TITLE 15 - US CODE - SUBCHAPTER II - OFFICE OF ENERGY INFORMATION AND ANALYSIS

15 USC 790 - Establishment of Office of Energy Information and Analysis

(a) Director; appointment; qualifications

(1) There is established within the Federal Energy Administration an Office of Energy Information and Analysis (hereinafter in this chapter referred to as the Office) which shall be headed by a Director who shall be appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.

(2) The Director shall be a person who, by reason of professional background and experience, is specially qualified to manage an energy information system.

(b) Delegation of authority by Administrator
The Administrator shall delegate (which delegation may be on a nonexclusive basis as the Administrator may determine may be necessary to assure the faithful execution of his authorities and responsibilities under law) the authority vested in him under section 796 of this title and section 772 of this title and the Director may act in the name of the Administrator under section 797 of this title and section 772 of this title for the purpose of obtaining enforcement of the authorities delegated to him.

(c) “Energy information” defined
As used in this chapter the term energy information shall have the meaning described in section 796 of this title.

15 USC 790a - National Energy Information System; information required to be maintained

(a) It shall be the duty of the Director to establish a National Energy Information System (hereinafter referred to in this chapter as the System), which shall be operated and maintained by the Office. The System shall contain such information as is required to provide a description of and facilitate analysis of energy supply and consumption within and affecting the United States on the basis of such geographic areas and economic sectors as may be appropriate to meet adequately the needs of

(1) the Federal Energy Administration in carrying out its lawful functions;

(2) the Congress;

(3) other officers and employees of the United States in whom have been vested, or to whom have been delegated energy-related policy decisionmaking responsibilities; and

(4) the States to the extent required by the Natural Gas Act [15 U.S.C. 717 et seq.] and the Federal Power Act [16 U.S.C. 791a et seq.].

(b) At a minimum, the System shall contain such energy information as is necessary to carry out the Administrations statistical and forecasting activities, and shall include, at the earliest date and to the maximum extent practical subject to the resources available and the Directors ordering of those resources to meet the responsibilities of his Office, such energy information as is required to define and permit analysis of

(1) the institutional structure of the energy supply system including patterns of ownership and control of mineral fuel and nonmineral energy resources and the production, distribution, and marketing of mineral fuels and electricity;

(2) the consumption of mineral fuels, nonmineral energy resources, and electricity by such classes, sectors, and regions as may be appropriate for the purposes of this chapter;

(3) the sensitivity of energy resource reserves, exploration, development, production, transportation, and consumption to economic factors, environmental constraints, technological improvements, and substitutability of alternate energy sources;

(4) the comparability of energy information and statistics that are supplied by different sources;

(5) industrial, labor, and regional impacts of changes in patterns of energy supply and consumption;

(6) international aspects, economic and otherwise, of the evolving energy situation; and

(7) long-term relationships between energy supply and consumption in the United States and world communities.

15 USC 790b - Administrative provisions

(a) Compensation of Director
The Director of the Office shall receive compensation at the rate now or hereafter prescribed for offices and positions at level IV of the Executive Schedule as specified in section 5315 of title 5.

(b) Authorization of Director to appoint and fix compensation of employees
To carry out the functions of the Office, the Director, on behalf of the Administrator, is authorized to appoint and fix the compensation of such professionally qualified employees as he deems necessary, including up to ten of the employees in grade GS16, GS17, or GS18 authorized by section 766 of this title.

(c) Delegation of functions by the Director
The functions and powers of the Office shall be vested in or delegated to the Director, who may from time to time, and to the extent permitted by law, consistent with the purposes of this chapter, delegate such of his functions as he deems appropriate. Such delegation may be made, upon request, to any officer or agency of the Federal Government.

(d) Access to Director by Congress; requests for appropriations

(1) The Director shall be available to the Congress to provide testimony on such subjects under his authority and responsibility as the Congress may request, including but not limited to energy information and analyses thereof.

(2) Any request for appropriations for the Federal Energy Administration submitted to the Congress shall identify the portion of such request intended for the support of the Office, and a statement of the differences, if any, between the amounts requested and the Directors assessment of the budgetary needs of the Office.

15 USC 790c - Analysis and evaluation of energy information; establishment and maintenance by Director of professional, etc., capability; specific capabilities

(a) The Director shall establish and maintain the scientific, engineering, statistical, or other technical capability to perform analysis of energy information to

(1) verify the accuracy of items of energy information submitted to the Director; and

(2) insure the coordination and comparability of the energy information in possession of the Office and other Federal agencies.

(b) The Director shall establish and maintain the professional and analytic capability to evaluate independently the adequacy and comprehensiveness of the energy information in possession of the Office and other agencies of the Federal Government in relation to the purposes of this chapter and for the performance of the analyses described in section 790a of this title. Such analytic capability shall include

(1) expertise in economics, finance, and accounting;

(2) the capability to evaluate estimates of reserves of mineral fuels and nonmineral energy resources utilizing alternative methodologies;

(3) the development and evaluation of energy flow and accounting models describing the production, distribution, and consumption of energy by the various sectors of the economy and lines of commerce in the energy industry;

(4) the development and evaluation of alternative forecasting models describing the short- and long-term relationships between energy supply and consumption and appropriate variables; and

(5) such other capabilities as the Director deems necessary to achieve the purposes of this chapter.

