[Federal Register: April 4, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 64)]
[Notices]
[Page 16337-16341]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr04ap07-45]
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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 revisions and a
three-year extension to the Forms:
EIA-411, ``Coordinated Bulk Power Supply Program Report,''
EIA-826, ``Monthly Electric Sales and Revenue with State Distributions
Report,''
EIA-860M, ``Monthly Update to the Annual Electric Generator Report,''
EIA-860, ``Annual Electric Generator Report,''
EIA-861, ``Annual Electric Power Industry Report,'' and
EIA-923, ``Power Plant Operations Report.''
Specifically, the EIA is soliciting comments on the following
actions:
First, merging the existing Form EIA-906 ``Power Plant
Report,'' Form EIA-920, ``Combined Heat and Power Plant Report,'' and
Form EIA-423, ``Monthly Cost and Quality of Fuels for Electric
Plants,'' as well as transferring operational information on Schedules
3A (excluding items 7 and 8), 3B, 4A, 4D (items 3, 6, and 7), 6A, and
8A from the Form EIA-767, ``Steam-Electric Plant Operation and Design
Report,'' to the proposed new Form EIA-923 ``Power Plant Operations
Report,'' to be authorized for three years.
Second, companies currently reporting on FERC Form-423,
``Monthly
[[Page 16338]]
Report of Cost and Quality of Fuel for Electric Plants,'' would be
required to report cost and quality of fuel information on Form EIA-
923.
Third, transferring the static information collected on
Form EIA-767, ``Steam-Electric Plant Operation and Design Report,''
from Schedules 2, 4B, 4C, 4D (except items 3, 6 and 7), 4E, 5 (items 3
and 4) 6B, 7, 8B, and 9 to the Form EIA-860, ``Annual Electric
Generator Report.''
Fourth, discontinuing Form EIA-767, ``Steam-Electric Plant
Operation and Design Report,'' Form EIA-423, ``Monthly Cost and Quality
of Fuels for Electric Plants,'' Form EIA-906, ``Power Plant Report,''
and Form EIA-920, ``Combined Heat and Power Plant Report.''
Fifth, changing the current provisions regarding
confidentiality of information reported on the electric power surveys.
DATES: Comments must be filed by June 4, 2007. If you anticipate
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the
person listed below as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Mr. Jorge Luna-Camara. To ensure receipt of
the comments by the due date, submission by FAX (202-287-1946) or e-
mail Mr. Luna-Camara at Jorge.Luna-Camara@eia.doe.gov is recommended.
The mailing address is Energy Information Administration, Electric
Power Division, EI-53, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy,
Washington, DC 20585. Alternatively, Mr. Jorge Luna-Camara may be
contacted by telephone at 202-287-1753.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Mr. Jorge
Luna-Camara at the address listed above. To review the proposed forms
and instructions, please visit: http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/electricity/page/fednotice/elect_2008.html
.
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, 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. 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. 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 EIA collects information about the electric power industry for
use by government and private sector analysts. The survey information
is disseminated in a variety of electronic products and files. For
details on the EIA electric power information program, please visit the
electricity page of the EIA Internet site at http://www.eia.doe.gov/fuelelectric.html
.
The EIA has completed an extensive review and update of the
electric power survey collection instruments. The result of the update
reflects input from the electric power industry, other industry users
of the data, government agencies, consumer groups, and private sector
analysts. Along with the form changes and proposed mergers, the EIA is
proposing a revision to the commercially sensitive data elements that
will be protected from release. These issues are explained below.
This Federal Register notice solicits comments on proposed changes
to five surveys and two proposed merger concepts. The first merger is
for the Form EIA-906 ``Power Plant Report,'' Form EIA-920, ``Combined
Heat and Power Plant Report,'' and Form EIA-423, ``Monthly Cost and
Quality of Fuels for Electric Plants,'' to be merged into the new Form
EIA-923, ``Power Plant Operations Report.'' Also, companies currently
reporting on FERC Form-423, ``Monthly Report of Cost and Quality of
Fuel for Electric Plants,'' would be required to file on Form EIA-923
information on cost and quality of fuels. The proposed Form EIA-923
combines receipts, consumption and fossil fuel stock information for
all electric power producers on one form. Currently the data are
collected on different forms, which are due at different times. By
merging the forms, the information can be collected and checked at the
same time. For example, the previous month's ending stocks, plus
receipts, minus consumption must equal the current month's ending
stocks. The consolidation into one form is expected to facilitate
reporting and respondents will be able to review and correct their data
prior to submission, thereby improving the quality and timeliness of
the data. Also combining information collected by both EIA and the
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on a single form has the potential
to increase the overall efficiency of the Federal program to collect
monthly fuel information as well as improve the utility of the
resulting information products.
