AIER · Data-Center Paper · Setup
API Keys & Data Access
Sign up with your own email so the keys are yours. Do Part 1 (4 keys, ~10 min) and you can run the pipeline with the large majority of the data. Part 2 adds free accounts to max it out.
4 keys
required · ~10 minutes
~49 / 56
datasets unlocked by Part 1
+ 3 free
web accounts for the rest (Part 2)
Part 1 · Required keys
Free, email-delivered, and everything the R pipeline pulls.
1
CENSUS_KEYCensus BureauCounty Business Patterns, ACS controls & Quarterly Workforce Indicators — three datasets from one key.
Sign up at api.census.gov →email + activation link
2
BEA_KEYBureau of Economic AnalysisCounty personal income & county GDP.
Sign up at apps.bea.gov →email (36-char key)
3
EIA_KEYEnergy Information AdministrationState electricity prices, sales & the EIA Open Data API.
Sign up at eia.gov →instant email
4
CONGRESS_KEYCongress.govFederal data-center / AI bills (powers your legislation pull).
Part 2 · Optional — for max data
Not needed to run the pipeline; these open up the rest of the 56-dataset catalog.
5
FRED_KEYSt. Louis Fed (FRED)Convenience county series; redistributes BEA/BLS.
Sign up at fredaccount.stlouisfed.org →account + request key
6
BLS_KEYBLS Public Data APIOptional — QCEW & LAUS work with no key; this only raises API rate limits.
7
Lincoln Institute accountSignificant Features of the Property TaxProperty-tax program data (free web login, no key).
Sign up at lincolninst.edu →free account
8
C2ER accountState Business Incentives DatabaseState incentive programs (free web login, no key).
Sign up at stateincentives.org →free account
9
ISO/RTO accountsPJM / ERCOT / MISO / CAISOGrid load & price detail (only for a deep electricity dive).
Sign up at dataminer2.pjm.com →free account(s)
10
NREL_API_KEYNREL via api.data.govOptional — only if pulling NREL OEDI data by API.
Sign up at api.data.gov →instant key
Part 3 · Paid / restricted
You can't self-signup by email — note them and skip unless AIER provides access.
- NETS / Data Axle and Compustat — paid subscriptions (check AIER / Hillsdale library).
- Census Longitudinal Business Database (LBD) — restricted microdata; needs a formal FSRDC application, not a signup.
- Baxtel export — may need a paid plan; the free DOE/PNNL atlas already covers the treatment list.
No signup needed for 42 sources — they download directly or are exported once by hand (each script prints the link + save path): BLS QCEW/LAUS, Census Building Permits/BDS/LODES/TIGER/finances, IRS SOI, Zillow, FHFA, USGS, NOAA, EIA Forms 860/861/923/930, EPA eGRID, FERC Form 1, LBNL, OpenStreetMap, SEC EDGAR, FCC broadband, USDA ERS, HUD crosswalk, the DOE/PNNL atlas, the Good Jobs First Subsidy Tracker, and the EFSY imputed CBP.
Put the keys in .Renviron
From the repo root (the folder with CLAUDE.md):
1. Copy the template:
cp .Renviron.example .Renviron
2. Open .Renviron and paste each key after the = (no quotes, no spaces):
CENSUS_KEY=your_census_key_here BEA_KEY=your_36_char_bea_userid_here EIA_KEY=your_eia_key_here CONGRESS_KEY=your_congress_key_here FRED_KEY=your_fred_key_here # optional BLS_KEY=your_bls_key_here # optional
3. Save, restart R, then run Rscript code/R/99_run_all.R — it prints a FIX / OK line per step so you can see what's still missing.
Checklist
| # | Key / account | Sign up | Need it? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CENSUS_KEY | api.census.gov/data/key_signup.html | required |
| 2 | BEA_KEY | apps.bea.gov/api/signup | required |
| 3 | EIA_KEY | eia.gov/opendata/register.php | required |
| 4 | CONGRESS_KEY | api.congress.gov/sign-up | required |
| 5 | FRED_KEY | fredaccount.stlouisfed.org/apikeys | optional |
| 6 | BLS_KEY | data.bls.gov/registrationEngine | optional |
| 7 | Lincoln Institute acct | lincolninst.edu | optional |
| 8 | C2ER acct | stateincentives.org | optional |
| 9 | ISO/RTO accts | dataminer2.pjm.com (+ others) | optional |
| 10 | NREL_API_KEY | api.data.gov/signup | optional |
Bottom line: do the 4 required keys and you're ready to run with the bulk of the data; add Part 2 later to max it out.