Natural Gas Data Collection Program Package

Form Approved
OMB No. XXXX-XXXX
Expiration Date: 12/31/XX

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
ENERGY INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
Washington, DC 20585

ANNUAL REPORT OF NATURAL AND SUPPLEMENTAL GAS SUPPLY AND DISPOSITION
FORM EIA-176
INSTRUCTIONS
PURPOSE

HOW TO REPORT

The Energy Information Administration (EIA) Form EIA-176,
“Annual Report of Natural and Supplemental Gas Supply and
Disposition,” is designed to collect data on natural, synthetic, and
other supplemental gas supplies, disposition, and certain revenues
by State. The data appear in the EIA publications, Monthly Energy
Review, Natural Gas Annual, and Natural Gas Monthly.

Instructions on where to report via mail, fax, secure file transfer, or
email are printed on Part 2 of Form EIA-176.

COPIES OF THE
INSTRUCTIONS

Report must be completed by:
Interstate natural gas pipeline companies,
Intrastate natural gas pipeline companies,
Natural gas distribution companies,
Underground natural gas storage operators,
Synthetic natural gas plant operators,
Field, well, or processing plant operators that deliver natural
gas directly to consumers (including their own industrial
facilities) other than for lease or plant use or processing,
(7) Field, well, or processing plant operators that transport gas to,
across, or from a State border through field or gathering
facilities,
(8) Liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage operators.

SURVEY

FORM

AND

Copies in portable document format (PDF) and spreadsheet format
(XLS) are available on EIA's website at:

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(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)
(5)
(6)

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REPORTING REQUIREMENT

You may file electronically using Electronic Filing System (EFS)
for Form EIA-176 that can be installed on a personal computer
(PC). If you have any questions, please contact the Electronic Data
Collection Staff on (202) 586-9659.

D

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A separate report must be completed for each State in which your
company is engaged in one or more of the following activities:
(1) Gas (natural, commingled natural and supplemental gas, or
LNG) was transported utilizing respondent-operated facilities
other than field or gathering lines,
(2) Gas was transported to, from, or across a State border utilizing
respondent-operated field or gathering lines,
(3) Gas was delivered directly to consumers utilizing respondent
operated facilities other than field, well, or plant operators
delivering solely for lease and plant use or processing,
(4) Gas was stored in respondent-operated underground storage
reservoirs, or LNG storage facilities, and/or
(5) Synthetic natural gas was produced in respondent-operated
facilities.
This report is mandatory. A separate report should be filed by, or
for, each company subsidiary or affiliate meeting the filing
requirements that operated separate systems within a State.
However, approval to report on a consolidated basis for a State may
be granted upon request to the EIA at (877) 800-5261.
A State, for the purpose of this report, includes adjacent offshore
Federal Domain areas.

WHEN TO REPORT

www.eia.doe.gov/oil_gas/natural_gas/survey_forms/nat_survey_for
ms.html

You can also access the materials by following these steps:
• Go to EIA's website at www.eia.doe.gov
• Click on the Natural Gas category (this takes you to EIA's
natural gas information page).
• Click on the Survey Forms link located in the reference box in
the lower right corner.
• Select the materials you want.
Files must be saved to your personal computer. Data cannot be
entered interactively on the web site.

SECURE FILE TRANSFER
Forms may be submitted through the Secure File Transfer System.
The secure hypertext transfer protocol (HTTPS) is an industry
standard method to send information over the web using a secure,
encrypted process. All information is protected by 128-bit
encryption to maintain the privacy and confidentiality of
transmitted data. The Secure File Transfer System may be
accessed
through
the
following
web
address:
https://idc.eia.doe.gov/upload/noticeoog.jsp.

GENERAL INSTRUCTIONS
Complete only those Parts and data elements applicable to your
operations. Leave all other spaces blank. No data are to be entered
in the shaded areas or spaces.
All information is to be reported on a calendar year basis. Volumes
are to refer to natural gas physically in your possession (custody
basis).

