Proposed Agency Information Collection, 55347-55349 [2015-23136]

Download as PDF mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 178 / Tuesday, September 15, 2015 / Notices Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) (44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)), provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public’s reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department’s information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. ED is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described below. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is this collection necessary to the proper functions of the Department; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the Department enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Department minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology. Please note that written comments received in response to this notice will be considered public records. Title of Collection: Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS–K:2011) Spring FifthGrade National Data Collection. OMB Control Number: 1850–0750. Type of Review: A revision of an existing information collection. Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals or Households. Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 99,576. Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 36,108. Abstract: The Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 2010–11 (ECLS–K:2011), conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) within the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) of the U.S. Department of Education (ED), is a survey that focuses on children’s early school experiences beginning with kindergarten and continuing through the fifth grade. It includes the collection of data from parents, teachers, school administrators, and nonparental care providers, as well as direct child assessments. Like its sister study, the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten Class of 1998–99 (ECLS– K), the ECLS–K:2011 is exceptionally broad in its scope and coverage of child development, early learning, and school progress, drawing together information from multiple sources to provide rich data about the population of children VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:04 Sep 14, 2015 Jkt 235001 who were kindergartners in the 2010–11 school year. This submission requests OMB’s clearance for the spring 2016 fifth-grade data collection, which will be the last data collection for the study. Dated: September 10, 2015. Stephanie Valentine, Acting Director, Information Collection Clearance Division, Office of the Chief Privacy Officer, Office of Management. [FR Doc. 2015–23111 Filed 9–14–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4000–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Energy Information Administration Proposed Agency Information Collection U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of Energy ACTION: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Extension with Changes; Notice and Request for Comments. AGENCY: The EIA invites public comment on the proposed three-year extension of the following Oil and Gas Reserves System Survey Forms that EIA is developing for submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995: Revision of Form EIA–23L, Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, Field Level Report; extension without changes of Form EIA–64A, Annual Report of the Origin of Natural Gas Liquids Production; and continued suspension of Form EIA–23S, Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, Summary Level 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. SUMMARY: Comments must be filed by November 16, 2015. If you anticipate difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the person DATES: PO 00000 Frm 00026 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 55347 listed in the below ADDRESSES Section as soon as possible. ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to Mr. Steven Grape, EI–24, U. S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington DC 20585, by fax at (202) 586–4420, or by email at steven.grape@eia.gov. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information should be directed to Mr. Grape, as listed above. The information collection instrument and instructions are available on the EIA Web site at: Form EIA–23L, https://wwwdev.eia.gov/survey/ #eia-23l, Form EIA–23S, https:// wwwdev.eia.gov/survey/#eia-23s, Form EIA–64A, https://wwwdev.eia.gov/ survey/#eia-64a. