Washington, 14 February 2011

The FY 2012 budget request for the Department of Energy includes $124.0 million for the Energy Information Administration ( EIA), an increase of $13.4 million from the FY 2010 current appropriation level. The increase would improve EIA's capabilities to respond to the growing need for reliable energy data, analysis, and forecasting.

"Today's budget request would enable EIA to improve the depth and quality of crucial energy consumption and efficiency data and our capacity to analyze current energy markets and future energy trends," said EIA Administrator Richard Newell

EIA is the statistical and analytical agency within the Department of Energy. EIA collects, analyzes, and disseminates independent and impartial energy information to promote sound policymaking, efficient markets, and public understanding of energy and its interaction with the economy and the environment. EIA is the Nation's premier source of energy information and, by law, its data, analyses, and forecasts are independent of approval by any other officer or employee of the U.S. Government. Highlights of the increase for EIA include:

* $7.0 million for expanded surveys of energy consumption in homes, commercial buildings, and manufacturing to provide baseline information critical to understanding energy use and performance measurement for energy efficiency programs, including some of those in the Recovery Act. EIA would conduct the Manufacturing Energy Consumption Survey on a two-year cycle as required by law (rather than the current four-year cycle) and would provide more robust delineation of commercial energy into end-uses such as space heating, ventilation, cooling, refrigeration, and lighting.

* $1.6 million for upgrades to the National Energy Modeling System, which would improve EIA's ability to assess and forecast supply, demand, and technology trends affecting U.S. and world energy markets. For instance, EIA would improve representations of transportation on a regional basis, energy markets, vehicle efficiency standards, and motor efficiency in the industrial sector, as well as fuel supply and conversion.

* $1.4 million to implement improvements in data coverage, quality, and integration. Highlights include improvements to the Weekly Petroleum Status Report (WPSR), one of EIA's most closely followed data publications, which provides price and supply information for domestic crude oil and petroleum product markets; and a comprehensive review and evaluation of the overall efficacy of the EIA-28, Financial Reporting System (FRS), a statutorily-mandated program that provides financial data for major energy producers by business line.

* $0.9 million to expand analysis of energy market behavior and data to address the interrelationship of energy and financial markets. With dedicated funding, EIA would more fully implement its Energy and Financial Markets Initiative to improve energy market transparency and enhance understanding of financial markets and their influence on energy prices.

* $0.3 million to support the Energy Literacy Initiative by developing and implementing innovative, web-based content and expanding EIA's popular energy education product line.

* $2.2 million for 16 FTEs to support these activities.

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