[Federal Register: July 11, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 133)]
[Notices]               
[Page 45963-45964]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr11jy02-37]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration

 
Agency Information Collection Activities: Policy for Revisions to 
the Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report; Comment Request

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

ACTION: Agency information collection activities: Policy for revisions 
to the Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The EIA is soliciting comments on the proposed revision policy 
for the Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report (WNGSR). The WNGSR provides 
weekly estimates of working gas volumes held in underground storage 
facilities at the national and regional levels. The WNGSR became a new 
EIA information product in 2002 replacing an American Gas Association 
report begun in 1994 and discontinued in 2002. The WNGSR is based on 
information collected by EIA on Form EIA-912, ``Weekly Underground Gas 
Storage Report.''

DATES: Comments must be filed by August 12, 2002. If you anticipate 
difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the 
person listed below as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to William Trapmann. To ensure receipt of the 
comments by the due date, submission by FAX (202-586-4220) or e-mail 
(William.Trapmann@eia.doe.gov) is recommended. The mailing address is 
Energy Information Administration, EI-44, Forrestal Building, U.S. 
Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585. Alternatively, Mr. Trapmann 
may be contacted by telephone at 202-586-6408.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The WNGSR is available on EIA's 
Internet site at http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/ngs/ngs.html. The 
survey Form EIA-912 and instructions used to collect information for 
the WNGSR are available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/oil__gas/natural__
gas/survey__forms/nat__survey__forms.html. Requests for additional 
information should be directed to Mr. Trapmann at the address listed 
above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background
II. Current Actions
III. Request for Comments

I. Background

    The Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. No. 93-275, 
15 U.S.C. 761 et seq.) and the DOE Organization Act (Pub. L. No. 95-91, 
42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) require the EIA to carry out a centralized, 
comprehensive, and unified energy information program. This program 
collects, evaluates, assembles, analyzes, and disseminates information 
on energy resource reserves, production, demand, technology, and 
related economic and statistical information. This information is used 
to assess the adequacy of energy resources to meet near and longer term 
domestic demands.
    The EIA provides the public and other Federal agencies with 
opportunities to comment on collections of energy information conducted 
by EIA. As appropriate, EIA also requests comments on important issues 
relevant to EIA dissemination of energy information. Comments received 
help the EIA when preparing information collections and information 
products necessary to EIA's mission.
    The Weekly Natural Gas Storage Report (WNGSR) provides weekly 
estimates of working gas volumes held in underground storage facilities 
at the national and regional levels. WNGSR users include policymakers, 
commodity market analysts, and industry experts. EIA uses the data to 
prepare analytical products assessing storage operations and the impact 
on supplies available, and to analyze relationships between demand, 
heating-degree-days, and inventory levels.

