes and improve the 
accuracy of vehicle fuel prices based on Part 6 Items 10.5 and 11.5.

Form EIA-191, Monthly Underground Gas Storage Report

    Form EIA-191 collects data on the operations of all active 
underground storage facilities. EIA is making the following changes to 
Form EIA-191:
    a. Remove ``Other'' as a response option under ``type of facility'' 
question in Part 3 of the survey form. Respondents have not utilized 
this category for classifying their facilities. This open ended 
facility category did not provide its intended utility and as a result 
EIA is deleting it.

Form EIA-757, Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey

    Form EIA-757 collects information on the capacity, status, and 
operations of natural gas processing plants, and monitors their 
constraints to natural gas supplies during catastrophic events, such as 
hurricanes. Schedule A of Form EIA-757 is used to collect data every 
three years. Schedule A collects baseline operating and capacity 
information from all respondents. Schedule A was used to collect 
information in 2015 and the next planned collection for Schedule A is 
2018. Schedule B is activated as needed and collects data from a sample 
of respondents in affected areas as needed. Schedule B was last 
activated in 2012 when Hurricane Isaac damaged energy supply 
infrastructure along the Gulf Coast. A sample of approximately 20 
plants reported in 2012 during that supply disruption. EIA is 
continuing the collection of the same data elements on Form EIA-757 
Schedules A and B in their present form with two protocol changes:
    a. Collect Schedule A data for new natural gas processing plants 
that opened and began operations during the current three-year data 
collection cycles. This minor protocol change allows EIA to maintain a 
current frame at all times rather than updating the survey frame every 
three years when a new data collection cycle begins;
    b. Collect ``processing throughput capacity'' information in 
Schedule A on an annual basis. This allows EIA to track recent changes 
in natural gas processing plant capacities, a key piece of information 
needed for using Form EIA-757 Schedule B Emergency Activation portion 
of the survey during a natural disaster or similar crisis situation.

Form EIA-912 Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage Report

    Form EIA-912 collects information on weekly inventories of natural 
gas in underground storage facilities. This is one change to Form EIA-
912 to include an additional geographic data element for Inventory of 
Working Gas in Storage as described below:
    a. Divide the ``South Central'' reporting region into ``South 
Central Salt'' and ``South Central Nonsalt.'' Currently EIA categorizes 
storage operators as either Salt facilities or Nonsalt facilities and 
allocates their volumes entirely to that region. This change would 
require respondents to allocate volumes in their reported data between 
Salt facilities and Nonsalt facilities in order to improve the accuracy 
of EIA's published estimates on underground storage. For example, under 
the current methodology, volumes reported by a respondent with majority 
salt storage would be allocated entirely to the ``South Central Salt'' 
region, even if nearly half of their volumes were stored in nonsalt 
facilities. Currently, operators with more than 15 billion cubic feet 
of storage capacity in the South Central region report volumes 
separately between Salt facilities or Nonsalt facilities. This change 
will require all operators in the reporting sample to report the same 
way.
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Survey Respondents: 3,340.
    EIA-176 consists of 2,050 respondents.
    EIA-191 consists of 145 respondents.
    EIA-757 Schedule A consists of 600 respondents.
    EIA-757 Schedule B consists of 20 respondents.
    EIA-857 consists of 330 respondents.
    EIA-910 consists of 100 respondents.
    EIA-912 consists of 95 respondents.
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 14,227.
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 50,724.
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: The 
information is maintained in the normal course of business. The cost of 
the burden hours is estimated to be $3,736, 330 (50,724 burden hours 
times $73.66 per hour). Other than the cost of burden hours, EIA 
estimates that there are no additional costs for generating, 
maintaining and providing the information.
    Statutory Authority: Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93-275, codified as 15 U.S.C. 
772(b) and the DOE Organization Act of 1977, Pub. L. 95-91, codified at 
42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.

