|
To: Committee on Energy Statistics Welcome to the new members of the American Statistical Association’s Committee on Energy Statistics. We have assembled this overview material to help introduce you to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), our mission, goals, resources, products and objectives. The material is still in draft form, and we welcome any suggestions you may have for improving it. I very much appreciate your participation in the Committee on Energy Statistics, and look forward to several years of collaboration. The Committee was founded in 1979, and has provided sound statistical advice to EIA since then. Nancy J. Kirkendall Director, Statistics and Methods Group, Energy Information Administration An Introduction to the Energy Information
Administration The Energy Information Administration (EIA) was established
in October 1977. The agency’s sole
purpose is to provide reliable and unbiased energy information. The current organization chart may be
accessed at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/aboutEIA/EIA_Org_Chart.pdf EIA is a Federal statistical agency, similar to the Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics in our data collection function, but generally performing more analysis and forecasting. Congress established EIA as a quasi-independent unit within DOE, and mandated its information products to be policy-neutral. To meet this requirement, we do not seek DOE or Administration approval of our products, although we follow DOE’s administrative requirements. EIA’s mission is to be a leader in providing high quality, policy-independent energy information to meet the requirements of Government, industry, and the public in a manner that promotes sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding. Our vision: On-line or off-the-shelf, EIA is the first place to go for the last word in energy information. EIA’s product is energy information. EIA’s budget for FY2003 is $80.611 million, covering 374 Federal employees and between 250 and 270 contract employees. Virtually all our revenue comes from Congressional appropriations, with a very small amount from other Federal agencies for special information products or services. Our information products can be divided into four groups: (1) Data, (2) Analyses, (3) Forecasts, and (4) Metadata, discussed below. Data Products: Compilations of survey data collected from respondents, processed by EIA and augmented by data from other sources (e.g., Census Bureau, Weather Service.) Data products by various fuel types, geographical areas, and reference periods provide comprehensive coverage of energy resources, reserves, production, conversion, consumption, prices and related energy industry financial data. Text accompanies tabular data summaries, highlighting key facts. EIA
currently and systematically collects data directly from over 83,000 respondents through over 60
scientifically designed surveys (see http://www.eia.doe.gov/oss/forms.html)
and indirectly from other sources.
EIA’s scope includes all energy types (petroleum, natural gas, coal,
electricity, nuclear, renewable energy sources), energy stages (production,
conversion, distribution, supply, consumption, price), and impacts (technical,
economic, environmental). We publish the data in fuel specific publications such as the Natural Gas Monthly, and integrated publications summarizing the overall energy situation such as the Monthly Energy Review. Our most popular data products recently have been the Monthly Energy Review, Natural Gas Monthly, Electric Power Monthly, Petroleum Supply Monthly, Quarterly Coal Report, and the Weekly Petroleum Status Report. Analysis Products: Technical reports and articles which analyze issues relating to energy including economics, technology, production, prices, distribution, storage, consumption, and environmental effects. Forecasting Products: Forecasts of energy variables in the short-term (0-2 years) and the near and mid-term (through the year 2025) spanning all energy types and including national prices, supplies and consumption and international oil prices, energy supplies and consumption. Some forecasting models are available on-line for users who develop their own forecasts and all files are on our Web site. Our major forecasting products last year were the Short-Term Energy Outlook, the Annual Energy Outlook, and the International Energy Outlook. EIA analyzes energy issues and makes forecasts using
the 14 models that comprise the National Energy
Modeling System and 12 other special purpose models (see http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/FTPROOT/other/02932002.pdf).