Form EIA-176 is due March 1st. If an extension is needed call
(877) 800-5261.
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Revised reports are not required unless actual or corrected data
vary more than plus (+) or minus (-) 4 percent from the data
previously reported.

taken directly into your system at the wellhead, field or
tailgate of a processing plant, whether produced from wells
operated by your company or by others.

SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS

1.2 Synthetic natural gas (SNG): Report the volume of
synthetic natural gas produced in the plant or plants operated
by your company. Synthetic natural gas, also referred to as
substitute natural gas, is a manufactured product, chemically
similar in most respects to natural gas, resulting from the
conversion or reforming of coal or petroleum hydrocarbons
which may easily be substituted for, or interchanged with,
pipeline quality natural gas.

Please provide up-to-date company information.
EIA ID Number: Complete the 10-digit identification number
assigned by EIA. Companies operating in more than one State
should note that a unique number has been assigned for operations
in each State. In the event an identification number has not been
assigned, leave the space blank and contact the EIA at (877) 8005261, a number will then be assigned by the EIA.
Resubmission: Check the box if report is a revised report.
Otherwise, if the report is an original, leave this space blank.
Company Name: Enter the company name.
Operations in (State): Enter the name of the State covered by the
report. A separate report must be submitted for each State for
which your company is required to file.

Please note, for Line 2.2 LNG storage withdrawals – LNG import
and export terminals should not report withdrawals of natural gas
during the course of routine operations for handling imports and
not held in storage for future use.
3.0 If you are an interstate pipeline company or other
company receiving physical custody at State lines or U.S.
borders, report receipts: Report the name of the company, the
adjacent State or Country from which the gas was received, and the
volume of gas received at the State line or U.S. border. For
liquefied natural gas (LNG) received by ship, rail, barge, or truck,
consider the receiving terminal as a point on the State line or U.S.
border, report the name of the State or Country from which the
LNG was shipped, and describe the transaction by footnote on Part
7.

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Contact Information: Enter the current contact information.

2.0 If you are a storage operator, report operations within the
report State: Report the total volume of underground storage
withdrawals (2.1), liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage withdrawals
(2.2), and above ground storage withdrawals (2.3).

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PART 1: RESPONDENT IDENTIFICATION

List the affiliates or subsidiaries for which data are included in
this report: Please identify which entities of your company are
included in the data provided on this report. And, if you are
including data for more than one identification number, please
provide the identification number for the other entities.
PART 2: SUBMISSION INFORMATION

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Provides information for the four options available for submitting
your completed Form EIA-176: (1) mail; (2) fax; (3) email; and (4)
Secure File Transfer.
PART 3: TYPE OF OPERATIONS (Check all that apply)

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Check all of the boxes that describe your company’s overall gas
operations. This information will be used to provide aggregates of
the data collected in the survey by type of company. For a
description of gas operations, please reference the “Definitions”
section included in these instructions.
Also indicate whether your company fleet includes vehicles that are
powered by alternative fuels. If your company fleet includes
vehicles powered by alternative fuels, enter the number of vehicles
that are powered by alternative fuels. For a list of alternative fuels,
please reference the “Definitions” section included in these
instructions.
PART 4: NATURAL AND SUPPLEMENTAL GAS SUPPLY
FOR THE REPORT STATE
Report the total volumes of natural and supplemental gas physically
produced or received and taken into company-operated storage,
company-operated transportation or company-operated distribution
facilities located in the report State. Volumes are to be reported on
a physical possession basis regardless of ownership.
1.0 If you are a producer, report production within the report
State of
1.1 Natural gas: Report gross production, after lease
separation, (including royalty and overriding royalty interest)

