Agency Information Collection Extension With Changes, 26419-26422 [2014-10571]
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 89 / Thursday, May 8, 2014 / Notices
‘‘Winter Heating Fuels Telephone
Survey’’ to additional states; (2) Expand
the Winter Heating Fuels Telephone
Survey (EIA-877) from 24 to 34 states
and continue collection of data from
October through mid-March. This
survey collects weekly data on retail
prices of No. 2 heating oil and propane.
These data are used to assess hardships
experienced by heating oil and propane
users during periods of critical short
supplies. The survey is a cooperative
data collection effort between EIA and
the states participating in the survey; (5)
Annual Estimated Number of
Respondents: 12,203 Respondents; (6)
Annual Estimated Number of Total
Responses: 112,911; (7) Annual
Estimated Number of Burden Hours:
56,811 hours; (8) Annual Estimated
Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost
Burden: EIA estimates that there are no
additional costs to respondents
associated with the surveys other than
the costs associated with the burden
hours.
Authority: Section 13(b) of the Federal
Energy Administration Act of 1974, Pub. L.
93–275, codified as 15 U.S.C. 772(b)
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 1, 2014.
Stephen J. Harvey,
Assistant Administrator for Energy Statistics,
U.S. Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014–10573 Filed 5–7–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
U.S. Energy Information
Administration
Agency Information Collection
Extension With Changes
U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA), U.S. Department
of Energy.
ACTION: Notice and Request for OMB
review and comment.
AGENCY:
The EIA is soliciting
comments on the proposed revision and
three-year extension of the surveys in
the Natural Gas Data Collection Program
Package under OMB Control No. 1905–
0175.
The surveys covered by this request
include:
• Form EIA–176, ‘‘Annual Report of
Natural and Supplemental Gas Supply
and Disposition’’
• EIA–191, ‘‘Monthly Underground
Gas Storage Report’’
• EIA–757, ‘‘Natural Gas Processing
Plant Survey’’
• EIA–857, ‘‘Monthly Report of
Natural Gas Purchases and Deliveries to
Consumers’’
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SUMMARY:
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• EIA–910, ‘‘Monthly Natural Gas
Marketer Survey’’
• EIA–912, ‘‘Weekly Underground
Natural Gas Storage Report’’
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency’s estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information,
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
Comments regarding this
proposed information collection must
be received on or before July 7, 2014. If
you anticipate difficulty in submitting
comments within that period, contact
the person listed in ADDRESSES as soon
as possible.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ms. Amy
Sweeney, Natural Gas Downstream
Team, Office of Oil, Gas, and Coal
Supply Statistics, Energy Information
Administration. To ensure receipt of the
comments by the due date, submission
by fax (202–586–1076) or email
(amy.sweeney@eia.gov) is
recommended. The mailing address is
Ms. Amy Sweeney, Energy Information
Administration, U.S. Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Ave. SW.,
EI–24, Washington, DC 20585. Also, Ms.
Sweeney may be contacted by telephone
at 202–586–2627.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of any forms and instructions
should be directed to Ms. Sweeney at
the address listed above. Also, the draft
forms and instructions are available on
the EIA Web site at https://www.eia.gov/
survey/notice/
ngdownstreamforms2015.cfm.
DATES:
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
statistics. This information is used to
assess the adequacy of energy resources
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
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26419
to meet both near- and longer-term
domestic demands.
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 the
collection of energy information
conducted by or in conjunction with
EIA. Comments help EIA prepare data
requests that maximize the utility of the
information collected and assess the
impact of collection requirements on the
public. As required by section
3507(h)(1) of the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, EIA will later seek approval
for this collection by the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB).
The natural gas surveys included in
the Natural Gas Data Collection Program
Package collect information on natural
gas production, 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 (https://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). Respondents to EIA
natural gas surveys include
underground storage operators,
transporters, marketers, and
distributors. Each form included as part
of this package is discussed in detail
below.
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 nonstatistical uses)
of the information. For instructions on
obtaining materials, see the FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION CONTACT section.