    Issued in Washington, DC on October 17, 2017.
Nanda Srinivasan,
Director, Office of Survey Development and Statistical Integration, 
U.S. Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-23398 Filed 10-26-17; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 207 / Friday, October 27, 2017 / Notices 49797 DOE/FE ORDERS GRANTING IMPORT/EXPORT AUTHORIZATIONS—Continued 4080 .............................. 08/14/17 17–102–NG Rice Energy Marketing LLC .................. Order 4080 granting blanket authority to import/export natural gas from/to Canada/Mexico. 4081 .............................. 08/14/17 17–103–NG Enterprise Products Operating LLC ...... Order 4081 granting blanket authority to import/export natural gas from/to Canada/Mexico. 4082 .............................. 08/14/17 17–90–NG Southern California Gas Company ....... Order 4082 granting blanket authority to import/export natural gas from/to Mexico. 4083 .............................. 08/14/17 17–98–NG Public Utility District No. 1 of Clark Order 4083 granting blanket authority County. to import/export natural gas from/to Canada. 3764–A .......................... 08/31/17 15–180–NG Uniper Global Commodities North Order 3764–A vacating blanket author- America LLC. ity to import/export natural gas from/ to Canada. 4085 .............................. 08/31/17 17–104–NG Tidal Energy Marketing (U.S.) L.L.C. .... Order 4085 granting blanket authority to import/export natural gas from/to Canada. [FR Doc. 2017–23418 Filed 10–26–17; 8:45 am] Information Administration EI–25, 1000 site (http://www.eia.gov) and in various BILLING CODE 6450–01–P Independence Ave. SW., Washington, EIA products, including the Weekly DC 20585, Michael.Kopalek@eia.gov. Natural Gas Storage Report (WNGSR), FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Natural Gas Monthly (NGM), Natural DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Requests for additional information or Gas Annual (NGA), Monthly Energy copies of the information collection Review (MER), Short-Term Energy Energy Information Administration Outlook (STEO), Annual Energy instrument and instructions should be directed to Michael Kopalek, 202–586– Outlook (AEO), and Annual Energy Agency Information Collection Extension 4001, Michael.kopalek@eia.gov, https:// Review (AER). EIA requests a three-year www.eia.gov/survey/notice/ extension of collection authority for AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information ngdownstreamforms2018.php. each of the above-referenced surveys Administration (EIA), Department of with changes to Forms EIA–176, EIA– SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This Energy (DOE). 191, EIA–757, EIA–910, and EIA–912. information collection request contains: ACTION: Notice. (1) OMB Control Number 1905–0175; (4a) Proposed Changes to Information (2) Information Collection Request Collection: SUMMARY: EIA has submitted an information collection request to OMB Title: Natural Gas Data Collection Form EIA–176, Annual Report of for extension under the provisions of Program; Natural and Supplemental Gas Supply the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The surveys covered by this and Disposition The information collection requests a information collection request include: • Form EIA–176, Annual Report of Form EIA–176 collects data on three-year extension with changes of its natural, synthetic, and other Natural Gas Data Collection Program, Natural and Supplemental Gas Supply and Disposition supplemental gas supplies, their under OMB Control No. 1905–0175. The disposition, and certain revenues by • Form EIA–191, Monthly proposed collection will provide state. The changes include: Underground Gas Storage Report information on the supply and a. Add a question in Part 3(B) to ask • Form EIA–757, Natural Gas disposition of natural gas within the respondents if they have an alternative- Processing Plant Survey United States. • Form EIA–857, Monthly Report of fueled vehicle fleet and how many and DATES: Comments regarding this Natural Gas Purchases and Deliveries to what kind of vehicles make up the fleet. information collection must be received Consumers This information improves survey frame on or before November 27, 2017. If you • Form EIA–910, Monthly Natural coverage and data accuracy reported on anticipate that you will be submitting Gas Marketer Survey Form EIA–886, Annual Survey of comments, but find it difficult to do so • Form EIA–912, Weekly Alternative Fueled Vehicles; within the period of time allowed by Underground Natural Gas Storage b. A new section Part 3(E) asking local this notice, please advise the DOE Desk Report distribution companies to provide all Officer at OMB of your intention to (3) Type of Request: Three-year the counties where they deliver natural make a submission as soon as possible. extension with changes; gas for end-use consumption. This The Desk Officer may be telephoned at (4) Purpose: The surveys included in information enables EIA to estimate the 202–395–4718. the Natural Gas Data Collection Program approximate service territory for a local ADDRESSES: Written comments should Package collect information on natural distribution company. EIA has received asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES be sent to Chad S. Whiteman, DOE Desk gas underground storage, supply, public inquiries about service territories Officer, Office of Information and processing, transmission, distribution, associated with natural gas distributors Regulatory Affairs, Office of consumption by sector, and consumer and this information will be useful to Management and Budget, New prices. This information is used to EIA and the public for understanding Executive Office Building, Room 10102, support public policy analyses of the this retail market sector. 735 17th Street NW., Washington, DC natural gas industry and estimates c. Addition of a question in Part 3(F) 20503, Chad S Whiteman@omb.eop.gov. generated from data collected on these asking respondents for the names and and to Mr. Michael Kopalek, U.S. surveys. The statistics generated from zip codes of any aboveground liquefied Department of Energy, U.S. Energy these surveys are posted to the EIA Web (LNG) natural gas storage facilities that VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:54 Oct 26, 2017 Jkt 244001 PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\27OCN1.SGM 27OCN1