4.0 If you are a distributor, report receipts at city gates within
the report State: Report gas volumes received at the city gate for
delivery to end-use customers.
5.0 Report any other receipts of natural gas within the report
State: Report the volume of other receipts within the report State if
the gas was delivered to a point on your company’s system and not
previously reported in questions 1.0 through 4.0 above. Include
volumes of both natural gas, liquefied natural gas, and synthetic
natural gas.
6.0 Supplemental gaseous fuel supplies (Specify type): Report
sources of supplemental gas supply received or introduced into
your system and the volume(s) of each. Supplemental gas includes
any gaseous substance introduced into or commingled with natural
gas that increases the volume available for disposition. Such
substances include, but are not limited to, propane-air, refinery gas,
coke oven gas, still gas, manufactured gas, biomass gas, or air or
inerts added for Btu stabilization.
PART 5: LIQUEFIED NATURAL GAS (LNG) STORAGE
INVENTORY
8.0 Inventory of LNG (gaseous equivalent) in storage as of
December 31 of report year. Report inventory of LNG (gaseous
equivalent) in storage as of December 31 of the report year.
PART 6: NATURAL AND SUPPLEMENTAL
DISPOSITION FOR THE REPORT STATE

GAS

Report in Part 6, the total volumes of and where indicated, the
revenue (including taxes) from natural and supplemental gas
delivered to others, consumed, or stored in company-operated
facilities, or otherwise disposed of within the State or delivered to
bordering States or to foreign countries.
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Revenue information is to be reported only for volumes sold and
delivered directly to the end-use customers and is to be gross
revenues including any and all demand charges, commodity
charges, taxes, surcharges, adjustments or other charges billed for
gas delivered. Any gains or losses associated with financial hedges
are to be included. Please indicate by footnote if taxes are not
included in revenue figures. All revenue values are to be rounded to
the nearest whole number of dollars.
The average number of consumers during the year, for the purpose
of this report, is the sum of the number of consumers attached to
your system at the end of each month divided by twelve.
Each dwelling, building, plant, establishment, or location is to be
counted as a separate consumer, for the purpose of this report,
whether or not centrally billed and whether or not provided with
more than one type of service, e.g., firm and interruptible service.

Vehicle fuel: Natural gas, either compressed (CNG) or liquefied
(LNG), that is consumed by motor vehicles.
Other (not included in above categories) Specify type: This
category is only to be used for service provided directly to
consumers for which you are uncertain of the correct category from
among residential, commercial, industrial, and electric power.
Please use the space provided to specify the type of delivery you
report here.
9.0 Heat content of gas delivered to consumers (Btu/cf): The
average heat content (Btu) should be computed by summing the
total Btu delivered each month (volume delivered directly to
consumers multiplied by average Btu content per unit volume) and
dividing by the total volume delivered directly to consumers during
that month. The average Btu content for each month should be that
used for billing purposes whether billing was on a therm (100,000
Btu) or decatherm (1,000,000 Btu) basis. The value for heat content
is expected to be in the range of 900 to 1200 Btu/cu. ft.
If billing was on a volumetric basis and your company did not
measure the Btu content, contact your supplier for the information.
If the Btu content was not measured at any point, enter a "U" for
Unknown.

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Consumers should be classified by category in accordance with the
definitions provided below.
Multiple-use or combination
consumers such as apartment buildings with commercial
establishments, retail stores with attached dwellings, or industrial
plants with on-site office space or buildings served from a common
meter are to be classified based upon the predominate volumetric
usage. If certain categories, e.g., residential and commercial, are
carried on a combined basis in your accounts, please provide your
best estimate of the information for each category separately. If you
have no reasonable basis for categorizing the estimates, enter the
information as “Other” and describe in a footnote in Part 7.

Electric power: An energy-consuming sector that consists of
electricity-only plants and combined heat and power (CHP) plants,
whose primary business is to sell electricity, or electricity and heat,
to the public.

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The type of disposition (delivered, consumed, stored, etc.) is to be
determined based upon the physical possession of the gas within
your company-operated production, transportation, storage, or
distribution facilities at the point of disposition.