In addition, it is proposed that the merged Form EIA-923 will also
collect fuel consumption information at the boiler level for plants
with steam turbines of 10 megawatts or greater capacity that burn
fossil or organic fuels (excluding steam turbines whose source of steam
is from nuclear, geothermal or solar resources), which was formerly
collected on the Form EIA-767. This will maintain the existing data
series for use in analysis and reduce the burden on the monthly
respondents, as they will only have to provide these data once, rather
than on both the Form EIA-767 and either Form EIA-906 or Form EIA-920.
In addition, the other operational information collected on the Form
EIA-767 will be transferred to the new Form EIA-923.
The second merger is of the Form EIA-860, ``Annual Electric
Generator Report,'' and the static information from the Form EIA-767,
``Steam-Electric Plant Operation and Design Report.'' This merger would
allow the respondents to report all of their static plant level
information on one form (EIA-860), thereby reducing the level of
overlap in filing multiple forms and making their submissions more
consistent. With the mergers noted above, EIA will be able to eliminate
four existing electric power survey forms.
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 non-
statistical uses) of the information. For instructions on obtaining
materials, see the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
II. Current Actions
The EIA proposes the following changes:
[[Page 16339]]
Form EIA-411, ``Coordinated Bulk Power Supply Program Report''
The EIA proposes the following changes to the form:
Eliminate Schedule 2, Capacity for Existing Generators in
Reporting Year, as this information will be subsumed in Schedule 3.
Modify Schedule 3. Historical and Projected Demand and
Capacity. The categories will explain the differences between net
capacity reported to EIA by its respondents on the Form EIA-860 and the
Planned Capacity Resource data reported by the North American Electric
Reliability Corporation (NERC) on Schedule 3, Reconciliation between
Total Generation Regional Capacity and Planned Regional Capacity
Resources (summer, winter).
It is proposed that reporting on Form EIA-411 become mandatory for
all electric generators who are connected to the electricity grid. Over
time, as utilities have sold their generating assets, the Form EIA-411
submission has become less inclusive of the entire electric power
industry. Mandatory collection authority for Form EIA-411 is necessary
for EIA to collect the comprehensive information needed for public and
private analysts to accurately monitor the current status and trends of
the electric power industry, as well as to evaluate the future of the
industry. This change in the reporting obligation for the EIA-411 is
consistent with NERC's data program requirements because membership in
NERC is now mandatory and data filing requirements by its members are
also mandatory.
Form EIA-826, ``Monthly Electric Sales and Revenue With State
Distributions Report''
It is proposed to reduce the due date for the form from 40 to 30
calendar days after the end of the reporting month to aid in validating
the data against other survey data and to release the data to the
public sooner.
Schedule 1. Part C. Sales to Ultimate Customers, Delivery Only Service
Additional requirement to provide the names of the energy service
providers for whom distributors deliver electricity.
Form EIA-923, ``Power Plant Operations Report''
In addition to the information previously reported to EIA on the
forms being superseded by the EIA-923, EIA proposes to collect the
following additional items:
Schedule 2. Plant-Level
Commodity cost (only for coal and natural gas) for the
quantity of fuel receipts.
Mercury content for the quality of fuel received (only for
coal).
Primary and secondary mode of transportation (only for
coal and natural gas).
Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA)
identification number (for coal mine type and location).
Also, all fossil fueled plants, including those which
report to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) on the FERC
Form 423 and with a capacity of 1 megawatt and greater, would now file
this information.
Schedule 3. Part A--Boiler-Level
Consumption by energy source and heat content for plants with steam
turbines of 10 megawatts or greater capacity that burn fossil or
organic fuels (excluding steam turbines whose source of steam is from
nuclear, geothermal or solar resources). Annual submitters would be
required to provide 12 individual months worth of information. (Note:
All other respondents would continue to provide prime mover level data
on Schedule 4B.)
