System errors delay EIA diesel reports

Systems errors have created a delay with the Energy Information Administration’s data release, including the weekly diesel prices, schedule for the week of June 20, the EIA said in a statement released June 22.

The weekly natural gas storage report was released as scheduled on June 23.

However, all other data releases scheduled for this week will be delayed, the EIA said.

“We apologize for the inconvenience of this delay, and remain committed to our mission of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating independent and impartial energy information as we resolve this issue,” EIA said.

With the release of its June 13 weekly on-highway diesel fuel price survey, the EIA introduced a new statistical methodology for figures its weekly average prices.

According to the EIA website, the new sampling and estimation methodologies were implemented to improve the accuracy of the weekly price estimates they publish. The new sample, first released on June 13, includes about 590 diesel outlets compared to 403 in the previous sample, the agency said.

This change in methodology is unrelated to the system errors, said Chris Higginbotham, EIA media relations.

“The issues we are facing are hardware-related, and they were unexpected,” Higginbotham said. “This was 100% a technical problem. The issue is unrelated to the changes in our methodology for calculating U.S. average diesel prices.”

Higginbotham said he doesn’t expect any additional changes to the methodology used by EIA to figure weekly diesel prices.

The agency said it will resume its normal production schedule, and also plans to release the delayed data as soon as possible.

Land Line will update its fuel coverage with the latest information from the EIA once it is released. LL