A government agency formed in 1977 as an advisor to the U.S. Department of Energy. The EIA is responsible for objectively collecting energy data, conducting analysis and making forecasts. EIA's reports contain information regarding important energy-related factors such as future energy inventories, demand and prices. Its data, analysis and reports are available online to both members of the public and the private sector.

|||One of the most renowned reports published by the EIA is called This Week In Petroleum. This report is released every Wednesday and contains commentary regarding changes in inventory, demand and other data for crude oil and other petroleum products (such as gasoline, distillates and propane). Usually, when this report shows unexpected inventory changes in crude oil and gasoline, it causes a ripple effect across the market, increasing or decreasing what consumers pay at the gas pumps.