FAQs for Survey Form EIA-3

What is the purpose of this survey?

This survey collects data from U.S. manufacturing plants, coal transformation/processing plants, coke plants, and commercial and institutional users of coal. The information collected includes basic statistics concerning coal consumption, prices, quality, and stocks. The U.S. Energy Information Administration uses the data for coal demand analysis and short-term modeling efforts, which produce forecasts of coal demand that may be presented to Congress.

Is this survey mandatory?

This report is mandatory under Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy Administration Act of 1974 (Public Law 93-275) as amended (codified at 15 U.S.C. 772). Failure to comply may result in criminal fines, civil penalties, and other sanctions as provided by the law.

Who is required to submit this survey?

All companies operating coke plants within the United States during the reporting quarter must submit the form EIA-3. All other sites that use in excess of 1,000 short tons of anthracite, bituminous, subbituminous, lignite, or refined coal during the sum of the current reporting quarter and the previous three reporting quarters must submit the form.

Who do I contact if I need help with the registration or log-in process?

Please contact us at EIA4USA@eia.gov or call 1-855-EIA-4USA (1-855-342-4872) Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET.

How do I correct data after I have already submitted the survey?

To submit revisions, contact us at EIA4USA@eia.gov or call 1-855-EIA-4USA (1-855-342-4872) Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET.

Who do I contact if I need assistance completing the survey?

Do not hesitate to contact us at EIA4USA@eia.gov or call 1-855-EIA-4USA (1-855-342-4872) Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM ET.

I did not receive coal this quarter. How do I complete the EIA-3 survey?

In Part 3: Coal Consumption and Cost at this Site, Section 1, Question 2 — Quantity of Coal Received During Quarter (short tons), please enter ‘0’. Since you did not receive coal this quarter, you can skip Part 4: Characteristics of Coal Receipts at this Site. Complete the rest of the form as you would normally.

I receive coal from a preparation plant. How should I report MSHA ID?

Report the MSHA ID for the preparation plant. However, state that you receive coal from a preparation plant in the Comments section.

How do I report an MSHA ID when I receive coal from a broker?

Consult with your broker for a list of the mine(s) where your coal was produced.

What unit of measurement should be used to calculate Btu?

• For coal receipts and refined coal, please provide Btu per pound
• For gasified coal, please provide Btu per cubic foot.
• For liquefied coal, please provide Btu per barrel.

How is co-firing defined?

The simultaneous use of two or more fuels by a single combustion system. Co-firing excludes the limited use of a second fuel for start-up or flame stabilization.

How does the EIA define "carbon capturing equipment"?

Technologies utilized to capture 90% of carbon dioxide emissions generated by burning fossil fuels at electric power plants. Equipment used in various stages of manufacturing to capture carbon, not related to fuel combustion, is not considered carbon capturing equipment. Scrubbers, coal gasification and oxyfuel combustion systems are examples of carbon capture and storage technologies.

I do not know the mercury content of the coal received. What should I report on the EIA-3?

Provide an estimate of mercury content based on data from your supplier(s) or the terms of your purchase contract. In the Comments section, please provide a note stating if the mercury content is an estimate. If mercury content information is not available from these sources, please enter "0.000" for mercury content. When you attempt to submit the form, mercury content edits will be flagged. In the comment box provided, state that the mercury content is "unknown".

What do I report for Primary and Secondary Mode of Transportation?

Primary Mode of Transportation refers to the longest leg of the journey to the plant from the mine (not simply the last leg of delivery). The Secondary Mode of Transportation refers to the second longest leg from the mine. See page 13 of the EIA-3 survey form for additional instructions on Mode of Transportation.

How do I convert between short tons and metric tons, or vice-versa?

Convert short tons to metric tons by multiplying the number of short tons by 0.907184. Convert metric tons to short tons by multiplying the number of metric tons by 1.10231.

How do I convert between pounds and short tons, or vice-versa?

Convert pounds to short tons by multiplying the number of pounds by 0.0005. Convert short tons to pounds by multiplying the number of short tons by 2,000.

What is EIA's policy on protecting the confidentiality of EIA-3 data?

The data protection policy is listed on the EIA-3 form in the "Disclosure of Information" section and is provided below.

The information reported on this form will be protected and not disclosed to the public to the extent that it satisfies the criteria for exemption under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. §552, the DOE regulations, 10 C.F.R. §1004.11, implementing the FOIA, and the Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. §1905.

The Federal Energy Administration Act requires the Energy Information Administration to provide company-specific data to other Federal agencies when requested for official use. The information reported on these forms may also be made available, upon request, to another component of the Department of Energy (DOE); to any Committee of Congress, the Government Accountability Office, or other Federal agencies authorized by law to receive such information. A court of competent jurisdiction may obtain this information in response to an order. The information may be used for any non-statistical purposes such as administrative, regulatory, law enforcement, or adjudicatory purposes.

Disclosure limitation procedures are applied to the cost data reported in Parts 3 and 4 to ensure that the risk of disclosure of identifiable information is very small. Disclosure limitation procedures are not applied to the other aggregate statistical and quantity data published from this survey. Thus, there may be some statistics that are based on data from fewer than three respondents, or that are dominated by data from one or two large respondents. In these cases, it may be possible for a knowledgeable person to estimate the information reported by a specific respondent.

How does EIA classify coal?

See the EIA Glossary for coal definitions.

How does EIA classify coal rank?

Rank types include Anthracite, Bituminous, Subbituminous, and Lignite. For definitions of these ranks, see the EIA Glossary.