[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 107 (Monday, June 6, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-13689]
[[Page Unknown]]
[Federal Register: June 6, 1994]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Clearance of Form-EIA-858, ``Uranium Industry Annual Survey''
AGENCY: Energy Information Administration, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of proposed changes to form.
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SUMMARY: Under its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and reporting
burden for respondents (as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1980, Pub. L. 96-511, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Energy Information
Administration (EIA) conducts a consultation program to provide the
general public and other Federal agencies an opportunity to comment on
its continuing and newly proposed survey forms. This program helps to
assure that: (a) Data can be reported by respondents in the requested
format; (b) burden of reporting is minimized; (c) survey forms are
clearly understood; and (d) the impact of collection requirements on
respondents can be accurately assessed. Currently, EIA is soliciting
comments concerning proposed changes to Form EIA-858, ``Uranium
Industry Annual Survey,'' for the collection of 1994 data.
DATES: Written comments must be submitted July 6, 1994. 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,
as soon as possible, advise the EIA contact listed below of your
intention to provide comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Luther Smith, Energy Information
Administration, EI-522; U.S. Department of Energy; Washington, DC
20585; Phone (202) 254-5565. Requests for additional information or
copies of the form and instructions should be directed to Luther Smith.
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. 93-275) and the Department of
Energy (DOE) Organization Act (Public Law 95-91), the Energy
Information Administration is conducting a comprehensive energy data
and information program to collect, evaluate, assemble, and analyze
periodic data and information on the domestic uranium industry and
economic and statistical information related to the adequacy of
domestic uranium resources and production capability to meet the
Nation's near- and longer-term future needs. The information collected
is used by the Energy Information Administration to fulfill its
monitoring and data dissemination functions as mandated by the
Congress.
Data collected on these forms provide a comprehensive statistical
characterization of the domestic uranium industry in these areas: (a)
Uranium exploration, mining, reserves, uranium concentrate production,
and employment related to those activities, and (b) uranium marketing
activities, inventory status, imports and exports, enrichment feed
deliveries, purchases of enrichment services, and use of unirradiated
uranium in new fuel assemblies. Published data from these surveys are
used by the Congress, Federal and State agencies, the uranium and
electric-utility industries, and the general public. National and State
level data are published in the EIA reports ``World Nuclear Capacity
and Fuel Cycle Requirements,'' ``Uranium Purchases Report,'' ``Uranium
Industry Annual,'' and the ``Annual Energy Review.''
II. Current Actions
Summary of Changes
In the December 7, 1993, Federal Register notice (58 FR 64399), the
EIA proposed that 1994 data on uranium contracts (Item 1, Schedule B,
annual Form EIA-858) would be collected on a new quarterly survey form,
Schedule M. Under this proposal also, the collection of 1994 data under
Schedule A and under Items 2-7 of Schedule B, Form EIA-858, would have
been done annually.
After review of comments received in response to the Federal
Register notice, the EIA has decided not to implement the proposed new
Schedule M for 1994. Instead, the technical suggestions for improving
the Form EIA-858 survey provided in the comments will be used, where
applicable, to revise the annual Schedule B as described below.
For the EIA-858 survey for 1994, the EIA also has dropped the
proposed new criteria that would have expanded the number of data
elements that would be releasable. The ``Provisions for
Confidentiality'' declaration on the 1994 Form EIA-858 will remain the
same as it was on the 1993 Form EIA-858.
In the December 7, 1993, Federal Register notice, the EIA also
proposed to use a one-page survey, Form EIA-851, to collect quarterly
data on uranium concentrate production for 1994. The EIA has decided
not to pursue at this time implementation of a formal survey form for
the EIA-851 collection. Instead, the current mode of monthly reporting
of uranium concentrate production data through collection of internal
company production reports and phone surveys will be continued. The
production data collected under the EIA-851 survey will continue to be
treated as confidential.
Detailed Description of Changes
Form EIA-858: On the 1994 Form EIA-858, Schedule B data items have
been reordered (compared with the 1993 Form EIA-858) as described in
the following table:
Numbering of Schedule B Data Items, Form EIA-858
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1993 (Current) 1994 (Change)
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Item Item
No. Item title No. Item title
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1..... Contract................... 1 Contract.
2..... Inventories................ 2 Inventories.
3..... Inventory policy........... 3 Inventory policy.
4..... Actual enrichment feed 4 Unirradiated new assemblies
deliveries. loaded.
5..... Projected feed deliveries.. 5 Actual enrichment feed
deliveries.
6..... Unirradiated new assemblies 6 Projected feed deliveries.
loaded.
7..... Enrichment services 7 Now Item 1.J, under
purchased by utilities. ``Contract''.