Deliveries directly to end-use consumers are to be reported based
upon the following definitions:

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Residential: An energy-consuming sector that consists of living
quarters for private households. Common uses of energy associated
with this sector include space heating, water heating, and cooking.
The residential sector includes mobile homes and apartment
buildings [whether privately owned or publicly subsidized] and
excludes institutional living quarters.

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Commercial: An energy-consuming sector that consists of serviceproviding facilities and equipment of businesses; Federal, State,
and local governments; and other private and public organizations,
such as religious, social, or fraternal groups. The commercial sector
includes institutional living quarters. Common uses of energy
associated with this sector include space heating, water heating,
cooking, and running a wide variety of other equipment. Note: This
sector includes generators that produce electricity and/or useful
thermal output primarily to support the activities of the abovementioned commercial establishments. Vehicle fuel is not to be
included in the commercial sector.
Industrial: An energy-consuming sector that consists of all
facilities and equipment used for producing, processing, or
assembling goods. The industrial sector encompasses the following
types of activity: manufacturing; agriculture, forestry, and fisheries;
mining, including oil and gas extraction; and construction. Overall
energy use in this sector is largely for process heat and powering
machinery, with lesser amounts used for facility heating. Natural
gas is also used as raw material inputs to manufactured products.
Note: This sector includes generators that produce electricity and/or
useful thermal output primarily to support the above-mentioned
industrial activities.

10.0 Deliveries of natural gas that you own to end-use
consumers within the report State: Report the average number
of consumers served directly from your facilities during the year,
the volumes sold and delivered to such consumers, and the
revenues received in the appropriate category. Include deliveries
directly to your company-owned commercial, industrial or electric
power facilities.
How to Report on Type of Consumer on Form EIA-176
Master-metered apartments
Residential
Mobile homes
Residential
Multi-family dwellings, individually metered
Residential
Single-family dwellings
Residential
Churches and hospitals
Commercial
Government (local, State and Federal) agencies Commercial
Hotels
Commercial
Non-manufacturing military installations
Commercial
Restaurants
Commercial
Retail stores
Commercial
Schools and universities
Commercial
Wholesale stores
Commercial
Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
Industrial
Mining (including oil and gas extraction)
Industrial
Manufacturing
Industrial
Regulated electric utilities
Electric
Power
Nonregulated electricity generators
Electric
Power
The size of an operation does not affect consumer classification:
1.
2.

Large commercial operations should be classified as
commercial, not industrial.
Small industrial operations should be classified as industrial,
not commercial.

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Note: Pipeline companies are not required to provide revenue data
for deliveries of gas that they do not own.
12.0 Natural gas consumed in your operations: Report the
volume of gas consumed as fuel in your company's pipeline
compressor use (12.1), new pipeline fill (12.2), distribution system
compressor use (12.3), and other (Specify type) (12.4) within the
report State.
13.0 If you are a storage operator, report operations within the
State: Report the total volume added to underground storage
(including new fields) (13.1), liquefied natural gas (LNG) storage
additions (13.2), and above ground storage additions (13.3)
operated by your company within the report State.
Please note, for Line 13.2 LNG storage injections - LNG import
and export terminals should not report injections of LNG during the
course of routine operations for handling imports and not held in
storage for future use.

The Part 7 footnotes sheet is to be used, if needed, to provide
explanatory notes for data reported on Parts 1 through 6. The
footnotes will become a permanent part of the computer data file
and thereby serve as an integral part of your report.

DEFINITIONS
Alternative fuel: Alternative fuels, for transportation applications
such as hybrids, include the following: methanol, denatured
ethanol, and other alcohols, fuel mixtures containing 85 percent or
more by volume of methanol, denatured ethanol, and other alcohols
with gasoline or other fuels -- natural gas, liquefied petroleum gas
(propane), hydrogen, coal-derived liquid fuels, fuels (other than
alcohol) derived from biological materials (biofuels such as soy
diesel fuel), electricity (including electricity from solar energy.)
The term "alternative fuel" does not include alcohol or other
blended portions of primarily petroleum-based fuels used as
oxygenates or extenders, i.e. MTBE, ETBE, other ethers, and the
10-percent ethanol portion of gasohol.
Consumer: Any individually-metered dwelling, building,
establishment, or location using natural gas, synthetic natural gas,
and/or mixtures of natural and supplemental gas for feedstock or as
fuel for any purpose other than in oil or gas lease operations;
natural gas treating or processing plants; or pipeline, distribution, or
storage compressors.

