Generic Testing Clearance Template EIA-819 and EIA-22M

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

Cognitive Research for Proposed Modifications to Form EIA-819 and EIA-22

PURPOSE:

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is considering combining Form EIA-819 Monthly Oxygenate Report and Form EIA-22M Monthly Biodiesel Production Survey. Form EIA-819 currently collects information on fuel ethanol production, capacity, and related storage information. This information is used to measure ethanol production and assess gasoline supply and demand market conditions. Form EIA-22M collects biodiesel production and sales, sales of B100, sales of blended biodiesel, and production inputs from biodiesel producers by plant.

EIA is proposing to combine the forms as a means of streamlining reporting. Ethanol plants and biodiesel plants are different entities, however, EIA understands that many companies operate both types of plants. EIA wants to determine a consistent reporting method that is compatible with records kept in both these market segments. By combining these forms, EIA believes it will reduce respondent burden by decreasing the number of forms filed by your company. To do this, EIA will assess the ability of respondents to report their production data on the combined survey and to accurately measure the impact on time and costs associated with reporting these new data elements.

This research project will be conducted in two phases to utilize both cognitive interviews and online focus groups to determine the ability of respondents to report their information on the expanded form and identify any problems that respondents may have in navigating through the form and reporting new data elements to EIA. EIA will employ both cognitive interviews and online focus groups (two sessions) to gather feedback from respondents on the proposed survey form. The information gathered from these research methods will help EIA identify areas of the form that are confusing to respondents and need to be modified to ensure ease of completion. The information gathered from these research methods will help EIA identify areas of the form that are confusing to respondents and need to be modified to ensure ease of completion.

EIA will also collect information from the interviews to estimate the burden per response for future and current respondents based on a redesign and expansion of Form EIA-819.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:

Current EIA survey respondents that report on Forms EIA-819 and EIA-22M. In addition to these respondents, EIA will also contact establishments that produce renewable diesel fuel, heating oil, jet fuel, naphtha, gasoline, other renewable fuels, intermediate products, and fuel oxygenates. This redesign may involve adding new data elements to other EIA surveys that these respondents may already be reporting on as respondents to other EIA surveys. e.g. refineries that produce renewable fuels.

There are three refineries that produce advanced biofuels who currently report on Form EIA-810. They are referenced as Group 3 in the protocol files. These refineries use vegetable oils and other renewable feedstocks as an input with their crude oil inputs to make refined biodiesel. These respondents already report their inputs on Form EIA-810, however, since they are also producing renewable feedstocks, this information should be reported as receipts on Form EIA-810 to be used as an input. This research will provide useful information to determine whether Form EIA-810 should be modified to allow these respondents to report their renewable feedstocks as receipts. These respondents would not be added to the frame for EIA-819. They would remain as respondents to Form EIA-810

There are merchant MTBE plants and one ETBE plant that are currently reporting on Form EIA-819. However, some of these merchant plants have switched from making MTBE/ETBE to iso-octane for blending with gasoline. Form EIA-819 does not collect information on the product supplied from the blending of the iso-octane feedstocks. This group of respondents is referenced as Group 4 in the protocol files. This research will assess the ability of these respondents to start reporting the gasoline and distillate blending as part of their Form EIA-819 report. EIA is also trying to collect input of hydrocarbon gas liquids for production of fuel oxygenates such as MTBE and ETBE. This is important to accurately measure product supplied. By collecting information on the input of hydrocarbon gas liquids for production of MTBE/ETBE EIA will be able to avoid double counting barrels of hydrocarbon gas liquids (propane, normal butane, butylene, isobutene, and isobutylene) as product supplied (demand) for hydrocarbon gas liquids and count those inputs as production of MTBE and ETBE.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Field Testing [X] Cognitive Interviews

[ ] Usability Testing [X] 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: Tom Leckey, Assistant Administrator for Office of 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 [X] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [X] 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
Fuel Ethanol Producer (EIA-819) Cognitive Interviews	9	1.5	13.5
Biofuel Producer (EIA-22M) Cognitive Interviews	9	1.5	13.5
Renewable Fuel Producer Cognitive Interviews EIA-810 respondents	3	1.5	4.5
Fuel Oxygenate Producer Cognitive Interviews Merchant MTBE/ETBE plants (EIA-819)	3	1.5	4.5
Pre Interview preparation for each participant	24	.5	12
Online Focus Group (EIA-819 Respondents)	10	2	20
Online Focus Group (EIA-22M Respondents )	10	2	20
Pre-focus group preparation	20	.5	10
Totals	44		98

ESTIMATE OF RESPONDENT BURDEN HOURS AND COST: The burden to respondents is 98 hours and the cost to the respondents is estimated to be ($75.69*98) = $7,417.62.

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is: $7,120. Two field trips involving 3 staff total transportation and housing costs estimated at $3,500 per trip, based on 4 day travel period and 2 online focus group sessions at $60 per session.

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 this cognitive research by contacting active companies listed in the current frame file for Forms EIA-819 (~220 respondents) and EIA-22M (~ 142 respondents). In addition to contacting respondents in these survey frames, EIA will contact companies that produce renewable diesel fuel, heating oil, jet fuel, naphtha, gasoline, other renewable fuels, intermediate products, and fuel oxygenates. There are only a small number of companies currently producing these renewable fuels using state-of-the-art technology. Respondents will be selected from different geographic regions and sizes of their production capacities to ensure adequate market coverage across large and small-sized facilities.

Administration of the Instrument

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

[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[X] Telephone

[X] 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: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

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: Identity 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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