[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 83 (Friday, April 28, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 24912-24914]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-10650]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Shipper's Export Declaration Program

ACTION: Proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13 (44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before June 27, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Linda Engelmeier, 
Departmental Forms Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 
5033, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20230 (or via 
the Internet at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument(s) and instructions 
should be directed to Jerome Greenwell, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 3125, 
Federal Office Building No. 3, Washington, DC 20233-0001, 301-457-2238.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Shipper's Export Declaration (SEDs), Forms 7525-V, 7525-V-
Alternate (Intermodal), and the electronic equivalent, the Automated 
Export System (AES) are the basis for the official export trade 
statistics compiled by the U.S. Census Bureau (Census Bureau). Title 
13, United States Code, Chapter 9, Sections 301-307

[[Page 24913]]

authorizes the collection of all these data. Title 15, Code of Federal 
Regulations, Part 30 contains the regulatory provisions for preparing 
and filing the SED or the AES record. The Census Bureau has the primary 
responsibility for the collection, compilation and publication of the 
official statistics on U.S. exports used for determining the balance of 
trade, a principal economic indicator. These data are essential in 
formulating basic government policy decisions affecting the economy. 
U.S. businesses rely heavily on these data to develop export leads, 
export marketing strategies and assessing the impact of exports on the 
domestic economy.
    The statistical information on the SED or the AES record shows what 
is being exported (description and commodity classification number), 
how much (quantity, gross weight and value), how it is being exported 
(mode of transportation, exporting carrier and whether containerized), 
from where (state of origin, and port of export), to where (port of 
unloading and country of ultimate destination), and when (date of 
exportation). The identification of the exporter, forwarding agent, and 
consignee provide contacts for verification of the statistical 
information. The Census Bureau uses every data element on the SED/AES 
record for statistical purposes only. Other Government agencies may use 
the SED/AES information for export control purposes, and/or to obtain 
trade information to avoid conducting additional surveys.
    The SED/AES records are also used for export control purposes under 
Title 50, United States Code and are used to detect and prevent the 
export of certain commodities (for example, high technology or military 
goods) to unauthorized destinations or end users. The SED/AES records, 
as official documents or export transactions, enable the U.S. Customs 
Service (Customs) and the Bureau of Export Administration (BXA) to 
enforce the Customs and Export Administration Regulations and thereby 
detect and prevent the export of high technology commodities to 
unauthorized destinations. The Department of State uses the SED/AES 
information to enforce the International Traffic in Arms Regulations 
(ITAR) to detect and prevent the export of arms and ammunition to 
unauthorized destinations.
    In the past, each different type of paper SED was cleared 
separately. In recent years the number of submissions via automated 
programs, the Automated Export Reporting Program (AERP) operated by the 
Census Bureau and the new Automated Export System operated jointly by 
the Census Bureau and Customs, have grown rapidly and are now 
considered as part of SED submissions. With the rapid growth of the 
AES, the Census Bureau discontinued the AERP program as of December 31, 
1999. Filers using the AERP program, which was strictly used for Census 
Bureau statistical collection purposes, are now filing their 
information through the AES, paper documents, or are in the process of 
converting to the AES.
    The authority for clearance of the Shipper's Export Declaration for 
In-Transit Goods, Form 7513, which serves as the source document from 
which the official U.S. statistics on outbound in-transit waterborne 
shipments is collected and compiled has been transferred to the U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers (Corps). This program was transferred to the 
Corps, as they are the primary users of the in-transit data.
    With this submission the Census Bureau is requesting clearance for 
the reporting of export data: (1) using the two types of paper SEDs, 
Form 7525-V and Form 7525-V Alternate (Intermodal); and (2) through the 
AES. The Census Bureau is eliminating clearances for the AERP program 
and for the in-transit Form 7513, which were included in our previous 
submission.

