FAQs for Survey Form EIA-8A

What is the purpose of this survey?

This survey collects data from U.S. coal brokers, coal traders, and coal terminals and provides Congress with basic statistics concerning coal stocks and coal exports. The U.S. Energy Information Administration uses the data in monthly, quarterly, and annual data products in addition to short-term and long-term forecasting models.

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?

If you received the EIA-8A, we have determined your entity as a coal broker, coal trader, or coal terminal in the 50 United States and the District of Columbia that owned stocks of 10,000 or more short tons of coal originating in the United States on December 31^st of the reporting year and/or exported coal originating in the United States during the reporting year.

I'm not a coal broker, coal trader, or coal terminal. Do I have to complete the survey?

Companies that take custody (physical possession) of the coal and transport it but never own the coal need not report.

I complete the EIA-923. Do I have to complete the EIA-8A?

Companies that report coal stocks on the EIA-923, Power Plant Operations Report, need not report. The EIA-923 includes on-site and off-site (i.e., transfer terminal) electric utility coal stockpiles.

Who do I contact if I need help with the registration process or the 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.

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-8A data?

The data protection policy is listed on the EIA-8A form in the "Disclosure of Information" section and is provided below.

The information reported on the EIA-8A 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 of coal exported from each origin state, reported in Part 3, 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.