Supporting Statement B for the EIA-63C

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Supporting Statement B for the EIA-63C Densified Biomass Fuel Report

www.eia.gov

U.S. Department of Energy

Washington, DC 20585

OMB No. 1905-0209

May 2024

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), the statistical and analytical agency within the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), prepared this report. By law, our data, analyses, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the U.S. Government. The views in this report do not represent those of DOE or any other federal agencies.

Table of Contents

B.1. Respondent Universe 1

B.2. Statistical Methods 1

B.3. Maximizing Response Rates 1

B.4. Test Procedures and Form Consultations 2

B.5. Statistical Consultations 2

B.1. Respondent Universe

Form EIA-63C, Densified Biomass Fuel Report, is a mandatory monthly survey with a size threshold of U.S. companies engaged in densified biomass fuel manufacturing, sales, or exporting. The information collected includes:

• Volumes produced and sold

• Revenues from sales

• Feedstock purchases and costs

• Inventory of products

• Technical characteristics of the densified biomass fuel products

• Employment data

The survey frame for Form EIA-63C contains 76 monthly respondents and 17 annual respondents. Potential respondents are identified from U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) databases, industry/manufacturer directories, and trade publications.

Data for this survey are collected monthly from companies with a production capacity of 10,000 tons per year or more. Because the production capacity changes over time, EIA collects production capacities (only Part 1 and Part 2) from all companies (including companies with production capacity under 10,000 tons) once a year. This information is used only for screening purposes to determine the potential respondents for the rest of the year.

10,000 tons per year was determined to be an appropriate cutoff threshold for reporting monthly on this survey to minimize the burden for small producers. At this threshold, about 90% of the industry’s activity is covered in the monthly data collection, and the number of respondents is sufficient to allow publication of aggregate data at the state and regional level. Raising the cutoff threshold for reporting monthly would not result in inadequate market coverage and too few respondents in some regions or states to allow publication of meaningful data.

B.2. Statistical Methods

EIA collects information from all companies above a predefined reporting threshold as discussed in the previous section.

In 2023, the unit response rate for this survey was approximately 100%. Imputation methods are applied to impute for item nonresponses and edit failure. Item nonresponses for missing production data are estimated using regional averages by product type weighted by production capacity. Item nonresponses for cost data are estimated using regional averages by product.

EIA publishes aggregated respondent data for the companies that are above the reporting threshold. EIA does not publish estimates for the companies that are below the reporting threshold.

B.3. Maximizing Response Rates

To maximize response rates, EIA surveys and instructions are designed and written with clarity and conciseness. Data that are not expected to change from year-to-year or month-to-month are pre-populated on the forms, such as first operational year or installed maximum annual production capacity. Notifications are emailed early to maximize the time that respondents have to complete the surveys.

As noted in Supporting Statement A, EIA’s internet data collection system makes forms available online as soon as respondents obtain a secure ID and password. The 2023 response rate for this survey was approximately 100%. All survey responses are submitted through the online portal. Form due dates are the same each period so that respondents can schedule their reporting activities.

Non-respondents for Form EIA-63C are contacted by email, telephone, and letter to request data submission until a 0% non-response rate is achieved. Follow-up email messages citing failure to file the required form are sent to all non-respondents. If the follow-up email messages do not result in a response, additional correspondence requesting immediate submission is sent to the supervisor of the primary contact and, if necessary, to higher-level management officials at the non-responding entity. The letters are sent from the EIA Office Director or, on rare occasions, from the Assistant Administrator or Administrator of EIA.

Respondents who file via the internet system have the opportunity to either correct or explain unusual data during their submission. These explanations are reviewed by EIA staff and respondents are contacted if further clarification is needed. For respondents who file a paper copy of the form, email messages are sent and/or telephone calls are made to confirm corrections or clarifications of any suspected errors in data.

B.4. Test Procedures and Form Consultations

After the 60-day Federal Register Notice Volume 89, No. 36, page 13,323, was published on Thursday, February 22, 2024, the draft forms and instructions were posted on EIA’s website for the general public to solicit feedback. Six comments were received on the form content and publication. The comments were evaluated and addressed.

B.5. Statistical Consultations

There were no new statistical procedures introduced this clearance cycle. Therefore, no special statistical consultations were made as part of this package.   

For information concerning the Form EIA-63C, Densified Biomass Fuel Report, please contact Patricia Hutchins, Operations Research Analyst, Office of Energy Production, Conversion, and Delivery, at Patricia.Hutchins@eia.gov.