Notice2025-23281
Agency Information Collection Request for Comments
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 18, 2025
Issuing agencies
Energy DepartmentEnergy Information Administration
Abstract
EIA invites public comment and other Federal agencies to comment on a proposed information collection. EIA plans to collect information from the public to fulfill its data security requirements when providing access to confidential microdata for the purpose of evidence building. EIA's data security agreements and other paperwork along with the corresponding security protocols allow EIA to maintain careful controls on confidentiality and privacy, as required by law. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed data security information collection, prior to submission of the information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 241 (Thursday, December 18, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 241 (Thursday, December 18, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 59096-59098]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-23281]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Energy Information Administration
Agency Information Collection Request for Comments
AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), U.S. Department
of Energy (DOE).
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: EIA invites public comment and other Federal agencies to
comment on a proposed information collection. EIA plans to collect
information from the public to fulfill its data security requirements
when providing access to confidential microdata for the purpose of
evidence building. EIA's data security agreements and other paperwork
along with the corresponding security protocols allow EIA to maintain
careful controls on confidentiality and privacy, as required by law.
The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on
the proposed data security information collection, prior to submission
of the information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB).
DATES: EIA must receive all comments on this proposed information
collection no later than February 17, 2026. If you anticipate any
difficulties in submitting your comments by the deadline, contact the
person listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice as soon as
possible.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by OMB control number
1905-NEW, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0b4e424a264d5945686466666e657f784b6e626a256c647d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="185d5159355e4a567b7775757d766c6b587d7179367f776e">[email protected]</span></a>. Include the OMB control
number listed in the subject line of the message.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Samson Adeshiyan, EIA Clearance
Officer, at (202) 586-7777 or by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#c0858981ed86928ea3afadada5aeb4b380a5a9a1eea7afb6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="76333f375b30243815191b1b1318020536131f1758111900">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018 mandates that the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) establish a Standard Application Process (SAP) for
requesting access to certain confidential data assets. While the
adoption of the SAP is required for statistical agencies and units
designated under the Confidential Information Protection and
Statistical Efficiency Act (CIPSEA), it is recognized that other
agencies and organizational units within the Executive branch may
benefit from the adoption of the SAP to accept applications for access
to confidential data assets. The SAP is a process through which
agencies, the Congressional Budget Office, State, local, and Tribal
governments, researchers, and other individuals, as appropriate, may
apply to access confidential data assets held by a Federal statistical
agency or unit for the purposes of developing evidence. With the
Interagency Council on Statistical Policy (ICSP) as advisors, the
entities upon whom this requirement is levied are working with the SAP
Project Management Office (PMO) and with OMB to implement the SAP. The
SAP Portal is a single web-based common application for the public to
request access to confidential data assets from Federal statistical
agencies and units. The National Center for Science and Engineering
Statistics (NCSES), within the National Science Foundation (NSF),
submitted a Federal Register Notice in September 2022 announcing plans
to collect information through the SAP Portal (87 FR 53793). Once an
application for confidential data is
[[Page 59097]]
approved through the SAP Portal, EIA will collect information to meet
its data security requirements. This collection will occur outside of
the SAP Portal.
(1) OMB No.: 1905-New;
(2) Information Collection Request Title: DATA SECURITY
REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESSING CONFIDENTIAL DATA;
(3) Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to collect information
from the public to fulfill the EIA security requirements allowing
individuals to access confidential data assets for the purposes of
building evidence;
(4) Purpose: Title III of the Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018 (hereafter referred to as the Evidence Act)
mandates that OMB establish a Standard Application Process (SAP) for
requesting access to certain confidential data assets. Specifically,
the Evidence Act requires OMB to establish a common application process
through which agencies, the Congressional Budget Office, State, local,
and Tribal governments, researchers, and other individuals, as
appropriate, may apply for access to confidential data assets
collected, accessed, or acquired by a statistical agency or unit. This
new process will be implemented while maintaining stringent controls to
protect confidentiality and privacy, as required by law.
Data collected, accessed, or acquired by statistical agencies and
units is vital for developing evidence on conditions, characteristics,
and behaviors of the public and on the operations and outcomes of
public programs and policies. This evidence can benefit the
stakeholders in the programs, the broader public, as well as
policymakers and program managers at the local, State, Tribal, and
National levels. The many benefits of access to data for evidence
building notwithstanding, EIA is required by law to maintain careful
controls that allow it to minimize disclosure risk while protecting
confidentiality and privacy. The fulfillment of EIA's data security
requirements places a degree of burden on the public, which is outlined
below.
The SAP Portal is a web-based application for the public to request
access to confidential data assets from Federal statistical agencies
and units. The objective of the SAP Portal is to increase public access
to confidential data for the purposes of evidence building and reduce
the burden of applying for confidential data. Once an individual's
application in the SAP Portal has received a positive determination,
the data-owning agency(ies) or unit(s) will begin the process of
collecting information to fulfill their data security requirements.
The paragraphs below outline the SAP Policy, the steps to complete
an application through the SAP Portal, and the process for agencies to
collect information fulfilling their data security requirements.
