RECS 30 Day FRN

46104

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 28, 2024 / Notices

The Department of Energy
(DOE), pursuant to the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, intends to
extend for three years, an information
collection request with the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB).
DATES: Comments regarding this
proposed information collection must
be received on or before July 29, 2024.
If you anticipate any difficulty in
submitting comments within that
period, contact the person listed in the
SUMMARY:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

section as soon as possible.
Written comments may be
sent to Vanessa Grisko by email at
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
instrument and instructions should be
directed to Vanessa Grisko by email at
[email protected], (240) 388–
5944.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under the
PRA of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13; 44 U.S.C.
3501–3521), Federal agencies must
obtain approval from OMB for each
collection of information they conduct
or sponsor. This request for comment is
being made pursuant to section
3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA. With respect
to the following collection of
information, DOE invites comments on:
(a) Whether the extended collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility;
(b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate
of the burden of the proposed collection
of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility,
and clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on respondents, including through the
use of automated collection techniques
or other forms of information
technology.
This information collection request
contains:
(1) OMB No.: 1910–5179;
(2) Information Collection Request
Titled: United States Energy and
Employment Report Survey;
(3) Type of Review: Revision of
currently approved information
collection;
(4) Purpose: The rapidly changing
nature of energy production,
distribution, and consumption
throughout the United States economy
is having a dramatic impact on job
creation and economic competitiveness,
but is inadequately understood and, in
some sectors, incompletely measured by

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ADDRESSES:

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traditional labor market sources. The
U.S. Energy and Employment Report
Survey will collect data from businesses
in in-scope industries, quantifying and
qualifying employment among energy
activities, workforce demographics,
wages, benefits, workforce needs, and
the industry’s perception on the
difficulty of recruiting qualified
workers. The data will be used to
generate the annual U.S. Energy and
Employment Report
(5) Annual Estimated Number of
Respondents: 42,000;
(6) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: 42,000
(7) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: 4,154.22;
(8) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden:
$572,570.21.
Statutory Authority: Sec. 301 of the
Department of Energy Organization Act
(42 U.S.C. 7151); sec. 5 of the Federal
Energy Administration Act of 1974 (15
U.S.C. 764); and sec. 103 of the Energy
Reorganization Act of 1974 (42 U.S.C.
5813).
Signing Authority
This document of the Department of
Energy was signed on May 22, 2024, by
Vanessa Grisko, Chief of Staff in the
Office of Energy Jobs, pursuant to
delegated authority from the Secretary
of Energy. That document with the
original signature and date is
maintained by DOE. For administrative
purposes only, and in compliance with
requirements of the Office of the Federal
Register, the undersigned DOE Federal
Register Liaison Officer has been
authorized to sign and submit the
document in electronic format for
publication, as an official document of
the Department of Energy. This
administrative process in no way alters
the legal effect of this document upon
publication in the Federal Register.
Signed in Washington, DC on May 22,
2024.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S.
Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2024–11630 Filed 5–24–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Information Administration
Agency Information Collection
U.S. Energy Information
Administration (EIA), U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice and request for OMB
review and comment.
AGENCY:

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EIA invites public comment
on the reinstatement with changes to the
Residential Energy Consumption Survey
(RECS) Forms EIA 457–A, D, E, F, and
G under OMB Control Number 1905–
0092, as required under the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. RECS collects
data on energy characteristics,
consumption, and expenditures for the
residential sector of the United States
and is comprised of five forms
including: Form EIA 457–A Household
Survey, Form EIA 457–D Energy
Supplier Survey: Household Propane
Usage, Form EIA 457–E Energy Supplier
Survey: Household Electricity Usage,
Form EIA 457–F, Energy Supplier
Survey: Household Natural Gas Usage,
Form EIA 457–G Energy Supplier
Survey: Household Fuel Oil or Kerosene
Usage. These forms will be used to
collect information in calendar years
2024 and 2025 and will be used to
produce household energy usage
estimates for the reference year 2024.
DATES: EIA must receive all comments
on this proposed information collection
no later than June 27, 2024. If you
anticipate that you will be submitting
comments but find it difficult to do so
within the period allowed by this
notice, please advise the OMB Desk
Officer of your intention to make a
submission as soon as possible. The
Desk Officer may be telephoned at (202)
881–8585.
ADDRESSES: 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:
Chip Berry, U.S. Energy Information
Administration, by telephone at (202)
586–5543, or by email at chip.berry@
eia.gov. The proposed forms and
instructions are available on EIA’s
website at www.eia.gov/survey/#eia-457.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This
information collection request contains:
(1) OMB No.: 1905–0092;
(2) Information Collection Request
Title: Residential Energy Consumption
Survey;
(3) Type of Request: Reinstatement
with changes;
(4) Purpose: The RECS is a
nationwide study of energy use in
housing units and includes a series of
data collections from households and
household energy suppliers. RECS
results include official statistics about
the energy characteristics, consumption,
SUMMARY:

