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[Federal Register: March 24, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 56)]
[Notices]               
[Page 14145-14146]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24mr10-43]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration

 
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Department of 
Energy (DOE).

ACTION: Agency information collection activities: Proposed collection; 
comment request.

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SUMMARY: The EIA is soliciting comments on a proposed three-year 
extension and revision to Form EIA-1605, ``Voluntary Reporting of 
Greenhouse Gases.''.

DATES: Comments must be submitted by May 24, 2010, to the addresses 
listed below.

ADDRESSES: Send all comments to the attention of Paul F. McArdle. To 
ensure receipt of the comments by the due date, submission by e-mail 
(paul.mcardle@eia.doe.gov) or FAX (202-586-3045) is recommended. 
Comments submitted by mail should be sent to Paul F. McArdle, U.S. 
Department of Energy, Energy Information Administration, EI-81, 1000 
Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20585. Questions on this 
action should be directed to Paul F. McArdle at 202-586-4445 or 
paul.mcardle@eia.doe.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the revised reporting form and instructions should be 
directed to Paul F. McArdle at 202-586-4445 or 
paul.mcardle@eia.doe.gov. The revised version of the Form EIA-1605, 
``Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases,'' and instructions, can also 
be downloaded from the Program's website at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/omb2010.html.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Background
II. Current Actions
III. Request for Comments

I. Background

    Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program collections are 
conducted pursuant to Section 1605(b) of the Energy Policy Act of 1992 
(Pub. L. 102-486, 42 U.S.C. 13385) under revised General and Technical 
Guidelines issued by the DOE's Office of Policy and International 
Affairs in April 2006 and April 2007, respectively. The EIA-1605 form 
is designed to collect voluntarily reported data on greenhouse gas 
emissions, achieved reductions of these emissions, and increased carbon 
fixation. A summary of the initial results of the Voluntary Reporting 
of Greenhouse Gases Program under the revised program guidelines will 
appear in the Program's annual report titled Voluntary Reporting of 
Greenhouse Gases. Later this year, once it is available, EIA will post 
the annual report on the program's webpage at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/index.html. For annual reports issued under the original 
program guidelines go to http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/1605b_old.html. Additionally, EIA produces and makes publicly available, a 
``public-use'' database containing all the non-confidential information 
reported to EIA's Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gases Program on 
the Forms EIA-1605. Once these data are finalized, EIA will make them 
available at the program's Web page (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/index.html). Data submitted under the original program, meanwhile, is 
also available on the program's webpage (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/OldDatabases.html).
    The EIA, as part of its effort to comply with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35), provides 
the general public and other Federal agencies with opportunities to 
comment on collections of information conducted by or in conjunction 
with the EIA. Any comments received help the EIA to prepare data 
requests that maximize the utility of the information collected and to 
assess the impact of collection requirements on the public. Also, the 
EIA will later seek approval by the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) under Section 3507(a) of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

II. Current Actions

    As a result of the experience gained in the implementation of the 
first reporting cycle under the revised guidelines launched on November 
18, 2009, the EIA plans to slightly revise Form EIA-1605 and the 
accompanying instructions. These revisions fall into the following 
three categories: Caption/instruction changes, grid changes, and 
changes to the form designed to bring greater conformity between the 
paper form and the electronic form used by respondents via EIA's 
Internet Survey Management System (ISMS). Summaries of the three types 
of changes are provided below. Note, that in the proposed revised forms 
posted on EIA's webpage (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/omb2010.html). EIA will highlight sections of the forms that have been 
revised.

Caption/Instruction Changes

    EIA has made contextual changes to the captions and explanatory 
text in Schedule I, Schedule II, Schedule III and Schedule IV in order 
to provide respondents with effective guidance for properly completing 
both the paper and electronic versions of the form. These changes were 
made in response to usability testing as well as internal review. 
Changes have also been made to correct errors, including typos, in the 
previously approved forms.

Emissions Inventory Grid Changes

    EIA has modified the emissions inventory grids in Schedule I, 
Section 2, Part B and Addendum A to include two additional columns with 
the captions ``Fuel Type'' and ``Specific Facility/Source Name 
(optional)''. These columns are needed in order to disaggregate the 
estimation methods and associated ratings reported on the electronic 
form and, therefore, allow the system to calculate a weighted rating of 
the emission inventory methods used by respondents. EIA also revised 
some of the emission sources listed in the inventory grids to align 
them with the sources and methods identified in the Technical 
Guidelines.

Changes To Accommodate the Electronic Form

    EIA has modified several existing questions and added a few 
additional questions to Schedule I and II to bring

[[Page 14146]]

the paper form into conformity with the electronic version of Form EIA-
1605. These changes reflect the fact that certain questions and 
question/sequences in the electronic version of the form are necessary 
in order to activate only those sections of the electronic form that 
the respondent needs to fill out. The changes are also intended to 
reduce the burden of reporting using the electronic software and 
improve usability. The affected questions can be found in: Schedule I, 
Section 1, Questions 3b, 3d, 3e, Question 4, and Question 7; Schedule 
I, Section 4, Questions 1, 2, 3, 4; Schedule II, Section 3, Questions 
1, 2; and in Addendum B2, Part A, Questions 3 and 4 will be deleted.
    Please refer to the revised version of the form and instructions 
for more information about the purpose, who may report, when to report, 
where to submit, the elements to be reported, instructions for 
reporting, provisions for confidentiality, and uses (including possible 
nonstatistical uses) of the information (http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/omb2010.html). For instructions on obtaining materials, see the 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: section.

III. Request for Comments

    Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment 
on the actions discussed in item II. The following issues are provided 
to assist in the preparation of comments.

As a Potential Respondent to the Request for Information

    A. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency and does the 
information have practical utility?
    B. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the 
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information to be 
collected?
    C. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If 
not, which instructions need clarification?
    D. Can the information be submitted by the respondent by the due 
date?
    E. Public reporting burden for this collection is estimated to 
average 60 hours per response. The estimated burden includes the total 
time necessary to provide the requested information. In your opinion, 
how accurate is this estimate?
    F. The agency estimates that the only cost to a respondent is for 
the time it will take to complete the collection. Will a respondent 
incur any start-up costs for reporting, or any recurring annual costs 
for operation, maintenance, and purchase of services associated with 
the information collection?
    G. What additional actions could be taken to minimize the burden of 
this collection of information? Such actions may involve the use of 
automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    H. Does any other Federal, State, or local agency collect similar 
information? If so, specify the agency, the data element(s), and the 
methods of collection.

As a Potential User of the Information To Be Collected

    A. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency and does the 
information have practical utility?
    B. What actions could be taken to help ensure and maximize the 
quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the information 
disseminated?
    C. Is the information useful at the levels of detail to be 
collected?
    D. For what purpose(s) would the information be used? Be specific.
    E. Are there alternate sources for the information and are they 
useful? If so, what are their weaknesses and/or strengths?
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of the form. They also 
will become a matter of public record.

    Statutory 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, March 17, 2010.
Stephanie Brown,
Director, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy Information 
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2010-6464 Filed 3-23-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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