Generic Testing Clearance Summary Template under EIA-882T-EIA782

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for Questionnaire Testing and Research” (OMB Control Number: 1905-0186)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Cognitive Research for Proposed Modifications to the Petroleum Marketing Information Collection: Forms EIA-782A, EIA-782C and EIA-821

PURPOSE: The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) plans to use the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approved generic clearance, EIA-882T, (Generic Clearance For Questionnaire Testing and Research OMB No. 1905-0186), to conduct research on the ability of EIA survey respondents to report information on refined petroleum products of gasoline, distillate fuels, and kerosene-type jet fuel. Your action is anticipated within two weeks; however, EIA will not conduct this survey without approval. Results of this data collection will be submitted in the annual report of surveys conducted under the generic clearance.

Form EIA-782A, “Refiners’/Gas Plant Operators’ Monthly Petroleum Product Sales Report,” collects data on the sales of selected petroleum products (volumes and prices) to various categories of end-users and resellers at the State level from firms that either directly or indirectly control a refinery or gas plant. EIA is considering combining low sulfur no. 2 diesel categories and wants to assess respondents’ ability to report volumetric and price data for one category. EIA is also considering collecting additional information on gasoline blending and wants to assess respondents’ ability to report more detailed information on the use of biodiesel and ethanol blending. EIA seeks to improve the accuracy of the reporting of kerosene-type jet fuel and seeks to understand how respondents are reporting bonded fuel sold at airports.

Form EIA-782C, "Monthly Report of Prime Supplier Sales of Petroleum Products Sold for Local Consumption," collects volumetric data on the sales of selected petroleum products by prime suppliers delivered into States for local consumption. Data are reported by all suppliers who produce, import, or transport refined petroleum products across State boundaries and local marketing areas and sell the product to local distributors, local retailers, or end-users for final consumption. EIA is considering combining low sulfur no. 2 diesel categories and wants to assess respondents’ ability to report volumetric and price data for one category. EIA is also considering collecting additional information on gasoline blending and wants to assess respondents’ ability to report more detailed information on the use of biodiesel and ethanol blending. EIA wants to assess the effectiveness of using an Exclusionary List of Companies as a guidance tool to avoid double counting of product sold into a state for consumption.

Form EIA-821, "Annual Fuel Oil and Kerosene Report" collects annual volumetric data on State-level data on the sales of distillate and residual fuel oils, and kerosene to various end-use categories. EIA is considering discontinuing the collection of kerosene and adding propane to this survey. EIA seeks to understand how respondents keep their business data regarding sales to various end-use categories for distillate fuels and how respondents keep their records regarding propane sales.

The protocols are designed to collect information on how respondents interpret phrases, questions, and what information they compile and rely upon to complete these survey forms. Participation in this survey is voluntary.

EIA will use the information collected from this research to guide agency decisions in proposing any modifications to the petroleum marketing survey information collection request (ICR) under OMB Control No. 1905-0174. These petroleum survey forms expire September 30, 2017.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Current EIA respondents that report on Forms EIA-782A, 782C, and 821.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Field Testing [X] Cognitive Interviews

[ ] Usability Testing [ ] Focus Groups

[ ] Pilot Surveys [ ] Other: ______________________

[ ] Respondent Debriefings

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true regarding the proposed collection of information:

1. It is necessary for the proper performance of agency functions.

2. It avoids unnecessary duplication.

3. It reduces burden on small entities.

4. It uses plain, coherent, and unambiguous language that is understandable to respondents.

5. Its implementation will be consistent and compatible with current reporting and recordkeeping practices.

6. It indicates the retention periods for recordkeeping requirements.

7. It informs respondents of the information called for under 5 CFR 1320.8 (b)(3) about:

   1. Why the information is being collected;

   2. Use of information;

   3. Burden estimate;

   4. Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);

   5. Nature and extent of confidentiality; and

   6. Need to display currently valid OMB control number

8. It was developed by an office that has planned and allocated resources for the efficient and effective management and use of the information to be collected.

9. It uses effective and efficient statistical survey methodology (if applicable).

10. It makes appropriate use of information technology.

Name: Thomas Leckey, Assistant Administrator for Energy Statistics,

U.S. Energy Information Administration

To assist review, please provide answers to the following questions:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Y [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time (hours)	Burden hours
EIA-782A	12	0.5	6
EIA-782C	10	0.5	5.0
EIA-821	15	0.5	7.5
Totals	37		18.5

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is: $1,332.37

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [X] Yes [ ] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them?

EIA will recruit respondents to participate in cognitive research by contacting active companies listed in the current frame files for Forms EIA-782A, 782C, and 821. The refiners and gas plant operators that currently report on the EIA-782A frame file are automatically included as respondents on the current frame file for the EIA-782C. By conducting 12 interviews from refiners and gas plant operators that report on both Forms EIA-782A and 782C, the issues relevant to both forms can be covered with these two seller types. The additional 8 interviews listed above in the burden hour table for Form EIA-782C will be selected from seller types that are importers and retailers.

For the additional 8 interviews solely related to importers and retailers that report on Form EIA-782C, we plan 4 interviews from suppliers for the states NY, NJ, MA, and CT to assess whether there is any misreporting of where products are sold for final consumption when product is either delivered into or shipped from New York and Boston harbors. Likewise we plan 3 interviews from CA where product may be delivered into or shipped from either Los Angeles or San Francisco harbors. We plan 3 interviews for suppliers in the Midwest and Gulf Coast states that show the highest volumes such as MI, IL, and TX.

For Form EIA-821, EIA seeks to interview respondents from states which show the highest No. 2 distillate volumes. EIA plans to interview 3 respondents in each state of TX, CA, PA, and 2 respondents in each state OH, IL, and FL.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[X] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [X] Yes [ ] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the

“Generic Clearance for Questionnaire Testing and Research”

(OMB Control Number: 1905-0186)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Comment card for soliciting feedback on Cognitive Research for Proposed Modifications to the Petroleum Marketing Information Collection: Forms EIA-782A, EIA-782C and EIA-821

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions. Note: Agencies should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households; (2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g. fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g. for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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