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 28, 2024 / Notices
and expenditures of U.S. homes. In
addition to statistics produced directly
from surveys of households and energy
suppliers, EIA leverages the RECS
survey information to model and
produce energy end-use estimates (e.g.,
natural gas water heating consumption).
EIA has conducted the RECS
periodically since 1978 and the 2024
RECS will be the 16th data collection for
the program.
Form EIA 457–A: Household Survey
collects information on the presence
and characteristics of a wide range of
energy-consuming devices in homes,
including space heating and cooling
equipment, appliances, and electronics.
The Household Survey also asks
respondents about key structural
features and demographic
characteristics that impact energy usage.
Forms EIA 457–D, E, F, and G: Energy
Supplier Surveys collect monthly
electricity and natural gas billing data
from energy suppliers (e.g., utilities),
and periodic propane and fuel oil
delivery data from bulk fuel suppliers
provided by Household Survey
respondents.
RECS is integral to EIA’s mandate to
collect and publish energy end-use
consumption data. RECS estimates
represent the most comprehensive
national and state-level results available
on energy consumption in homes. RECS
is a key, benchmark data series that
allows policy makers and program
implementers in both public and private
organizations to analyze trends in
energy consumption for the residential
sector. RECS fulfills planning, analyses,
and decision-making needs of DOE,
other Federal agencies, state
governments, utilities, researchers, and
energy analysts in the private sector.
In addition to the annualized RECS
estimates that EIA has produced for all
prior RECS studies, EIA intends to
release sub-annual (e.g., monthly)
energy consumption and expenditures
estimates from the 2024 RECS. These
estimates would be derived from
monthly energy bills collected on the
Energy Supplier Survey forms and
modeled energy end-use outputs.
(4a) Proposed Changes to Information
Collection: For the 2024 RECS, EIA
intends to field a series of local-area
samples in select metropolitan
statistical areas around the country.
These additional samples in 10 local
areas will support EIA’s efforts to
expand its demand-side energy data
program to produce energy-use results
for more granular geographic and
demographic communities.
EIA proposes to update the
Household Survey to improve response
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current energy trends. EIA is proposing
the following questionnaire updates
based on data quality analysis of the
prior RECS, changes in the residential
housing market, and stakeholder
feedback. Proposed new questions
reflect EIA’s effort to collect the most
relevant information necessary to
estimate household energy use and to
inform energy end-use estimation.
Proposed question revisions should
improve response quality, minimize
reporting burden, and reflect changes in
technology. EIA proposes deleting
questions with poor response quality
from the last collection or where data
are now available from alternative
sources.
Household Survey (EIA 457–A)
Question additions and
reinstatements (sections in parentheses):
• (Your Home) Added a question
asking how many months a
respondent’s pool is heated. Pool
heating can account for considerable
energy use for a home and this question
will improve EIA’s ability to model pool
energy end-use consumption and
expenditures.
• (Appliances) Added a question
asking about the presence of air fryers
to the small kitchen appliances section.
• (Electronics) Added a question
asking about the presence of external
computer monitors.
• (Space Heating) Added a set of
questions asking about third heating
sources used in the home.
• (Space Heating) Added a question
asking respondents if they use their heat
pump for cooling as well as heating.
This should improve our estimates of
heat pumps used for both heating and
cooling.
• (Space Heating and Air
Conditioning) Added a question to each
section about how people use their
heating and cooling equipment. RECS
asked this question in the 2009 survey
about air conditioning only, but it
would be useful to reinstate this for
heating, as well, to understand how
often respondents use their equipment.
This is useful for modeling energy
consumption for space heating and
space cooling, which are the largest end
uses in the household.
• (Water Heating) Added a question
about the presence of heat pump/hybrid
water heaters. Heat pump/hybrid water
heaters are an emerging technology and
can result in significant energy savings
for a household if installed.
• (Water Heating) Added a question
about the fuel for solar water heater
backups. RECS asks about the presence
of solar water heaters, but no
information is currently collected about

