Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collections; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration

Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collections;

Comment Request

AGENCY: Energy Information Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Agency information collection activities: Proposed collections;

Comment request.

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SUMMARY: The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is soliciting

comments concerning the proposed renewal of approval for Forms EIA-63A,

``Annual Solar Thermal Collector Manufacturers Survey,'' and EIA-63B,

``Annual Photovoltaic Module/Cell Manufacturers Survey.''

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 James Holihan, Energy Information

Administration, EI-523, Renewable Energy Branch, Forrestal Building,

U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, D.C. 20585-0650, Telephone (202)

426-1147; e-mail [email protected]; FAX (202) 426-1311.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or

copies of the form and instructions should be directed to Mr. Holihan

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 (EIA) 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 EIA, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and

respondent burden (required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(Pub. L. 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 EIA to prepare data requests in the desired format, minimize

reporting burden, develop clearly understandable reporting forms, and

assess the impact of collection requirements on respondents. Also, EIA

will later seek approval by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

for the collections under Section 3507(h) of the Paperwork Reduction

Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13, title 44, U.S.C. Chapter 35).

II. Current Actions

The EIA will request a three-year extension through August 31,

2001, to continue using Forms EIA-63A and EIA-63B. No substantive

modifications to the currently approved forms will be proposed unless

substantive suggestions are received and approved.

The forms currently are used to gather information on the supply

and distribution of solar thermal collectors, photovoltaic cells, and

photovoltaic modules. Specifically, the forms collect information on

manufacturing, imports, exports, and shipments. The EIA has been

collecting this information annually and proposes to continue the

surveys. The data collected will be published in the Renewable Energy

Annual and will also be available through EIA's Internet site at http:/

/www.eia.doe.gov/fuelrenewable.html.

III. Request for Comments

Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment

on the actions discussed in item II. (If your comments apply to a

specific form, please indicate one.) The following guidelines are

provided to assist in the preparation of responses.

General Issues

A. Are the proposed collections of information necessary for the

proper performance of the functions of the agency and does the

information have

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practical utility? Practical utility is defined as 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 by the due date?

C. Public reporting burden for each form is estimated to average

approximately three hours.

Burden includes the total time, effort, or financial resources

expended to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or provide 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 the use of information technology.

D. EIA estimates that respondents will incur no additional costs

for reporting other than the hours required to complete the collection.

The information requested is expected to be available in each

respondent's business information system. What are the estimated: (1)

Total dollar amount annualized for capital and start-up costs, and (2)

recurring annual costs of operation and maintenance, and purchase of

services associated with this data collection?

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(s)?

B. For what purpose would you use the data? Be specific.

C. Are there alternate sources of data and do you use them? If so,

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 Authority: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13).

Issued in Washington, D.C., March 4, 1998.

Jay H. Casselberry,

Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy

Information Administration.

[FR Doc. 98-6131 Filed 3-9-98; 8:45 am]

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