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments and feedback are requested on the following topics directly related to the proposed changes to Form EIA–23L: • Field versus County Level Data Detail—EIA currently collects data on a field level basis, but publishes reserves estimates on a State and State subdivision level. Reporting burden to respondents may be reduced, depending on existing record keeping practices, if operators report proved reserves and production data aggregated at a county level. EIA is able to make accurate State and State subdivision level reserves estimates if proved reserves are reported at a county level. Abandoning fieldlevel detail will result in some loss of detail for reserve estimates; however, it will increase the utility of the data by facilitating the matching of other economic data that are only published at the county level. • Well Counts (by County)—EIA does not currently collect the number of producing wells on Form EIA–23L. EIA proposes to collect well counts by county on Form EIA–23L to assist data quality validation of the production data reported on the form. Collecting well count data by county is consistent with commercially-available production data that is based on well-level reporting in many States and will facilitate data comparisons and data quality evaluations. • Type Code—EIA is considering deleting the Type Code ‘‘CH’’ for Chalk from Schedule B. EIA has Type Codes for certain reservoir types: CV for Conventional, SH for Shale, CB for Coalbed, CH for Chalk, and LP for Other Low Permeability Reservoirs. CH is currently underutilized and EIA proposes to delete Chalk as a reservoir Type Code. The two codes SH and LP have been used interchangeably by operators for tight oil reserves estimates and may be combined for crude oil into E:\FR\FM\15SEN1.SGM 15SEN1 mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES 55348 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 178 / Tuesday, September 15, 2015 / Notices a new reservoir Type Code title ‘‘Tight.’’ EIA requests comments on the proposal to delete Type Code ‘‘CH’’ for Chalk, and combine reservoir Type codes ‘‘SH’’ and ‘‘LP’’ into a single category ‘‘Tight for crude oil only.’’ • Fuel Types—EIA tracks the proved reserves of four fuel types—two types of liquids; crude oil and lease condensate; and two types of natural gas proved reserves; nonassociated (aka gas well gas) and associated-dissolved (aka casinghead or oil well gas). EIA proposes to continue collecting proved reserves estimates by these four types, instead of combining them into Total Liquids and Total Natural Gas. • Producing versus Nonproducing Reserves—Currently operators report both producing and nonproducing proved reserves by field on Form EIA– 23L. EIA requests comments on the ability to report these data on a county level basis. • Extensions, New Field Discoveries, and New Reservoir Discoveries in Old Fields—EIA requests comments on the utility of collecting and publishing these three components of Total Discoveries or whether it is more useful to report and publish these components under one data category such as ‘‘County level Discoveries.’’ EIA also requests comments on the burden of reporting these three components separately. • Field Code Master List—EIA proposes to delete the EIA Field Code Master List that is currently used to report data at the field level. Changing the reporting on Form EIA–23L from Field to County level would eliminate the need to publish or maintain the EIA Field Code Master List. All of the proposed changes that are described above are shaded the color yellow on the draft Form EIA–23L to illustrate and facilitate the review of the data elements that are affected by these proposed changes. This information collection request contains: (1) OMB No. 1905–0057; (2) Information Collection Request Title: Oil and Gas Reserves System. (3) Type of Request: Revision of the currently approved Form EIA–23L; extension without changes of the currently approved Form EIA–64A; and continued suspension of collection of the currently approved Form EIA–23S (suspended). (4) Purpose: In response to Public Law 95–91 Section 657, estimates of U.S. oil and gas reserves are to be reported annually. Many U.S. government agencies have an interest in the definitions of proved oil and gas reserves and the quality, reliability, and usefulness of estimates of reserves. VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:04 Sep 14, 2015 Jkt 235001 Among these are the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of Energy; Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), Department of Interior; Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Department of the Treasury; and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Each of these organizations has specific purposes for collecting, using, or estimating proved reserves. EIA has a congressional mandate to provide accurate annual estimates of U.S. proved crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids reserves, and EIA presents annual reserves data in EIA Web reports to meet this requirement. The BOEM maintains estimates of proved reserves to carry out their responsibilities in leasing, collecting royalty payments, and regulating the activities of oil and gas companies on Federal lands and water. Accurate reserve estimates are important, as the BOEM is second only to the IRS in generating Federal revenue. For the IRS, proved reserves and occasionally probable reserves are an essential component of calculating taxes for companies owning or producing oil and gas. The SEC requires publicly traded