EIA is requesting a three-year
extension of collection authority for
each of the above-referenced surveys
and will make minor changes to the
forms and instructions to provide
clarity. Data confidentiality procedures
for protecting the identifiability of
submitted data remain unchanged for all
forms with the exception of a portion of
Form EIA–191 as referenced below. In
addition, EIA is proposing the following
changes:
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 89 / Thursday, May 8, 2014 / Notices
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Form EIA–176, ‘‘Annual Report of
Natural and Supplemental Gas
Supply and Disposition’’
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with
changes, of a currently approved
collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA–176, ‘‘Annual
Report of Natural and Supplemental Gas
Supply and Disposition,’’ collects data
on natural, synthetic, and other
supplemental gas supplies, disposition,
and certain revenues by state. The data
appear in the EIA publications, Monthly
Energy Review, Natural Gas Annual,
and Natural Gas Monthly. The proposed
changes include:
• In Part 3, EIA is proposing to collect
information on the price of compressed
natural gas (CNG) for natural gas local
distribution companies that sell CNG to
the public. This information will
provide information on retail prices of
CNG. CNG is a growing segment of the
natural gas industry that is not
represented in EIA’s natural gas retail
price series.
• In Parts 4 and 6, which address
sources of natural gas supply and
disposition, respectively, EIA is
proposing to add daily capacity, in
million cubic feet per day, of
underground storage injections and
withdrawals (i.e., maximum daily
injection rates and maximum daily
withdrawal rates).
• EIA is also proposing to add
capacity of interstate pipeline receipt
and delivery points at state and U.S.
borders, and the maximum daily
injection and withdrawal rates of aboveground natural gas storage. Currently,
EIA collects volumetric data for each of
these data elements but would like to
collect the related maximum daily rates
for each. This will allow for a better
understanding of to what extent natural
gas injection and withdrawal rates at
storage sites as well as movements at
interstate and U.S. border points can
potentially constrain the natural gas
market’s ability to supply gas at various
locations during peak usage periods.
• Finally, in Part 5, EIA is proposing
to collect the capacity of liquefied
natural gas (LNG) marine terminals to
gain a better understanding of the extent
to which these storage assets are being
utilized and are able to supply the
market during periods of peak natural
gas demand.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey
Respondents: 2,012 respondents.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: The annual number of
total responses is 2,012.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: The annual estimated
burden is 24,144 hours.
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(6) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: Additional
costs to respondents are not anticipated
beyond costs associated with response
burden hours.
Form EIA–191, ‘‘Monthly
Underground Gas Storage Report’’
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with
changes, of a currently approved
collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA–191, ‘‘Monthly
Underground Gas Storage Report,’’
collects data on the operations of all
active underground storage facilities.
The data appear in the EIA publications
Monthly Energy Review, Natural Gas
Annual, and Natural Gas Monthly. EIA
is proposing to make the following
changes to the form:
• EIA is proposing to add maximum
daily injection rate to Part 3 of the
monthly Form EIA–191. Data on the
maximum rate that natural gas can be
injected into storage facilities will
provide information on how quickly
storage assets can be refilled. This has
become increasingly important for
assessing market supply conditions
given the increasing reliance on
underground storage to balance daily
supply and demand during the peaks of
both the heating and refill season.
• EIA is also proposing to collect the
quantities of natural gas consumed for
compression at storage sites each
month. This will allow for more
accurate estimates of the fuel used at
underground storage sites which may
not be adequately represented in EIA’s
monthly and annual data depicting the
supply and demand balance of natural
gas in the United States.
• To reduce reporting burden EIA is
proposing to discontinue two categories
regarding Field Status: ‘‘Depleting;’’ and
‘‘Other.’’ EIA will use only two
categories, ‘‘Active’’ and ‘‘Inactive.’’ The
category ‘‘Inactive’’ is more descriptive
and replaces the Field Status category
label of ‘‘Abandoned.’’ The ‘‘Depleting’’
and ‘‘Other’’ categories are rarely used
by reporting companies and collapsing
these categories into ‘‘Inactive’’ will not
cause a loss in data utility, as the same
data will still be reported, albeit in a
single category.
• Finally, EIA is proposing to make
public reported values for monthly base
gas levels reported in Part 4. This
information will enhance the utility of
the underground storage information
already available to the public
pertaining to capacity and working gas
capacity and also indicate another
source of supply during times of
sustained high demand. The current
confidentiality protection covering the
other information reported in Part 4,
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including monthly working gas, total
gas in storage, and injections and
withdrawals into storage, will be
retained. EIA will continue to publish,
in disaggregated form, information
collected in Part 3 of Form EIA–191,
including storage field name and type,
reservoir name, location, working gas
and total storage field capacity,
maximum deliverability and the newly
proposed maximum injection rate. On
its Web site, EIA currently releases this
information at the field level through its
Natural Gas Annual Respondent Query
System. EIA is seeking comment on
whether the proposal to include fieldlevel base gas with the currently
available information on field-level
working gas and total gas field capacity
will cause competitive harm to storage
operators.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey
Respondents: There are approximately
122 respondents.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: The annual estimated
number of total responses is 1,464.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: The annual estimated
burden is 3,806 hours.
