Page 1 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY Form Approved 

ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION OMB No. 1905-0175 

Washington, DC 20585 Expiration Date: 02/28/2015 

 

ANNUAL REPORT OF NATURAL AND SUPPLEMENTAL GAS SUPPLY AND DISPOSITION 

FORM EIA-176 

INSTRUCTIONS

PURPOSE 

 

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) Form EIA-176, 

“Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental Gas Supply and 

Disposition,” is designed to collect 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.

REPORTING REQUIREMENT 

Report must be completed by: 

(1) Interstate natural gas pipeline companies, 

(2) Intrastate natural gas pipeline companies, 

(3) Natural gas distribution companies, 

(4) Underground natural gas storage operators, 

(5) Synthetic natural gas plant operators, 

(6) Field, well, or processing plant operators that deliver natural 

gas directly to consumers (including their own industrial 

facilities) other than for lease or plant use or processing, 

(7) Field, well, or processing plant operators that transport gas to, 

across, or from a State border through field or gathering 

facilities, 

(8) Liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage operators, both peaking 

facilities and marine terminals. 

A separate report must be completed for each State in which your 

company is engaged in one or more of the following activities:

(1) Gas (natural, commingled natural and supplemental gas, or 

LNG) was transported utilizing respondent-operated facilities 

other than field or gathering lines, 

(2) Gas was transported to, from, or across a State border utilizing 

respondent-operated field or gathering lines, 

(3) Gas was delivered directly to consumers utilizing respondent 

operated facilities other than field, well, or plant operators 

delivering solely for lease and plant use or processing, 

(4) Gas was stored in respondent-operated underground storage 

reservoirs, or LNG storage facilities, and/or 

(5) Synthetic natural gas was produced in respondent-operated 

facilities. 

This report is mandatory. A separate report should be filed by, or 

for, each company subsidiary or affiliate meeting the filing 

requirements that operated separate systems within a State. 

However, approval to report on a consolidated basis for a State may 

be granted upon request to the EIA at (877) 800-5261. 

A State, for the purpose of this report, includes adjacent offshore 

Federal Domain areas.

WHEN TO REPORT 

Form EIA-176 is due March 1st. If an extension is needed call 

(877) 800-5261. 

HOW TO REPORT 

Instructions on where to report via mail, fax, secure file transfer, or 

email are printed on Part 2 of Form EIA-176. 

You may file electronically using Electronic Filing System (EFS) 

for Form EIA-176 that can be installed on a personal computer 

(PC). If you have any questions, please contact the Electronic Data 

Collection Staff on (202) 586-9659. 

COPIES OF THE SURVEY FORM AND 

INSTRUCTIONS 

Copies in portable document format (PDF) and spreadsheet format 

(XLS) are available on EIA's website at: 

www.eia.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/survey_forms/nat_survey_forms.

html

You can also access the materials by following these steps: 

• Go to EIA's website at www.eia.gov. 

• Click on the Natural Gas category (this takes you to EIA's 

natural gas information page). 

• Click on the Survey Forms link located in the reference box in 

the lower right corner. 

• Select the materials you want. 

Files must be saved to your personal computer. Data cannot be 

entered interactively on the web site. 

SECURE FILE TRANSFER 

Forms may be submitted through the Secure File Transfer System. 

The secure hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS) is an industry 

standard method to send information over the web using a secure, 

encrypted process. All information is protected by 128-bit 

encryption to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of 

transmitted data. The Secure File Transfer System may be 

accessed through the following web address: 

https://signon.eia.doe.gov/upload/noticeoog.jsp.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS

Complete only those Parts and data elements applicable to your 

operations. Leave all other spaces blank. No data are to be entered 

in the shaded areas or spaces. 

All information is to be reported on a calendar year basis. Volumes 

are to refer to natural gas physically in your possession (custody 

basis). 

Revised reports are not required unless actual or corrected data 

vary more than plus (+) or minus (-) 4 percent from the data 

previously reported. 
 

