FAQs for Survey Form EIA-7A

What is the purpose of this survey?

This survey collects coal production data from U.S. coal mining companies. This includes information on the type and status of coal operations, characteristics of coalbeds mined, recoverable reserves, productive capacity, and the disposition of coal mined, which provides Congress with basic statistics concerning coal supply. The U.S. Energy Information Administration uses the data for coal supply analysis and short-term modeling efforts to produce forecasts of coal supply and prices.

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 coal mining companies that owned a mining operation which produced 25,000 or more short tons of coal during the reporting year must submit form EIA-7A, except for anthracite mines. All anthracite mines that produced 10,000 or more short tons during the reporting year must submit form EIA-7A. Standalone facilities (e.g., preparation plant/tipple/loading dock/train loadout) that worked 5,000 or more hours must also submit this form.

I am submitting the EIA-7A for the first time. Who should I contact to find out which locations require EIA-7A submission for my company?

Please send an email to EIA-7A@eia.gov with all of your contact information to find out which locations require EIA-7A submissions.

Who should I contact if my MSHA ID doesn't come up when I search for it on the Annual Survey of Coal Production and Preparation?

If your operation meets the criteria of Who is required to submit this survey? but your MSHA ID isn't listed in the online form, send an email to EIA-7A@eia.gov with your MSHA ID and annual production/preparation totals for the year.

How do I update previously submitted data on the EIA-7A?

Data on the EIA-7A form cannot be updated after it has been submitted electronically. Please send an email to the survey manager to make any necessary corrections.

In Part 5, what is the following question requesting "With the existing equipment in place, what is the maximum amount of coal that this mining operation can produce during the reporting year"?

This question is seeking your Annual Mine Production Capacity, which is the maximum amount of coal that the mining operation could have produced during the year with the existing mining equipment in place, assuming that the labor and materials sufficient to utilize the equipment were available, and that the market existed for the maximum coal production. Enter the value for the operation's annual capacity. NOTE: Annual production should not exceed the Annual Mine Production Capacity.

Do I include coal exports in Open Market Sales?

You should not include coal exports in Open Market Sales. Open Market Sales are sales of coal to all buyers, excluding coal for captive market sales and coal for export. Examples of Open Market Sales include sales to other coal mining companies, wholesale or retail coal dealers or brokers, employees, and all consumers.

Who do I contact if I need assistance completing the EIA-7A survey form?

Send an email to EIA-7A@eia.gov for questions regarding the "Annual Survey of Coal Production and Preparation" form.

Who do I contact if I require assistance with the registration process, log-in process, instructions pertaining to JavaScript, or cookies?

Please send an email to EIA-7A@eia.gov for assistance.

What unit of measurement should be used to calculate Btu?

Please provide this value in Btu/lb.

How do I update the contact information that appears in the IDC for the EIA-7A?

Updates to Company Information, Site Information, Preparer Information, Reporting Entity Supervisor Information, and Sector Information can be completed by emailing changes to EIA-7A@eia.gov.

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.

How do I log-in if I forgot my password?

Enter your User ID and select the "forgot password" link.

If I accidently deleted the registration letters, how can I get my Mail ID and Code?

Contact EIA via email. You may send an email to EIA-7A@eia.gov to request this information.

What is EIA's policy on protecting the confidentiality of EIA-7A data?

The data protection policy is listed on the EIA-7A form in the "Disclosure of Information" section and is provided below.

The name and address of the responding company, the mine type or plant type, and location reported on Form EIA-7A is considered public information and may be released in company identifiable form. All other 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 "Total Revenue" from "Open Market Sales," "Captive Market Sales," and "Export Coal Sales" reported in Part 5 to ensure that the risk of disclosure of identifiable information is very small. Disclosure limitation procedures are not applied to the other aggregate statistical 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.

What is metallurgical coal?

Metallurgical coal is coking coal and pulverized coal consumed in making steel. See the EIA Glossary for other 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.