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14.0 If you are an interstate pipeline company or other
company moving gas across or to State lines or U.S. borders,
report volumes transported: Report the name of the company,
the adjacent State or Country to which the gas was delivered, and
the volume of gas delivered at the State line or U.S. border. For
liquefied natural gas sales shipped by ship, truck, rail, or barge,
consider the loading terminal a point on the State line or U.S.
border. Report the name of the State or Country to which the LNG
was delivered, and describe the transaction by footnote in Part 7.

PART 7: FOOTNOTES

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11.0 Deliveries of natural gas that you do not own to end-use
consumers within the report State: Report the average number of
consumers served directly from your facilities, volumes delivered
to and revenues received for transportation of natural gas to those
consumers for each end-use consumer category.

15.0 If you are a producer, report lease use: Report total volume
of gas used in your company’s well, field, and/or lease operations.

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16.0 Returned to oil and/or gas reservoirs, used for
repressuring, reinjection (Reported by producers only): Report
the volume of gas delivered directly from your system to oil or gas
fields located within the report State for repressuring, pressure
maintenance, and/or cycling operations.

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17.0 Losses from leaks, damage, accidents, migration and/or
blow down within the report State: Report known volumes as a
result of losses from leaks, damage, accidents, migration and/or
blow down within the report State these events took place. Volume
may represent your best estimate.
18.0 Other disposition within report State (not included above):
Report any disposition of gas not included in lines 10.1 through
17.0. Report disposition to distribution companies (18.1), other
pipelines, (18.2), storage operators (18.3), and other (specify type)
(18.4) within the report State. Please provide estimates of the
volume involved, if not measured. If insufficient space is provided,
continue on Part 7.
20.0 Difference between Supply (+) or Disposition (-) (Part 4
line 7.0 and Part 6 line 19.0): A positive entry indicates supply in
excess of accounted for disposition and a negative entry (denoted
by a minus sign preceding the entry) indicates accounted for
disposition in excess of supply reported.

Delivered: The physical transfer of natural, synthetic, and/or
supplemental gas from facilities operated by the responding
company to facilities operated by others or to consumers.
Disposition: The removal of natural, synthetic, and/or
supplemental gas, or any components or gaseous mixtures
contained therein, from the responding company's facilities within
the report State by any means or for any purpose including the
transportation of such gas out of the report State.
Dry natural gas: Natural gas which remains after: 1) the
liquefiable hydrocarbon portion has been removed from the gas
stream (i.e., gas after lease, field, and/or plant separation); and 2)
any volumes of nonhydrocarbon gases have been removed where
they occur in sufficient quantity to render the gas unmarketable.
Note: Dry natural gas is also known as consumer-grade natural gas.
The parameters for measurement are cubic feet at 60 degrees
Fahrenheit and 14.73 pounds per square inch absolute.
Gatherer: A company primarily engaged in the gathering of
natural gas from well or field lines for delivery, for a fee, to a
natural gas processing plant or central point. Gathering companies
may also provide compression, dehydration, and/or treating
services.
Lease Operations: Any well, lease, or field operations related to
the exploration for or production of natural gas prior to delivery for
processing or transportation out of the field. Gas used in lease
operations includes usage such as drilling operations, heaters,
dehydrators, field compressors, and net used for gas lift.
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): Natural gas (primarily methane)
that has been liquefied by reducing its temperature to –260º
Fahrenheit at atmospheric pressure.