II. Current Actions

    EIA is developing a policy for revisions to data disseminated in 
the WNGSR. EIA is soliciting public involvement and comments on the 
revision policy.
    The WNGSR is based on information collected on Form EIA-912. Form 
EIA-912 respondents provide estimates for working gas in storage as of 
9 a.m. Friday each week. The deadline for submitting reports to the EIA 
is 5 p.m. Eastern Time the following Monday, except when Monday is a 
Federal holiday. In that case, forms should be submitted by 5 p.m. on 
Tuesday. The WNGSR is released on Thursday between 10:30 and 10:40 a.m. 
Eastern Time on EIA's Web site, except when Thursday is a Federal 
holiday. Notification of changes in this general schedule is maintained 
on the EIA Web site at http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/ngs/
schedule.html.
    A Form EIA-912 respondent is instructed to submit revisions to 
previously reported data if the revisions are greater than one billion 
cubic feet (BCF). As with any EIA information product based on survey 
data, the WNGSR data may undergo revision(s) based on a number of 
factors including:
    (1) As more accurate information becomes available to a respondent 
after the Form EIA-912 is filed, a respondent may need to file new 
data.
    (2) After submitting Form EIA-912 and prior to the next weekly 
submission, a respondent may determine that information submitted was 
incorrect (e.g., numbers were transposed, numbers were entered in the 
wrong item on the form, other reporting errors).
    (3) A respondent may submit Form EIA-912 too late for inclusion in 
the current week estimates for the WNGSR.
    (4) A respondent may report a reclassification of base and working 
gas.
    (5) A respondent may report a change in field operating status.
    (6) EIA may incorporate a new reference month in the estimation 
process.
    With respect to the dissemination of revisions to WNGSR data, EIA 
is proposing a policy for two revision types; i.e., (1) scheduled 
revisions, and (2) unscheduled major revisions.
    Scheduled revisions are made in the next scheduled WNGSR and occur 
when the cumulative effect of all reported changes is at least seven 
billion cubic feet (BCF) at either a regional or national level but 
less than the quantity determined as the threshold for an unscheduled 
revision. If a revision is made, changes to all regions will be 
recorded. Consequently, although all respondents' changes will be 
entered into EIA's database for editing, imputation, and other analytic 
purposes, the changes will only lead to a published revision when it 
exceeds the seven BCF threshold.
    Unscheduled major revisions are of significant magnitude and 
interest and as a result the revised WNGSR data will be disseminated 
prior to the next scheduled WNGSR. An unscheduled major release will 
occur when the following two conditions are met: (1) EIA has received 
and confirmed the need for a revision in either the most recent current 
week or prior week estimates of an amount which is at least 35 BCF or 
one standard error of the national estimate, and (2) the revised 
estimates will be available for dissemination at least 24 hours before 
the next scheduled WNGSR. The

[[Page 45964]]

threshold of 35 billion cubic feet was selected because that would have 
been the approximate standard error of the national estimate if the 
EIA-912 survey had been operating in March 2001 when national 
inventories were at 742 BCF. EIA's intention to release an unscheduled 
major revision will be announced to the public through the EIA Web site 
and the e-mail list-serves maintained for the WNGSR and the National 
Energy Information Center. Interested parties may sign up for the WNGSR 
list serve without charge through the EIA Web site at http://
www.eia.doe.gov/listserv_signup.html. EIA proposes that an unscheduled 
major revision will be released at 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time on the next 
day that the Federal government is open for business following the 
announcement.

III. Request for Comments

    The public should comment on the actions discussed in item II as 
well as the questions below.

General Issues

    A. Is the proposed WNGSR revision policy appropriate for both 
scheduled and unscheduled revisions?
    B. What additional actions could EIA take to help ensure and 
maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of the WNGSR?

Scheduled Revisions

    A. Is the threshold criteria for scheduled revisions of a change of 
at least seven BCF appropriate but less than the quantity determined as 
the threshold for an unscheduled revision appropriate?
    B. What information should be made available to WNGSR users with 
respect to scheduled revisions?

Unscheduled Major Revisions

    A. Is the threshold criteria of a change of at least 35 BCF or one 
standard error of the national estimate appropriate for a major 
unscheduled revision?
    B. Is the timing criteria that a major unscheduled revision must be 
available for dissemination at least 24 hours before the next scheduled 
WNGSR appropriate?
    C. Are there any other criteria that should be considered regarding 
the threshold size and timing of the release of major unscheduled 
revisions?
    D. How should the public be notified of the upcoming release of an 
unscheduled major revision?
    E. How soon after the notification should the unscheduled major 
revision be released?
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be considered 
during development of EIA's policy for revisions of the WNGSR. The 
comments will also become a matter of public record.
    After EIA has completed development of the WNGSR revision policy, a 
Federal Register notice will be issued announcing the policy.

    Statutory Authority: Section 52 of the Federal Energy 
Administration Act (Pub. L. No. 93-275, 15 U.S.C. 790a).

    Issued in Washington, DC, July 5, 2002.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy 
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 02-17421 Filed 7-10-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P