49798 Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 207 / Friday, October 27, 2017 / Notices are owned, operated, or provide services This open ended facility category did allocate volumes in their reported data to a survey respondent. This enables not provide its intended utility and as between Salt facilities and Nonsalt EIA to facilitate collection of LNG data a result EIA is deleting it. facilities in order to improve the by operators and their locations; accuracy of EIA’s published estimates d. Discontinue collecting the costs Form EIA–757, Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey on underground storage. For example, associated with purchase gas received under the current methodology, within the service area. EIA has the Form EIA–757 collects information on volumes reported by a respondent with capability to estimate values for this the capacity, status, and operations of majority salt storage would be allocated activity using monthly data. Deleting natural gas processing plants, and monitors their constraints to natural gas entirely to the ‘‘South Central Salt’’ this data element reduces respondent supplies during catastrophic events, region, even if nearly half of their reporting burden and relieves EIA resources used to validate the such as hurricanes. Schedule A of Form volumes were stored in nonsalt information; EIA–757 is used to collect data every facilities. Currently, operators with e. Discontinue the collection of year- three years. Schedule A collects more than 15 billion cubic feet of end natural gas pump price in Part 3 baseline operating and capacity storage capacity in the South Central Item B4. EIA determined that this information from all respondents. region report volumes separately question had large variation in data Schedule A was used to collect between Salt facilities or Nonsalt quality and inconsistent reporting information in 2015 and the next facilities. This change will require all methodologies. planned collection for Schedule A is operators in the reporting sample to f. Move Part 6 Line 12.4 (from the 2018. Schedule B is activated as needed report the same way. drop down menu selection) sub-item and collects data from a sample of (5) Annual Estimated Number of 9096, ‘‘Other Natural gas consumed in respondents in affected areas as needed. Survey Respondents: 3,340. your operations: Vaporization/LNG Schedule B was last activated in 2012 Fuel,’’ to make it a standalone line item when Hurricane Isaac damaged energy EIA–176 consists of 2,050 as new Line 12.4, called ‘‘Vaporization/ supply infrastructure along the Gulf respondents. Liquefaction/LNG Fuel.’’ The collection Coast. A sample of approximately 20 EIA–191 consists of 145 respondents. of ‘‘Other Natural Gas’’ consumed in plants reported in 2012 during that EIA–757 Schedule A consists of 600 operations that was previously listed on supply disruption. EIA is continuing the Line 12.4 will be shown as a new Line respondents. collection of the same data elements on 12.6 in Part 6 with the three other drop Form EIA–757 Schedules A and B in EIA–757 Schedule B consists of 20 down choices (Utilities Use, Other, and their present form with two protocol respondents. Other Expenses) available to the user. In changes: EIA–857 consists of 330 respondents. the past, many respondents have missed a. Collect Schedule A data for new reporting this data element. The change natural gas processing plants that EIA–910 consists of 100 respondents. is designed to improve the coverage and opened and began operations during the EIA–912 consists of 95 respondents. accuracy of respondents reporting this current three-year data collection cycles. (6) Annual Estimated Number of information and will assist EIA in its This minor protocol change allows EIA Total Responses: 14,227. modeling and analysis; and to maintain a current frame at all times g. Add a question in Part 6 Line 12.5, rather