Natural Gas Data Collection Program Package

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
Washington, DC 20585

Form Approved
OMB No. 1905-0175
Expiration Date: 12/31/2011

ANNUAL UNDERGROUND GAS STORAGE REPORT
FORM EIA-191A
INSTRUCTIONS
Transfer System may be accessed through the following
web address: https://VLJQRQ.eia.doe.gov/upload/noticeoog.jsp.

PURPOSE
The Energy Information Administration (EIA) Form EIA191A, “Annual Underground Gas Storage Report,”
provides data on the operations of all active underground
storage facilities. Data are collected pursuant to the Federal
Energy Administration (FEA) Act of 1974, Public Law 93275. This report is mandatory under the FEA Act. The data
appear in the EIA publications, Monthly Energy Review,
Natural Gas Annual, and Natural Gas Monthly.

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
All companies that operate underground natural gas storage
fields in the United States must provide the information
requested.

WHEN TO REPORT
Form EIA-191A is due February 20th, reflecting the status
of the field as of December 31 of the report year. If
additional fields are acquired, or storage activities begin in
a new facility during the year, you are required to file Form
EIA-191A when initial activity begins.

COPIES OF THE SURVEY FORM AND
INSTRUCTIONS
Copies in portable document format (PDF) and spreadsheet
format (XLS) are available on EIA's website at:
www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/survey_forms/nat_su
rvey_forms.html
You can also access the materials by following these steps:
• Go to EIA's website at www.eia.doe.gov
• Click on the Natural Gas category (this takes you to
EIA's natural gas information page).
• Click on the Survey Forms link located in the reference
box in the lower right corner.
• Select the materials you want.
Files must be saved to your personal computer.
cannot be entered interactively on the website.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
All volumes should be reported in thousand cubic feet
(Mcf). Negative values should not be filed on any part of
the Form EIA-191A.
Provide data for all fields your company operates. You
may copy additional forms or download additional
electronic files when submitting data for more than 2 fields.
Indicate when revised reports are submitted by checking
the box. A revised report is required if actual or corrected
data vary more than plus or minus 4 percent from the data
previously reported as estimated data.
Reporting of preliminary or estimated data is encouraged if
necessary to meet the due date.

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS
PART 1: RESPONDENT IDENTIFICATION DATA
Please provide up-to-date company information.
EIA ID Number: Complete the 10-digit identification
number assigned by EIA. Companies operating in more
than one State should note that a unique number has been
assigned for operations in each State. In the event an
identification number has not been assigned, leave the
space blank and contact the EIA at (877) 800-5261, a
number will then be assigned by the EIA.
Resubmission: Check the box if report is a revised report.
If the report is an original, leave this space blank.
Company Name: Enter the company name.
Contact Information:
information.

Enter

the

current

contact

Data

HOW TO REPORT
Instructions on where to report via mail, fax, secure file
transfer or email are printed on Part 2 of Form EIA-191A.

SECURE FILE TRANSFER
Forms may be submitted through the Secure File Transfer
System. The secure hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS) is
an industry standard method to send information over the
web using a secure, encrypted process. All information is
protected by 128-bit encryption to maintain the privacy and
confidentiality of transmitted data. The Secure File

PART 2: SUBMISSION INFORMATION
Provides information for the four options available for
submitting your completed Form EIA-191A: (1) mail; (2)
fax; (3) email; and (4) Secure File Transfer.
PART 3: ANNUAL FIELD CHARACTERISTICS
All information requested in this part of the form must be
reported each time the form is submitted.
Information should be provided for your field/s as defined
below in the definitions. Report all volumes in Thousand
Cubic Feet (Mcf), 14.73 psia-60o F.

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For Type of Facility, enter one of the following: depleted
gas well, aquifer, salt dome, or other facility. If “other” is
reported, please provide additional information regarding
the type of facility in the comments section.

storage facility in accordance with its design, which
comprises the physical characteristics of the reservoir,
installed equipment, and operating procedures particular to
the site.

For Field Status, enter one of the following: active,
abandoned, depleting, or other status. If “other” is reported,
please provide additional information regarding the field
status in the comments section.

Working Gas Capacity:
The presently developed
maximum capacity of gas in the reservoir that is in addition
to the base gas.

Comments: Use the space provided to describe any unusual
or substantially different aspects of your annual operations
that affect the data reported.

SANCTIONS

DEFINITIONS
Active Field Status: A natural gas storage facility with
continuing periodic injections and withdrawals.
Abandoned Field Status: A natural gas storage facility
that is no longer used as a storage field and has capped all
well heads, making it impossible to inject or withdraw
natural gas in the field.

The timely submission of Form EIA-191A by those
required to report is mandatory under Section 13(b) of the
Federal Energy Administration (FEA) Act of 1974, (Public
Law 93-275), as amended. Failure to respond may result in
a civil penalty of not more than $2,750 a day for each
violation, or a fine of not more than $5,000 for each willful
violation. The government may bring a civil action to
prohibit reporting violations which may result in a
temporary restraining order or a preliminary or permanent
injunction without bond. In such civil action, the court may
also issue mandatory injunctions commanding any person
to comply with these reporting requirements.

Aquifer: A subsurface facility for storing natural gas,
consisting of water bearing sands topped by an
impermeable cap rock.

PROVISIONS FOR CONFIDENTIALITY

Base (Cushion) Gas: The volume of gas needed as a
permanent inventory to maintain adequate storage reservoir
pressures and deliverability rates.

Information reported on Form EIA-191A will be
considered public information, it may be publicly released
in company or individually identifiable form, and will not
be protected from disclosure in identifiable form.

Depleted Field Status: A natural gas storage facility that is
in the process of withdrawal, and is no longer injecting
natual gas.
Depleted Field: A subsurface natural geological reservoir,
usually a depleted oil or gas field, used for storing natural
gas.
Maximum Deliverability: The maximum deliverability
rate (Mcf/day) estimated at the presently developed
maximum operating capacity.
Salt Dome: A storage facility that is a domical arch
(anticline) of sedimentary rock beneath the earth's surface
in which the layers bend downward in opposite directions
from the crest and that has a mass of rock salt as its core.
Total Storage Field Capacity: The maximum volume of
base and working gas that can be stored in an underground

FILING
FORMS
WITH
FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT
AND
ESTIMATED
REPORTING BURDEN
Public reporting burden for this collection of information is
estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the
time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data
sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and
completing and reviewing the collection of information.
Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other
aspect of this collection of information, including
suggestions for reducing this burden, to the Energy
Information Administration, Statistics and Methods Group
EI-70, 1000 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC
20585; and to the Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington,
DC 20503.

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