Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection Update; Informational, 69334-69335 [E9-31033]

Download as PDF 69334 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 250 / Thursday, December 31, 2009 / Notices Written comments should be addressed to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Education Desk Officer, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, NW., Room 10222, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503, be faxed to (202) 395–5806 or send e-mail to oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) provide interested Federal agencies and the public an early opportunity to comment on information collection requests. OMB may amend or waive the requirement for public consultation to the extent that public participation in the approval process would defeat the purpose of the information collection, violate State or Federal law, or substantially interfere with any agency’s ability to perform its statutory obligations. The Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Official, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management, publishes that notice containing proposed information collection requests prior to submission of these requests to OMB. Each proposed information collection, grouped by office, contains the following: (1) Type of review requested, e.g. new, revision, extension, existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4) Description of the need for, and proposed use of, the information; (5) Respondents and frequency of collection; and (6) Reporting and/or Recordkeeping burden. OMB invites public comment. ADDRESSES: erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES Dated: December 24, 2009. James Hyler, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Regulatory Information Management Services, Office of Management. Federal Student Aid Type of Review: New. Title: FFEL Program IBR Plan Request and IBR Plan Alternative Documentation of Income. Frequency: On occasion. Affected Public: Individuals or households. Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: Responses: 1,692,869. Burden Hours: 936,721. Abstract: The IBR Plan Request form serves as the means by which a borrower with FFEL Program loans requests to repay those loans under the IBR Plan and provides certain information that is needed by the VerDate Nov<24>2008 15:06 Dec 30, 2009 Jkt 220001 borrower’s loan holder to determine whether the borrower is eligible to repay under the IBR Plan and to calculate the borrower’s monthly payment amount under the IBR Plan. The IBR Plan Alternative Documentation of Income form serves as the means by which a borrower who is repaying FFEL Program loans under the IBR provides the borrower’s loan holder with alternative documentation of the borrower’s income if the borrower’s adjusted gross income (AGI) is not available from the IRS, or if the loan holder believes that the borrower’s most recently reported AGI does not accurately reflect the borrower’s current income. Under the FFEL Program regulations, a borrower’s AGI is used to calculate the monthly loan payment amount under the IBR Plan. Requests for copies of the information collection submission for OMB review may be accessed from https:// edicsweb.ed.gov, by selecting the ‘‘Browse Pending Collections’’ link and by clicking on link number 4115. When you access the information collection, click on ‘‘Download Attachments ’’ to view. Written requests for information should be addressed to U.S. Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., LBJ, Washington, DC 20202–4537. Requests may also be electronically mailed to the Internet address ICDocketMgr@ed.gov or faxed to 202– 401–0920. Please specify the complete title of the information collection when making your request. Comments regarding burden and/or the collection activity requirements should be electronically mailed to ICDocketMgr@ed.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339. [FR Doc. E9–31063 Filed 12–30–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Information Administration Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection Update; Informational AGENCY: Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of Energy (DOE). ACTION: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection Update; Informational. SUMMARY: The EIA issued a Proposed Collection Comment Request on ‘‘Report of Refinery Outages,’’ 73 FR 10745, PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Thursday, February 28, 2008, followed by an Informational Update, 73 FR 74713, Tuesday, December 9, 2008, indicating EIA’s postponement of a decision to collect refinery outage data. EIA has determined that collection of this data is necessary to meet the intent of Section 804 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanne Shore by e-mail at joanne.shore@eia.doe.gov or by telephone at 202–586–4677. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Background II. Current Actions I. Background EIA recognizes the importance of understanding and anticipating supply changes that could affect prices paid by consumers for petroleum products. Refinery availability is an important element of this issue, and was highlighted in Section 804 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110–140), requiring EIA to assess the impact of planned outages using commercially available data. Congressional interest in having EIA collect such data was partially a result of unusually high refinery outages in 2007. In response, EIA put out a Federal Register notice in February 2008 (Proposed Collection Comment Request on ‘‘Report of Refinery Outages,’’ 73 FR 10745, Thursday, February 28, 2008), to solicit comments on collecting such data. This was followed by an informational Federal Register notice in December 2008 (Proposed Collection Update, 73 FR 74713, Tuesday, December 9, 2008) that provided the status of our review of this issue. For about two years, EIA has been using commercially available refinery outage data and evaluating its ability to meet the intent of Section 804. As summarized in the December 2008 Federal Register notice, commercial data captures significant outages and is cost-effective, while government collection is likely more accurate and could address production impacts as well as unit outages, albeit at a higher cost both to industry and the government. EIA’s evaluation indicates that commercial data is useful and appropriate for many purposes, but it falls short in two areas regarding EIA’s ability to meet the Section 804 requirements. First, commercial data sometimes misses a planned outage, picking it up shortly before or even after the outage begins. This is in part due to commercial data