97-14710. Agency Information Dissemination Activities: Proposed Discontinuance of Dissemination by Diskette; Comment Request

[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 108 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30847-30848]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-14710]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Energy Information Administration


Agency Information Dissemination Activities: Proposed 
Discontinuance of Dissemination by Diskette; Comment Request

AGENCY: Energy Information Administration, DOE.

ACTION: Agency information dissemination activities: Proposed 
discontinuance of dissemination by diskette.

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SUMMARY: The Energy Information Administration (EIA) is informing the 
public of a proposed change in the methods that EIA uses to disseminate 
data files and modeling programs and is soliciting public comments on 
the proposal.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 7, 1997. If 
you anticipate that you will be submitting comments, but find it 
difficult to do so within the period of time allowed by this notice, 
you should advise the contact listed below of your intention to do so 
as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to Sandra Wilkins, National Energy Information 
Center, EI-231, Forrestal Building, U.S. Department of Energy, 
Washington, DC 20585, telephone [phone], e-mail 
[e-mail], and FAX [phone].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information 
should be directed to Ms. Wilkins at the address listed above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Background
II. Current Actions
III. Request for Comments

I. Background

    In order to fulfill its responsibilities under the Federal Energy 
Administration Act of 1974 (Pub. L. No. 93-275) and the Department of 
Energy Organization Act (Pub. L. No. 95-91), the EIA is obliged to 
carry out a central, comprehensive, and unified energy data and 
information program. As part of this program, EIA collects, evaluates, 
assembles, analyzes, and disseminates data and forecasts related to 
energy

[[Page 30848]]

resource reserves, production, demand, and technology, and related 
economic and statistical information relevant to the adequacy of energy 
resources to meet demands in the near and longer term future for the 
Nation's economic and social needs.
    The EIA, as part of its continuing effort to provide adequate 
notice when initiating, substantially modifying, or terminating 
significant information products, (required by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13)), is issuing this notice to provide the 
public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on the 
proposed discontinuance of the dissemination of EIA's data files and 
modeling programs on computer diskettes.

II. Current Actions

    EIA currently disseminates statistical data, forecasts, and related 
information using various methods including printed publications, CD-
ROM (EIA's ``Energy InfoDisk''), EIA's Internet site (www.eia.doe.gov), 
an electronic publishing system (EPUB), an electronic mail subscription 
service (``listerve''), computer diskettes, and, for gasoline and 
diesel fuel price data, a 24-hour telephone hotline. EIA's Internet 
site has experienced significant increases each month in accessions 
while requests for data files and modeling programs on diskette are 
very infrequent.
    Given the numerous methods available for users to acquire EIA's 
information and to increase the efficiency of EIA's operations, EIA is 
proposing to discontinue releasing data files and modeling programs on 
computer diskettes. The diskettes have been available for purchase 
through the Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical 
Information (OSTI).

III. Request for Comments

    EIA stakeholders and other interested parties should comment on the 
action discussed in item II.

    Statutory Authority: Section 3506 (d)(3) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. No. 104-13).

    Issued in Washington, D.C. May 29, 1997.
Jay H. Casselberry,
Agency Clearance Officer, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy 
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 97-14710 Filed 6-4-97; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P