 Page 2 

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS 

PART 1: RESPONDENT IDENTIFICATION 

Please provide up-to-date company information. 

EIA ID Number: Complete the 10-digit identification number 

assigned by EIA. Companies operating in more than one State 

should note that a unique number has been assigned for operations 

in each State. In the event an identification number has not been 

assigned, leave the space blank and contact the EIA at (877) 800-

5261, a number will then be assigned by the EIA. 

Resubmission: Check the box if report is a revised report. 

Otherwise, if the report is an original, leave this space blank. 

Company Name: Enter the company name. 

Operations in (State): Enter the name of the State covered by the 

report. A separate report must be submitted for each State for 

which your company is required to file. 

Contact Information: Enter the current contact information. 

PART 3: COMPANY CHARACTERISTICS

Provides information for the four options available for submitting 

your completed Form EIA-176: (1) mail; (2) fax; (3) email; and (4) 

Secure File Transfer.

A. Type of Operations (Check all that apply). Check all of the 

boxes that describe your company’s overall gas operations. This 

information will be used to provide aggregates of the data collected 

in the survey by type of company. For a description of gas 

operations, please reference the “Definitions” section included in 

these instructions. 

B. Vehicles Powered by Alternative Fuels. Indicate whether your 

company fleet includes vehicles that are powered by alternative 

fuels. If your company fleet includes vehicles powered by 

alternative fuels, enter the number of vehicles that are powered by 

alternative fuels. For a list of alternative fuels, please reference the 

“Definitions” section included in these instructions. 

C. Customer Choice Program. Indicate if your company actively 

allows residential and/or commercial customers, regardless of size, 

to purchase fuel from an alternative supplier. If yes, indicate the 

number of customers in your service territory eligible for such 

programs at the end of the calendar year, as well as the number 

currently participating at the end of the year. The number of 

participants may not necessarily equal the number of transportation 

customers listed in Part VI, Line 11, due to measurements taken at 

different points in time. 

D. Sales/Acquisitions. Indicate whether your company’s service 

territory changed due to purchase or sale of any system or part 

thereof. For instance, if a municipal system was acquired, indicate 

“yes” and identify the name in the comments area and the 

transaction date. 

PART 4: NATURAL AND SUPPLEMENTAL GAS SUPPLY 

FOR THE REPORT STATE 

Report the total volumes of natural and supplemental gas physically 

produced or received and taken into company-operated storage, 

company-operated transportation or company-operated distribution 

facilities located in the report State. Volumes are to be reported on 

a physical possession basis regardless of ownership. 

1.0 If you are a producer, report production within the report 

State of 

1.1 Natural gas: Report gross production, after lease 

separation, (including royalty and overriding royalty interest) 

taken directly into your system at the wellhead, field or 

tailgate of a processing plant, whether produced from wells 

operated by your company or by others.

Please report vented & flared volumes and extraction loss 

volumes on Line 18.4. 

1.2 Synthetic natural gas (SNG): Report the volume of 

synthetic natural gas produced in the plant or plants operated 

by your company. Synthetic natural gas, also referred to as 

substitute natural gas, is a manufactured product, chemically 

similar in most respects to natural gas, resulting from the 

conversion or reforming of coal or petroleum hydrocarbons 

which may easily be substituted for, or interchanged with, 

pipeline quality natural gas. 

2.0 If you are a storage operator, report operations within 

the report State: Report the total volume, regardless of 

ownership, of underground storage withdrawals (2.1), liquefied 

natural gas (LNG) storage withdrawals (2.2), and above ground 

storage withdrawals (2.3). 

For data reported on Line 2.1, include a corresponding entry on 

Part 6 (disposition), most likely on Line 18.2, so that the net 

value of your storage activity’s supply and disposition is zero. 

Please note, for Line 2.2 LNG storage withdrawals – LNG import 

and export marine terminals should not report withdrawals of 

natural gas during the course of routine operations for handling 

imports and not held in storage for future use.

