It is illegal to report false data to the Energy Information Administration. One issue is how much the administration vets the information it receives. The CFTC is interested in doing more thorough examinations of inventory data that it suspects may be inaccurate.

Jonathan Cogan, spokesman for EIA, says while the EIA doesn't do physical inventory checks to audit the accuracy of the reported numbers, the agency looks at other data on supply and demand to determine if the inventory data appears on target.

The CFTC's probe about data integrity is part of a longer-term oil markets investigation, as well as a broader effort by the CFTC to improve its information about and its understanding of the workings of the energy markets it regulates.

Pressure on the CFTC to exert more aggressive oversight has mounted lately, as Congress has debated whether to require the agency to take new steps to curb abuses or study the impact of speculation on the market. Several lawmakers have criticized the agency for lax regulation.