petroleum companies to annually file a reserves statement as part of their 10–K filing. The basic purpose of the 10–K filing is to provide public investors with a clear and reliable financial basis to assess the relative value, as a financial asset, of a company’s reserves, especially in comparison to other similar oil and gas companies. The Government also uses the resulting information to develop national and regional estimates of proved reserves of domestic crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids to facilitate national energy policy decisions. These estimates are essential to the development, implementation, and evaluation of energy policy and legislation. Data are used directly in EIA Web reports concerning U.S. crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids reserves, and are incorporated into a number of other Web reports and analyses. EIA proposes to make the following changes to Form EIA–23L, Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, Field Level Report: • Change the title of Form EIA–23L to Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, County Level Report; • Change the title of Schedule A to Operated Proved Reserves, Production, and Related Data by County; • Operators will be instructed to file their proved reserves by county rather than by field. Line Item 2.0 will be named ‘‘County Data (operated basis);’’ PO 00000 Frm 00027 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 • Line Item 2.1.4 ‘‘Field Code’’, will be changed to ‘‘County Name;’’ • Line Item 2.1.5 ‘‘MMS Code’’ will be changed to ‘‘Type Code;’’ • Line Item 2.1.6. ‘‘Field Name’’ will be changed to ‘‘Field, Play, or Prospect Name (Optional);’’ • Line Items 2.1.9 ‘‘water depth’’ and 2.1.10 ‘‘field discovery year’’ will be replaced with 2.1.9 ‘‘# of producing wells’’, 2.1.10 ‘‘# of wells added [in survey year];’’ and • Line Item 2.1.11, ‘‘Prospect Name (optional) will be replaced with ‘‘# of wells sold [in survey year].’’ Comments and Feedback are requested on these proposed changes to Form EIA–23L. Secondary reports that use the data include EIA’s Annual Energy Review, Annual Energy Outlook, Petroleum Supply Annual, and Natural Gas Annual; (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: Forms EIA–23L/23S/64A: 1,450. (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: Forms EIA–23L/23S/64A: 1,450. (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 41,210. Form EIA–23L Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, County Level Report: 38 hours (420 intermediate-size operators); 110 hours (160 large operators); 15 hours (270 small operators): 37,610 hours. Form EIA–23S Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, Summary Level Report: 4 hours (small operators): 0 hours (Currently suspended) Form EIA–64A Annual Report of the Origin of Natural Gas Liquids Production: 6 hours (600 natural gas plant operators): 3,600 hours. (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: Forms EIA–23L/23S/64A: EIA estimates that there are no capital and start-up costs associated with this data collection. The information is maintained in the normal course of business. The cost of burden hours to the respondents is estimated to be $2,965,884 (41,210 burden hours times $71.97 per hour). Therefore, other than the cost of burden hours, EIA estimates that there are no additional costs for generating, maintaining and providing the information. Statutory Authority: Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974, Public Law 93–275, codified at 15 U.S.C. 772(b). E:\FR\FM\15SEN1.SGM 15SEN1 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 178 / Tuesday, September 15, 2015 / Notices Issued in Washington, DC, September 9, 2015. Nanda Srinivasan, Director, Office of Survey Development and Statistical Integration, U.S. Energy Information Administration. Docket No. EL15–89, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. For more information, contact Chris Miller, Office of Energy Market Regulation, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at (317) 249–5936 or christopher.miller@ferc.gov; or Jason Strong, Office of Energy Market Regulation, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission at (202) 502–6124 or jason.strong@ferc.gov. [FR Doc. 2015–23136 Filed 9–14–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6450–01–P DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Dated: September 9, 2015. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES Notice of Commission Staff Attendance [FR Doc. 2015–23149 Filed 9–14–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Commission) hereby gives notice that members of the Commission’s staff may attend the following meeting related to the transmission planning activities of the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. (MISO): MISO Planning Advisory Committee September 16, 2015, 9 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (EST) The above-referenced meeting will be held at: MISO Headquarters, 720 City Center Drive, Carmel, IN 46032 Further information may be found at www.misoenergy.org. The discussions at the meeting described above may address matters at issue in the following proceedings: Docket Nos. ER13–1944, et al., PJM Interconnection, LLC Docket No. ER14–1174, Southwest Power Pool, Inc. Docket No. ER14–1736, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. Docket No. ER14–2445, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. Docket No. ER13–1864, Southwest Power Pool, Inc. Docket No. EL14–21, Southwest Power Pool, Inc. v. