60 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 1 / Tuesday, January 2, 1996 / Notices

Programs Docket Room, 3F–056,

Forrestal Building, 1000 Independence

Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20585,

(202) 586–9478. The docket room is

open between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and

4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,

except Federal holidays.

Issued in Washington, D.C., November 30,

1995.

Clifford P. Tomaszewski,

Director, Office of Natural Gas, Office of Fuels

Programs, Office of Fossil Energy.

[FR Doc. 95–31568 Filed 12–29–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

Energy Information Administration

Proposed Revision and Extension of

Forms

AGENCY: Energy Information

Administration, Energy.

ACTION: Notice of the Proposed Revision

and Extension of the Forms EIA–457A–

G, ‘‘Residential Energy Consumption

Survey,’’ and Solicitation of Comments.

SUMMARY: The Energy Information

Administration (EIA) is soliciting

comments concerning the proposed

revision and extension to the Forms

EIA–457A–G, ‘‘Residential Energy

Consumption Survey (RECS).’’

DATES: Written comments must be

submitted within 60 days of the

publication of this notice. If you

anticipate that you will be submitting

comments, but find it difficult to do so

within the period of time allowed by

this notice, you should advise the

contact listed below of your intention to

do so as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Wendel

Thompson, EI–631, Forrestal Building,

U.S. Department of Energy, Washington,

DC 20585, (202–586–1119 or FAX 202–

586–0018 or e-mail to:

wthompso@eia.doe.gov).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Requests for

additional information or copies of the

form and instructions should be

directed to Wendel Thompson at the

address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background

II. Current Actions

III. Request for Comments

I. Background

In order to fulfill its responsibilities

under the Federal Energy

Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. No.

93–275) and the Department of Energy

Organization Act (Pub. L. No. 95–91),

the Energy Information Administration

is obliged to carry out a central,

comprehensive, and unified energy data

and information program. As part of this

program EIA collects, evaluates,

assembles, analyzes, and disseminates

data and information related to energy

resource reserves, production, demand,

and technology, and related economic

and statistical information relevant to

the adequacy of energy resources to

meet demands in the near and longer

term future for the Nation’s economic

and social needs.

The Energy Information

Administration, as part of its continuing

effort to reduce paperwork and

respondent burden (required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub.

L. No. 104–13)), conducts a presurvey

consultation program to provide the

general public and other Federal

agencies with an opportunity to

comment on proposed and/or

continuing reporting forms. This

program helps to ensure that requested

data can be provided in the desired

format, reporting burden is minimized,

reporting forms are clearly understood,

and the impact of collection

requirements on respondents can be

properly assessed.

To meet this responsibility, as well as

internal DOE requirements that are

dependent on accurate data, the EIA has

developed an ongoing program of

national sample surveys on energy

consumption in the manufacturing,

commercial, residential, and residential

transportation sectors.

The RECS has been designed by EIA

to collect data on energy consumption

in the residential sector. Information

about the housing unit is collected

through voluntary interviews with a

representative national sample of

approximately 6,500 households.

Households are asked about what

energy is used for in the home and

characteristics of energy-using

equipment. Data are also collected on

household demographics (e.g., income,

size, origin) and the housing unit’s

physical characteristics. Data on actual

energy consumption and expenditures

are obtained through a mandatory

mailed survey that requests the billing

records from the household’s energy

suppliers. The RECS has been

conducted annually from 1980 through

1982 and triennially beginning in 1984.

The data are disseminated in two

publications, one entitled Housing

Characteristics and the other Household

Energy Consumption and Expenditures.

II. Current Actions

For the 1996 RECS, the EIA proposes

several changes to the existing

collection. The extension from the

currently approved OMB expiration

date (May 31, 1996) has been proposed

for three years (through May 31, 1999).

The household questionnaire (Form

EIA–457A) for the 1996 RECS will be

considerably shorter than it was for

1993. Almost all areas in which

information has been collected will be

reduced. The most significant is

dropping the measurement of

floorspace. Questions on consumer

decision making, new technologies,

demand-side management programs,

and detail on new homes will be

dropped. Less information will be

collected on the Low Income Energy

Assistance Program, characteristics of

household members, wood burning,

insulation, and lights. Form EIA–457H,

the Lighting Supplement, will be

eliminated and fewer questions will be

asked about light usage, reducing the

liklihood that EIA can produce an

annual estimate for consumption of

electricity for lighting. Energy suppliers

will not be asked to provide information

about their customer’s participation in

demand-side management programs or

other energy conservation programs.

Form EIA–457A, the in-person

household interview, will be conducted

partially using Computer-Assisted

Personal Interviewing (CAPI). This

technology involves replacing the paper

and pencil procedure with a laptop

computer. Using CAPI frees the

interviewer from determining difficult

branching operations in the

questionnaire, notes inconsistent

answers which can be resolved in the

presence of the respondent, and speeds

data delivery.

The sample design for 1996 will not

oversample low income homes nor

newly constructed homes. The sample

of 6,500 households will be comprised

of 2,000 in-person interviews and 4,500

telephone interviews. Less information

will be collected by telephone. The inperson interviews and telephone

interviews will be combined into one

data set on the basis that each represents

a national sample of households.

Adjustments will be necessary to the

telephone survey to correct for biases

that result from excluding households

without telephones from the sample.

