The Energy Information Administration: Mission and Vision

1
The Energy Information Administration Mission
and Vision
On-line or off the shelf, EIA is the first place
to go for the last word in energy information.
Dr. Mark Rodekohr Energy Information
Administration Nepal - September 1999
2
Overview of EIAs Mission

• EIA, a statistical agency of the U.S. Department
  of Energy, provides policy-independent data,
  forecasts, and analyses to promote sound policy
  making, efficient markets, and public
  understanding regarding energy and its
  interaction with the economy and the environment.

3
Goals

• Maintain a comprehensive data and information
  program on energy resources and reserves, energy
  production, energy demand, energy technologies,
  and related financial and statistical information
  relevant to the adequacy of energy resources to
  meet the Nations demands in the near- and
  longer-term future.
• Develop and maintain analytical tools and
  collection and processing systems providing
  analyses that are accurate, timely, and
  objective and provide information dissemination
  services.
• Take advantage of the newer, electronic
  technologies.

4
Strategy

• We will use electronic technologies to make EIA
  information accessible to a wide variety of
  technologically diverse users at the lowest
  possible cost to the taxpayers and the users.
• We will continue traditional dissemination
  services as customers require answer the
  telephone and e-mail and print key titles, short
  summaries, and specialized materials.
• We will continuously innovate using the newest
  electronic technologies and techniques.

5
Business Methods

• We use a set of about 80 different forms that
  100s to 1000s of companies (depending on the
  survey) submit data to EIA.
• EIA aggregates and verifies these data and then
  publishes the results in a number of weekly,
  monthly or annual publications.
• We typically publish about 180 to 200 reports per
  year.

6
Analysis Methods

• We use a econometric model that produces
  Short-Term projections. These projections are
  published monthly on the internet.
• We use a very complex linear programming model,
  The National Energy Information System to produce
  long-term projections every year that are
  published once a year.

7
Policy Independence

• Congress mandated that EIA's information be
  developed independently of the policy objectives
  of the Department of Energy and other parts of
  government.
• The EIA Administrator can only be fired by the
  President and not by the Secretary of the
  Department.

8
Promote Sound Public Policy Making

• EIA's information includes data and analyses for
  the past, the present, and the future. Using over
  80 of its own statistical surveys as a base of
  information, EIA regularly reports data about the
  supply, consumption, distribution, and price of
  energy in the United States.
• EIA performs special analyses at the request of
  Congress a recent example includes a study of the
  Kyoto Protocol.

9
Promote Public Understanding

• EIA uses its basic data publications, analysis
  reports, traditional and internet dissemination
  techniques to promote understanding.
• EIA works closely with the press to provide
  timely information that is useful to their
  readers.
• Our press releases are emailed to over 5000
  individuals, companies and press customers.

10
Budget

• Our FY 1999 budget (http//www.eia.doe.gov/pub/pdf
  /other.docs/budget99.pdf) is 70.5 million with a
  Federal staffing level of 368 people. About 45
  of the budget goes to pay the Federal staff.
  Another 40 of the budget funds about 300 support
  service contractors that are used to help us
  design and run our data and modeling systems. The
  final 15 of the budget pays for computer
  equipment, office space, and other administrative
  expenses such as telephones and office supplies.

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Brief History of Energy Data Collections in the
U.S.

• Most statistics collections were started
  following World War II.
• During World War II most energy products were
  rationed by the Defense Department.
• The U.S. Bureau of Mines was the lead energy
  statistical agency at this time.
• The Bureau of Mines has since been eliminated.

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History of Data Collections (continued)

• In 1978 the Energy Information Administration was
  created to consolidate most Federal energy data
  collection efforts.
• Other regulatory Agencies continue to collect
  information that is used for regulatory purposes.
  Some of this work is conducted by EIA.

13
Why Congress Cares So Much About Energy Issues

• Energy accounts for about 8 percent of the U.S.
  GDP more than double the amount of money spent on
  the national defense.
• The only (there have been three) recessions over
  the last 30 years have been associated with rapid
  increases in energy prices.

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The Relationship Between Oil Prices and Economic
Growth
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The Relationship Between Oil Prices and Economic
Growth (2)
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Some Examples of Specific Collection and Analysis
Responsibilities
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Manufacturing Energy

• (I)(1) The Administrator shall conduct and
  publish the results of a survey of energy
  consumption in the manufacturing industries in
  the United States on at least a triennial basis
  and in a manner designed to protect the
  confidentiality of individual responses. In
  conducting the survey..