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. Docket No. EL14–30, Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. v. Southwest Power Pool, Inc. Docket No. EL11–34, Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. Docket No. ER11–1844, Midwest Independent Transmission System Operator, Inc. Docket No. EL13–88, Northern Indiana Public Service Company v. Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. and PJM Interconnection, L.L.C. Docket Nos. ER13–1923, et al., Midcontinent Independent System Operator, Inc. Docket Nos. ER13–1937, et al., Southwest Power Pool, Inc. VerDate Sep<11>2014 19:04 Sep 14, 2015 Jkt 235001 DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [Project No. 14682–000] Adam R. Rousselle II; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and Soliciting Comments, Motions To Intervene, and Competing Applications On June 17, 2015, Adam R. Rousselle II filed an application for a preliminary permit under section 4(f) of the Federal Power Act proposing to study the feasibility of the proposed Paint Creek Dam Water Power Project No. 14682– 000, to be located at the existing U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Paint Creek Lake, near the town of Bainbridge, Highland County, Ohio. The sole purpose of a preliminary permit, if issued, is to grant the permit holder priority to file a license application during the permit term. A preliminary permit does not authorize the permit holder to perform any land-disturbing activities or otherwise enter upon lands or waters owned by others without the owners’ express permission. The proposed project would be located completely within lands owned by the United States and use an existing concrete intake tower located in Paint Creek Lake and an existing 1,100-footlong, 48-foot-diameter tunnel conveying the lake water from the intake tower to the outlet works downstream of the dam. The proposed project would consist of the following new facilities: (1) Two 80-foot-long, 8-foot-diameter steel penstocks attached to the outlet works and ending at the turbine assembly; (2) a 50-foot-long, 30-footwide, 30-foot-high concrete powerhouse located approximately 100 feet downstream of the outlet works and containing two Kaplan turbinegenerators with a combined installed PO 00000 Frm 00028 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 9990 55349 capacity of 2.14 megawatts; (3) a 500foot-long, 14.7 kilovolt transmission line; and (4) appurtenant facilities. The project is estimated to generate 13,100 megawatt hours annually. Applicant Contact: Adam R. Rousselle II, 104 Autumn Trace Drive, New Hope, PA 18938; phone: 215–485–1708. FERC Contact: Sergiu Serban, (202) 502–6211. Deadline for filing comments, motions to intervene, competing applications (without notices of intent), or notices of intent to file competing applications: 60 days from the issuance of this notice. Competing applications and notices of intent must meet the requirements of 18 CFR 4.36. The Commission strongly encourages electronic filing. Please file comments, motions to intervene, notices of intent, and competing applications using the Commission’s eFiling system at https:// www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/efiling.asp. Commenters can submit brief comments up to 6,000 characters, without prior registration, using the eComment system at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ ecomment.asp. You must include your name and contact information at the end of your comments. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERCOnlineSupport@ferc.gov, (866) 208–3676 (toll free), or (202) 502–8659 (TTY). In lieu of electronic filing, please send a paper copy to: Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First Street NE., Washington, DC 20426. The first page of any filing should include docket number P–14682–000. More information about this project, including a copy of the application, can be viewed or printed on the ‘‘eLibrary’’ link of Commission’s Web site at https://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ elibrary.asp. Enter the docket number (P–14682) in the docket number field to access the document. For assistance, contact FERC Online Support. Dated: September 9, 2015. Kimberly D. Bose, Secretary. [FR Doc. 2015–23151 Filed 9–14–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–0–1P E:\FR\FM\15SEN1.SGM 15SEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 178 (Tuesday, September 15, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55347-55349]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-23136]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration


