[Federal Register: May 17, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 96)]
[Notices]               
[Page 31305-31306]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr17my00-37]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration

 
Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Emergency 
Review by the Office of Management and Budget

AGENCY: Energy Information Administration, Department of Energy.

ACTION: Agency information collection activities: Request for emergency 
review by the Office of Management and Budget.

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SUMMARY: The Energy Information Administration (EIA) has submitted the 
energy information collection listed at the end of this notice to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for emergency processing under 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) by Monday, May 22, 2000. The reason for this 
emergency clearance request is to obtain data from customers whose 
natural gas shipments may have been interrupted during December 1999, 
and January and February 2000. The data are needed for responding to 
requests from the Secretary of Energy and Congress by the end of July 
2000, regarding the impact of interruptible natural gas contracts on 
home heating oil supplies in the Northeastern United States during 
December 1999, and January and February 2000.
    The Supplementary Information contains the following: (1) The 
collection number and title; (2) a summary of the collection of 
information, which includes the sponsor (i.e., the DOE component),

[[Page 31306]]

current OMB document number (where applicable), type of request (new, 
revision, extension, or reinstatement), response obligation (mandatory, 
voluntary, or required to obtain or retain benefits); (3) a description 
of the need and proposed use of the information; (4) a description of 
the likely respondents; and (5) an estimate of the total annual 
reporting burden (i.e., the estimated number of likely respondents, 
times the proposed frequency of response per year, times the average 
hours per response).

DATES: Comments must be filed by Friday, May 19, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Address comments to the Mr. Erik Godwin, Department of 
Energy Desk Officer, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget, 726 Jackson Place N.W., Washington, DC 
20503. (Mr. Godwin may be reached by telephone at (202) 395-3084. 
Comments should also be addressed to the Statistics and Methods Group 
at the address immediately below.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Herbert Miller, Statistics and Methods Group, 
(EI-70), Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 
20585-0670. Mr. Miller may be contacted by telephone at (202) 426-1103, 
FAX at (202) 426-1081, or e-mail at Herbert.Miller@eia.doe.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The energy information collection submitted 
to OMB for review is:
    1. EIA-904, ``Fuel Used to Replace Natural Gas During Natural Gas 
Service Interruptions in the Northeast.''
    2. The Energy Information Administration plans to collect 
information from up to 400 companies whose supply of natural gas may 
have been interrupted during December 1999, or January or February 
2000. The form will request information on natural gas and liquid fuel 
purchases; natural gas and liquid fuels consumed in the period; and 
fuel storage capacity and inventories. This is a new survey and a new 
OMB number is being requested. The response obligation will be 
mandatory.
    3. The data will be collected, then summarized and analyzed, and, 
thereafter, be used for responding to a request from the Secretary of 
Energy and Congress regarding the level and extent of natural gas 
interruptions in the Northeastern United States, during December 1999, 
and January and February 2000.
    4. Respondents will be customers of local distribution companies 
and pipeline companies with interruptible service contracts. These 
customers may have had their supply of natural gas interrupted, during 
December 1999, or January or February 2000. The companies were 
identified by collecting information from natural gas local 
distribution companies and natural gas pipeline companies in the 
Northeastern United States.
    5. The reporting burden is expected to be 2400 hours (400 
respondents  x  1 response  x  6 hours).

    Statutory Authority: Sections 3506(c) and 3507(j) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13).

    Issued in Washington, DC May 12, 2000.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy 
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 00-12499 Filed 5-16-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P