Release of EIA Energy Subsidy Study Delayed

An update of US energy subsidies being prepared by the US Energy Information Administration, slated to be released on Tuesday, has been delayed.  Stephen Lacey, in a blog post at Climate Progress, notes that one source attributed the delay to  "quality assurance" issues. 

I noted back in April that the research mandate for the new study was problematic (my critique of EIA's last report is here).  The mandate issue pointed to a more important underlying principle for statistical agencies than simply how to report on energy subsidies.  At its core is the question of who gets to define the research agenda, and along what parameters. 

While it is important that organizations such as EIA help Congress evaluate options, they should not be in a position of having to meekly respond to a Congressional request verbatim.  The statistical agencies are funded by taxpayers not to provide fodder for a particular Congressional policy agenda (the lobbyists and trade associations already do a fine job there), but to provide unbiased analysis that helps answer broad questions on resource allocation and important societal patterns.  If a Congressional request skews how the statistical agencies are allowed to evaluate these key patterns, we risk seeing results that are more reflective of the scoping of the research task than of the actual problem being studied.

Thus, I view the delay for this particular report as a very positive signal.  If there are issues with scope of coverage, it is better they address them now than to come out with skewed coverage again.  I hope that in the future the holds won't be at the the time of release (when analytic modifications are both more difficult and more expensive).  Rather, they should be at the very beginning of the process, with the analytical staff working with Congressional requestors to refine their requests to ensure the statistical agencies have appropriate professional discretion to implement a robust and unbiased review.