A Surgical Approach To Applying CIPSEA

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A Surgical Approach To Applying CIPSEA

• Jacob.bournazian_at_eia.doe.gov
• [phone]

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Legislative Background

• Confidential Information Protection and
  Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA)
• Sets a uniform policy across federal agencies
  about how confidential information would be
  treated.
• Provides strong confidentiality protection to
  statistical surveys and other activities.
• Limits the use of the reported information to
  statistical uses only.

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Energy Information Administration

• Official source of energy statistics for the U.S.
  Department of Energy.
• Mandate to analyze and disseminate information on
  energy resources, production, demand, and related
  statistical information.
• Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974
  requires the sharing of company level information
  with other federal agencies that is consistent
  with their official use and purpose.
• Official use ? Statistical Use

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PROCESS FOR REVIEWING SURVEYS TO COLLECT
INFORMATION UNDER CIPSEA
1) Review existing data sharing agreements to
determine if any nonstatistical uses exist, if so
STOP.
2) Review survey for any potential future data
sharing needs that may be nonstatistical in
nature, if so STOP.
3) Has the survey been the subject of multiple
requests for information under the Freedom of
Information Act?
4) If data are sensitive, can some, if any, of
the data elements be collected under CIPSEA? If
so, apply the surgical approach.
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12 out of 70 Surveys Use CIPSEA

• Petroleum
• (4 yr) Petroleum Product Sales Identification
  Survey (EIA-863) (1/1/07)Weekly Motor Gasoline
  Price Survey (EIA-878) (6/7/04)Weekly On-Highway
  Diesel Fuel Price Survey (EIA-888) (6/7/04)
• Natural Gas
• Monthly Natural Gas Marketers Survey (EIA-910) (
  4/1/04)Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage
  Report (EIA-912) (4/1/04) Monthly Natural Gas
  Production Report (EIA-914) (1/1/05)
• Nuclear
• Quarterly Domestic Uranium Production Report
  (EIA-851Q) (1/1/04)Annual Domestic Uranium
  Production Report (EIA-851A) (1/1/04)Annual
  Uranium Marketing Survey (EIA-858) (1/1/04)
• Energy Consumption and Financial Surveys
• (4 yr) Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption
  Survey (EIA-871) (2004) (4 yr) Residential
  Energy Consumption Survey (EIA-457) (2005)Annual
  Financial Reporting System (EIA-28) (2004)

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Methods of Measuring Impacts of Changing
Confidentiality Provisions

• Reviewed response rates and other metrics on the
  survey operations before, at the time, and after
  the change in confidentiality provisions
  occurred.
• Underlying assumption Changing to CIPSEA would
  reduce pubic confusion and uncertainty over
  federal agencies applying different safeguards
  and restrictions to protect confidential
  information.

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Surveys That Showed No Change

• No change Response rates 100
• 1) Domestic Uranium Production Report Quarterly
• 2) Domestic Uranium Production Report Annual
• 3) Uranium Marketing Annual Survey
• 4) Financial Reporting System
• All small size surveys (n lt 75).
• Notice of change in confidentiality sent by mail.

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Residential Energy Consumption SurveyResponse
Rates Increased
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Natural Gas Surveys

• Notice sent by mail for all 3 surveys.
• EIA-912 Weekly Underground Natural Gas Storage
  Report. Report electronically.
• Response Rates fell from 100 to 96 on 4/1/04,
  however
• 52 week average before 4/1/04 95
• 52 week average after 4/1/04 97
• Response rates on EIA-910 (96/97) and EIA-914
  (98 new survey) remained stable.

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Diesel (EIA-888) and Gasoline (EIA-878) Retail
Price Surveys used oral notification.Impacts
showhigher collection costslower response
rateshigher operation costs
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Confidentiality Pledge for a Telephone Survey IS
TOO LONG!

• The information you provide will be used for
  statistical purposes only. In accordance with
  the Confidential Information Protection
  provisions in Public Law 107-347, your responses
  will be kept confidential and will not be
  disclosed in identifiable form. By law, everyone
  working on this EIA survey is subject to a jail
  term, a fine, or both if he or she discloses ANY
  information that could identify any confidential
  survey response.

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Response Rates on Weekly Retail Gasoline Price
Survey

June 7, 2004 88
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Number of Prices Imputed on Weekly Retail
Gasoline Price Survey
June 7, 2004 - 273
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Average Operation Cost for Collecting Price
Information
Source EIA-878 Gasoline Retail Price Survey
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June 7, 2004
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Lessons Learned

• Shorten the oral CIPSEA Confidentiality Pledge or
  eliminate it for telephone surveys.
• Provide notice of confidentiality pledge in
  writing.
• Using CIPSEA helps maintain high response rates
  and reduces uncertainty among respondents on the
  agencys pledge to protect the confidentiality of
  the survey responses.
• Partially applying CIPSEA to some data elements
  on a survey requires close examination of that
  survey uses and activities and its relationship
  to other surveys.