than updating the survey frame (7) Annual Estimated Number of ‘‘Vehicle fuel used in company fleet’’ to every three years when a new data Burden Hours: 50,724. collect information on fuel consumption collection cycle begins; (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and by company vehicles. Based on b. Collect ‘‘processing throughput Recordkeeping Cost Burden: The cognitive testing of Form EIA–176 form, capacity’’ information in Schedule A on information is maintained in the normal respondents were reporting natural gas an annual basis. This allows EIA to course of business. The cost of the vehicle fuel for their own company fleet track recent changes in natural gas burden hours is estimated to be $3,736, as company use. This affects the processing plant capacities, a key piece 330 (50,724 burden hours times $73.66 accuracy of the vehicle fuel volumes of information needed for using Form per hour). Other than the cost of burden and prices reported in Part 6 Items 10.5 EIA–757 Schedule B Emergency hours, EIA estimates that there are no and 11.5. Company consumption Activation portion of the survey during additional costs for generating, volumes do not have associated revenue a natural disaster or similar crisis maintaining and providing the and should not be included in 10.5 and situation. information. 11.5. Adding this question gives Form EIA–912 Weekly Underground Statutory Authority: Section 13(b) of respondents a place on Form EIA–176 to Natural Gas Storage Report the Federal Energy Administration Act report company-owned vehicle fuel volumes and improve the accuracy of Form EIA–912 collects information on of 1974, Pub. L. 93–275, codified as 15 vehicle fuel prices based on Part 6 Items weekly inventories of natural gas in U.S.C. 772(b) and the DOE Organization 10.5 and 11.5. underground storage facilities. This is Act of 1977, Pub. L. 95–91, codified at one change to Form EIA–912 to include 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq. Form EIA–191, Monthly Underground an additional geographic data element Gas Storage Report Issued in Washington, DC on October 17, for Inventory of Working Gas in Storage 2017. asabaliauskas on DSKBBXCHB2PROD with NOTICES Form EIA–191 collects data on the as described below: operations of all active underground a. Divide the ‘‘South Central’’ Nanda Srinivasan, storage facilities. EIA is making the reporting region into ‘‘South Central Director, Office of Survey Development and following changes to Form EIA–191: Salt’’ and ‘‘South Central Nonsalt.’’ Statistical Integration, U.S. Energy a. Remove ‘‘Other’’ as a response Currently EIA categorizes storage Information Administration. option under ‘‘type of facility’’ question operators as either Salt facilities or [FR Doc. 2017–23398 Filed 10–26–17; 8:45 am] in Part 3 of the survey form. Nonsalt facilities and allocates their BILLING CODE 6450–01–P Respondents have not utilized this volumes entirely to that region. This category for classifying their facilities. change would require respondents to VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:54 Oct 26, 2017 Jkt 244001 PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 E:\FR\FM\27OCN1.SGM 27OCN1


Document Created: 2017-10-27 02:06:35
Document Modified: 2017-10-27 02:06:35
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
ActionNotice.
DatesComments regarding this information collection must be received on or before November 27, 2017. If you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, please advise the DOE Desk Officer at OMB of your intention to make a submission as soon as possible. The Desk Officer may be telephoned at 202-395-4718.
ContactRequests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Michael Kopalek, 202-586-4001, [email protected], https://www.eia.gov/survey/notice/ngdownstreamforms2018.php.
FR Citation82 FR 49797 
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