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the fuel used to supplement or backup
the solar water heaters. This will
improve EIA’s modeling of water
heating end-use consumption.
• (Energy Bills) Reinstated a series of
questions for bulk fuels asking
respondents to estimate the amount that
had been delivered in the past year.
These questions are used for validating
and imputing bulk fuel consumption.
• (Other Energy Uses) Added a
question about the number of solar
panels if a respondent indicates that
they have solar panels.
• (Other Energy Uses) Added a
question about battery storage for solar.
• (Other Energy Uses) Added a
question asking about the number of
electric vehicles owned or leased. This
replaces the question from the 2020
RECS that asked only if a respondent
had an electric vehicle.
• (Energy Assistance) Added a
question related to inability to pay an
energy bill in part or in full. While the
RECS gathers information about people
forgoing expenses to help pay for energy
bills and information about the receipt
of disconnection notices, there is a gap
in knowledge about people who still
face difficulties with energy bills but
pay enough to not receive a notice.
• (Final Questions) Added a question
asking respondents for their inverter
company if they have solar generation.
To improve our electricity consumption
estimates for homes with solar, EIA will
pilot a data collection from those
companies concurrent with the Energy
Supplier Survey data collection.
Revisions
• (Your Home) Changed questions
asking how many months your pool and
hot tub were ‘‘in use’’ to how many
months the pool pump/hot tub were
‘‘turned on.’’ This change should better
capture when pool equipment is
running.
• (Appliances) Changed the phrasing
of a question option for the location of
the second refrigerator. ‘‘Main living
area’’ was confusing and unclear. The
option will be reworded as ‘‘anywhere/
somewhere else in the house.’’
• (Appliances) Provided an option for
dual-fuel ranges to have fuels other than
natural gas. Propane dual-fuel ranges are
common enough to warrant this change.
• (Appliances) Removed the word
‘‘rare’’ from the induction cooktop
question.
• (Appliances) Revised wording on
the question asking about the number of
microwaves from ‘‘have’’ to ‘‘use.’’ This
change will better capture microwaves
that are actively drawing power.

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 103 / Tuesday, May 28, 2024 / Notices

• (Electronics) Collapsed TV type
categories into fewer options to reflect
current technologies.
• (Space Heating) Added fireplace as
a response option for main heating
equipment. Similarly, added more
response options to secondary heating
equipment so that it is consistent with
main heating equipment options.
• (Space Heating) Allow respondents
to indicate using both wood cords and
wood pellets.
• (Energy Bills) Adjusted the question
focused on energy use for ‘‘nonhousehold purposes.’’
• (Other Energy Uses) Revised the
generator question to separately capture
presence of whole-home or portable
generators.
• (Household Characteristics) Revised
the gender question as per guidance in
OMB Executive Order 14075 (June
2022).
• (Household Characteristics)
Adjusted the response categories for the
household income question to reflect
current income levels.