being accumulated E:\FR\FM\31DEN1.SGM 31DEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 250 / Thursday, December 31, 2009 / Notices from third party sources and voluntary company information rather than a required company survey such as EIA would conduct. As a result, commercial data can miss plans for an outage since some companies want and are able to keep their information private due to business sensitivities concerning certain outages. EIA needs to know about planned outages at least 3 or 4 months prior to their occurrence in order to assess any significant supply or price impacts and to provide information to the Secretary of Energy in a timely fashion. Missing a planned outage until shortly before it is scheduled to happen can lead to erroneous conclusions about its impacts in the larger context of the petroleum market. Second, commercially available outage data does not include estimates of the production impacts of planned outages, only whether a unit will be offline. Production changes resulting from unit outages are needed to evaluate impacts on petroleum product prices. Currently EIA estimates production impacts using both the commercial unit outage information and historical EIA refinery data. As noted in the December 2008 Federal Register notice, any refinery estimates of planned unit outage impacts on production provided to EIA would not be precise. The EIA December 2008 Federal Register notice also indicated that the Department of Energy’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) was intending to collect unplanned outage information on a realtime basis in order to monitor ongoing issues as part of its role in monitoring potential supply disruptions and emergencies. This survey proposal has been withdrawn due to a change in OE’s policy and operations. The proposal would not have served the purpose of collecting information on planned outages. erowe on DSK5CLS3C1PROD with NOTICES II. Current Actions EIA has determined that it should pursue the collection of data monthly on planned and unplanned refinery outages and on estimates of associated production losses. Because of the complexity of this collection, EIA will work with industry to determine how best to collect the information needed and what the potential costs will be. Parties interested in participating in these discussions should contact Joanne Shore (joanne.shore@eia.doe.gov). EIA plans on issuing a Federal Register notice in 2010 with a proposed survey form, providing another opportunity for comments. EIA will then request approval from the Office of Management VerDate Nov<24>2008 15:06 Dec 30, 2009 Jkt 220001 and Budget (OMB). The intent is to begin collection in 2011. EIA will continue to use commercial data. Commercial data provide a historical context for analyzing outages and can assist in data validation. Eventually, the EIA data collection will generate a historical series, but adequate time series for analysis will not be available for some time. In addition, commercial data are updated daily and can provide alerts for rapidly evolving events in between EIA data collections. A survey proposal would fall under 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.), which require the EIA to carry out a centralized, comprehensive, and unified energy information program. This program collects, evaluates, analyzes, and disseminates information on energy resource reserves, production, demand, prices, 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 (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 the EIA. Any comments received following a survey proposal 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. After assembling public response to a Federal Register notice announcing specific survey information to be collected, including the proposed survey form, EIA will seek approval for this collection from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under Section 3507(a) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Issued in Washington, DC, December 24, 2009. Howard Gruenspecht, Deputy Administrator, Energy Information Administration. [FR Doc. E9–31033 Filed 12–30–09; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 69335 ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL–9086–6; Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–ORD– 2009–0855] An Assessment of Decision-Making Processes: The Feasibility of Incorporating Climate Change Information Into Land Protection Planning AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice of Public Comment Period. SUMMARY: EPA is announcing a 30-day public comment period for the draft document titled, ‘‘An Assessment of Decision-Making Processes: The Feasibility of Incorporating Climate Change Information into Land Protection Planning’’ (EPA/600/R–09/ 142a). The document was prepared by the National Center for Environmental Assessment within EPA’s Office of Research and Development. This draft document is a review of decisionmaking processes of selected land protection programs. The goal of this document is to assess the feasibility of incorporating climate change impacts information into the evaluation of these programs. The assessment revealed that there are several strategies that might be useful for incorporating climate change information into decision making. As part of a portfolio of adaptation strategies, land protection may become more important for jurisdictions, particularly to ameliorate climate change impacts on watersheds and wildlife. The public comment period and the external peer review, which will occur after the public comment period, are separate processes that provide opportunities for all interested parties to comment on the document. EPA intends to forward the public comments that are submitted in accordance with this notice to the external peer reviewer panel prior to the meeting for their consideration. When finalizing the draft document, EPA intends to consider any public comments that EPA receives in accordance with this notice. EPA is releasing this draft document solely for the purpose of predissemination peer review under applicable information quality guidelines. This document has not been formally disseminated by EPA. It does not represent and should not be construed to represent any Agency policy or determination. DATES: The 30-day public comment period begins December 31, 2009, and ends February 1, 2010. Technical E:\FR\FM\31DEN1.SGM 31DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 250 (Thursday, December 31, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69334-69335]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-31033]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection 
Update; Informational