(6) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: Additional
costs to respondents are not anticipated
beyond costs associated with response
burden hours.
Form EIA–757, ‘‘Natural Gas
Processing Plant Survey’’
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with
changes, of a currently approved
collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA–757, ‘‘Natural
Gas Processing Plant Survey,’’ collects
information on the capacity, status, and
operations of natural gas processing
plants, and monitors constraints of
natural gas processing plants during
periods of supply disruption in areas
affected by an emergency, such as a
hurricane. Schedule A of the EIA–757 is
collected no more than every three years
to collect baseline operating and
capacity information from all
respondents and Schedule B is activated
as needed and collected from a sample
of respondents in affected areas as
needed. Schedule A was most recently
conducted in 2012 and Schedule B was
most recently activated in 2012 for
Hurricane Isaac with a sample of
approximately 20 plants. EIA is
proposing to continue the collection of
the same data elements on Form EIA–
757 Schedules A and B in their present
form with the following change to:
• EIA is proposing to eliminate two
elements from Schedule A, annual
average total plant capacity and annual
average natural gas flow at plant inlet,
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Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 89 / Thursday, May 8, 2014 / Notices
as this information will be duplicative
of information to be collected on a
proposed new survey of natural gas
processing plants, Form EIA–915, to be
submitted under a separate OMB
Control Number.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey
Respondents: Schedule A: 500;
Schedule B: 20.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: Schedule A is used to
collect information once every three
years. Therefore, the annual estimated
number of total responses for Schedule
A is 167. The annual estimated number
of total responses for Schedule B is 7.
Annual Estimated Number of Burden
Hours: The annual estimated burden for
Schedule A is 84 hours. The annual
estimated burden for Schedule B is 105
hours.
(5) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: Additional
costs to respondents are not anticipated
beyond costs associated with response
burden hours.
the reporting company is including any
adjustments to prior periods in their
current monthly reporting. Reporting
companies frequently make adjustments
to correct data previously submitted in
prior periods that skew the current
month’s reporting and EIA would like to
propose this mechanism to more easily
identify this phenomenon and address it
proactively with the reporting
companies.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey
Respondents: 310 respondents each
month.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: The annual estimated
number of total responses is 3,720.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: The annual estimated
burden is 13,020 hours.
(6) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: Additional
costs to respondents are not anticipated
beyond costs associated with response
burden hours.
Form EIA–857, ‘‘Monthly Report of
Natural Gas Purchases and
Deliveries to Consumers’’
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with
change, of a currently approved
collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA–857, ‘‘Monthly
Report of Natural Gas Purchases and
Deliveries to Consumers,’’ collects data
on the quantity and cost of natural gas
delivered to distribution systems and
the quantity and revenue of natural gas
delivered to end-use consumers by
market sector, on a monthly basis by
state. The data appear in the EIA
publications, Monthly Energy Review,
Natural Gas Annual, and Natural Gas
Monthly. EIA is proposing the following
change:
• EIA is proposing to add a new
question to the form that asks whether
Form EIA–910, ‘‘Monthly Natural
Gas Marketer Survey’’
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with
changes, of a currently approved
collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA–910, ‘‘Monthly
Natural Gas Marketer Survey,’’ collects
information on natural gas sales from
marketers in selected states that have
active customer choice programs. EIA is
requesting information on the volume
and revenue for natural gas commodity
sales and any receipts for distribution
charges and taxes associated with the
sale of natural gas. EIA is proposing to
continue Form EIA–910 in its present
form with no changes to the elements
collected or geographic coverage.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey
Respondents: There are approximately
210 respondents each month.
26421
(4) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: The annual estimated
number of total responses is 2,520.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: The annual estimated
burden is 5,040 hours.
(6) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: Additional
costs to respondents are not anticipated
beyond costs associated with response
burden hours.
Form EIA–912, ‘‘Weekly Underground
Natural Gas Storage Report’’
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with
changes, of a currently approved
collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA–912, ‘‘Weekly
Underground Natural Gas Storage
Report,’’ collects information on weekly
inventories of natural gas in
underground storage facilities. The
proposed changes include an additional
data element as well as expanded
geographic categories for working gas
collection and publication in the Lower
48 states:
• Instead of dividing the states into
three regions, the East, West and
Producing Regions, EIA is proposing to
collect data in five regions by further
breaking out the current regions. The
states currently included in the
Producing region will remain
unchanged but the region will now be
referred to as the South Central region.