Please see the section of these instructions titled “LNG Marine 

Terminals Reporting” for further guidance. 

3.0 If you are an interstate pipeline company or other company 

receiving physical custody at State lines or U.S. borders, report 

receipts: Report the name of the company, the adjacent State or 

Country from which the gas was received, and the volume of gas 

received at the State line or U.S. border. For liquefied natural gas 

(LNG) received by ship, rail, barge, or truck, consider the receiving 

terminal as a point on the State line or U.S. border, report the name of 

the State or Country from which the LNG was shipped, and describe 

the transaction by footnote on Part 7. 

4.0 If you are a distributor, report receipts at city gates within 

the report State: Report gas volumes received at the city gate for 

delivery to end-use customers. 

5.0 Report any other receipts of natural gas within the report 

State: Report the volume of other receipts within the report State if 

the gas was delivered to a point on your company’s system and not 

previously reported in questions 1.0 through 4.0 above. Include 

volumes of both natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and synthetic 

natural gas. 

6.0 Supplemental gaseous fuel supplies (Specify type): Report 

sources of supplemental gas supply received or introduced into 

your system and the volume(s) of each. Supplemental gas includes 

any gaseous substance introduced into or commingled with natural 

gas that increases the volume available for disposition. Such 

substances include, but are not limited to, propane-air, refinery gas, 

coke oven gas, still gas, manufactured gas, biomass gas, or air or 

inerts added for Btu stabilization.
 

 Page 3 

PART 5: LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS (LNG) STORAGE 

INVENTORY 

8.0 Inventory of LNG (gaseous equivalent) in storage as of 

December 31 of report year. Report inventory of LNG 

(gaseous equivalent) in storage as of December 31 of the report 

year. 

PART 6: NATURAL AND SUPPLEMENTAL GAS 

DISPOSITION FOR THE REPORT STATE 

Report in Part 6, the total volumes of and where indicated, the 

revenue (including taxes) from natural and supplemental gas 

delivered to others, consumed, or stored in company-operated 

facilities, or otherwise disposed of within the State or delivered to 

bordering States or to foreign countries. 

The type of disposition (delivered, consumed, stored, etc.) is to be 

determined based upon the physical possession of the gas within 

your company-operated production, transportation, storage, or 

distribution facilities at the point of disposition. 

Revenue information is to be reported only for volumes sold and 

delivered directly to the end-use customers and is to be gross 

revenues including any and all demand charges, commodity 

charges, taxes, surcharges, adjustments or other charges billed for 

gas delivered. Any gains or losses associated with financial hedges 

are to be included. Please indicate by footnote if taxes are not 

included in revenue figures. All revenue values are to be rounded to 

the nearest whole number of dollars. 

The average number of consumers during the year, for the purpose 

of this report, is the sum of the number of consumers attached to 

your system at the end of each month divided by twelve. 

Each dwelling, building, plant, establishment, or location is to be 

counted as a separate consumer, for the purpose of this report, 

whether or not centrally billed and whether or not provided with 

more than one type of service, e.g., firm and interruptible service. 

Consumers should be classified by category in accordance with the 

definitions provided below. Multiple-use or combination 

consumers such as apartment buildings with commercial 

establishments, retail stores with attached dwellings, or industrial 

plants with on-site office space or buildings served from a common 

meter are to be classified based upon the predominate volumetric 

usage. If certain categories, e.g., residential and commercial, are 

carried on a combined basis in your accounts, please provide your 

best estimate of the information for each category separately. If you 

have no reasonable basis for categorizing the estimates, enter the 

information as “Other” and describe in a footnote in Part 7. 

Deliveries directly to end-use consumers are to be reported based 

upon the following definitions: 

Residential: An energy-consuming sector that consists of living 

quarters for private households. Common uses of energy associated 

with this sector include space heating, water heating, and cooking. 

