Notice2024-00619
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
January 16, 2024
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentCensus Bureau
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the proposed extension of the Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization prior to the submission of the information collection request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 10 (Tuesday, January 16, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2582-2583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00619]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization
AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the
proposed extension of the Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity
Utilization prior to the submission of the information collection
request (ICR) to OMB for approval.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before March 18, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by
email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#acf8c4c3c1cddf82e682ffc1c5d8c4eccfc9c2dfd9df82cbc3da"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="a6f2cec9cbc7d588ec88f5cbcfd2cee6c5c3c8d5d3d588c1c9d0">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference Quarterly Survey
of Plant Capacity Utilization in the subject line of your comments. You
may also submit comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2023-0019,
to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. All
comments received are part of the public record. No comments will be
posted to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a> for public viewing until after the
comment period has closed. Comments will generally be posted without
change. All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and
address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly
accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or
otherwise sensitive or protected information. You may submit
attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe
PDF file formats.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Mary Susan Bucci, Chief Special Reimbursable Surveys Branch, (301)
763-4639, and <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#743915060d5a270107151a5a360117171d3417111a0701075a131b02"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="e4a985969dcab79197858acaa69187878da487818a979197ca838b92">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Census Bureau plans to request an extension of the current OMB
clearance for the Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization (SPC).
The SPC is conducted quarterly, collecting from manufacturing plants
and publishers, the value of actual production, the value of production
that could have been achieved if operating at ``full production''
levels, and the value of production that could have been achieved if
operating at ``national emergency'' levels. The survey also collects
data on work patterns by shift. These data include hours in operation,
production workers, and plant hours worked.
The primary sponsors of this collection and users of these data are
the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).
The FRB uses these data in several ways. First, the capital workweek
data is used as an indicator of capital use in the estimation of
monthly output (industrial production). Second, the workweek data is
used to improve the projections of labor productivity that are used to
align industrial production (IP) with comprehensive benchmark
information in the Manufacturing Sector of the Economic Census and the
Annual Integrated Economic Survey. Third, the utilization rate data
assists in the assessment of recent changes in IP, as most of the high-
frequency movement in utilization rates reflect production changes
rather than capacity changes. Fourth, the time series of utilization
rate data for each industry, in combination with the FRB IP data, is
used to estimate current and historical measures of capacity consistent
with the FRB production measures. The DLA uses these data to assess
readiness to meet demand for goods under selected national emergency
scenarios.
II. Method of Collection
The Census Bureau mails letters to respondents instructing them how
to
[[Page 2583]]
report electronically, as well as sends an email announcing the opening
of the survey. Companies are asked to respond within 20 days of the
initial mailing. The due date will be imprinted at the top of the
letter and in the email notification. A reminder email is sent a week
before the due date to delinquent respondents. Letters encouraging
participation are mailed to companies that have not responded by the
designated due date. A final email is sent to delinquent respondents
with information for reporting online. Lastly, we conduct a telephone
follow-up.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0607-0175.
Form Number(s): MQ-C2.
Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for an Extension,
without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.
Affected Public: Manufacturing and publishing plants.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 7,500 per quarter.
Estimated Time per Response: 20 to 40 minutes, with an average of
30 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 15,000.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services
required specifically by the collection.)
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 8(b); 50 U.S.C. 98, et. seq; 12
U.S.C. 244.
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address,
phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable
information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire
comment--including your personally identifiable information--may be
made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your
comment to withhold your personally identifiable information from
public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-00619 Filed 1-12-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P
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