The South Central region will continue
to have two subcategories for the
different storage technologies prevalent
in the region, salt and non-salt facilities.
Four additional regions that further
break out the current East and West
regions will be added in order to
enhance the analysis and usability of
the data. The new geographic regions
are defined in the following table:
Current EIA–912 regions
Proposed EIA–912 regions
Producing Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi,
New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
South Central Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas.
East Region: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida,
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland,
Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey,
New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, Wisconsin, and West Virginia.
East Region: Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida,
Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, and
West Virginia.
emcdonald on DSK67QTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Midwest Region: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
West Region: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.
Mountain Region: Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming.
Pacific Region: California, Oregon, and Washington.
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26422
Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 89 / Thursday, May 8, 2014 / Notices
• EIA is also proposing a new data
element, Net Withdrawals of Working
Gas into and out of Storage, which will
be reported as weekly withdrawals of
working gas in excess of injections. This
new element will directly collect the net
flow of working gas into or out of
storage inventory on a weekly basis, a
statistic of great interest by the natural
gas industry. Currently, the Weekly
Natural Gas Storage Report reports a
proxy for weekly net withdrawals by
calculating the net change of working
gas levels from week to week. However,
collecting the net flow or Net
Withdrawals of Working Gas into and
out of Storage will make weekly
movements explicit instead of derived
by the difference between inventory
levels. Further, direct collection of the
weekly net flow into or out of working
gas inventories will supplement the
information on working gas inventories
currently collected by making a clearer
distinction between net flows and
reclassifications between base and
working gas.
• Finally, EIA is proposing two
changes to its current Weekly Natural
Gas Storage Report revision policy. The
first proposed change would reduce the
threshold for published revisions from 7
billion cubic feet (Bcf) to 4 Bcf. Under
the proposed revision policy, revisions
will be announced in the regularly
scheduled release, when the sum of
reported changes is at least 4 Bcf at
either a regional or national level.
Second, EIA is also proposing to amend
the policy addressing the unscheduled
release of revisions. Under the current
policy, an unscheduled release of
revised data will occur when the
cumulative effect of respondent
submitted data changes or corrections is
at least 10 Bcf for the current or prior
report week. Under the proposed policy,
the unscheduled release of revisions to
weekly estimates of working gas held in
underground storage will occur when
the cumulative sum of data changes or
corrections to working gas and the net
change between the two most recent
report weeks is at least 10 Bcf. The
proposed change leaves the 10-Bcf
threshold, as well as the current out-ofcycle release procedures intact but will
further require that the revision have an
impact of 10 Bcf or more on the reported
net change between the two most recent
reports weeks. For example, if one or
more respondents submits changes
totaling 10 Bcf to previously submitted
data but the changes are the result of
errors that have been accumulating over
several weeks and do not affect flows of
working natural gas into or out of
storage in the most recent two reported
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Jkt 232001
weekly periods by more than 10 Bcf, the
unscheduled data release will not occur
and the revisions will be published with
the next regularly scheduled release.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey
Respondents: There are approximately
85 respondents every week.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: The annual estimated
number of total responses is 4,420.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: The annual estimated
burden is 4,420 hours.
(6) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: Additional
costs to respondents are not anticipated
beyond costs associated with response
burden hours.
Authority: Section 13(b) of the Federal
Energy Administration Act of 1974, Pub. L.
93–275, codified at 15 U.S.C. 772(b).
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 2, 2014.
Stephen J. Harvey,
Assistant Administrator for Energy Statistics,
U.S. Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014–10571 Filed 5–7–14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
Combined Notice of Filings #1
Take notice that the Commission
received the following electric rate
filings:
Docket Numbers: ER10–1982–008;
ER10–1253–007; ER10–1246–007; ER10–
1252–007.
Applicants: Consolidated Edison
Company of New York, Inc., Orange and
Rockland Utilities, Inc., Consolidated
Edison Energy, Inc., Consolidated
Edison Solutions, Inc.
Description: Supplement to December
18, 2013 Triennial Market Power
Analysis in Northeast region of the Con
Edison Companies.
Filed Date: 4/30/14.
Accession Number: 20140430–5590.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. E.T. 5/21/14.
Docket Numbers: ER12–1436–006;
ER14–152–001; ER14–153–001; ER14–
154–001; ER13–1793–003; ER10–3300–
006; ER13–2386–001; ER10–3099–007;
ER12–1260–005; ER10–2329–003.
