[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 40 (Tuesday, March 1, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11264-11266]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-4438]
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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request
AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.
ACTION: Notice of proposed collection; comment request.
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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection is a 3-year extension,
pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) (the
``Act''), of the current generic survey clearance previously approved
by the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB''). The clearance is used
by the U.S. International Trade Commission (``Commission'') to issue
information collections (specifically, producer, importer, purchaser,
and foreign producer questionnaires and certain institution notices)
for a series of import injury investigations that are required by the
Tariff Act of 1930 and the Trade Act of 1974. The current generic
survey clearance is assigned OMB control No. 3117-0016; it will expire
on June 30, 2011. Comments concerning the proposed information
collections are requested in accordance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of
the Act; such comments are described in greater detail in the section
of this notice entitled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.
DATES: To be assured of consideration, written comments should be
received no later than 60 days after publication of this in the Federal
Register.
ADDRESSES: Signed comments should be submitted to James Holbein, Acting
Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E St., SW.,
Washington, DC 20436.
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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the proposed collection of
information and supporting documentation may be obtained from Jennifer
Merrill (USITC, tel. no. 202-205-3188). Hearing-impaired persons can
obtain information on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD
terminal on 202-205-1810. Persons with mobility impairments who will
need special assistance in gaining access to the Commission should
contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000. General
information concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing
its Internet server (http://www.usitc.gov).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Request for Comments
Comments are solicited as to: (1) Whether the proposed information
collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of
the agency, including whether the information will have practical
utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the
proposed information collection, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (3) the quality, utility, and clarity
of the information to be collected; and (4) minimization of the burden
of the proposed information collection on those who are to respond
(including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological forms of information technology,
e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses).
Summary of the Proposed Information Collections
(1) Need for the Proposed Information Collections
The information requested in questionnaires and five-year sunset
review institution notices issued under the generic survey clearance is
utilized by the Commission in the following statutory investigations:
Antidumping duty, countervailing duty, escape clause, North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) safeguard, market disruption, and
interference with programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA). The Commission's generic survey clearance to issue
questionnaires will not apply to repetitive questionnaires such as
those issued on a quarterly or annual basis or to other investigations
and research studies conducted under section 332 of the Trade Act of
1974. The information provided by firms in response to the
questionnaires provides the basis for the Commission's determinations
in the above-cited statutory investigations. The submitted data are
consolidated by Commission staff and provided to the Commission in the
form of a staff report. In addition, in the majority of its
investigations, the Commission releases completed questionnaires
returned by industry participants to representatives of parties to its
investigations under the terms of an administrative protective order,
the terms of which safeguard the confidentiality of any business
proprietary or business confidential information. Representatives of
interested parties also receive a confidential version of the staff
report under the administrative protective order. Subsequent party
submissions to the Commission during the investigative process are
based, in large part, upon their review of the information collected.
Included in the proposed generic clearance are the institution notices
for the five-year sunset reviews of antidumping and countervailing duty
orders and suspended investigations. Responses to the institution
notices will be evaluated by the Commission and form much of the record
for its determinations to conduct either expedited or full five-year
sunset reviews of existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders.
(2) Information Collection Plan
Questionnaires for specific investigations are sent to all
identified domestic producers manufacturing the product(s) in question.
Importer and purchaser questionnaires are also sent to all substantial
importers/purchasers of the product(s). Finally, all foreign
manufacturers of the product(s) in question that are represented by
counsel are sent questionnaires, and, in addition, the Commission
attempts to contact any other foreign manufacturers, especially if they
export the product(s) in question to the United States. Firms receiving
questionnaires include businesses, farms, and/or other for-profit
institutions; responses are mandatory. The institution notices for the
five-year sunset reviews are published in the Federal Register and
solicit comment from interested parties (i.e., U.S. producers within
the industry in question as well as labor unions or representative
groups of workers, U.S. importers and foreign exporters, and involved
foreign country governments).