15 USC 790d - Repealed. Pub. L. 10466, title I, 1051(k), Dec. 21, 1995, 109 Stat. 717

Section, Pub. L. 93–275, § 55, as added Pub. L. 94–385, title I, § 142, Aug. 14, 1976, 90 Stat. 1137; amended Pub. L. 95–91, title VII, § 709(a)(4), Aug. 4, 1977, 91 Stat. 608, related to annual performance audit review of Office of Energy Information and Analysis procedures and methodology by Professional Audit Review Team.

15 USC 790e - Coordination by Director of energy information gathering activities of Federal agencies

(a) Review
In carrying out the purposes of this chapter the Director shall, as he deems appropriate, review the energy information gathering activities of Federal agencies with a view toward avoiding duplication of effort and minimizing the compliance burden on business enterprises and other persons.

(b) Policy recommendations
In exercising his responsibilities under subsection (a) of this section, the Director shall recommend policies which, to the greatest extent practicable

(1) provide adequately for the energy information needs of the various departments and agencies of the Federal Government, the Congress, and the public;

(2) minimize the burden of reporting energy information on businesses, other persons, and especially small businesses;

(3) reduce the cost to Government of obtaining information; and

(4) utilize files of information and existing facilities of established Federal agencies.

(c) Report to Administrator by other Federal agencies involved in collection of energy information; cooperation of other Federal agencies; report by Administrator to President, Congress, and Energy Resources Council

(1) At the earliest practicable date after August 14, 1976, each Federal agency which is engaged in the gathering of energy information as a part of an established program, function, or other activity shall promptly provide the Administrator with a report on energy information which

(A) identifies the statutory authority upon which the energy information collection activities of such agency is based;

(B) lists and describes the energy information needs and requirements of such agency; and

(C) lists and describes the categories, definitions, levels of detail, and frequency of collection of the energy information collected by such agency.

Such agencies shall cooperate with the Administrator and provide such other descriptive information with respect to energy information activities as the Administrator may request. The Administrator shall prepare a report on his activities under this subsection, which report shall include recommendations with respect to the coordination of energy information activities of the Federal Government. Such report shall be available to the Congress and shall be transmitted to the President and to the Energy Resources Council for use in preparation of the plan required under subsection (c) of section 5818 of title 42.

15 USC 790f - Reports by Director

(a) Periodic and special reports by Director to Congress and public; contents
The Director shall make periodic reports and may make special reports to the Congress and the public, including but not limited to

(1) such reports as the Director determines are necessary to provide a comprehensive picture of the quarterly, monthly, and, as appropriate, weekly supply and consumption of the various nonmineral energy resources, mineral fuels, and electricity in the United States; the information reported may be organized by company, by States, by regions, or by such other producing and consuming sectors, or combinations thereof, and shall be accompanied by an appropriate discussion of the evolution of the energy supply and consumption situation and such national and international trends and their effects as the Director may find to be significant; and

(2) an annual report which includes, but is not limited to, a description of the activities of the Office and the National Energy Information System during the preceding year; a summary of all special reports published during the preceding year; a summary of statistical information collected during the preceding year; short-, medium-, and long-term energy consumption and supply trends and forecasts under various assumptions; and, to the maximum extent practicable, a summary or schedule of the amounts of mineral fuel resources, nonmineral energy resources, and mineral fuels that can be brought to market at various prices and technologies and their relationship to forecasted demands.

(b) Duty of Director to insure adequate documentation of forecasts and reports; periodic audit and validation of analytical methodologies; availability of information to public

(1) The Director, on behalf of the Administrator, shall insure that adequate documentation for all statistical and forecast reports prepared by the Director is made available to the public at the time of publication of such reports. The Director shall periodically audit and validate analytical methodologies employed in the preparation of periodic statistical and forecast reports.

(2) The Director shall, on a regular basis, make available to the public information which contains validation and audits of periodic statistical and forecast reports.

(c) Approval prior to publication of forecasts and reports
Prior to publication, the Director may not be required to obtain the approval of any other officer or employee of the United States with respect to the substance of any statistical or forecasting technical reports which he has prepared in accordance with law.

15 USC 790g - Access by Director to energy information

(a) Access by Director to energy information in possession of other Federal agencies; limitations
In furtherance and not in limitation of any other authority, the Director, on behalf of the Administrator, shall have access to energy information in the possession of any Federal agency except information

(1) the disclosure of which to another Federal agency is expressly prohibited by law; or

(2) the disclosure of which the agency so requested determines would significantly impair the discharge of authorities and responsibilities which have been delegated to, or vested by law, in such agency.

(b) Authority to obtain information from original or alternate sources
In the event that energy information in the possession of another Federal agency which is required to achieve the purposes of this chapter is denied the Director or the Administrator pursuant to paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this section, the Administrator, or the Director, on behalf of the Administrator, shall take appropriate action, pursuant to authority granted by law, to obtain said information from the original sources or a suitable alternate source. Such source shall be notified of the reason for this request for information.

15 USC 790h - Congressional access to energy information; disclosure by Congress

The Director shall promptly provide upon request any energy information in the possession of the Office to any duly established committee of the Congress. Such information shall be deemed the property of such committee and may not be disclosed except in accordance with the rules of such committee and the Rules of the House of Representatives or the Senate and as permitted by law.