Applicants: Eagle Point Power
Generation LLC, Elgin Energy Center,
LLC, Gibson City Energy Center, LLC,
Grand Tower Energy Center, LLC, Hazle
Spindle, LLC, La Paloma Generating
Company, LLC, Lakeswind Power
Partners, LLC, RC Cape May Holdings,
LLC, Stephentown Spindle, LLC,
Vineland Energy LLC.
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Description: Supplement to February
27, 2014 Notice of Change in Status of
the Rockland Sellers.
Filed Date: 3/28/14.
Accession Number: 20140328–5209.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. E.T. 5/22/14.
Docket Numbers: ER14–727–001.
Applicants: ISO New England Inc.
Description: Demand Response
Baseline Changes Compliance Filing to
be effective N/A.
Filed Date: 5/1/14.
Accession Number: 20140501–5128.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. E.T. 5/22/14.
Docket Numbers: ER14–1817–000.
Applicants: Midcontinent
Independent System Operator, Inc.
Description: 2014–04–30_ER14–000
RSG Exemptions during emergencies to
be effective 5/1/2014.
Filed Date: 4/30/14.
Accession Number: 20140430–5469.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. E.T. 5/21/14.
Docket Numbers: ER14–1818–000.
Applicants: Edison Mission Marketing
& Trading, LLC.
Description: Notice of Succession and
Revisions to Market-Based Rate Tariff to
be effective 5/1/2014.
Filed Date: 4/30/14.
Accession Number: 20140430–5471.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. E.T. 5/21/14.
Docket Numbers: ER14–1819–000.
Applicants: Southwestern Public
Service Company.
Description: 4–30–14_RS114–117
Consent Agrmts to be effective 5/1/2014.
Filed Date: 4/30/14.
Accession Number: 20140430–5478.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. E.T. 5/21/14.
Docket Numbers: ER14–1820–000.
Applicants: NRG Power Marketing
LLC.
Description: Revised Market-Based
Rate Tariff to be effective 5/1/2014.
Filed Date: 4/30/14.
Accession Number: 20140430–5484.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. E.T. 5/21/14.
Docket Numbers: ER14–1821–000.
Applicants: GenOn Energy
Management, LLC.
Description: Revised Market-Based
Rate Tariff to be effective 5/1/2014.
Filed Date: 4/30/14.
Accession Number: 20140430–5485.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. E.T. 5/21/14.
Docket Numbers: ER14–1822–000.
Applicants: New York Independent
System Operator, Inc.
Description: Unexecuted service
agreement between NYISO and TCR to
be effective 5/1/2014.
Filed Date: 4/30/14.
Accession Number: 20140430–5488.
Comments Due: 5 p.m. E.T. 5/21/14.
Docket Numbers: ER14–1823–000.
Applicants: Energy Plus Holdings
LLC.
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 89 (Thursday, May 8, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26419-26422]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-10571]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Agency Information Collection Extension With Changes
AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. Department
of Energy.
ACTION: Notice and Request for OMB review and comment.
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SUMMARY: The EIA is soliciting comments on the proposed revision and
three-year extension of the surveys in the Natural Gas Data Collection
Program Package under OMB Control No. 1905-0175.
The surveys covered by this request include:
Form EIA-176, ``Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental
Gas Supply and Disposition''
EIA-191, ``Monthly Underground Gas Storage Report''
EIA-757, ``Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey''
EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural Gas Purchases and
Deliveries to Consumers''
EIA-910, ``Monthly Natural Gas Marketer Survey''
EIA-912, ``Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage Report''
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents,
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other
forms of information technology.
DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be
received on or before July 7, 2014. If you anticipate difficulty in
submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in
ADDRESSES as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Send comments to Ms. Amy Sweeney, Natural Gas Downstream
Team, Office of Oil, Gas, and Coal Supply Statistics, Energy
Information Administration. To ensure receipt of the comments by the
due date, submission by fax (202-586-1076) or email
(amy.sweeney@eia.gov) is recommended. The mailing address is Ms. Amy
Sweeney, Energy Information Administration, U.S. Department of Energy,
1000 Independence Ave. SW., EI-24, Washington, DC 20585. Also, Ms.
Sweeney may be contacted by telephone at 202-586-2627.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of any forms and instructions should be directed to Ms. Sweeney
at the address listed above. Also, the draft forms and instructions are
available on the EIA Web site at https://www.eia.gov/survey/notice/ngdownstreamforms2015.cfm.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 statistics. This information is used
to assess the adequacy of energy resources to meet both near- and
longer-term domestic demands.