The residential sector includes mobile homes and apartment 

buildings [whether privately owned or publicly subsidized] and 

excludes institutional living quarters. 

Commercial: An energy-consuming sector that consists of serviceproviding facilities and equipment of businesses; Federal, State, 

and local governments; and other private and public organizations, 

such as religious, social, or fraternal groups. The commercial sector 

includes institutional living quarters. Common uses of energy 

associated with this sector include space heating, water heating, 

cooking, and running a wide variety of other equipment. Note: This 

sector includes generators that produce electricity and/or useful 

thermal output primarily to support the activities of the abovementioned commercial establishments. Vehicle fuel and company 

use are not to be included in the commercial sector. 

Industrial: An energy-consuming sector that consists of all 

facilities and equipment used for producing, processing, or 

assembling goods. The industrial sector encompasses the following 

types of activity: manufacturing; agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; 

mining, including oil and gas extraction; and construction. Overall 

energy use in this sector is largely for process heat and powering 

machinery, with lesser amounts used for facility heating. Natural 

gas is also used as raw material inputs to manufactured products. 

Note: This sector includes generators that produce electricity and/or 

useful thermal output primarily to support the above-mentioned 

industrial activities. 

Electric power: An energy-consuming sector that consists of 

electricity-only plants and combined heat and power (CHP) plants, 

whose primary business is to sell electricity, or electricity and heat, 

to the public. 

Vehicle fuel: Natural gas, either compressed (CNG) or liquefied 

(LNG), that is consumed by motor vehicles. 

Other (not included in above categories) Specify type: This 

category is only to be used for service provided directly to 

consumers for which you are uncertain of the correct category from 

among residential, commercial, industrial, and electric power. 

Please use the space provided to specify the type of delivery you 

report here. 

9.0 Heat content of gas delivered to consumers (Btu/cf): The 

average annual heat content (Btu) should be computed by summing 

the total Btu delivered during the report year (volume delivered 

directly to consumers multiplied by average Btu content per unit 

volume) and dividing by the total volume delivered directly to 

consumers during that year. The value for heat content is expected 

to be in the range of 900 to 1200 Btu/cf. 

If billing was on a volumetric basis and your company did not 

measure the Btu content, contact your supplier for the information. 

10.0 Deliveries of natural gas that you own to end-use 

consumers within the report State: Report the average number 

of consumers served directly from your facilities during the year, 

the volumes sold and delivered to such consumers, and the 

revenues received in the appropriate category. Include deliveries 

directly to your company-owned commercial, industrial or electric 

power facilities.

How to Report on Type of Consumer on Form EIA-176 

Master-metered apartments Residential 

Mobile homes Residential 

Multi-family dwellings, individually metered Residential 

Single-family dwellings Residential 

Churches and hospitals Commercial 

Government (local, State and Federal) agencies Commercial 

Hotels Commercial 

Non-manufacturing military installations Commercial 

Restaurants Commercial 

Retail stores Commercial 

Schools and universities Commercial 

Wholesale stores Commercial 

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries Industrial 

Mining (including oil and gas extraction) Industrial 

Manufacturing Industrial 
 

 Page 4 

Regulated electric utilities Electric 

 Power 

Nonregulated electricity generators Electric 

 Power 

The size of an operation does not affect consumer classification: 

1. Large commercial operations should be classified as 

commercial, not industrial. 

2. Small industrial operations should be classified as industrial, 

not commercial. 

11.0 Deliveries of natural gas that you do not own to end-use 

consumers within the report State: Report the average number of 

consumers served directly from your facilities, volumes delivered 

to and revenues received for transportation of natural gas to those 

consumers for each end-use consumer category. 

Note: Pipeline companies are not required to provide revenue data 

for deliveries of gas that they do not own. 