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Deletions
• (Your Home) Removed a question
asking respondents if they have natural
gas available in their neighborhood. Our
evaluation of missing rates and overall
response quality indicates that many
respondents who do not use natural gas
are not aware if they have natural gas
available to them.
• (Appliances) Removed a question
about the number of months a
respondent used a secondary
refrigerator. Responses have been
inconsistent, and 2020 RECS data
indicate that nearly all households with
a second refrigerator use them all year.
• (Electronics) Removed a series of
questions about the purpose of TV
usage. This series was added to the 2020
RECS, but EIA determined there is little
analytical value of this information with
regard to energy usage in homes.
• (Electronics) Removed a question
asking about VCRs. Few respondents
have them and they do not consume a
lot of energy.
• (Electronics) Removed a series of
questions about the use of equipment
for teleworking. These questions were
added at the beginning of the COVID–
19 pandemic to assess a potential
change in household behavior due to
the pandemic.
• (Thermostats and Temperatures)
Removed a series of questions asking
how respondents control their
thermostats. This information was not
used in modeling end-use energy
consumption. RECS plans to replace
this question with the above addition

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about how people use their heating and
cooling equipment.
• (Water Heating) Removed a
question about whether respondents use
a blanket for their water heater.
• (Other Energy Uses) Removed a
series of questions about non-solar
renewable energy. On-site residential
wind energy generation and combined
heat and power systems are rare. We
have retained a question about presence
of on-site solar.
• (Household Characteristics)
Removed a question asking about the
total number of household members.
RECS already asks questions about how
many adults and how many children
live in the household and gives those
questions primacy.
• (Final Questions) Removed a series
of questions asking respondents in large
apartment buildings about their
landlord information. This was used in
the 2020 RECS to conduct a Multifamily
Buildings Study, which has been
discontinued.
Energy Supplier Surveys (EIA 457 D–G)
EIA proposes to reduce the number of
months of bills or fuel deliveries
collected on the Energy Supplier Survey
forms from 24 months to 20 months.
Collecting 24 months of bills for the
2020 RECS was necessary to evaluate
impacts of the COVID–19 pandemic on
energy use for households. The
additional four months of bills are no
longer needed, and 20 months of billing
and fuel delivery data is sufficient for
2024 RECS estimation.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of
Respondents: 5,641;
(6) Annual Estimated Number of
Total Responses: 5,641;
(7) Annual Estimated Number of
Burden Hours: 3,909;
(8) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: The
annualized cost of the burden hours is
estimated to be $356,344 (3,909 hours
times $91.16 per hour). The burden
estimates are annualized over the fouryear project cycle. EIA estimates that
respondents will have no additional
costs associated with the surveys other
than the burden hours and the
maintenance of the information during
the normal course of business.
Comments are invited on whether or
not: (a) The proposed collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of agency functions,
including whether the information will
have a practical utility; (b) EIA’s
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and
assumptions used, is accurate; (c) EIA
can improve the quality, utility, and

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clarity of the information it will collect;
and (d) EIA can minimize the burden of
the collection of information on
respondents, such as automated
collection techniques or other forms of
information technology.
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 772(b)
and 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq. Section 13(b)
of the Federal Energy Administration
Act of 1974, Pub. L. 93–275, codified as
15 U.S.C. 772(b) and the DOE
Organization Act of 1977, Pub. L. 95–91,
codified at 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.
Signed in Washington, DC, on May 22,
2024.
Samson A. Adeshiyan,
Director, Office of Statistical Methods and
Research, U. S. Energy Information
Administration.
[FR Doc. 2024–11644 Filed 5–24–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[FRL 11986–01–OAR]

Request for Nominations for Mobile
Sources Technical Review
Subcommittee (MSTRS)
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice; Request for nominations
for Mobile Sources Technical Review
Subcommittee (MSTRS).
AGENCY:

The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) invites
nominations from a diverse range of
qualified candidates to be considered
for appointment to its Mobile Sources
Technical Review Subcommittee
(MSTRS). Vacancies are anticipated to
be filled by November 15, 2024. Sources
in addition to this Federal Register
Notice may also be utilized in the
solicitation of nominees.
DATES: Nominations must be
postmarked or emailed by July 31, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Submit nominations in
writing to: Sarah Roberts, Alternate
Designated Federal Officer, Office of
Transportation and Air Quality, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 2000
Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI
48105.
You may also email nominations with
subject line MSTRS2024 to mstrs@
epa.gov.
SUMMARY:

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sarah Roberts, Alternate Designated
Federal Officer, U.S. EPA; telephone:
(734) 214–4615; email: roberts.sarah@
epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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