Schedule 5. Part A--Prime Mover-Level
Net and gross generation for all steam-electric plants; gross
generation for combined heat and power plants; and consumption by fuel
type and heat content for plants with steam turbines of 10 megawatts or
greater capacity that burn fossil or organic fuel (excluding steam
turbines whose source of steam is from nuclear, geothermal or solar
resources). (Note: All other respondents would continue to provide
prime mover level data on Schedule 5B.)
Schedule 7. Plant-Level for Annual Data Sources and Disposition
proposes to collect revenues associated with the resale of electricity.
Schedule 8. Annual Environmental Information
Part A. Byproduct Disposition.
Part B. Financial Information.
Part C. Nitrogen Oxide Emission Controls.
Part D. Cooling System Information.
Part E. Flue Gas Particulate Collection Information.
Part F. Flue Gas Desulfurization Unit Information.
Form EIA-860, ``Annual Electric Generator Report''
The EIA proposes to collect the following additional items:
Schedule 2. Power Plant Data
Boiler status.
Boiler type.
Name of the owner of the transmission system to which the
power plant is connected (for all plants).
Schedule 3. Generator Information
Whether the generator is an electric utility or
nonutility.
Associated boiler IDs (steam-electric generators only).
For combined cycle steam generators, whether there is an
associated duct-burner.
Leading and lagging reactive power output at net summer
and at net winter capacity.
Primary start-up and flame stabilization energy sources.
Factors that limit the ability to switch from natural gas
to oil for an extended period.
Whether the generator is part of a site that was
previously reported as indefinitely postponed or cancelled.
Type of technology for proposed coal-fired generator.
Schedule 6: Boiler Information
Part A. Plant configuration.
Part B. Air emission standards.
Part C. Design parameters.
Part D. Nitrogen oxide emission controls.
Part E. Mercury emission controls.
Part F. Cooling system information--design parameters.
Part G. Flue gas particulate collector information.
Part H. Flue gas desulfurization unit--design parameters.
Part I. Stack and flue information--design parameters.
The EIA proposes to eliminate collecting the following items:
Schedule 3. Generator Information
The name of the electric utility in whose service area the
plant is located (applicable only to independent power producers and
combined heat and power producers).
Identification of distributed generators.
The requirements to explicitly report the following for
existing generators:
Proposed for re-rating (EXCEPT nuclear generators).
Proposed for deactivated shutdown status.
Proposed for change in ownership.
Proposed for fuel change.
Proposed for reactivation from retirement.
[[Page 16340]]
Form EIA-860M, ``Monthly Update to the Annual Electric Generator
Report''
Schedule B, Updates to Proposed Changes to Existing Generators
As a result of the proposal to modify Form EIA-860 to remove the
requirements for reporting the following proposed changes associated
with existing generators, the following reporting requirement is also
proposed to be eliminated from the EIA-860M:
The requirements to explicitly report the following for
existing generators:
Proposed for re-rating (EXCEPT nuclear generators).
Proposed for deactivated shutdown status.
Proposed for change in ownership.
Proposed for fuel change.
Proposed for reactivation from retirement.
Form EIA-861, ``Annual Electric Power Industry Report''
The EIA proposes to collect the following additional items:
Schedule 2C. Customer Service Programs
Customer counts and green pricing revenue and volumes.
New Schedule 2D. Net Metering
Net metering volumes.
In addition to the number of customers served on net
metering tariffs by end use class, the EIA will also capture
electricity sales foregone by customers' use of net metering.
Schedule 6C. Demand Side Management
Number of customers participating in incentive-based
demand response programs.
Number of customers participating in time-based rate
programs.
Schedule 6D. Advance Metering
The number of billing or revenue meters.
The number of advanced customer meters and associated
volumes.
Schedule 7A. Distributed and Dispersed Generation, Number and Capacity
The number of generators and their capacity by State, and
percent of capacity owned by respondent.
EIA proposes to eliminate: Schedule 7C. Types of Energy Sources
Used.
The EIA is proposing the following changes to the provisions regarding
protected information reported on the electric power surveys.
The EIA proposes not to apply disclosure limitation methods to the
disseminated electric power survey data. EIA's disclosure limitation
methods are designed to minimize the possibility that individually-
identifiable information reported by a survey respondent may be
inferred from published statistics. Disclosure limitation methods
consider how many respondents submitted information that was used to
generate a statistic as well as whether any single respondent is
responsible for a very large percentage of the value of a statistic. If
disclosure limitation methods were applied, some electric power
statistics would be suppressed from publication and unavailable to
public and private analysts. By not applying disclosure limitation
methods to electric power statistics, a knowledgeable person may be
able to estimate the values of selected data elements reported by a
specific respondent. The high utility of releasing aggregated
statistics to the industry and the public supports the need not to
apply disclosure limitation methods to the published statistics.