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On the 1993 Form EIA-858 (left-hand column above), Items 1 and 6
(now Item 4) will be modified as described below. Items 2, 3, 4 (now
Item 5), and Item 5 (now Item 6) of Schedule B will continue to be
collected without modifications. Item 7, ``Enrichment Services
Purchased by Utilities,'' on the 1993 Schedule B will be incorporated
under Item 1.J, ``Utility Purchases of Enrichment Services,'' on the
1994 Schedule B.
For Item 1 (Contract)
Item 1 will be modified as explained under ``a'' through ``h''
below:
a. A check off box will be added to Item 1.B to identify contracts
that have been renegotiated based on price-related issues.
b. Item 1.C will be a new item to collect information on the term-
of-delivery arrangement specified in a contract: i.e., Whether the
respondent classifies the reported contract as having a ``spot,''
short-term,'' ``medium-term,'' or a ``long-term'' delivery period.
c. Item 1.D, ``Transaction Type,'' will provide separate check off
boxes to indicate whether uranium materials were sent or received under
an Exchange transaction.
d. Item 1.E will display a listing of applicable country
identification codes from which respondents can choose to report the
country or countries of origin and/or destination for deliveries of
natural uranium and the country of enrichment services for enriched
uranium. An ``Other'' space will be provided for respondents to write
in a country name and its identification code not listed under item
1.E.
e. Item 1.F will be designed to collect data on individual
quantities of delivered uranium and the type of material delivered, its
price, delivery date (DD/MM), whether the material was imported or
exported, and country of origin. For deliveries of enriched uranium
product (EUP), the quantity will be reported as kilograms of uranium
(KgU). The transaction tails assay, the product assay, and the feed
assay also will be reported to allow the EIA to calculate the natural
uranium feed component quantity as equivalent U3O8 for each
delivered quantity. For EUP, the country of enrichment will be reported
instead of the country of uranium origin. For deliveries of both
natural uranium and EUP, forecast for firm and optional deliveries will
be requested for a five-year forward period.
f. Reporting the contract pricing mechanism under Item 1.H will be
simplified to: (a) Request respondents to report whether a pricing
arrangement under a market-price related contract specifies a ``floor
price'' or a ``no floor price''; (b) add a check off box to capture
``spot-market price'' pricing arrangements; and (c) allow pricing
arrangements other than for ``market-price related'' and ``contract
price'' to be reported as ``Other'' and briefly described in the space
provided.
g. Under Item 1.I, respondents will be requested to briefly
describe the options that are allowed under the contract for the seller
and/or the buyer (purchaser).
h. Utility purchases of enrichment services (formerly Item 7 of
Schedule B) will be reported under Item 1.J in order to collect the
reporting of all utility contracting activities under Item 1. This new
format will permit the respondent to report individual quantities of
separative work units (SWU) purchased by a utility by the date of
delivery, seller's name, and the country of enrichment origin.
For Item 6 (Unirradiated New Fuel Assemblies Loaded into the Reactor)
The data element title will be changed to make clear the data being
requested, which is the quantity of uranium used in unirradiated, new
fuel assemblies loaded into a reactor(s) during the survey year.
III. Request for Comments
Prospective respondents and other interested parties should comment
on these proposed changes. The following general guidelines are
provided to assist in the preparation of responses.
As a potential respondent:
A. Are the instructions and definitions clear and sufficient? If
not, which instructions require clarification?
B. Can the data be submitted using the definitions provided in the
instructions?
C. Can data be submitted in accordance with the response period
specified in the instructions?
D. Will the estimated burden of reporting for the Form EIA-858
survey, currently 25 hours per response, be reduced or increased due to
the proposed form changes.
E. Will the estimated cost of completing the form, including the
direct and indirect costs associated with the data collection, be
reduced or increased as a result of these changes? Direct costs should
include all costs, such as administrative costs, directly attributable
to providing the requested information.
F. How can the revised Form EIA-858, Schedules A and B, be
improved?
G. Do you know of another Federal, State, or local agency that
collects similar data? If so, specify the agency, the data element(s),
and the means of collection.
H. What definitions does your company use for: spot, short-term,
medium-term, and/or long-term contracts?
As a potential data user:
A. Will these changes improve the usefulness of the data?
B. Can you use data at the levels of detail indicated on the Form
EIA-858?
C. For what purposes do you use the data? Please be specific.
D. How could the form be improved to better meet your specific
needs?
E. Are there alternate sources of data and do you use them? What
are their deficiencies and/or strengths
F. What data should be published that are not now being published?
Please specifically address any data publication issues as they might
relate to changes in the survey form and/or the data collected.
The EIA also is interested in receiving comments from persons
regarding their views on the need for the information contained in the
survey Form EIA-858.
Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of these forms changes.
The comments also will become a matter of public record.
Statutory Authority
Sections 5(a), 5(b), 13(b), and 52 of Public Law 93-275, Federal
Energy Administration Act of 1974, 15 U.S.C. 764(a), 764(b), 772(b),
790a, and section 205, Public Law 95-91, Department of Energy
Organization Act, 42 U.S.C. 7135.
Issued in Washington, DC, May 25, 1994.
John Gross,
Acting Director, Office of Statistical Standards, Energy Information
Administration.
[FR Doc. 94-13689 Filed 6-3-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P