analysis functions of the Bureau of Mines, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the Federal Energy Administration, and the Federal Power Commission into the Energy Information Administration (EIA) within the new Department of Energy. EIA has broad responsibilities for carrying out a central, comprehensive, and unified energy data and information program which will collect, evaluate, assemble, analyze, and disseminate data and information. The scope includes any data or 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. Two other important provisions were included in the mandate of the EIA Administrator by this Act. The bill provides that prior to publication of any statistical or forecasting technical report or in connection with the collection or analysis of information, the Administrator need not obtain the approval of any other official in the DOE or the U.S. Government. Second, the Administrator shall continue to be subject to review by the Professional Audit Review Team established upon the passage of the Energy Conservation and Production Act. (ECPA). The Conference Report to P.L. 95-91 further clarifies the intent of this legislation. It states: "It is the intent of the conferees, by the establishment of this Energy Information Administration, to eliminate duplication and overlap now existing in energy information programs. It is also the conferees' intent to assure and maximize the independence of the data collection and analysis functions within the Department.... This provision makes it clear that the Administrator is to exercise his independent professional judgment with respect to the methodologies he uses in the collection or analysis of energy information." EIA is both a collection and analytical agency. It collects and publishes statistics on petroleum supply, production, and stocks, and statistics on refineries, primary terminals, pipeline companies, and importers. (These programs were initiated by the Federal Energy Administration.) It also collects, compiles, and publishes statistics on all phases of domestic and foreign energy mineral resource developments (formerly the responsibility of the Bureau of Mines), and on electrical energy production and distribution. EIA sponsors the Bureau of the Census survey of retail gasoline stations to measure the aggregate volume share of both branded and nonbranded independent dealers as well as companyoperated outlets. EIA conducts broad ranging analyses of energy sources dealing with resource availability, exploration, extraction and processing, transmission and distribution, costs and pricing, imports and exports, and the integration of short-term supply/demand balances. It also provides forecasts and analyses of the extent and location of energy use by sector and fuel type for various geographic areas and scenarios, energy market analyses concerned with competition and the implications of government actions related to energy prices, demand, and supply, and integrative analyses related to broad energy issues. EIA supplies information to other organizations within the Department of Energy and works closely with other agencies collecting and analyzing energy and mineral resource data such as USGS, Bureau of the Census, Department of Defense, MSHA (Department of Labor), and the Corps of Engineers as well as with State and local governments. EIA reports are important sources of information to both State and local government offices and industry for energy planning and policymaking. Finally, EIA operates a National Energy Information Center, which acts as a clearinghouse for specific requests for energy data and statistics. Mission. The EIA has primary responsibility for collecting and analyzing data concerning the sources of supply, distribution, and use of energy resources. A second important function of EIA is the analytical work which includes frequent reporting of analytical studies, forecasts, and appraisals of the energy situation. The analytical function also provides requested analyses of policy alternatives for other parts of DOE. The third important function of EIA resides in the Office of Energy Information Validation which is involved in all aspects of the EIA program to improve quality in reporting, procedures, standards, etc. National Center for Education Statistics, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), established in 1965, is located in the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Education which oversees the two major components of the Education Division-the Office of Education (OE) and the National Institute of Education (NIE). This location makes it possible for NCES to service the policy needs of the Assistant Secretary and the basic statistical needs of OE and NIE. In addition, the Center is available to other Federal agencies for survey advice and consultation. NCES has had a continuous involvement with the State Education Agencies and through them with the local education agencies. The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) has advised NCES and other Federal agencies (especially in the Education Division of HEW) on their proposals to conduct surveys in the public elementary and secondary schools of the Nation. Mission. In the past, NCES has been basically a general-purpose statistical collection agency. Since the passage of the Education Amendments of 1974, however, NCES' mission has expanded to include an analysis function. NCES is charged with compiling, from time to time, a report on the condition of education in the United States. NCES assists State and local education agencies in improving and automating their statistical and data collection activities. It also prepares the annual Data Acquisition Plan for the Education Division and promotes statistical standards-standardized terminology and definitions-appropriate to the publications