Weekly Imports Survey Cognitive Research

OMB Control Number 1905-0186

December 18, 2018

Form EIA-804 Weekly Imports Report and Form EIA-814 Monthly Imports Report

Cognitive Testing Protocol

January 2019

(This protocol is a guide – the questions presented here won’t necessarily be asked exactly as worded in the protocol or in this order. It is important to note that not all questions will be asked in every interview.)

Research Goals:

• Review importer processes for completing weekly and monthly EIA import reports.

• Identify information sources that importers use when completing EIA import reports.

• Determine how importers select weekly and monthly report periods when reporting imports to EIA.

• Understand methods importers use to determine the EIA classification of imported commodities.

• Understand methods importers use to determine the country of origin of imported commodities reported to EIA.

• Understand methods importers use to determine the port of entry for imported commodities reported to EIA.

• Understand methods importers use to determine the processing refinery for imported crude oil and unfinished oils (refinery feedstocks) reported monthly on Form EIA-814 (There is no requirement for importers to report processing refineries weekly on Form EIA-804).

• Assess differences and similarities between timing and other features of reporting to EIA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to determine the extent to which reference to CBP reporting requirements in EIA survey instructions is helpful to importers when reporting to EIA.

• Identify and assess challenges faced by importers reporting to EIA that are specific to foreign trade zone admissions.

• Assess importer processes and management controls used to assure that data reported to EIA are timely, accurate, complete, and consistent across EIA weekly and monthly reports as well as with reports filed with CBP.

• Assess importer ability to assure consistency of import and other reports filed with EIA across different supply chain activities. For example, to what extent are importers able to assure that the report period and commodity classification of barrels imported are consistent with the report period and commodity classification of the same barrels added to storage?

• Assess importer burden hours for completing weekly and monthly EIA reports.

Purpose of Interview:

Let me start by telling you a little about what we will be doing today:

• Introduce self and observers.

• The questions relate to how import activity is reported weekly on Form EIA-804 Weekly Imports Report and monthly basis on Form EIA-814 Monthly Imports Report.

• We are attempting to clear up some data issues and understand the methods company use to report quantities of imports on these survey forms.

Part A – Introduction

• What is your position with your company?

• Do you currently fill out Form EIA-804 and EIA-814?

• How long have you been completing these forms?

• Do you complete any other EIA surveys for your company?

• Do you complete Forms for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)?

  • (If yes) Which forms do you complete? (7501, 214A, 3461, Other?)

• Are you familiar with the instructions for Form EIA-804 and EIA-814?

  • (If yes) During the past year, how much time did you spend reading the instructions for Form EIA-804?

  • (If yes) How much time did you spend reading the instructions for Form EIA-814?

  • (If yes) Is the reference to the CBP reporting requirements in the EIA-804 instructions helpful for filling out Form EIA-804?

  • (If no) What would be more helpful?

Part B – Current Burden

Now let’s talk about how much time and effort it takes you to currently complete this form.

• How long does it take you to complete Form EIA-804 (Current burden 1.75 hours)? 

• Can you split that time between how much time does it takes you to gather the information and how much time it takes you to fill out the form and file your report? 

• How long does it take you to complete Form EIA-814 (Current burden 2.55 hours)? 

• Can you split that time between how much time does it takes you to gather the information and how much time it takes you to fill out the form and file your report? 

• Do you track the information you report on Form EIA-804 and EIA-814 over the normal course of business or is this information tracked only for responding to this survey?

• Does filling out either form require data or input from anyone else? 

• In the past, is this the usual time that it takes your company to fill out and file these reports? 

Part C – How do respondents generate point-in-time estimates for weekly import activity?

• Do you use information reported on CBP Form 7501 to report weekly on Form EIA-804?

  • (If yes) How is that information used?

• For determining the date that imports enter customs, do you use the “entry date” specified in block 7 on CBP Form 7501 and/or the “import date” specified in block 5 on CBP Form 214A (used in Foreign Trade Zones)?

• What other information sources do you use to complete the weekly 804 report?

• Do you use the same sources to complete Form EIA-814?

  • (If no) What are the differences?

• Do you exclude from your weekly report, any quantities that are in transit but have not entered the U.S. through customs?

• Do you report import quantities on Form EIA-804 even though you have not yet filed your CBP Form 7501?

• Do you report any quantities in your weekly EIA-804 report that have not cleared through customs but are waiting in the territorial waters of a US Port?

• Are the data you submit on Form EIA-804 based on actual quantities rounded to the nearest thousand barrels?

  • (If actual) how to you verify the accuracy of the quantities of the import products?

  • (If estimates) What method do you use to estimate the quantities?

• What is your cut off time for reporting weekly import activity in order to submit by 5:00 PM every Monday?

  • Is your cut off time the same each week?

• If imports entered the U.S. through customs and you have not filled out CBP Form 7501, do you include those import quantities as weekly activity on Form 804?

• If those quantities are excluded from the weekly 804 report, when do you include those quantities on the weekly EIA-804 report?

PART D- Product Definitions

• What definitions do you follow for classifying imported commodities reported on Form EIA-804?

• (If needed) Is this based off of the CBP classifications?

• (If needed) Is there another standard in the industry for classification?

• If Form EIA-804 had a different definition or classification of a commodity than the CBP forms, which production classification do you use for completing Form EIA-804?

• What category do you report unfinished oils on Form EIA-804?

• Do you report Topped crude and Unfinished oils in the same import product category?

• Does your company check to verify that the import quantities and commodity classifications reported on Form EIA-804 are consistent with the quantities and product classifications reported on the CBP forms?

• (If yes) How does your company resolve any differences between the import activity reported to EIA and CBP?

PART E- Geography

• How does your company determine the country of origin of crude oil reported to EIA on Form EIA-804?

• Do any shipments of crude oil involve more than one country of origin?

• (If yes) How do you report the country of origin on commingled shipments of crude oil?

• Does the country of origin ever differ from what you report to EIA versus CBP?

  • (If yes) What causes the difference in reporting the country of origin between these two survey forms?

• How does your company track a cargo when a cargo changes owners?

• Is there a time lag between when the owner changes and when you receive the information?

  • (If yes) What is the lag time?

• Does your company check the quantities reported on Form EIA-804 as imports through a Free Trade Zone with the quantities reported to CBP?

PART F- FORM EIA-814 specific questions

• How does your company determine the port of entry for imported commodities reported to EIA on Form EIA-814?

• Is this the same way your company determines which PADD to report quantities on Form EIA-804?

• How does your company determine the processing refinery for imported crude oil and unfinished oils on Form EIA-814?

• Do you follow any process to cross check the quantities you report on Form EIA-814 with the weekly values reported on Form 804 for any given month?

ONLY ASK THIS QUESTION IF PARTICIPANT ALSO FILES FORM EIA-805, 810, OR 815

• Does your company have a process to check whether the commodity classification that you use to report imports on Form EIA-804 is reported using the same product category on either Forms EIA-810 or EIA-815?

• Does your company have a process to check whether the import quantities reported on Form EIA-804 are included as inventory or inputs to the refinery on Forms EIA-810 or EIA-815?

Part F- Wrapping Up

• Do you ever receive callbacks or emails from EIA to check the data you reported?

  • (If yes) Approximately how many calls/emails did you receive last year?

  • (If yes) Approximately how much time did you spend responding to calls/emails last year?

• Do you have any problems filling out these forms?

• Do you have any suggestions to improve these surveys?

Thank you for your time today!

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