Proposed Agency Information Collection

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

ACTION: Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Extension 
with Changes; Notice and Request for Comments.

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

SUMMARY: The EIA invites public comment on the proposed three-year 
extension of the following Oil and Gas Reserves System Survey Forms 
that EIA is developing for submission to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995: Revision 
of Form EIA-23L, Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, Field 
Level Report; extension without changes of Form EIA-64A, Annual Report 
of the Origin of Natural Gas Liquids Production; and continued 
suspension of Form EIA-23S, Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas 
Reserves, Summary Level 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 must be filed by November 16, 2015. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed in the below ADDRESSES Section as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to Mr. Steven Grape, EI-24, U. 
S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington DC 
20585, by fax at (202) 586-4420, or by email at steven.grape@eia.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Mr. Grape, as listed above. The information 
collection instrument and instructions are available on the EIA Web 
site at: Form EIA-23L, https://wwwdev.eia.gov/survey/#eia-23l, Form EIA-
23S, https://wwwdev.eia.gov/survey/#eia-23s, Form EIA-64A, https://wwwdev.eia.gov/survey/#eia-64a.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments and feedback are requested on the 
following topics directly related to the proposed changes to Form EIA-
23L:
     Field versus County Level Data Detail--EIA currently 
collects data on a field level basis, but publishes reserves estimates 
on a State and State subdivision level. Reporting burden to respondents 
may be reduced, depending on existing record keeping practices, if 
operators report proved reserves and production data aggregated at a 
county level. EIA is able to make accurate State and State subdivision 
level reserves estimates if proved reserves are reported at a county 
level. Abandoning field-level detail will result in some loss of detail 
for reserve estimates; however, it will increase the utility of the 
data by facilitating the matching of other economic data that are only 
published at the county level.
     Well Counts (by County)--EIA does not currently collect 
the number of producing wells on Form EIA-23L. EIA proposes to collect 
well counts by county on Form EIA-23L to assist data quality validation 
of the production data reported on the form. Collecting well count data 
by county is consistent with commercially-available production data 
that is based on well-level reporting in many States and will 
facilitate data comparisons and data quality evaluations.
     Type Code--EIA is considering deleting the Type Code 
``CH'' for Chalk from Schedule B. EIA has Type Codes for certain 
reservoir types: CV for Conventional, SH for Shale, CB for Coalbed, CH 
for Chalk, and LP for Other Low Permeability Reservoirs. CH is 
currently underutilized and EIA proposes to delete Chalk as a reservoir 
Type Code. The two codes SH and LP have been used interchangeably by 
operators for tight oil reserves estimates and may be combined for 
crude oil into

[[Page 55348]]