12.0 Natural gas consumed in your operations: Report the 

volume of gas consumed as fuel in your company's operations: 

Space heat of your own facilities (12.1), new pipeline fill (12.2), 

pipeline distribution or storage compressor use (12.3), and other 

(specify type) (12.4) within the report State. Volume may represent 

your best estimate. Interdepartmental volumes used to fuel 

company-owned generation facilities should be classified as 

electric power. 

13.0 If you are a storage operator, report operations within the 

State: Report the total volume added, regardless of ownership, to 

underground storage (including new fields) (13.1), liquefied natural gas 

(LNG) storage additions (13.2), and above ground storage additions 

(13.3) operated by your company within the report State. 

For data reported on Line 13.1, include a corresponding entry on 

Part 4 (supply), most likely on Line 5.0, so that the net value of 

your storage activity’s supply and disposition is zero. 

Please note, for Line 13.2 LNG storage injections - LNG import 

and export marine terminals should not report injections of LNG 

during the course of routine operations for handling imports and 

not held in storage for future use. 

Please see the guide for LNG marine terminals for further guidance. 

14.0 If you are an interstate pipeline company or other 

company moving gas across or to State lines or U.S. borders, 

report volumes transported: Report the name of the company, 

the adjacent State or Country to which the gas was delivered, and 

the volume of gas delivered at the State line or U.S. border. For 

liquefied natural gas sales shipped by ship, truck, rail, or barge, 

consider the loading terminal a point on the State line or U.S. 

border. Report the name of the State or Country to which the LNG 

was delivered, and describe the transaction by footnote in Part 7. 

15.0 If you are a producer, report lease use: Report total volume 

of gas used in your company’s well, field, and/or lease operations. 

16.0 Returned to oil and/or gas reservoirs, used for 

repressuring, reinjection (Reported by producers only): Report 

the volume of gas delivered directly from your system to oil or gas 

fields located within the report State for repressuring, pressure 

maintenance, and/or cycling operations.

17.0 Losses from leaks, damage, accidents, migration and/or 

blow down within the report State: Report known volumes as a 

result of losses from leaks, damage, accidents, migration and/or 

blow down within the report State these events took place. Indicate 

known and estimated losses from leaks encountered as a natural 

consequence of distribution activites. Volume may represent your 

best estimate. 

18.0 Other disposition within report State (not included above): 

Report any disposition of gas not included in lines 10.1 through 

17.0. Report disposition to distribution companies (18.1), other 

pipelines, (18.2), storage operators (18.3), and other (specify type) 

(18.4) within the report State. Please provide estimates of the 

volume involved, if not measured. If insufficient space is provided, 

continue on Part 7.

20.0 Difference between Supply (+) or Disposition (-) (Part 4 

line 7.0 and Part 6 line 19.0): A positive entry indicates supply in 

excess of accounted for disposition and a negative entry (denoted 

by a minus sign preceding the entry) indicates accounted for 

disposition in excess of supply reported. 

PART 7: FOOTNOTES 

The Part 7 footnotes sheet is to be used, if needed, to provide 

explanatory notes for data reported on Parts 1 through 6. The 

footnotes will become a permanent part of the computer data file 

and thereby serve as an integral part of your report. 

LNG MARINE TERMINALS REPORTING 

Liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals should report the origin of 

natural gas imported, along with its ultimate destination, whether it 

is delivered to another pipeline, held in inventory, exported to a 

foreign country, or consumed during operations. 

It is expected that volumes will be reported by LNG terminals on 

Lines 3.0 (imports), 5.0 (other receipts), 7.0 (total supply), 8.0 

(inventory as of December 31 of the report year), 12.0 (volumes 

consumed in operations), 14.0 (exports to other countries or 

disposition to interstate pipelines), 18.0 (deliveries within the report 

state), 19.0 (total disposition), and 20.0 (difference between supply 

and disposition). Please account for prior year inventory (Line 8.0 

of the prior year’s report) on Line 5.0 of the current year’s report. 

See Figure 1 below for a graphic depiction showing specifically 

where gas should be recorded on the Form EIA-176. 