Metadata Products: Descriptions of EIA information products to help customers find what they need. They include directories of all our survey forms, publications, electronic products, models, new releases, energy education resources, and EIA contacts. In the early years, EIA products were primarily printed publications mailed to customers that contained energy data (compiled from EIA surveys and other sources), analytical articles and forecasts. Additionally, we directly served customers who called in or sent letters requesting specific information. As information technology advanced, we routinely began collecting and disseminating data electronically. We also began producing brochures in layman’s terms, summarizing important aspects of our more detailed products. In 1995, as the Internet became more widely used, EIA went on-line (http://www.eia.doe.gov) with one of the first government Web sites. While still providing our customers with hard-copy products, electronic dissemination of information products has grown dramatically and virtually all of our products are now available through our Web site. Information is also disseminated through Listservs (e-mail distribution lists), and in responses to inquiries to EIA staff at the National Energy Information Center at (202) 586-8800. The table below summarizes EIA’s top electronic products in March 2003. MARCH 2003 – WEB STATISTICS FOR EIA
There were 1,343,221 visits to EIA ‘s web site in March 2003, up 62% from last year. EIA surpassed 1 MILLION visits for the first time ever in January 2003, and has continued increasing since then. The Country Analysis Briefs (CABs) surpassed 200,000 visits in March 2003, the first EIA product ever to pass that milestone! EIA’s Kid's Page grew fastest in the past year (207%). The Kid's Page (the #3 EIA product) also saw the fastest percentage growth among EIA top products over the past 2 years, with an amazing 495% increase. The Kid's Page has now moved into third place on the EIA Top Products, just behind International Energy Statistics. Other fast-growing EIA products in the past year: This Week in Petroleum (+187%) at #7, Gasoline and Diesel Fuel Update (+176%) at #4, and State Data (+154%) at #6. EIA Internet visits as a while increased by 62% over the past year. In addition to the Kid's Page, the fastest growing EIA products in relative terms have been: Energy Supply Security (+410%), State Data (+181%), International Energy Statistics (+98%), and CABs (+93%). EIA Internet visits as a whole increased by 97% over the past 2 years. As electronic communications increase, EIA’s publications
increasingly moved to the Internet and the number of its paper publications has
been dramatically reduced. In Fiscal Year 1995 EIA had 70 “in print” periodicals amounting to 230,000 copies. In fiscal year 2002, this number dropped to 15 print periodicals, and 145,000 copies. At present, approximately one-half way through fiscal year 2003, EIA publishes 11 print periodicals (8 annual, one quarterly and 2 monthly publications). Our most popular print publications are the Monthly Energy Review, the Annual Energy Outlook and the Annual Energy Review. EIA has recently released 29 analysis service reports on the Web (www.eia.doe.gov/bookshelf/service.html), 10 analytical papers (www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/fore_pub.html) and 7 analysis reports (www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/fore_pub.html). Our principal customers are industry, research and academia, government, finance, media, private citizens, and others. Last year there were 8.7 million user sessions, 883,000 Listserv notices, and 34 million page views by visitors to our Web site. Currently, in 2003, EIA is getting over 1 million-web customers each month. To augment this brief introduction, you are encouraged to
visit “About Us: at: http://www.eia.doe.gov/neic/aboutEIA/aboutus.htm,
Standards and
Guidelines Information Quality
Guidelines Guidelines for
Statistical Graphs Program Information Employee Profile At the start of the 1980’s, EIA had over 700
employees. Since then, EIA’s workforce
was reduced to 384 employees by the beginning of 1998 (31 managers, 353
non-managers), and is currently at 374 employees. Our Administrator is a Presidential appointee who reports
to the Secretary of Energy; all other employees are career civil servants
ranging from grade GS-2 through Senior Executive Service. They represent a
variety of disciplines, with an emphasis in the quantitative and systems
analysis areas. The staff range in education from stay-in-schools to doctorates
and comprise a diversity of ethnicities.
Chapter 213 of the National Treasury Employees Union represents EIA
non-management employees. About two-thirds of staff members participate in alternate
work schedule programs (8 9-hour workdays and 1 8-hour workday every two weeks,
or 4 10-hour workdays per week) and about 25 employees work off-site (e.g.,
home) up to one day per week. We also
utilize about 300 contract personnel to carry out our mission. EIA personnel were housed in three locations: DOE Headquarters in Washington, DC NTE 284 employees 950 L’Enfant Plaza (near DOE HQ) NTE 86 employees Dallas, TX
NTE
14 employees Much of this information was drawn from Energy Quality
Award Application of 1998, and subsequently updated. Many thanks to Tom Broene and Jay Casselberry, of EIA’s
Statistics and Methods Group, and Nancy Nicoletti of EIA’s National Energy
Information Center, Mark Rodekohr, Energy Markets and End Use, and Dan Woomer,
Office of Resource Management for their help in updating this material. Questions may be referred to Bill Weinig at (202) 287-1709
or by email at william.weinig@eia.doe.gov. |