(3) Description of the Information To Be Collected
Although the content of each questionnaire will differ based on the
needs of a particular investigation, questionnaires are based on long-
established, generic formats. Producer questionnaires generally consist
of the following four parts: (part I) General questions relating to the
organization and activities of the firm; (part II) data on capacity,
production, inventories, employment, and the quantity and value of the
firm's shipments and purchases from various sources; (part III)
financial data, including income-and-loss data on the product in
question, data on asset valuation, research and development expenses,
and capital expenditures; and (part IV) pricing and market factors.
(Questionnaires may, on occasion, also contain part V, an abbreviated
version of the above-listed parts, used for gathering data on
additional product categories.) Importer questionnaires generally
consist of three parts: (part I) General questions relating to the
organization and activities of the firm; (part II) data on the firm's
imports and the shipment and inventories of its imports; and (part III)
pricing and market factors similar to that requested in the producer
questionnaire. Purchaser questionnaires generally consist of five
parts: (part I) General questions relating to the organization and
activities of the firm; (part II) data concerning the purchases of the
product by the firm; (part III) market characteristics and purchasing
practices; (part IV) comparisons between imported and U.S.-produced
product; and (part V) actual purchase prices for specific types of
domestic and subject imported products and the names of the firm's
vendors. Foreign producer questionnaires generally consist of (part I)
general questions relating to the organization and activities of the
firm; (part II) data concerning the firm's manufacturing operations;
and may include (part III) market factors. The notices of institution
for the five-year sunset reviews include 11 specific requests for
information that firms are to provide if their response is to be
considered by the Commission.
(4) Estimated Burden of the Proposed Information Collection
The Commission estimates that information collections issued under
the requested generic clearance will impose an average annual burden of
186,002 burden hours on 4,221 respondents (i.e., recipients that
provide a response to the Commission's questionnaires or the notices of
institution of five-year sunset reviews). Table 1 lists the projected
annual burden for each type of information collection for the July
2011-June 2014 period.
(5) Minimization of Burden
The Commission periodically reviews its investigative processes,
including data collection, to reduce the
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information burden. Questionnaires clearly state that estimates are
acceptable for certain items. They are designed in part with check-in
type formats to simplify the response. The reporting burden for smaller
firms is reduced in that the sections of the questionnaire that are
applicable to their operations are typically more limited. Requests by
parties to expand the data collection or add items to the questionnaire
for specific investigations may not be accepted if the Commission
believes such requests will increase the response burden while not
substantially adding to the investigative record. Completed
questionnaires have traditionally been returned to the Commission in
paper form, however the Commission is promoting options for electronic
submission. For example, the Commission provides the questionnaires on
the Commission's Web site in a fillable Word format and has created a
secure drop box which questionnaire respondents can use to securely
upload completed questionnaires. The information provided in response
to its notices of institution for the five-year sunset reviews is
typically submitted in document form directly to the Office of the
Secretary although it may be submitted to the Commission's Electronic
Data Information System (EDIS) and Electronic Docket.
Table 1--Projected Annual Burden Data, By Type of Information Collection, July 2008-June 2011
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Institution
Producer Importer Purchaser Foreign notices
Item questionnaires questionnaires questionnaires producer for 5-year Total
questionnaires reviews
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Number of respondents..................................... 751 1,279 988 1,119 84 4,221
Frequency of response..................................... 1 1 1 1 1 1
Total annual responses.................................... 751 1,279 988 1,119 84 4,221
Hours per response........................................ 71.5 40.1 35.1 40.6 10.9 44.1
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Total hours........................................... 53,672 51,292 34,678 45,443 917 186,002
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No record keeping burden is known to result from the proposed
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collection of information.
By order of the Commission.
Issued: February 18, 2011.
William R. Bishop,
Hearings and Meetings Coordinator.
[FR Doc. 2011-4438 Filed 2-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P