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 the collection of energy information conducted by or in conjunction
with EIA. Comments help EIA prepare data requests that maximize the
utility of the information collected and assess the impact of
collection requirements on the public. As required by section
3507(h)(1) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, EIA will later seek
approval for this collection by the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB).
The natural gas surveys included in the Natural Gas Data Collection
Program Package collect information on natural gas production,
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
(https://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). Respondents to EIA natural gas surveys include underground
storage operators, transporters, marketers, and distributors. Each form
included as part of this package is discussed in detail below.
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
nonstatistical uses) of the information. For instructions on obtaining
materials, see the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section.
EIA is requesting a three-year extension of collection authority
for each of the above-referenced surveys and will make minor changes to
the forms and instructions to provide clarity. Data confidentiality
procedures for protecting the identifiability of submitted data remain
unchanged for all forms with the exception of a portion of Form EIA-191
as referenced below. In addition, EIA is proposing the following
changes:
[[Page 26420]]
Form EIA-176, ``Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental Gas Supply
and Disposition''
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with changes, of a currently
approved collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA-176, ``Annual Report of Natural and
Supplemental Gas Supply and Disposition,'' collects data on natural,
synthetic, and other supplemental gas supplies, disposition, and
certain revenues by state. The data appear in the EIA publications,
Monthly Energy Review, Natural Gas Annual, and Natural Gas Monthly. The
proposed changes include:
In Part 3, EIA is proposing to collect information on the
price of compressed natural gas (CNG) for natural gas local
distribution companies that sell CNG to the public. This information
will provide information on retail prices of CNG. CNG is a growing
segment of the natural gas industry that is not represented in EIA's
natural gas retail price series.
In Parts 4 and 6, which address sources of natural gas
supply and disposition, respectively, EIA is proposing to add daily
capacity, in million cubic feet per day, of underground storage
injections and withdrawals (i.e., maximum daily injection rates and
maximum daily withdrawal rates).
EIA is also proposing to add capacity of interstate
pipeline receipt and delivery points at state and U.S. borders, and the
maximum daily injection and withdrawal rates of above-ground natural
gas storage. Currently, EIA collects volumetric data for each of these
data elements but would like to collect the related maximum daily rates
for each. This will allow for a better understanding of to what extent
natural gas injection and withdrawal rates at storage sites as well as
movements at interstate and U.S. border points can potentially
constrain the natural gas market's ability to supply gas at various
locations during peak usage periods.
Finally, in Part 5, EIA is proposing to collect the
capacity of liquefied natural gas (LNG) marine terminals to gain a
better understanding of the extent to which these storage assets are
being utilized and are able to supply the market during periods of peak
natural gas demand.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey Respondents: 2,012 respondents.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: The annual number
of total responses is 2,012.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: The annual estimated
burden is 24,144 hours.
(6) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden:
Additional costs to respondents are not anticipated beyond costs
associated with response burden hours.
Form EIA-191, ``Monthly Underground Gas Storage Report''
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with changes, of a currently
approved collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA-191, ``Monthly Underground Gas Storage
Report,'' collects data on the operations of all active underground
storage facilities. The data appear in the EIA publications Monthly
Energy Review, Natural Gas Annual, and Natural Gas Monthly. EIA is
proposing to make the following changes to the form:
EIA is proposing to add maximum daily injection rate to
Part 3 of the monthly Form EIA-191. Data on the maximum rate that
natural gas can be injected into storage facilities will provide
information on how quickly storage assets can be refilled. This has
become increasingly important for assessing market supply conditions
given the increasing reliance on underground storage to balance daily
supply and demand during the peaks of both the heating and refill
season.
EIA is also proposing to collect the quantities of natural
gas consumed for compression at storage sites each month. This will
allow for more accurate estimates of the fuel used at underground
storage sites which may not be adequately represented in EIA's monthly
and annual data depicting the supply and demand balance of natural gas
in the United States.
To reduce reporting burden EIA is proposing to discontinue
two categories regarding Field Status: ``Depleting;'' and ``Other.''
EIA will use only two categories, ``Active'' and ``Inactive.'' The
category ``Inactive'' is more descriptive and replaces the Field Status
category label of ``Abandoned.'' The ``Depleting'' and ``Other''
categories are rarely used by reporting companies and collapsing these
categories into ``Inactive'' will not cause a loss in data utility, as
the same data will still be reported, albeit in a single category.