The SAP Policy
At the recommendation of the ICSP, the SAP Policy establishes the
SAP to be implemented by statistical agencies and units and
incorporates directives from the Evidence Act. The policy is intended
to provide guidance as to the application and review processes using
the SAP Portal, setting forth clear standards that enable statistical
agencies and units to implement a common application form and a uniform
review process. The SAP Policy was submitted to the public for comment
in January 2022 (87 FR 2459).
The SAP Portal
The SAP Portal is an application interface connecting applicants
seeking data with a catalog of data assets owned by the Federal
statistical agencies and units. The SAP Portal is not a new data
repository or warehouse; confidential data assets will continue to be
stored in secure data access facilities owned and hosted by the Federal
statistical agencies and units. The Portal will provide a streamlined
application process across agencies, reducing redundancies in the
application process. This single SAP Portal will improve the process
for applicants, tracking and communicating the application process
throughout its lifecycle. This reduces redundancies and burden on
applicants that request access to data from multiple agencies. The SAP
Portal will automate key tasks to save resources and time and will
bring agencies into compliance with the Evidence Act statutory
requirements.
Data Discovery
Individuals begin the process of accessing confidential data by
discovering confidential data assets through the SAP data catalog,
maintained by Federal statistical agencies at <a href="http://www.researchdatagov.org">www.researchdatagov.org</a>.
Potential applicants can search by agency, topic, or keyword to
identify data of interest or relevance. Once they have identified data
of interest, applicants can view metadata outlining the title,
description or abstract, scope and coverage, and detailed methodology
related to a specific data asset to determine its relevance to their
research. While statistical agencies and units shall endeavor to
include metadata in the SAP data catalog on all confidential data
assets for which they accept applications, it may not be feasible to
include metadata for some data assets (e.g., potential curated versions
of administrative data). A statistical agency or unit may still accept
an application through the SAP Portal even if the requested data asset
is not listed in the SAP data catalog.
SAP Application Process
Individuals who have identified and wish to access confidential
data assets may apply for access through the SAP Portal. Applicants
must create an account and follow all steps to complete the
application. Applicants begin by entering their personal, contact, and
institutional information, as well as the personal, contact, and
institutional information of all individuals on their research team.
Applicants proceed to provide summary information about their proposed
project, to include project title, duration, funding, timeline, and
other details including the data asset(s) they are requesting and any
proposed linkages to data not listed in the SAP data catalog, including
non-Federal data sources. Applicants then proceed to enter detailed
information regarding their proposed project, including a project
abstract, research question(s), literature review, project scope,
research methodology, project products, and anticipated output.
Applicants must demonstrate a need for confidential data, outlining why
their research question cannot be answered using publicly available
information.
Submission for Review
Upon submission of their application, applicants will receive a
notification that their application has been received and is under
review by the data owning agency or agencies (in the event where data
assets are requested from multiple agencies). At this point, applicants
will also be notified that application approval does not alone grant
access to confidential data, and that, if approved, applicants must
comply with the data-owning agency's security requirements outside of
the SAP Portal, which may include a background check.
In accordance with the Evidence Act and the direction of the ICSP,
agencies will approve or reject an application within a prompt
timeframe. In some cases, agencies may determine that additional
clarity, information, or modification is needed and request the
applicant to ``revise and resubmit'' their application. Data discovery,
the SAP application process, and the submission for review are planned
to take place within the web-based SAP Portal. As
[[Page 59098]]
noted above, the notice announcing plans to collect information through
the SAP Portal has been published separately (87 FR 53793).
Access to Confidential Data
In the event of a positive determination, the applicant will be
notified that their proposal has been accepted. The positive or final
adverse determination concludes the SAP Portal process. In the instance
of a positive determination, the data-owning agency (or agencies) will
contact the applicant to provide instructions on the agency's security
requirements that must be completed to gain access to the confidential
data. The completion and submission of the agency's security
requirements will take place outside of the SAP Portal.
Collection of Information for Data Security Requirements
In order for researchers to access confidential data onsite at
EIA's headquarters in Washington, DC, they must fulfill all
requirements for becoming temporary agents of EIA. To fulfill these
requirements, a Data Access Agreement (DAA) must be signed between EIA
and the researcher's employing institution, and the team members must
complete EIA's CIPSEA training and sign a Non-disclosure Agreement,
affirming their U.S. citizenship and their commitment not to disclose
confidential data to unauthorized parties.
(5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 20;
(6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 20;
(7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 100;
(8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden: The amount
of time to complete the DAA and training will vary based on the
confidential data assets requested and the access modality. To obtain
access to EIA confidential data assets, it is estimated that the
average time to complete and submit EIA's data security agreements is
100 minutes (5 hours) per applicant. This estimate does not include the
time needed to complete and submit an application within the SAP
Portal. All efforts related to SAP Portal applications occur prior to
and separate from EIA's effort to collect information related to data
security requirements.
Comments are invited on whether or not: (a) The proposed collection
of information is necessary for the proper performance of agency
functions, including whether the information will have a practical
utility; (b) EIA's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used, is accurate; (c) EIA can improve the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information it will collect; and (d) EIA can minimize
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, such as
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 772(b) and 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.
Signed in Washington, DC, on December 16, 2025.
Samson A. Adeshiyan,
Director, Office of Statistical Methods and Research, U.S. Energy
Information Administration.
[FR Doc. 2025-23281 Filed 12-17-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P
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