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

ACTION: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection 
Update; Informational.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The EIA issued a Proposed Collection Comment Request on 
``Report of Refinery Outages,'' 73 FR 10745, Thursday, February 28, 
2008, followed by an Informational Update, 73 FR 74713, Tuesday, 
December 9, 2008, indicating EIA's postponement of a decision to 
collect refinery outage data. EIA has determined that collection of 
this data is necessary to meet the intent of Section 804 of the Energy 
Independence and Security Act of 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Joanne Shore by e-mail at 
joanne.shore@eia.doe.gov or by telephone at 202-586-4677.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background
II. Current Actions

I. Background

    EIA recognizes the importance of understanding and anticipating 
supply changes that could affect prices paid by consumers for petroleum 
products. Refinery availability is an important element of this issue, 
and was highlighted in Section 804 of the Energy Independence and 
Security Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-140), requiring EIA to assess the 
impact of planned outages using commercially available data. 
Congressional interest in having EIA collect such data was partially a 
result of unusually high refinery outages in 2007.
    In response, EIA put out a Federal Register notice in February 2008 
(Proposed Collection Comment Request on ``Report of Refinery Outages,'' 
73 FR 10745, Thursday, February 28, 2008), to solicit comments on 
collecting such data. This was followed by an informational Federal 
Register notice in December 2008 (Proposed Collection Update, 73 FR 
74713, Tuesday, December 9, 2008) that provided the status of our 
review of this issue.
    For about two years, EIA has been using commercially available 
refinery outage data and evaluating its ability to meet the intent of 
Section 804. As summarized in the December 2008 Federal Register 
notice, commercial data captures significant outages and is cost-
effective, while government collection is likely more accurate and 
could address production impacts as well as unit outages, albeit at a 
higher cost both to industry and the government.
    EIA's evaluation indicates that commercial data is useful and 
appropriate for many purposes, but it falls short in two areas 
regarding EIA's ability to meet the Section 804 requirements. First, 
commercial data sometimes misses a planned outage, picking it up 
shortly before or even after the outage begins. This is in part due to 
commercial data being accumulated

[[Page 69335]]

from third party sources and voluntary company information rather than 
a required company survey such as EIA would conduct. As a result, 
commercial data can miss plans for an outage since some companies want 
and are able to keep their information private due to business 
sensitivities concerning certain outages. EIA needs to know about 
planned outages at least 3 or 4 months prior to their occurrence in 
order to assess any significant supply or price impacts and to provide 
information to the Secretary of Energy in a timely fashion. Missing a 
planned outage until shortly before it is scheduled to happen can lead 
to erroneous conclusions about its impacts in the larger context of the 
petroleum market.
    Second, commercially available outage data does not include 
estimates of the production impacts of planned outages, only whether a 
unit will be offline. Production changes resulting from unit outages 
are needed to evaluate impacts on petroleum product prices. Currently 
EIA estimates production impacts using both the commercial unit outage 
information and historical EIA refinery data. As noted in the December 
2008 Federal Register notice, any refinery estimates of planned unit 
outage impacts on production provided to EIA would not be precise.
    The EIA December 2008 Federal Register notice also indicated that 
the Department of Energy's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy 
Reliability (OE) was intending to collect unplanned outage information 
on a real-time basis in order to monitor ongoing issues as part of its 
role in monitoring potential supply disruptions and emergencies. This 
survey proposal has been withdrawn due to a change in OE's policy and 
operations. The proposal would not have served the purpose of 
collecting information on planned outages.

II. Current Actions

    EIA has determined that it should pursue the collection of data 
monthly on planned and unplanned refinery outages and on estimates of 
associated production losses. Because of the complexity of this 
collection, EIA will work with industry to determine how best to 
collect the information needed and what the potential costs will be. 
Parties interested in participating in these discussions should contact 
Joanne Shore (joanne.shore@eia.doe.gov). EIA plans on issuing a Federal 
Register notice in 2010 with a proposed survey form, providing another 
opportunity for comments. EIA will then request approval from the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). The intent is to begin 
collection in 2011.
    EIA will continue to use commercial data. Commercial data provide a 
historical context for analyzing outages and can assist in data 
validation. Eventually, the EIA data collection will generate a 
historical series, but adequate time series for analysis will not be 
available for some time. In addition, commercial data are updated daily 
and can provide alerts for rapidly evolving events in between EIA data 
collections.
    A survey proposal would fall under 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.), which 
require the EIA to carry out a centralized, comprehensive, and unified 
energy information program. This program collects, evaluates, analyzes, 
and disseminates information on energy resource reserves, production, 
demand, prices, 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 (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 the EIA. Any comments received following a survey 
proposal 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.
    After assembling public response to a Federal Register notice 
announcing specific survey information to be collected, including the 
proposed survey form, EIA will seek approval for this collection from 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under Section 3507(a) of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

    Issued in Washington, DC, December 24, 2009.
Howard Gruenspecht,
Deputy Administrator, Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. E9-31033 Filed 12-30-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.