Energy Information Administration

U.S. Energy Information Administration
Agency overview
Formed October 1, 1977
Jurisdiction Federal Government of the United States
Headquarters Washington, D.C.
Annual budget $117 Million (FY2015)[1]
Agency executives Adam Sieminski, Administrator
Howard Gruenspecht, Deputy Administrator
Parent agency United States Department of Energy
Website www.eia.gov

The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System responsible for collecting, analyzing, and disseminating energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. EIA programs cover data on coal, petroleum, natural gas, electric, renewable and nuclear energy. EIA is part of the U.S. Department of Energy.

Background

The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 established EIA as the primary federal government authority on energy statistics and analysis, building upon systems and organizations first established in 1974 following the oil market disruption of 1973.

The EIA conducts a comprehensive data collection program that covers the full spectrum of energy sources, end uses, and energy flows; generates short- and long-term domestic and international energy projections; and performs informative energy analyses.

The EIA disseminates its data products, analyses, reports, and services to customers and stakeholders primarily through its website and the customer contact center.

Located in Washington, D.C., the EIA had about 370 federal employees and a budget of $117 million in fiscal year 2015. [2][3]

Independence

By law, the EIA’s products are prepared independently of policy considerations. The EIA neither formulates nor advocates any policy conclusions. The Department of Energy Organization Act allows the EIA’s processes and products to be independent from review by Executive Branch officials; specifically, Section 205(d) says:

“The Administrator shall not be required to obtain the approval of any other officer or employee of the Department in connection with the collection or analysis of any information; nor shall the Administrator be required, prior to publication, 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.” [4]

Products

Offices in the James V. Forrestal Building

More than 2 million people use the EIA’s information online each month. Some of the EIA’s products include:

Legislation

The Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 created the Federal Energy Administration (FEA), the first U.S. agency with the primary focus on energy and mandated it to collect, assemble, evaluate, and analyze energy information. It also provided the FEA with data collection enforcement authority for gathering data from energy producing and major consuming firms. Section 52 of the FEA Act mandated establishment of the National Energy Information System to “… contain such energy information as is necessary to carry out the Administration’s statistical and forecasting activities …”

The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977, Public Law 95-91, created the Department of Energy. Section 205 of this law established the Energy Information Administration (EIA) as the primary federal government authority on energy statistics and analysis to carry out a " ...central, comprehensive, and unified energy data and information program which will collect, evaluate, assemble, analyze, and disseminate data and information which is relevant to energy resource reserves, energy production, demand, and technology, and related economic and statistical information, or which is 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."[4]

The same law established that EIA’s processes and products are independent from review by Executive Branch officials.

The majority of EIA energy data surveys are based on the general mandates set forth above. However, there are some surveys specifically mandated by law, including:

Other

In March 2010, the Wall Street Journal reported that a large variety of problems with the EIA's collection of oil inventory data, including ancient technology and out-of-date methodology, have made it nearly impossible for staff to detect errors. A weak security system also left the data open to being hacked or leaked, according to documents obtained by newspaper.[19]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/about/budget_performance.cfm
  2. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/about/budget_performance.cfm
  3. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/about/mission_overview.cfm
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Public Law 95-91 - Aug 4, 1977" (PDF). US Government Printing Office. Retrieved May 2014.
  5. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/
  6. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/kids/
  7. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/tools/glossary/
  8. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/
  9. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/petroleum/weekly/
  10. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/naturalgas/weekly/
  11. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/totalenergy/data/monthly/
  12. ↑ "EIA has expanded the Monthly Energy Review (MER) to include annual data as far back as 1949 for those data tables that are found in both the Annual Energy Review (AER) and the MER. During this transition, EIA will not publish the 2012 edition of the AER.". U.S. Energy Information Administration. 2013.
  13. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/countries/
  14. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/consumption/residential/
  15. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/consumption/commercial/about.cfm
  16. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/steo/
  17. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/aeo/
  18. ↑ http://www.eia.gov/forecasts/ieo/
  19. ↑ Brian Baskin (March 18, 2010). "Shortcomings Exposed in Oil Data; DOE Documents, Consultants' Report Cite Outdated Methodology, Errors in EIA's Weekly Survey". Wall Street Journal.

External links