Figure 1 

LNG Reporting 

Distributed 

within the 

State 

Line 18.0 NG Facility - 

Gas consumed 

during operations 

(space heat, 

compressor use, 

etc.) 

Line 12.0

Exports 

Line 14.0 

Imports 

Line 3.0 

Year-end 

Storage 

Inventory 

Line 8.0 

Prior Year 

Storage 

Inventory 

Line 5.0 
 

 Page 5 

Reported LNG Inventory: Current year inventory reported on 

Line 8.0 should equal, or be very close to, the difference between 

supply and disposition reported on Line 20.0.

DEFINITIONS 

Alternative fuel: Alternative fuels, for transportation applications 

such as hybrids, include the following: methanol, denatured 

ethanol, and other alcohols, fuel mixtures containing 85 percent or 

more by volume of methanol, denatured ethanol, and other alcohols 

with gasoline or other fuels -- natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas 

(propane), hydrogen, coal-derived liquid fuels, fuels (other than 

alcohol) derived from biological materials (biofuels such as soy 

diesel fuel), electricity (including electricity from solar energy.) 

The term "alternative fuel" does not include alcohol or other 

blended portions of primarily petroleum-based fuels used as 

oxygenates or extenders, i.e., MTBE, ETBE, other ethers, and the 

10-percent ethanol portion of gasohol.

Consumer: Any individually-metered dwelling, building, 

establishment, or location using natural gas, synthetic natural gas, 

and/or mixtures of natural and supplemental gas for feedstock or as 

fuel for any purpose other than in oil or gas lease operations; 

natural gas treating or processing plants; or pipeline, distribution, or 

storage compressors. 

Customer choice: The right of customers to purchase energy from 

a supplier other than their traditional supplier or from more than 

one seller in the retail market. 

Delivered: The physical transfer of natural, synthetic, and/or 

supplemental gas from facilities operated by the responding 

company to facilities operated by others or to consumers. 

Disposition: The removal of natural, synthetic, and/or 

supplemental gas, or any components or gaseous mixtures 

contained therein, from the responding company's facilities within 

the report State by any means or for any purpose including the 

transportation of such gas out of the report State. 

Dry natural gas: Natural gas which remains after: 1) the 

liquefiable hydrocarbon portion has been removed from the gas 

stream (i.e., gas after lease, field, and/or plant separation); and 2) 

any volumes of nonhydrocarbon gases have been removed where 

they occur in sufficient quantity to render the gas unmarketable. 

Note: Dry natural gas is also known as consumer-grade natural gas. 

The parameters for measurement are cubic feet at 60 degrees 

Fahrenheit and 14.73 pounds per square inch absolute. 

Gatherer: A company primarily engaged in the gathering of natural 

gas from well or field lines for delivery, for a fee, to a natural gas 

processing plant or central point. Gathering companies may also 

provide compression, dehydration, and/or treating services. 

Lease Operations: Any well, lease, or field operations related to 

the exploration for or production of natural gas prior to delivery for 

processing or transportation out of the field. Gas used in lease 

operations includes usage such as drilling operations, heaters, 

dehydrators, field compressors, and net used for gas lift. 

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): Natural gas (primarily methane) 

that has been liquefied by reducing its temperature to –260o 

Fahrenheit at atmospheric pressure. 

Marine terminal: Point of import or export for tankers carrying 

liquefied natural gas (LNG). 

Mcf: 1,000 cubic feet. 

Natural Gas: A gaseous mixture of hydrocarbon compounds, the 

primary one being methane. Also see Dry Natural Gas and Wet 

Natural Gas. 

Offshore: That geographic area that lies seaward of the coastline. 

In general, the coastline is the line of ordinary low water along with 

that portion of the coast that is in direct contact with the open sea or 

the line marking the seaward limit of inland water. If a state agency 

uses a different basis for classifying onshore and offshore areas, the 

state classification should be used (e.g., Cook Inlet in Alaska is 

classified as offshore; for Louisiana, the coastline is defined as the 

Chapman Line, as modified by subsequent adjudication).

