Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 10745-10746 [E8-3769]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
• Energy Information Administration

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 40 (Thursday, February 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10745-10746]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3769]


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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: EIA is soliciting comments on a proposal to conduct a new 
survey titled ``Report of Refinery Outages.''

DATES: Comments must be filed by April 28, 2008. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ms. Joanne Shore. To ensure receipt of the 
comments by the due date, submission by e-mail to 
Joanne.Shore@eia.doe.gov is recommended. Ms. Shore may be contacted by 
telephone at 202-586-4677 or facsimile at 202-586-9739; however, e-mail 
is the preferred medium for correspondence. The mailing address is: 
Petroleum Division (Attn: Comments on Report of Refinery Outages), EI-
42, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 
20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Ms. Shore using the contact information listed 
above. An example of the information that may be reported on refinery 
outages is available on the EIA Web site at https://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/
oil_gas/petroleum/survey_forms/eia810-part6-proposed-example.pdf. The 
example is also available from Ms. Shore at the addresses 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 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 long-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 EIA. Any comments received help EIA to prepare surveys 
that maximize the utility of the information collected, and to assess 
the impact of collection requirements on the public. Also, after 
considering any comments received, EIA may seek approval by the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) under Section 3507(a) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995.
    The purpose of the ``Report of Refinery Outages'' would be to 
collect data for each affected refinery unit regarding the unit type, 
the outage type (scheduled or unscheduled), the outage timing 
(beginning and ending dates), unit capacity, and the estimated effects 
of outages on output. The information would be collected as a new Part 
6 on EIA's ``Monthly Refinery Report'' (Form EIA-810).
    EIA would propose to collect both scheduled and unscheduled outage 
information for the report month, and scheduled outage information for 
the subsequent 12 months. For example, a company reporting data for 
February (Form EIA-810 for February is due to EIA by March 20 and 
statistics based on the reported data are published in April), would 
include information on both scheduled and unscheduled outages that 
occurred in February as well as information on outages scheduled for 
March 2008 through February 2009. Information to be reported would be 
limited to a minimum outage length, such as any outage lasting 5 days 
or more. The units for reporting would be: (1) Crude Distillation Unit, 
(2) Reformer Unit, (3) Fluid Catalytic Cracking Unit, (4) Alkylation 
Unit, (5) Distillate Hydrocracking Unit, (6) Gas Oil Hydrocracking 
Unit, (7) Residual Fuel Oil Hydrocracking Unit, (8) Gasoline 
Hydrotreater Unit, (9) Distillate Fuel Oil Hydrotreater Unit, and (10) 
Coking Unit.
    EIA also proposes to require estimates of the outage impacts on net 
product output for gasoline, gasoline blending components, jet fuel, 
kerosene, and other distillates. Product impacts may result from 
several units being out at the same time. As a result, reporting of 
impacts might have to be organized by grouping overlapping unit outages 
into a single Outage Event, with estimated product impacts being 
recorded for the event in total. Generally, if unit outages did not 
overlap, each unit outage would be a separate event with its own 
product impacts. An example of the type of information that might be 
collected is shown on EIA's Web site at https://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/
oil_gas/petroleum/survey_forms/eia810-part6-proposed-example.pdf.
    Survey respondents would include all current EIA-810 respondents; 
i.e., the operators of all operating and idle petroleum refineries 
located in the 50 States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin 
Islands, Guam, and other U.S. possessions. Response to the survey would 
be mandatory pursuant to the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974, 
Public Law 93-275.
    The information collected would be processed and then disseminated 
in EIA's Petroleum Supply Monthly. The information would also be used 
in

[[Page 10746]]

reports to the Secretary of the Department of Energy as well as other 
government officials regarding refinery outages and the possible net 
effects on the supplies of specified major petroleum products (e.g., 
finished motor gasoline, motor gasoline blending components, jet fuel, 
kerosene, and other distillates).
    The unit-level information collected from the refineries on outages 
would be considered as public information and would be releasable to 
the public in identifiable form. However, information on the projected 
effects of any outage on the net production of specific petroleum 
products would be treated as protected from public release given that 
it would be considered as trade secrets and commercial or financial 
information obtained from a person and privileged or confidential.
    Information on refinery outages and the possible effects on 
petroleum product supplies is essential to the mission of the DOE in 
general and EIA in particular. Currently, some private organizations 
collect and disseminate information on refinery outages.
    Consideration of a proposal for EIA to collect refinery outage 
information was necessitated by requesters citing the important roles 
that petroleum product supplies and prices have in the U.S. economy and 
the potential significant effects of refinery outages. Public and 
private analysts who need information on scheduled outages and 
potential effects for planning and must rely on commercially available 
sources of information.
    Form EIA-810 survey respondents would be expected to complete a new 
Part 6, ``Report of Refinery Outages,'' and submit it along with the 
existing Parts 1 through 5 each monthly. (The current Form EIA-810 and 
instructions are available at https://www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/
petroleum/survey_forms/pet_survey_forms.html.)

II. Current Actions

    EIA is considering collecting information each month on refinery 
outages for the reporting month (scheduled and unscheduled) and 
scheduled outages for the upcoming 12-month period. The information 
would be collected as a new Part 6 on Form EIA-810, ``Monthly Refinery 
Report.'' The information to be reported would include such items as 
affected units, type of outage, timing, unit capacities, and projected 
effects on the specified production of petroleum products. At this 
time, EIA is soliciting public comments on this proposal. At a later 
time, EIA may request approval from the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) to modify Form EIA-810 to add Part 6, ``Report of Refinery 
Outages.''

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.

1. 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, 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. Would one expect refiners to be able to estimate product impacts 
in a consistent manner that would provide meaningful, compatible 
estimates?
    D. Given the currently available information from private 
organizations regarding refinery outages, please provide detailed 
reasons why any unit-level information collected from the refineries on 
outages should not be considered as public information and releasable 
to the public in identifiable form. Also, provide reasons why the 
information on the projected net effects on petroleum product supplies 
of any outage should not be treated as protected from public release 
considering it as trade secrets and commercial or financial information 
obtained from a person and privileged or confidential.

2. 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. What, if any, issues or potential questions should EIA address 
in the survey form and instructions for collecting information on the 
timing and projected effects of refinery outages?
    C. Can the information be submitted monthly by the due date? (Form 
EIA-810 is due by the 20th calendar day of a month.)
    D. Public reporting burden for the Form EIA-810 is currently 4 
hours and 45 minutes per response. The addition of Part 6, ``Report of 
Refinery Outages,'' is expected to increase the monthly EIA-810 
reporting burden by one hour to 5 hours and 45 minutes per response. 
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 survey form. 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 or any private 
organization collect similar information? If so, specify the agency/
organization, the data element(s), the methods of collection, and what 
additional value would be derived from EIA undertaking a collection of 
that information.

3. 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. Will the information be useful at the levels of detail to be 
reported?
    C. For what purpose(s) would the information be used? Be specific.
    D. Are there alternative 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 any request for OMB approval of the collection of 
the information on refinery outages as a new part of Form EIA-810. They 
also will become a matter of public record.

    Statutory Authority: Section 3507(h)(1) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

    Issued in Washington, DC, February 22, 2008.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy 
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. E8-3769 Filed 2-27-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P