Finally, EIA is proposing to make public reported values
for monthly base gas levels reported in Part 4. This information will
enhance the utility of the underground storage information already
available to the public pertaining to capacity and working gas capacity
and also indicate another source of supply during times of sustained
high demand. The current confidentiality protection covering the other
information reported in Part 4, including monthly working gas, total
gas in storage, and injections and withdrawals into storage, will be
retained. EIA will continue to publish, in disaggregated form,
information collected in Part 3 of Form EIA-191, including storage
field name and type, reservoir name, location, working gas and total
storage field capacity, maximum deliverability and the newly proposed
maximum injection rate. On its Web site, EIA currently releases this
information at the field level through its Natural Gas Annual
Respondent Query System. EIA is seeking comment on whether the proposal
to include field-level base gas with the currently available
information on field-level working gas and total gas field capacity
will cause competitive harm to storage operators.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey Respondents: There are approximately
122 respondents.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: The annual
estimated number of total responses is 1,464.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: The annual estimated
burden is 3,806 hours.
(6) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden:
Additional costs to respondents are not anticipated beyond costs
associated with response burden hours.
Form EIA-757, ``Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey''
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with changes, of a currently
approved collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA-757, ``Natural Gas Processing Plant Survey,''
collects information on the capacity, status, and operations of natural
gas processing plants, and monitors constraints of natural gas
processing plants during periods of supply disruption in areas affected
by an emergency, such as a hurricane. Schedule A of the EIA-757 is
collected no more than every three years to collect baseline operating
and capacity information from all respondents and Schedule B is
activated as needed and collected from a sample of respondents in
affected areas as needed. Schedule A was most recently conducted in
2012 and Schedule B was most recently activated in 2012 for Hurricane
Isaac with a sample of approximately 20 plants. EIA is proposing to
continue the collection of the same data elements on Form EIA-757
Schedules A and B in their present form with the following change to:
EIA is proposing to eliminate two elements from Schedule
A, annual average total plant capacity and annual average natural gas
flow at plant inlet,
[[Page 26421]]
as this information will be duplicative of information to be collected
on a proposed new survey of natural gas processing plants, Form EIA-
915, to be submitted under a separate OMB Control Number.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey Respondents: Schedule A: 500;
Schedule B: 20.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: Schedule A is used
to collect information once every three years. Therefore, the annual
estimated number of total responses for Schedule A is 167. The annual
estimated number of total responses for Schedule B is 7. Annual
Estimated Number of Burden Hours: The annual estimated burden for
Schedule A is 84 hours. The annual estimated burden for Schedule B is
105 hours.
(5) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden:
Additional costs to respondents are not anticipated beyond costs
associated with response burden hours.
Form EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural Gas Purchases and Deliveries
to Consumers''
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with change, of a currently
approved collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA-857, ``Monthly Report of Natural Gas
Purchases and Deliveries to Consumers,'' collects data on the quantity
and cost of natural gas delivered to distribution systems and the
quantity and revenue of natural gas delivered to end-use consumers by
market sector, on a monthly basis by state. The data appear in the EIA
publications, Monthly Energy Review, Natural Gas Annual, and Natural
Gas Monthly. EIA is proposing the following change:
EIA is proposing to add a new question to the form that
asks whether the reporting company is including any adjustments to
prior periods in their current monthly reporting. Reporting companies
frequently make adjustments to correct data previously submitted in
prior periods that skew the current month's reporting and EIA would
like to propose this mechanism to more easily identify this phenomenon
and address it proactively with the reporting companies.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey Respondents: 310 respondents each
month.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: The annual
estimated number of total responses is 3,720.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: The annual estimated
burden is 13,020 hours.
(6) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden:
Additional costs to respondents are not anticipated beyond costs
associated with response burden hours.
Form EIA-910, ``Monthly Natural Gas Marketer Survey''
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with changes, of a currently
approved collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA-910, ``Monthly Natural Gas Marketer Survey,''
collects information on natural gas sales from marketers in selected
states that have active customer choice programs. EIA is requesting
information on the volume and revenue for natural gas commodity sales
and any receipts for distribution charges and taxes associated with the
sale of natural gas. EIA is proposing to continue Form EIA-910 in its
present form with no changes to the elements collected or geographic
coverage.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey Respondents: There are approximately
210 respondents each month.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: The annual
estimated number of total responses is 2,520.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: The annual estimated
burden is 5,040 hours.