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Natural Gas: A gaseous mixture of hydrocarbon compounds, the
primary one being methane. Also see Dry Natural Gas and Wet
Natural Gas.
Operator: The company responsible for the management and dayto-day operations of natural gas production, gathering, treating,
processing, transportation, storage, distribution facilities, and/or a
synthetic natural gas plant.
Pipeline: A continuous pipe conduit, complete with such
equipment as valves, compressor stations, communication systems,
and meters for transporting natural and/or supplemental gas from
one point to another, usually from a point on or beyond the
producing field or processing plant to another pipeline or to points
of utilization. Also refers to a company operating such facilities.
Producer: A company engaged in the production and sale of
natural gas from gas or oil wells with delivery generally at a point
at or near the wellhead, the field, or the tailgate of a gas processing
plant. For the purpose of company classification, a company
primarily engaged in the exploration for, development of, and/or
production of oil and/or natural gas.

The information reported on Form EIA-176 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 Department of Energy (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 EIA to provide
company-specific data to other Federal agencies when requested
for official use. The information reported on this form may also be
made available, upon request, to another DOE component; 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 nonstatistical purposes such as administrative, regulatory,
law enforcement, or adjudicatory purposes.
Disclosure limitation procedures are applied to the statistical data
published from EIA-176 survey information to ensure that the risk
of disclosure of identifiable information is very small.

SANCTIONS

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Received: Gas physically transferred into the responding
company’s transportation, storage, and/or distribution facilities.

PROVISIONS FOR CONFIDENTIALITY OF
INFORMATION

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Mcf: 1,000 cubic feet.

Supplemental Gas: Any gaseous substance introduced into or
commingled with natural gas that increases the volume available
for disposition. Such substances include, but are not limited to,
propane-air, refinery gas, coke oven gas, still gas, manufactured
gas, biomass gas, or air or inerts added for Btu stabilization.
Supply: Natural, synthetic, and supplemental gas produced within,
introduced into, and/or received into facilities operated by the
responding company within the report State for disposition during
the report year.

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Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) (Also referred to as substitute
natural gas): A manufactured product, chemically similar in most
respects to natural gas, resulting from the conversion or reforming
of hydrocarbons that may easily be substituted for or interchanged
with pipeline-quality natural gas.

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Underground Storage: The storage of natural gas in underground
reservoirs at a different location from which it was produced.
Wet natural gas: A mixture of hydrocarbon compounds and small
quantities of various nonhydrocarbons existing in the gaseous
phase or in solution with crude oil in porous rock formations at
reservoir conditions. The principal hydrocarbons normally
contained in the mixture are methane, ethane, propane, butane, and
pentane. Typical nonhydrocarbon gases that may be present in
reservoir natural gas are water vapor, carbon dioxide, hydrogen
sulfide, nitrogen and trace amounts of helium. Under reservoir
conditions, natural gas and its associated liquefiable portions occur
either in a single gaseous phase in the reservoir or in solution with
crude oil and are not distinguishable at the time as separate
substances. Note: The Securities and Exchange Commission and
the Financial Accounting Standards Board refer to this product as
natural gas.

The timely submission of Form EIA-176 by those required to
report is mandatory under Section 13(b) of the Federal Energy
Administration Act of 1974 (FEA ACT) (Public Law 93 275), as
amended. Failure to respond may result in a civil penalty of not
more than $2,750 each day for each violation, or a fine of not more
than $5,000 each day for each willful violation. The government
may bring a civil action to prohibit reporting violations, which may
result in a temporary restraining order or a preliminary or
permanent injunction without bond. In such civil action, the court
may also issue mandatory injunction commanding any person to
comply with these reporting requirements.

FILING FORMS WITH FEDERAL
GOVERNMENT AND ESTIMATED
REPORTING BURDEN
Respondents are not required to file or reply to any Federal
collection of information unless it has a valid OMB control
number. Public reporting burden for this collection of information
is estimated to average 12 hours per response, including the time of
reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering
and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the
collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden
estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information
including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Energy
Information Administration, Statistics and Methods Group, EI-70,
1000 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, DC 20585; and to
the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503.

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