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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 235 (Friday, December 6, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 96950-96951]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28585]

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration

Agency Information Collection Proposed Extension

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: EIA invites public comment on the proposed three-year 
extension, with changes, to the Generic Clearance for Questionnaire 
Testing, Evaluation, and Research, as required under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. EIA-882T, Generic Clearance for Questionnaire 
Testing, Evaluation, and Research, provides EIA with the authority to 
utilize qualitative and quantitative methodologies to pretest 
questionnaires and validate the quality of data collected on EIA's 
surveys. EIA uses EIA-882T to meet its obligation to publish, and 
otherwise make available independent, high-quality statistical data to 
federal government agencies, state and local governments, the energy 
industry, researchers, and the general public.

DATES: EIA must receive all comments on this proposed information 
collection no later than February 4, 2025. If you anticipate any 
difficulties in submitting your comments by the deadline, contact the 
person listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice as soon as 
possible.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OMB control number 
1905-0186, by email at [email protected]. Include the OMB control 
number listed in the subject line of the message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth Pick, EIA Clearance Officer, 
at (202) 586-5562.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains:
    (1) OMB No.: 1905-0186;
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Generic Clearance for 
Questionnaire Testing, Evaluation, and Research;
    (3) Type of Request: Three-year extension with changes;
    (4) Purpose: The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is 
requesting a three-year approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) to utilize qualitative and quantitative methodologies to 
pretest questionnaires and validate the quality of the data that are 
collected on EIA and DOE survey forms. Through the use of these 
methodologies, EIA will conduct research studies to improve the quality 
of energy data being collected, reduce or minimize survey respondent 
burden, and increase agency efficiency. This authority would also allow 
EIA to improve data collection in order to meet the needs of EIA's 
customers while also staying current in the evolving nature of the 
energy industry.
    The specific methods EIA will continue to use for the coverage by 
this clearance are described below.
    Pilot Surveys. Pilot surveys conducted under this clearance will 
generally be methodological studies and will always employ 
statistically representative samples. The pilot surveys will replicate 
all components of the methodological design, sampling procedures (where 
possible), and questionnaires of the full-scale survey. Pilot surveys 
will normally be utilized when EIA undertakes a complete redesign of a 
particular data collection methodology or when EIA undertakes data 
collection in new energy areas of the energy sector where data 
collection would provide utility to EIA.
    Cognitive Interviews. Cognitive interviews are typically one-on-one 
interviews in which the respondent is usually asked to ``think aloud'' 
or is asked ``retrospective questions'' as they answer questions, reads 
survey materials, defines terminology, or completes other activities as 
part of a typical survey process. A number of different techniques may 
be involved including asking respondents what specific words or phrases 
mean or asking respondents probing questions to determine how they 
estimate, calculate, or determine specific data elements on a survey. 
The objectives of these cognitive interviews are to identify problems 
of ambiguity or misunderstanding, examine the process that respondents 
follow for reporting information, assess survey respondents' ability to 
report new information, or identify other difficulties respondents have 
answering survey questions in order to reduce measurement error from 
estimates based on a survey.
    Respondent Debriefings. Respondent debriefings conducted under this 
clearance will generally be methodological or cognitive research 
studies. The debriefing form is administered after a respondent 
completes a questionnaire either in paper format, electronically, or 
through personal interviews. The debriefings contain probing questions 
to determine how respondents interpret the survey questions, how much 
time and effort was spent completing the questionnaire, and whether 
they have problems in completing the survey/questionnaire. Respondent 
debriefings also are useful in determining potential issues with data 
quality and in estimating respondent burden.
    Usability Testing. Usability tests are similar to cognitive 
interviews in which a respondent is typically asked to ``think aloud'' 
or asked ``retrospective questions'' as they review a survey 
questionnaire, related materials, or website. The objective of 
usability testing is to check that respondents can easily and 
intuitively navigate survey questionnaires, related materials, and 
websites to submit their data to EIA.
    Focus Groups. Focus groups are a qualitative method used early in 
questionnaire development to gather

[[Page 96951]]

information about a topic that can later be used to write survey 
questions, such as specific terminology, definitions, sensitivity of 
topics, organizational processes, and burden associated with reporting. 
Information is collected by a moderator using a guided discussion with 
small groups of people (e.g., 8-10).
    Field Techniques. Field techniques described in survey research and 
survey methodology literature will be employed as appropriate. These 
include follow-up probing, memory cue tasks, paraphrasing, confidence 
rating, response latency measurements, free and dimensional sort 
classification tasks, and vignette classifications. The objective of 
all of these techniques is to aid in the development of surveys that 
work with respondents' thought processes, thus reducing response error 
and burden. These techniques have also proven useful for studying and 
revising pre-existing questionnaires.
    Behavior Coding. Behavior coding is a quantitative technique in 
which a standard set of codes is systematically applied to respondent/
interviewer interactions in interviewer-administered surveys or 
respondent/questionnaire interactions in self-administered surveys.
    Split Panel Test. Split panel tests refer to controlled 
experimental testing of alternative hypotheses. Thus, they allow one to 
choose from among competing questions, questionnaires, definitions, 
error messages or survey improvement methodologies with greater 
confidence than any of the other methods. Split panel tests conducted 
during the fielding of the survey are superior in that they can support 
both internal validity (controlled comparisons of the variable(s) under 
investigation) and external validity (represent the population under 
study). Most of the previously mentioned survey improvement methods can 
be strengthened when teamed with this method.
    (4a) Proposed Changes to Information Collection:
    EIA proposes to collect personally identifiable information (PII) 
only to the extent necessary to recruit participants for questionnaire 
testing, evaluation, and research. This PII would not be retained, with 
the exception of information needed to provide renumeration for 
participants of questionnaire testing, evaluation, and research and 
conduct associated data analysis.
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 7,500;
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 7,500;
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 7,500;
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: 
$683,700 (7,500 annual burden hours multiplied by $91.16 per hour). EIA 
estimates that respondents will have no additional costs associated 
with the surveys other than the burden hours and the maintenance of the 
information during the normal course of business.
    Comments are invited on whether or not: (a) The proposed collection 
of information is necessary for the proper performance of agency 
functions, including whether the information will have a practical 
utility; (b) EIA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used, is accurate; (c) EIA can improve the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information it will collect; and (d) EIA can minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, such as 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 772(b) and 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on December 3, 2024.
Samson A. Adeshiyan,
Director, Office of Statistical Methods and Research, U.S. Energy 
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024-28585 Filed 12-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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