The telephone method may not be

used if an acceptable response rate

cannot be achieved in a pretest

currently underway. The response rate

consists of successfully completing the

telephone contact and receiving a

signed authorization form from the

household giving EIA permission to

request the household’s billing data

from the energy supplier. If the

telephone mode is not used, the sample

of in-person interviews will be
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 1 / Tuesday, January 2, 1996 / Notices 61

increased from 2,000 to 3,000

interviews.

III. Request for Comments

Prospective respondents and other

interested parties should comment on

the proposed extension and revisions.

The following general guidelines are

provided to assist in the preparation of

responses. Please indicate to which

form(s) your comments apply.

General Issues

EIA is interested in receiving

comments from persons regarding:

A. Whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

agency, including whether the

information will have practical utility.

Practical utility is the actual usefulness

of information to or for an agency,

taking into account its accuracy,

adequacy, reliability, timeliness, and the

agency’s ability to process the

information it collects.

B. What enhancements can EIA make

to the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected?

As a Potential Respondent

A. Are the instructions and

definitions clear and sufficient? If not,

which instructions require clarification?

B. Can data be submitted in

accordance with the due date specified

in the instructions?

C. Public reporting burden for this

collection is estimated to average:

35 minutes per household for Form

EIA–457A (2,000 in-person interviews

at 45 minutes each and 4,500 telephone

interviews at 30 minutes each),

20 minutes per household for Form

EIA–457B,

15 minutes per response for Form

EIA–457C,

30 minutes for Form EIA–457D,

30 minutes for Form EIA–457E,

30 minutes for Form EIA–457F, and

30 minutes for Form EIA–457G.

Burden includes the total time, effort,

or financial resources expended to

generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or

provide the information including: (1)

Reviewing instruction; (2) developing,

acquiring, installing, and utilizing

technology and systems for the purposes

of collecting, validating, verifying,

processing, maintaining, disclosing and

providing information; (3) adjusting the

existing ways to comply with any

previously applicable instructions and

requirements; (4) training personnel to

respond to a collection of information;

(5) searching data sources; (6)

completing and reviewing the collection

of information; and (7) transmitting, or

otherwise disclosing the information.

Please comment on (1) the accuracy of

our estimate and (2) how the agency

could minimize the burden of the

collection of information, including

through the use of automated collection

techniques or other forms of information

technology.

D. What is the estimated cost of

completing each this form, including

the direct and indirect costs associated

with the data collection? The following

estimated costs are provided for

comment.

$21 per household for Form EIA–

457A,

$13 per household for Form EIA–

457B,

$9 per response for Form EIA–457C,

$18 for Form EIA–457D,

$18 for Form EIA–457E,

$18 for Form EIA–457F, and

$18 for Form EIA–457G.

Direct costs should include all costs,

such as administrative costs, directly

attributable to providing this

information.

E. Do you know of any other Federal,

State, or local agency that collects

similar data? If you do, specify the

agency, the data element(s), and the

methods of collection.

As a Potential User

A. Can you use data at the levels of

detail indicated on the form?

B. For what purpose would you use

the data? Be specific.

C. Are there alternate sources of data

and do you use them? What are their

deficiencies and/or strengths?

D. For the most part, information is

published by EIA in U.S. customary

units, e.g., cubic feet of natural gas,

short tons of coal, and barrels of oil.

Would you prefer to see EIA publish

more information in metric units, e.g.,

cubic meters, metric tons, and

kilograms? If yes, please specify what

information (e.g., coal production,

natural gas consumption, and crude oil

imports), the metric unit(s) of

measurement preferred, and in which

EIA publication(s) you would like to see

such information.

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 Authorities: Section

3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104–13).

Issued in Washington, D.C. December 21,

1995.

John Gross,

Acting Director, Office of Statistical

Standards, Energy Information

Administration.

[FR Doc. 95–31565 Filed 12–29–95; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

Federal Energy Regulatory

Commission

[Docket No. RP95–197–007]

Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line

Corporation; Notice of Proposed

Changes in FERC Gas Tariff

December 26, 1995.

Take notice that on December 19,

1995, Transcontinental Gas Pipe Line

Corporation (Transco) tendered for

filing certain revised tariff sheets to its

FERC Gas Tariff’s, Third Revised

Volume No. 1 and Original Volume No.

2, which tariff sheets are listed in

Appendix A to the filing. The tariff

sheets are proposed to be effective as

indicated on Appendix A.

Transco states that the purpose of the

instant filing is to comply with the

Commission’s December 4, 1995, order

in the referenced proceeding which

directed Transco to refile its rates to be

effective September 1, 1995 to eliminate

from its filed cost of service any ad

valorem taxes associated with the gas

plant Transco removed in its Motion

filing of August 31, 1995 (Motion filing).

In Transco’s Motion filing, Transco

reflected actual cost of gas plant in

service as of August 31, 1995, which

costs included an estimate of the actual

amounts expected to be closed to gas

plant in service during the month of

August since such amounts were not

known at the time of the filing. In the

instant filing, in addition to revising its

ad valorem taxes, Transco has revised

its gas plant to reflect actual gas plant

in service and accumulated reserve for

depreciation as of August 31, 1995. In

addition to the foregoing, Transco has

made corresponding adjustments to ad

valorem taxes, operation and

maintenance expenses, depreciation

expense, return and income taxes. The

total cost of service reflected herein

represents a $1.1 MM reduction from

the total cost of service underlying

Transco’s Motion filing.

Transco states that copies of the

instant filing are being mailed to

customers, State Commissions and other

interested parties.

Any person desiring to protest said

filing should file a protest with the

Federal Energy Regulatory Commission,

888 First Street, NE., Washington, DC