of the Education Division and those of State and local governments and educational institutions. The Center also houses the National Assessment of Educational Progress program where samples of the general population of various ages are surveyed. The National Center for Health Statistics, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), established in 1960 as an arm to the Surgeon General of the Public Health Service in his immediate office, is now located in the office of the Assistant Secretary for Health. NCHS performs reimbursable work for a number of organizations ranging from the Air Force, Army, and Veterans Administration to the Department of Transportation, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and the Agency for International Development (AID). Most of these activities involve copies of computer data tapes or special runs from available data. NCHS is reimbursed by AID for training statistical personnel in other countries. The Center is the only Federal agency established specifically to collect and disseminate data on health in the United States. It cooperates with other agencies in the Federal Government and in State and local governments and with foreign countries in activities to increase the availability and usefulness of health data. The Center is building a coalition of Federal, State, and local agencies, working to provide data in sufficient geographic detail to serve State and local data needs through its relatively new and evolving Cooperative Health Statistics System (CHSS). Mission. In addition to collecting generalpurpose health statistics, the Center collects some program statistics, but most program statistics are collected elsewhere in the Public Health Service. Likewise, it does some research, though basically its research focuses on statistical and survey methodology. The Center conducts several major surveys on a continuing basis to determine such things as health costs, insurance coverage, nutritional status, the supply of health manpower, prevalence of chronic diseases, disability, basic morbidity and mortality data, and utilization of health services. From the Center's vital statistics program the Nation's official statistics on births, deaths, marriages, and divorces are developed. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban Development The Office of the Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research (PD&R) administers the Department of Housing and Urban Development's (HUD) program of improving the availability of statistics and information on housing and mortgage financing as part of the Department's research and development effort. The data collections and their dissemination are designed to aid public officials, homebuilders, realtors and financial organizations in their assessment of housing and mortgage markets. Virtually all data collection is performed by other agencies under HUD contracts, chiefly by the Census Bureau. The data are used directly by PD&R and other components in the Department in assessing the impact of programs and in developing alternative policies and programs. Mission. PD&R oversees the statistical collections by other agencies, including the Annual Housing Survey, surveys of new home completions and sales, market absorption of apartments, new mobile home placements, and mortgage lending. It also coordinates the surveys of mortgage lending and commitment activity and, together with the Veterans Administration, collects statistics on effective interest rates on home loans. The Bureau of Mines, Department of the Interior The Bureau of Mines (BOM) collects data from industry. BOM also has a number of reimbursable statistical programs with other agencies. Among the agencies which collect data for BOM are the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Energy Information Administration (EIA), the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). The Bureau collects data for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Corps of Engineers, and the Bureau of Reclamation. Mission. BOM is both a collection and analytical agency. It collects, compiles, and publishes statistics on all phases of domestic and foreign mineral resource developments (except fuels), including reserves, production (primary and secondary), consumption (by end use), inventories, prices, and imports and exports. BOM's statistical products are also used to develop policy on issues of national interest such as the effects of potential economic developments on resource availability. In doing this, it works closely with other agencies collecting and analyzing energy and mineral resource data such as EIA, FERC, USGS, the Office of Minerals Policy and Research Analysis (Department of the Interior) and the Corps of Engineers as well as with State and local governments. BOM published reports are important sources of information to both State and local government offices and industry in their planning and policymaking functions. The Bureau of Mines is also a research organization, which deals with problems relating to mining and metallurgy. In the course of this work, special analytical surveys are developed dealing with mining and metallurgy problems. In addition, the Bureau of Mines administers the provisions of the law dealing with helium and regularly collects data on the receipts and distribution of helium. Because of the close relationship between the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Bureau of Mines, special surveys are conducted for MSHA on various safety aspects of mining. Federal Bureau of Investigation, Department of The Federal Bureau of Investigation is responsible for a major basic statistics program which provides data on crimes known to the police, arrests, offenses cleared by arrest, law enforcement employees, law enforcement officers killed, and other aspects of law enforcement. Data provided to the FBI through this system are used to produce an annual report on crime in the United States, and to assist State and local agencies in the operation, management, and planning of law enforcement programs. Mission. The FBI assembles and publishes data on crime provided by State and local agencies. Until 1969, local police agencies reported crimes directly to the FBI. In 1969, the Bureau began to urge State agencies to assume responsibility for collecting data from local agencies and to compile the data for transmission to the FBI. Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, The statistical activities of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA) in the Department of Justice are housed in the National Criminal Justice Information and Statistics Service (NCJISS). It is one of the major funders of statistical activities in the Government, with an estimated 1977 budget of $35.1 million. A great part (nearly 40 percent) of NCJISS' work is conducted under contract to the Census Bureau in the Department of Commerce. The Census Bureau performs a number of separate projects for NCJISS, including the approximately $10 million a year National Crime Panel program and other smaller programs such as national prisoner statistics, expenditures and employment data, and juvenile justice statistics. NCJISS helps develop State statistical capabilities by supporting developmental work and planning projects and providing technical assistance-all through its Comprehensive Data Systems (CDS) program. In addition, NCJISS assists States and other LEAA grantees in meeting confidentiality requirements for research and statistical data in accordance with the Crime Control Act of 1973. Mission. NCJISS' primary activity is that of statistical collection rather than analytical activity. It supports the collection, tabulation, evaluation, publication, and dissemination of statistics on the condition and progress of law enforcement within the United States and administers programs to protect the privacy and security of research data and criminal history record information. Statistics are compiled on criminal victimization, law enforcement, judicial administration, corrections, and overall criminal justice functions such as manpower, employment, and personnel. NCJISS identifies national, State, and local criminal justice statistical needs and supports the development of prototype criminal justice. information systems which are designed to increase the effectiveness of criminal justice planning and operation of the judicial system. Employment and Training Administration, The Employment and Training Administration (ETA) has two offices which are concerned with statistical support for Department of Labor programs. These are the Office of Policy and Planning and the Office of Research and Development. The former is particularly concerned with statistical support for Department of Labor major operating programs. In this role it conducts and sponsors (through contracts) major evaluation studies and improvements in both current and periodic statistical data. An example of this latter activity is the support of the Occupational Employment Statistics (OES) matrix. Within the Department, however, BLS rather than ETA has the responsibility for the technical control of these data. The Office of Research and Development provides statistical support, i.e., research data associated with its responsibilities for research in the manpower area. Mission. The ETA has responsibility for programmatic data relating to manpower policy, Federal funding of training activities in local labor market areas, and related programs. Division of Statistics, Internal Revenue Service, The Internal Revenue Service's (IRS) Division of Statistics has one of the major data collection programs in the Federal Government. It is based on the principal tax forms for individuals, businesses, and corporations. As the tabulator of the tax returns, the Division of Statistics plays an important statistical support role for other offices within the Treasury Department which are concerned with analysis and forecasting of tax receipts and development of tax policy. In addition, the Division is the supplier of income and related data to other analytical offices. The Bureau of Economic Analysis, for example, makes use of profit, income, and inventory data from the IRS tabulations in providing annual revisions of the national income and product accounts. IRS has also been the supplier of information for statistical list building, but has restricted this role to its interaction with the Bureau of the Census, which has the most rigorous legislation protecting confidentiality, and to the Federal Trade Commission, which has responsibilities for the Quarterly Financial Report. Mission. IRS is classified as a functional multipurpose collection agency because of the comprehensive program data it collects. The IRS' primary statistical mission is collection of the vast amount of data produced as a byproduct of the tax collection process. It is also responsible for analysis of these data. In particular, analysis includes the design and publication of useful tabulations. The tax forms as a matter of policy are not used as collection vehicles for data other than those which are needed in support of the tax collection function. There are rare exceptions to the general policy. The IRS Form 1040, for example, has included information on exact place of residence, which was needed for equitable allocation of funds under the general revenue sharing program. Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent agency which has the role of developing, setting, and enforcing environmental quality standards in the areas of air, water, pesticides, radiation, noise, solid waste, and toxic substances. The two largest agency programs are in air and water. In air, EPA has the responsibility of setting and regulating ambient standards. To accomplish this the agency conducts research on the health, economic, and ecological impacts of air pollution and uses data collected by other agencies in these areas. The EPA pollution effects research program is the Community Health and Environmental Surveillance System (CHESS). Among the agencies which supply EPA with environmental health effects data are the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA). EPA also maintains national inventories of air pollutant emissions data (NEDS system) and ambient air quality data (SAROAD system). The ambient air quality data are collected primarily by State and local governments using Federal guidelines. In water quality, EPA also has the lead role for the development and setting of standards. The agency, however, shares its water quality monitoring responsibilities with several other agencies. For example, both the U.S. Geological Survey and EPA monitor river basins and both the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and EPA monitor coastal and estuarine waters. Another major program administered by the agency is in the regulation and registering of pesticides. The agency also monitors pesticide residues in human populations. Other agencies involved in monitoring pesticide levels are: NOAA-in surface water and in oysters and clams. The Fish and Wildlife Service-in birds and fish. The U.S. Department of Agriculture-in meats and poultry. The Food and Drug Administration-in foods and crops. Other EPA responsibilities are: With the Federal Aviation Administration, the development of Federal noise standards. With ERDA, the monitoring of radiation. The collection and analysis of solid waste data. Mission. The EPA has basic responsibilities for statistics relating to air, water, pesticides, radiation, noise, solid waste, and toxic substances. Statistical Agencies With Primarily A number of agencies play an important role in the Federal system of economic and social statistics primarily through extensive analysis or interpretation of statistical data from other sources-governmental and nongovernmental. Their estimates, analyses, or forecasts are an important product of the Government's statistical system. In some instances they also engage in direct collection of basic statistics. The principal agencies in this category (again, arranged alphabetically by Department) are: 3. Health, Education, and Welfare Office of Research and Statistics, Social Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning 4. Transportation-Research and Special Programs Administration. 5. Federal Reserve Board. These six agencies differ in some respects. The first four of them and the last fulfill analysis needs in more than one subject area for more than one Department and are here known as Core Multipurpose Analysis agencies. The fifth-the Research and Special Programs Administration in the Department of Transportation-provides analysis in a specific subject area which is of interest across Departments. Economics Units; Economics, Statistics and Cooperatives Service; Department of Agriculture The Economics Units in the Economics, Statistics and Cooperatives Service (ESCS) provide the principal analytical role for data relating to farms and the farm population. The ESCS conducts the Annual Economic Survey, the single most comprehensive data collection vehicle required for economic analysis relating to the farm sector. Furthermore, within the Department of Agriculture (USDA), ESCS publications and other analytic outputs are essential to the individuals and offices concerned with agricultural policy issues. Outside of USDA, significant users of its products include the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the Council of Economic Advisers, and the Federal Reserve Board, all of which need to analyze the farm sector as a part of a broader economic and financial picture. Mission. The Economics Units have a broad mission for analyses and publications on all aspects of agricultural economics, including inputs and outputs, income, and the costs of farm family living. In addition, ESCS is concerned with analysis of later stages in fabrication and distribution, i.e., food processing and food marketing, and with data on rural land, including real estate values and ownership patterns. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Department of Com merce Although the Bureau of Economic Analysis' (BEA) budget ($12.5 million) is not especially large among statistical agencies, the broad analytical use and impact of its work make it one of the major agencies in the U.S. Federal Statistical System. BEA provides analytical support based on the national economic accounts to the Secretary and other elements of the Department as well as key governmental units such as the Council of Economic Advisers. Its work is widely used by academic and business analysts. In preparing the national income and product accounts, BEA is a major user of statistics collected by other agencies. More than one-third of the data used by BEA comes from the Census Bureau, and the interactive relationship between these sister agencies is one of the important factors shaping economic statistics in the Federal Government. The data needs identified with and by the national economic accounts and related BEA work are a major consideration in planning for the economic censuses and the census of agriculture. (BEA, in turn, supplies the Census Bureau with adjusted personal income data used as an input to the intercensal demographic estimates program.) BEA also provides under contract a variety of special analytical tabulations on such topics as migration and personal income for the regional economic commissions which are constituent units of the Department of Commerce. |