EIA 882T Generic Clearance_30-Day FRN

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 11 / Tuesday, January 18, 2022 / Notices

Vegas, NV 89106; Phone: (702) 523–
0894. Minutes will also be available at
the following website: https://
www.nnss.gov/nssab/pages/MM_
FY22.html.
Signed in Washington, DC, on January 11,
2022.
LaTanya Butler,
Deputy Committee Management Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022–00790 Filed 1–14–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Information Administration
Agency Information Collection
Extension
U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA), U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:

EIA submitted an information
collection request for extension as
required by the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995. The information collection
requests a three-year extension with
changes of its Generic Clearance for
Questionnaire Testing, Evaluation, and
Research, OMB Control Number 1905–
0186. EIA–882T, Generic Clearance for
Questionnaire Testing, Evaluation, and
Research, provides EIA with the
authority to utilize qualitative and
quantitative methodologies to pretest
questionnaires and validate the quality
of data collected on EIA’s surveys. EIA
uses EIA–882T to meet its obligation to
publish, and otherwise make available
independent, high-quality statistical
data to federal government agencies,
state and local governments, the energy
industry, researchers, and the general
public.

SUMMARY:

Comments on this information
collection must be received no later
than February 17, 2022. Written
comments and recommendations for the
proposed information collection should
be sent within 30 days of publication of
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/
do/PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open
for Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If
you need additional information,
contact Gerson Morales, U.S. Energy
Information Administration, telephone
(202) 586–7077, or by email at
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
information collection request contains:
(1) OMB No.: 1905–0186;

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DATES:

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(2) Information Collection Request
Title: Generic Clearance for
Questionnaire Testing, Evaluation, and
Research;
(3) Type of Request: Three-year
extension with changes;
(4) Purpose: The U.S. Energy
Information Administration (EIA) is
requesting a three-year approval from
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) to utilize qualitative and
quantitative methodologies to pretest
questionnaires and validate the quality
of the data that is collected on EIA and
DOE survey forms. Through the use of
these methodologies, EIA will conduct
research studies to improve the quality
of energy data being collected, reduce or
minimize survey respondent burden,
and increase agency efficiency. This
authority would also allow EIA to
improve data collection in order to meet
the needs of EIA’s customers while also
staying current in the evolving nature of
the energy industry.
The specific methods proposed for the
coverage by this clearance are described
below. Also outlined is the legal
authority for these voluntary
information gathering activities.
The following methods are proposed:
Pilot Surveys. Pilot surveys conducted
under this clearance will generally be
methodological studies, and will always
employ statistically representative
samples. The pilot surveys will replicate
all components of the methodological
design, sampling procedures (where
possible), and questionnaires of the full
scale survey. Pilot surveys will normally
be utilized when EIA undertakes a
complete redesign of a particular data
collection methodology or when EIA
undertakes data collection in new
energy areas, such as HGL production,
alternative fueled motor vehicles, and
other emerging areas of the energy
sector where data collection would
provide utility to EIA.
Cognitive Interviews. Cognitive
interviews are typically one-on-one
interviews in which the respondent is
usually asked to ‘‘think aloud’’ or is
asked ‘‘retrospective questions’’ as he or
she answers questions, reads survey
materials, defines terminology, or
completes other activities as part of a
typical survey process. A number of
different techniques may be involved
including, asking respondents what
specific words or phrases mean or
asking respondents probing questions to
determine how they estimate, calculate,
or determine specific data elements on
a survey. The objectives of these
cognitive interviews are to identify
problems of ambiguity or
misunderstanding, examine the process
that respondents follow for reporting

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information, assess survey respondents’
ability to report new information, or
identify other difficulties respondents
have answering survey questions in
order to reduce measurement error from
estimates based on a survey.
Respondent Debriefings. Respondent
debriefings conducted under this
clearance will generally be
methodological or cognitive research
studies. The debriefing form is
administered after a respondent
completes a questionnaire either in
paper format, electronically, or through
in-person interviews. The debriefings
contain probing questions to determine
how respondents interpret the survey
questions, how much time and effort
was spent completing the questionnaire,
and whether they have problems in
completing the survey/questionnaire.
Respondent debriefings also are useful
in determining potential issues with
data quality and in estimating
respondent burden.
Usability Testing. Usability tests are
similar to cognitive interviews in which
a respondent is typically asked to ‘‘think
aloud’’ or asked ‘‘retrospective
questions’’ as he or she reviews an
electronic questionnaire, website, visual
aid, or hard copy survey form. The
objective of usability testing is to check
that respondents can easily and
intuitively navigate electronic survey
collection programs, websites, and other
survey instruments to submit their data
to EIA.
Focus Groups. Focus groups, in
person, online, or by phone, involve
group sessions guided by a moderator
who follows a topic guide containing
questions or subjects focused on a
particular issue rather than adhering to
a standardized cognitive interview
protocol. Focus groups are useful for
exploring issues concerning the design
of a form and the meaning of terms from
a specific group of respondents, data
users, or other stakeholders of EIA data.
Focus groups may also be used to
explore respondents’ general opinions
about data collection technologies or
survey materials other than
questionnaires.
(4a) Changes to Information
Collection: EIA proposes to add several
other methodologies or techniques to
improve survey design, pretest
questionnaires and validate the quality
of the data that is collected on EIA and
DOE survey forms.
Field Techniques. Field techniques
described in survey research and survey
methodology literature will be
employed as appropriate. These include
follow-up probing, memory cue tasks,
paraphrasing, confidence rating,
response latency measurements, free