Operator: The company responsible for the management and dayto-day operations of natural gas production, gathering, treating, 

processing, transportation, storage, distribution facilities, and/or a 

synthetic natural gas plant. 

Pipeline: A continuous pipe conduit, complete with such 

equipment as valves, compressor stations, communication systems, 

and meters for transporting natural and/or supplemental gas from 

one point to another, usually from a point on or beyond the 

producing field or processing plant to another pipeline or to points 

of utilization. Also refers to a company operating such facilities. 

Producer: A company engaged in the production and sale of 

natural gas from gas or oil wells with delivery generally at a point 

at or near the wellhead, the field, or the tailgate of a gas processing 

plant. For the purpose of company classification, a company 

primarily engaged in the exploration for, development of, and/or 

production of oil and/or natural gas. 

Received: Gas physically transferred into the responding 

company’s transportation, storage, and/or distribution facilities. 

Supplemental Gas: Any gaseous substance introduced into or 

commingled with natural gas that increases the volume available 

for disposition. Such substances include, but are not limited to, 

propane-air, refinery gas, coke oven gas, still gas, manufactured 

gas, biomass gas, or air or inerts added for Btu stabilization. 

Supply: Natural, synthetic, and supplemental gas produced within, 

introduced into, and/or received into facilities operated by the 

responding company within the report State for disposition during 

the report year. 

Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) (Also referred to as substitute 

natural gas): A manufactured product, chemically similar in most 

respects to natural gas, resulting from the conversion or reforming 

of hydrocarbons that may easily be substituted for or interchanged 

with pipeline-quality natural gas. 

Underground Storage: The storage of natural gas in underground 

reservoirs at a different location from which it was produced. 

Wet natural gas: A mixture of hydrocarbon compounds and small 

quantities of various nonhydrocarbons existing in the gaseous phase 

or in solution with crude oil in porous rock formations at reservoir 

conditions. The principal hydrocarbons normally contained in the 

mixture are methane, ethane, propane, butane, and pentane. Typical 

nonhydrocarbon gases that may be present in reservoir natural gas are 

water vapor, carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulfide, nitrogen and trace 

amounts of helium. Under reservoir conditions, natural gas and its 

associated liquefiable portions occur either in a single gaseous phase 

in the reservoir or in solution with crude oil and are not 

distinguishable at the time as separate substances. Note: The 

Securities and Exchange Commission and the Financial Accounting 

Standards Board refer to this product as natural gas. 
 

 Page 6 

DISCLOSURE OF INFORMATION 

Information reported on Form EIA-176 is considered public 

information and may be publicly released in company or 

individually identifiable form. 

SANCTIONS 

The timely submission of Form EIA-176 by those required to 

report is mandatory under Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy 

Administration Act of 1974 (FEA ACT) (Public Law 93 275), as 

amended. Failure to respond may result in a civil penalty of not 

more than $2,750 each day for each violation, or a fine of not more 

than $5,000 each day for each willful violation. The government 

may bring a civil action to prohibit reporting violations, which may 

result in a temporary restraining order or a preliminary or 

permanent injunction without bond. In such civil action, the court 

may also issue mandatory injunction commanding any person to 

comply with these reporting requirements.

FILING FORMS WITH FEDERAL 

GOVERNMENT AND ESTIMATED 

REPORTING BURDEN 

Respondents are not required to file or reply to any Federal collection 

of information unless it has a valid OMB control number. Public 

reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to 

average 12 hours per response, including the time of reviewing 

instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining 

the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of 

information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any 

other aspect of this collection of information including suggestions for 

reducing this burden to: Energy Information Administration, Office of 

Survey Development and Statistical Integration, EI-21, 1000 

Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585; and to the Office 

of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 

Budget, Washington, DC 20503.