18
Petroleum Market Monitoring

• In General-(1) The Secretary of Energy, acting
  with Energy Information Administration, shall
  conduct a study of domestic crude oil production
  and petroleum refining capacity and the effects
  of imports thereon in order to assist the
  Congress and the President in determining whether
  such production and capacity are adequate to
  protect the national security.

19
Alternate Fueled Vehicles

• Not later than one year after the date of
  enactment of the Act, the Secretary, through the
  Energy Information Administration, and in
  cooperation with appropriate State, regional, and
  local authorities, shall establish a data
  collection program to be conducted in ate least 5
  geographically and climatically diverse regions
  of the United States for the purpose of
  collecting data which would be useful to persons
  seeking to manufacture, convert, sell, own, and
  operate alternative fueled vehicles or
  alternative fueling facilities.

20
Greenhouse Gases

• National Inventory- Not later than one year after
  the date of the enactment of this Act, the
  Secretary, through the Energy Information
  Administration, shall develop, based on data
  available to, and obtained by, the Energy
  Information Administration, an inventory of the
  national aggregate emissions of each greenhouse
  gas for each calendar year of the baseline period
  of 1987 through 1990.

21
Financial Reporting

• The Administrator shall develop and make
  effective for use during the second full calendar
  year following the date of enactment of this Act
  the format for energy-producing company financial
  report. Such report shall be designed to allow
  comparison on a uniform and standardized basis
  among energy-related activities of such
  companies.

22
Financial Reporting (continued)

• In addition to the acquisition, collection,
  analysis, and dissemination of energy information
  pursuant to this section, the Administrator shall
  identify and designate major energy-producing
  companies which alone or with their affiliates
  are involved in one or more lines of commerce in
  the energy industry so that the energy
  information collected from such major from such
  major energy-producing companies shall provide a
  statistically accurate profile of each line of
  commerce in the energy industry in the United
  States.

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Accomplishments

• In 1998, EIA distributed 12.2 million files
  consisting of 520 gigabytes of data to 2.5
  million users of our Web site.
• The EIA Listserve, a Web service that is unique
  among Federal statistical agencies, delivered
  about 1.5 million messages containing data and
  notification services in 1998.
• The EIA Database Query System, a Web technology
  used by only a few Federal statistical agencies,
  delivers data in a variety of formats from which
  users can choose. In 1998, 80,000 customers used
  this system to meet their data needs.
• The Energy InfoDisc is a quarterly compendium of
  all EIA reports, primarily in portable document
  format, published on compact disc. Major
  features include an interface to the EIA Web site
  for users with Web browsers, plus a powerful
  search engine. The publication is heavily used
  by the library community.

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Accomplishments

• EIAs information center is handling an
  increasing number of e-mail requests for
  information (the number has doubled from 1998 to
  1999) and telephone requests for Web search
  support. Nearly 40 of inquiries are for both
  information and Web assistance.
• EIA has published extremely popular short
  descriptions of data and analysis results and
  other specialized materials, including the
  Energy InfoCard, a pocket reference to the latest
  key energy statistics primers on greenhouse gas
  emissions and electric power restructuring a
  profile of the energy world on the 25th
  anniversary of the 1973 oil embargo a summary of
  the impacts of the Kyoto Protocol country-by
  country energy profiles, called Country Analysis
  Briefs and profiles of energy in the Americas
  and energy in Africa.

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Future Plans

• Improve Web site navigation through periodic
  cognitive and usability studies and redesigns.
• Redesign the database query system changing the
  focus from a comprehensive system to a system
  designed around EIA's most popular data. This
  redesign is based on customer feedback.
• Improve Web site search capability through a
  registry, virtual library and the use of newer
  search technologies.
• Expand the educational content by expanding and
  building on EIA's "kids page" and reaching out
  to other parts of the education community.
• Over time, transform the Web site into an
  information-centric (rather than a
  publication-centric) information source for the
  average user.

26
Customer Focus

• Use focus group reviews of the EIA analysis
  agenda once per year with representatives from
  Congress, the States, Federal Government and
  industry
• Analyze feedback from Web, telephone, print, and
  e-mail customers.
• Use cognitive analyses of survey forms and the
  Web site.

27
Conclusions

• Using newer technologies in a appropriate manner
  will allow us to provide data and analysis in a
  more timely and usable fashion at a lower cost to
  the taxpayer.

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Background

• EIA Experience to Date

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