a new reservoir Type Code title ``Tight.'' EIA requests comments on the 
proposal to delete Type Code ``CH'' for Chalk, and combine reservoir 
Type codes ``SH'' and ``LP'' into a single category ``Tight for crude 
oil only.''
     Fuel Types--EIA tracks the proved reserves of four fuel 
types--two types of liquids; crude oil and lease condensate; and two 
types of natural gas proved reserves; nonassociated (aka gas well gas) 
and associated-dissolved (aka casinghead or oil well gas). EIA proposes 
to continue collecting proved reserves estimates by these four types, 
instead of combining them into Total Liquids and Total Natural Gas.
     Producing versus Nonproducing Reserves--Currently 
operators report both producing and nonproducing proved reserves by 
field on Form EIA-23L. EIA requests comments on the ability to report 
these data on a county level basis.
     Extensions, New Field Discoveries, and New Reservoir 
Discoveries in Old Fields--EIA requests comments on the utility of 
collecting and publishing these three components of Total Discoveries 
or whether it is more useful to report and publish these components 
under one data category such as ``County level Discoveries.'' EIA also 
requests comments on the burden of reporting these three components 
separately.
     Field Code Master List--EIA proposes to delete the EIA 
Field Code Master List that is currently used to report data at the 
field level. Changing the reporting on Form EIA-23L from Field to 
County level would eliminate the need to publish or maintain the EIA 
Field Code Master List.
    All of the proposed changes that are described above are shaded the 
color yellow on the draft Form EIA-23L to illustrate and facilitate the 
review of the data elements that are affected by these proposed 
changes.
    This information collection request contains:
    (1) OMB No. 1905-0057;
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Oil and Gas Reserves 
System.
    (3) Type of Request: Revision of the currently approved Form EIA-
23L; extension without changes of the currently approved Form EIA-64A; 
and continued suspension of collection of the currently approved Form 
EIA-23S (suspended).
    (4) Purpose: In response to Public Law 95-91 Section 657, estimates 
of U.S. oil and gas reserves are to be reported annually. Many U.S. 
government agencies have an interest in the definitions of proved oil 
and gas reserves and the quality, reliability, and usefulness of 
estimates of reserves. Among these are the U.S. Energy Information 
Administration (EIA), Department of Energy; Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management (BOEM), Department of Interior; Internal Revenue Service 
(IRS), Department of the Treasury; and the Securities and Exchange 
Commission (SEC). Each of these organizations has specific purposes for 
collecting, using, or estimating proved reserves. EIA has a 
congressional mandate to provide accurate annual estimates of U.S. 
proved crude oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids reserves, and 
EIA presents annual reserves data in EIA Web reports to meet this 
requirement. The BOEM maintains estimates of proved reserves to carry 
out their responsibilities in leasing, collecting royalty payments, and 
regulating the activities of oil and gas companies on Federal lands and 
water. Accurate reserve estimates are important, as the BOEM is second 
only to the IRS in generating Federal revenue. For the IRS, proved 
reserves and occasionally probable reserves are an essential component 
of calculating taxes for companies owning or producing oil and gas. The 
SEC requires publicly traded petroleum companies to annually file a 
reserves statement as part of their 10-K filing. The basic purpose of 
the 10-K filing is to provide public investors with a clear and 
reliable financial basis to assess the relative value, as a financial 
asset, of a company's reserves, especially in comparison to other 
similar oil and gas companies.
    The Government also uses the resulting information to develop 
national and regional estimates of proved reserves of domestic crude 
oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids to facilitate national energy 
policy decisions. These estimates are essential to the development, 
implementation, and evaluation of energy policy and legislation. Data 
are used directly in EIA Web reports concerning U.S. crude oil, natural 
gas, and natural gas liquids reserves, and are incorporated into a 
number of other Web reports and analyses.
    EIA proposes to make the following changes to Form EIA-23L, Annual 
Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, Field Level Report:
     Change the title of Form EIA-23L to Annual Survey of 
Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, County Level Report;
     Change the title of Schedule A to Operated Proved 
Reserves, Production, and Related Data by County;
     Operators will be instructed to file their proved reserves 
by county rather than by field. Line Item 2.0 will be named ``County 
Data (operated basis);''
     Line Item 2.1.4 ``Field Code'', will be changed to 
``County Name;''
     Line Item 2.1.5 ``MMS Code'' will be changed to ``Type 
Code;''
     Line Item 2.1.6. ``Field Name'' will be changed to 
``Field, Play, or Prospect Name (Optional);''
     Line Items 2.1.9 ``water depth'' and 2.1.10 ``field 
discovery year'' will be replaced with 2.1.9 ``# of producing wells'', 
2.1.10 ``# of wells added [in survey year];'' and
     Line Item 2.1.11, ``Prospect Name (optional) will be 
replaced with ``# of wells sold [in survey year].''
    Comments and Feedback are requested on these proposed changes to 
Form EIA-23L.
    Secondary reports that use the data include EIA's Annual Energy 
Review, Annual Energy Outlook, Petroleum Supply Annual, and Natural Gas 
Annual;
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents:
    Forms EIA-23L/23S/64A: 1,450.
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses:
    Forms EIA-23L/23S/64A: 1,450.
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 41,210.
    Form EIA-23L Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, County 
Level Report: 38 hours (420 intermediate-size operators); 110 hours 
(160 large operators); 15 hours (270 small operators): 37,610 hours.
    Form EIA-23S Annual Survey of Domestic Oil and Gas Reserves, 
Summary Level Report: 4 hours (small operators): 0 hours (Currently 
suspended)
    Form EIA-64A Annual Report of the Origin of Natural Gas Liquids 
Production: 6 hours (600 natural gas plant operators): 3,600 hours.
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden:
    Forms EIA-23L/23S/64A: EIA estimates that there are no capital and 
start-up costs associated with this data collection. The information is 
maintained in the normal course of business. The cost of burden hours 
to the respondents is estimated to be $2,965,884 (41,210 burden hours 
times $71.97 per hour). Therefore, other than the cost of burden hours, 
EIA estimates that there are no additional costs for generating, 
maintaining and providing the information.

    Statutory Authority: Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974, Public Law 93-275, codified at 15 U.S.C. 
772(b).


[[Page 55349]]


    Issued in Washington, DC, September 9, 2015.
Nanda Srinivasan,
Director, Office of Survey Development and Statistical Integration, 
U.S. Energy Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2015-23136 Filed 9-14-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P

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