However, EIA will not explicitly release individually identifiable
data.
The merging of several electric power survey forms along with the
policy not to apply disclosure limitation methods to statistics based
on these survey data will help ensure EIA's continuing ability to
disseminate detailed information on the electric power sector, and
allow others to evaluate the effectiveness of laws and regulations such
as the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and those developed by the
Environmental Protection Agency for implementing requirements from the
Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990.
The EIA will continue to protect the following data elements listed
below and will not disclose to the public individually-identifiable
data to the extent that it satisfies the criteria for exemption under
the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552, the DOE
regulations implementing the FOIA, 10 CFR 1004.11, and the Trade
Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. 1905:
Fuel cost (current Form EIA-423, proposed Form EIA-923).
Fuel stocks (current Form EIA-906 and Form EIA-920, and
the proposed Form EIA-923).
Commodity cost (proposed Form EIA-923).
Monthly retail sales, revenue, and number of customers
(for energy service providers only) (Form EIA-826).
Maximum tested heat rate under full load conditions (Form
EIA-860).
Maps and power flow cases (Form EIA-411).
However, the EIA proposes to release the following data elements
that either were protected before or will be collected for the first
time:
Monthly electric sales, revenue and number of customers
for energy service providers on the Form EIA-826 nine (9) months after
the end of the reporting year. These same annual data reported on the
Form EIA-861 are currently not protected.
Monthly fuel cost, commodity cost and fuel stocks on the
proposed Form EIA-923 nine (9) months after the end of the reporting
year.
Latitude and longitude reported on the Form EIA-860. This
information is available from many other external sources and is not
considered vital to national security interests. These data will only
be released upon request and will not be electronically available for
the public to access through the Internet.
The majority of the electric power survey data are currently non-
confidential. Protecting the monthly data on commodity and fuel costs
and fuel stocks until nine (9) months after the end of the reporting
year coincides with the release by the EIA of the reports State Energy
Profiles and Electric Power Annual. These reports present data from
1990 to the present on electricity generation; electric generating
capacity; capacity resource margins; fuel consumption; emissions;
electricity trade; retail electric customers, sales, revenue and price;
electric utility revenue and expense statistics; and demand-side
management. The policy to release these data nine (9) months after the
end of the reporting year supports the EIA's mandate for carrying out a
central, comprehensive, and unified energy data and information program
responsive to users' needs. It also supports EIA's mandate to release
credible, reliable, and timely energy information that will improve and
broaden the understanding of market activity in the electric power
generation and distribution system, and help assess the reliability of
the electric power grid in the United States. In addition, this release
would not harm the individual companies, as sufficient time will have
passed after the reporting month so that the data will have aged enough
to no longer be of competitive interest to any competitors. If EIA
receives approval to publicly release the company-level monthly
information mentioned above, nine months after the end of a reporting
year, EIA may later also undertake the process to publicly release such
information collected prior to 2008 under similar conditions.
[[Page 16341]]
III. Request for Comments
Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment
on the proposals 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.
General Issues
A. Are the proposed collections 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?
C. Does EIA's proposed data protection treatment for electric power
survey information maximize the utility of the data for users while
adequately protecting sensitive information?
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 dates?
D. Public reporting burden for the average collection time are
estimated below.
The estimated burden includes the total time necessary to provide
the requested information. In your opinion, how accurate are these
estimates? Form EIA-411, ``Bulk Power Supply Program Report,''--15.9
hours per response; Form EIA-923, ``Power Plant Operations Report,''--
3.1 hours per response; Form EIA-826, ``Monthly Electric Sales and
Revenue with State Distributions Report,'' 1.2 hours per response; Form
EIA-860, ``Annual Electric Generator Report,''--8.5 hours per response;
Form EIA-861, ``Annual Electric Power Industry Report,''--8.5 hours per
response; Form EIA-860M, ``Monthly Update to the Annual Electric
Generator Report,''--0.3 hour per response.
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: Sections 3506(c)(2) and 3507(a) of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3501, et
seq.).
Issued in Washington, DC, March 27, 2007.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. E7-6268 Filed 4-3-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P