(6) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden:
Additional costs to respondents are not anticipated beyond costs
associated with response burden hours.
Form EIA-912, ``Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage Report''
(1) Type of Request: Extension, with changes, of a currently
approved collection.
(2) Purpose: Form EIA-912, ``Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage
Report,'' collects information on weekly inventories of natural gas in
underground storage facilities. The proposed changes include an
additional data element as well as expanded geographic categories for
working gas collection and publication in the Lower 48 states:
Instead of dividing the states into three regions, the
East, West and Producing Regions, EIA is proposing to collect data in
five regions by further breaking out the current regions. The states
currently included in the Producing region will remain unchanged but
the region will now be referred to as the South Central region. The
South Central region will continue to have two subcategories for the
different storage technologies prevalent in the region, salt and non-
salt facilities. Four additional regions that further break out the
current East and West regions will be added in order to enhance the
analysis and usability of the data. The new geographic regions are
defined in the following table:
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Current EIA-912 regions Proposed EIA-912 regions
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Producing Region: Alabama, Arkansas, South Central Region: Alabama,
Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana,
Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Mississippi, New Mexico,
Oklahoma, and Texas.
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East Region: Connecticut, Delaware, East Region: Connecticut,
District of Columbia, Florida, Delaware, District of
Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Columbia, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Kentucky, Massachusetts,
Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Maryland, Maine, New
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Hampshire, New Jersey, New
North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, York, North Carolina, Ohio,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Vermont, Virginia, and West
Virginia.
Midwest Region: Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Michigan,
Missouri, and Wisconsin.
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West Region: Arizona, California, Mountain Region: Arizona,
Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, Minnesota,
Nevada, North Dakota, Oregon, South Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. North Dakota, South Dakota,
Utah, and Wyoming.
Pacific Region: California,
Oregon, and Washington.
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[[Page 26422]]
EIA is also proposing a new data element, Net Withdrawals
of Working Gas into and out of Storage, which will be reported as
weekly withdrawals of working gas in excess of injections. This new
element will directly collect the net flow of working gas into or out
of storage inventory on a weekly basis, a statistic of great interest
by the natural gas industry. Currently, the Weekly Natural Gas Storage
Report reports a proxy for weekly net withdrawals by calculating the
net change of working gas levels from week to week. However, collecting
the net flow or Net Withdrawals of Working Gas into and out of Storage
will make weekly movements explicit instead of derived by the
difference between inventory levels. Further, direct collection of the
weekly net flow into or out of working gas inventories will supplement
the information on working gas inventories currently collected by
making a clearer distinction between net flows and reclassifications
between base and working gas.
Finally, EIA is proposing two changes to its current
Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report revision policy. The first proposed
change would reduce the threshold for published revisions from 7
billion cubic feet (Bcf) to 4 Bcf. Under the proposed revision policy,
revisions will be announced in the regularly scheduled release, when
the sum of reported changes is at least 4 Bcf at either a regional or
national level. Second, EIA is also proposing to amend the policy
addressing the unscheduled release of revisions. Under the current
policy, an unscheduled release of revised data will occur when the
cumulative effect of respondent submitted data changes or corrections
is at least 10 Bcf for the current or prior report week. Under the
proposed policy, the unscheduled release of revisions to weekly
estimates of working gas held in underground storage will occur when
the cumulative sum of data changes or corrections to working gas and
the net change between the two most recent report weeks is at least 10
Bcf. The proposed change leaves the 10-Bcf threshold, as well as the
current out-of-cycle release procedures intact but will further require
that the revision have an impact of 10 Bcf or more on the reported net
change between the two most recent reports weeks. For example, if one
or more respondents submits changes totaling 10 Bcf to previously
submitted data but the changes are the result of errors that have been
accumulating over several weeks and do not affect flows of working
natural gas into or out of storage in the most recent two reported
weekly periods by more than 10 Bcf, the unscheduled data release will
not occur and the revisions will be published with the next regularly
scheduled release.
(3) Estimated Number of Survey Respondents: There are approximately
85 respondents every week.
(4) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: The annual
estimated number of total responses is 4,420.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: The annual estimated
burden is 4,420 hours.
(6) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden:
Additional costs to respondents are not anticipated beyond costs
associated with response burden hours.
Authority: Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy Administration
Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93-275, codified at 15 U.S.C. 772(b).
Issued in Washington, DC, on May 2, 2014.
Stephen J. Harvey,
Assistant Administrator for Energy Statistics, U.S. Energy Information
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2014-10571 Filed 5-7-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
