[Federal Register: August 18, 2008 (Volume 73, Number 160)]
[Notices]               
[Page 48193-48194]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr18au08-27]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

 
Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. chapter 35).
    Agency: U.S. Census Bureau.
    Title: Current Industrial Reports Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0476.
    Form Number(s): Various.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Burden Hours: 28,131.
    Number of Respondents: 19,728.
    Average Hours Per Response: 42 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau conducts a series of 
monthly, quarterly, and annual surveys as part of the Current 
Industrial Reports (CIR) Program. The CIR surveys request primarily the 
quantity and value of shipments of particular products and occasionally 
data on production and inventories; unfilled orders, receipts, stocks, 
and consumption; and comparative data on domestic production, exports, 
and imports of the products they cover.
    Previously, the CIR surveys were divided into three separate waves 
and submitted separately for OMB review. Due to the reduced number of 
surveys in the CIR Program, the CIR surveys are being combined into one 
wave. During the economic census years, in the years ending in 2 and 7 
all voluntary annual surveys are made mandatory.
    Primary users of these data are government and regulatory agencies, 
business firms, trade associations, and private research and consulting 
organizations. The Federal Reserve Board (FRB) uses CIR data in its 
monthly index of industrial production as well as its annual revision 
to the index. The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) and the Bureau of 
Labor Statistics (BLS) use the CIR data in the estimate of components 
of gross domestic product (GDP) and the estimate of output for 
productivity analysis, respectively. Many government agencies, such as 
the Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, Department 
of Energy, Federal Aviation Administration, BEA, and International 
Trade Administration use the data for industrial analysis, projections, 
and monitoring import penetration. Private business firms and 
organizations use the data for trend projections, market analysis, 
product planning, and other economic and business-oriented analysis. 
Since the CIR program is the sole, consistent source of information 
regarding specific manufactured products in the intercensal years, the 
absence thereof would severely hinder the Federal Government's ability 
to measure and monitor important segments of the domestic economy, as 
well as the effect of import penetration.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Frequency: Monthly, quarterly, and annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary and mandatory, depending on the 
survey.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 61, 81, 
131, 182, 224, and 225.
    OMB Desk Officer: Brian Harris-Kojetin, (202) 395-7314.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Diana Hynek, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0266, Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
dhynek@doc.gov).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to Brian Harris-Kojetin, OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) 
or e-mail (bharrisk@omb.eop.gov).


[[Page 48194]]


    Dated: August 13, 2008.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. E8-19058 Filed 8-15-08; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-07-P