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 11 / Tuesday, January 18, 2022 / Notices
and dimensional sort classification
tasks, and vignette classifications. The
objective of all of these techniques is to
aid in the development of surveys that
work with respondents’ thought
processes, thus reducing response error
and burden. These techniques have also
proven useful for studying and revising
pre-existing questionnaires.
Behavior Coding. Behavior coding is a
quantitative technique in which a
standard set of codes is systematically
applied to respondent/interviewer
interactions in interviewer-administered
surveys or respondent/questionnaire
interactions in self-administered
surveys. The advantage of this
technique is that it can identify and
quantify problems with the wording or
ordering of questions, but the
disadvantage is that it does not
necessarily illuminate the underlying
causes.
Split Panel Test. Split panel tests refer
to controlled experimental testing of
alternative hypotheses. Thus, they allow
one to choose from among competing
questions, questionnaires, definitions,
error messages or survey improvement
methodologies with greater confidence
than any of the other methods. Split
panel tests conducted during the
fielding of the survey are superior in
that they can support both internal
validity (controlled comparisons of the
variable(s) under investigation) and
external validity (represent the
population under study). Most of the
previously mentioned survey
improvement methods can be
strengthened when teamed with this
method.
Research reports, research
publications, peer-reviewed journal
articles, peer-reviewed book chapters,
and informational white papers: From
the collected data, EIA will have the
ability to write research papers, research
publications, peer-reviewed journal
articles, peer-reviewed book chapters,
and informational white papers.
Summarized results may be released or
discussed as experimental research in
the types of publications. However, the
information collected from these
methodologies will not be released as
official statistics and will explicitly note
the experimental nature of the
information.
Professional conferences: EIA may
present data collected from this research
at various professional conferences.
Professional conferences provide great
opportunities to communicate EIA’s
research to the broader energy,
statistical and survey methodology
communities and get feedback on
completed research. This will help
innovate not only EIA’s research and

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survey practices, but also that of these
broader communities.
Audio and Video Recordings: For
qualitative interviews, EIA will ask
potential respondents if they would be
willing to be audio or video recorded. If
potential respondents agree, EIA will
provide them with an informed consent
form, which respondents will sign to
signify compliance. A copy of the
signed consent will be given to the
potential respondents and kept on file at
EIA. Audio or video recording will only
be used for data analysis, and only those
researchers at EIA that are involved in
the research will have access to these
recordings. If potential respondents are
not willing to be audio/video recorded,
interviewer will bypass recording and
take notes.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of
Respondents: 7,500;
(6) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: 7,500;
(7) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: 7,500.
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 772(b),
42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.
Signed in Washington, DC, on January 11,
2022.
Samson A. Adeshiyan,
Director, Office of Statistical Methods and
Research, U.S. Energy Information
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2022–00736 Filed 1–14–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission
[Docket No. IC22–6–000]

Commission Information Collection
Activities (FERC–714) Comment
Request; Extension
Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, DOE.
ACTION: Notice of information collection
and request for comments.
AGENCY:

In compliance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal
Energy Regulatory Commission
(Commission or FERC) is soliciting
public comment on the currently
approved information collection, FERC–
714, (Annual Electric Balancing
Authority Area and Planning Area
Report).
DATES: Comments on the collection of
information are due March 21, 2022.
ADDRESSES: You may submit your
comments (identified by Docket No.
IC22–6–000) by one of the following
methods:
SUMMARY:

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Electronic filing through http://
www.ferc.gov, is preferred.
• Electronic Filing: Documents must
be filed in acceptable native
applications and print-to-PDF, but not
in scanned or picture format.
• For those unable to file
electronically, comments may be filed
by USPS mail or by hand (including
courier) delivery:
Æ Mail via U.S. Postal Service Only:
Addressed to: Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, Secretary of the
Commission, 888 First Street NE,
Washington, DC 20426.
Æ Hand (including courier) Delivery:
Deliver to: Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission, 12225 Wilkins Avenue,
Rockville, MD 20852.
Instructions: All submissions must be
formatted and filed in accordance with
submission guidelines at: http://
www.ferc.gov. For user assistance,
contact FERC Online Support by email
at [email protected], or by
phone at (866) 208–3676 (toll-free).
Docket: Users interested in receiving
automatic notification of activity in this
docket or in viewing/downloading
comments and issuances in this docket
may do so at http://www.ferc.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Ellen Brown may be reached by email
at [email protected], telephone
at (202) 502–8663.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: FERC–714, Annual Electric
Balancing Authority Area and Planning
Area Report.
OMB Control No.: 1902–0140.
Type of Request: Three-year extension
of the FERC–714 information collection
requirements with no changes to the
current reporting requirements.
Abstract: The Commission uses the
FERC–714 data to analyze power system
operations. These analyses estimate the
effect of changes in power system
operations resulting from the
installation of a new generating unit or
plant, transmission facilities, energy
transfers between systems, and/or new
points of interconnections. The FERC–
714 data assists in providing a broad
picture of interconnected balancing
authority area operations including:
Comprehensive information of
balancing authority area generation,
actual and scheduled inter-balancing
authority area power transfers, and net
energy for load, summer and winter
generation peaks and system lambda.
The Commission also uses the data to
prepare status reports on the electric
utility industry including a review of
inter-balancing authority area bulk
power trade information. The
Commission uses the collected data

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