II. Method of Collection

    A paper SED or electronic AES record is required for all export 
shipments valued over $2,500 from the United States, Puerto Rico, and 
the U.S. Virgin Islands. The SED or AES record is also required for all 
licensed shipments, (i.e. State Department or Bureau of Export 
Administration export licenses) regardless of value. The SED program is 
unique among Census Bureau statistical collections since it is not sent 
to respondents soliciting responses as is the case in surveys. Filing 
the SED/AES information is mandatory under Title 13, Chapter 9 of the 
United States Code. Over 5.5 million paper SEDs, over 2.5 million 
automated AES records and over 5.5 million automated AERP records were 
submitted in 1999. In addition, data for over 63,000 exporters has been 
filed by participants in AES and AERP during 1999. For this reason the 
Census Bureau attempts to avoid frequent changes in data content and 
format. The paper SEDs have been in continuous use since 1985 with 
minor revisions in 1988. The AES format has been in use since 1995 and 
the format has been approved by the trade community through a series of 
Interest Based Negotiation meetings. Exporters can purchase the paper 
SEDs or they may have them privately printed. They can also download 
the SED forms over the Internet and print them on the required ``buff'' 
colored paper.
    For this submission, the Census Bureau is planning revisions to the 
paper SED forms to bring them up to date with current regulatory and 
policy changes reflected by the implementation of the AES. The changes 
include: (1) Revising box 1a (7525-V) and box 2 (7525-V-ALT) to read 
``Exporter (U.S. Principal Party In Interest)'' (2) revising box 1b 
(7525-V) and box 7 (7525-V-ALT) to read ``Exporter's EIN (IRS) or ID 
No''; (3) adding an ``M'' indicator code to box 16 (7525-V) and box 23 
(7525-V-ALT) for Foreign Military Sales Shipments; (4) deleting the 
check digit field on both forms, and replacing it with a field for the 
Export Information Code ``(EIC)''; (5) revising box 21 (7525-V) and box 
27 (7525-V-ALT) to read ``License No./License Exception Symbol/
Authorization''; (6) adding a box for a ``Carrier Identification'' Code 
(i.e. SCAC/IATA code); (7) adding a box for ``Shipment Reference 
Number''; (8) adding a box for the ``In Bond'' number; (9) adding a box 
for a Hazardous Material Indicator; (10) adding a box for ``Used 
Vehicle Identification No.''; (11) adding a box for ``Vehicle Title 
No.''; and (12) adding a box for ``Entry No.'' for bonded shipments. 
All changes to the paper SED format are also applicable to the AES 
format. These additional items are conditional data elements and will 
not be reported for all transactions. Therefore, we do not estimate 
these revisions will increase response time.
    Exporters or their agents file individual paper SEDs with the 
exporting carriers at the time that each export shipment leaves the 
United States. For AES, exporters or their agents file the export data 
electronically directly with the U.S. Customs Service, according to the 
filing provisions established in Title 15, Code of Federal Regulations, 
Part 30, Subpart E, ``Electronic Filing Requirements--Shipper's Export 
Information''. The carriers submit the paper SED documents to Customs 
officials when the carrier departs the United States and Customs then 
transmits the SEDs to the Census Bureau on a flow basis for statistical 
processing. For AES, the Census Bureau extracts export data files from 
the Customs AES, for statistical processing.
    For exports to Canada, the United States is substituting Canadian 
import statistics for U.S. exports to Canada in accordance with a 
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed by both Customs and 
statistical agencies in both

[[Page 24914]]

countries. Similarly, under this MOU, Canada is substituting U.S. 
import statistics for Canadian exports to the United States. These data 
exchanges eliminate the requirement for U.S. exporters to file any 
information with the U.S. government. This results in the elimination 
of over four million SEDs annually. However, for exports to Canada that 
require a license, a SED or AES record must be filed. Also, a SED or 
AES record is required for exports from the United States through 
Canada destined to a country other than Canada.
    In addition, the Census Bureau and Customs are continuing to 
implement and expand the use of the AES for filing shipper's export 
information electronically. The AES provides a voluntary automated 
alternative to filing the paper SED. Extensive outreach and education 
efforts have been and continue to be made to encourage the trade 
community to use the AES for filing its export data. The Census Bureau 
has implemented the AESDirect system to allow AES filers to file their 
export information directly to AES via the Internet. The Census Bureau 
anticipates a gradual and progressive growth in the number of 
electronic filers, with a comparable decrease in the number of paper 
filers over the course of the next few years.
    During the past several years the Census Bureau and Customs have 
also been involved in an intensive outreach and education program to 
improve compliance with Customs and Census Bureau regulatory provisions 
in reference to filing Customs manifest documents and the Census Bureau 
SED/AES documents/records. During these compliance programs, the Census 
Bureau and Customs conducted seminars with the trade community to 
inform them of the regulatory filing requirements. In addition, Customs 
has also increased its enforcement effort for those filers not in 
compliance with the export laws and regulations. This compliance 
effort, in addition to the outreach and education effort encouraging 
the use of electronic filing through the AES has led to a significant 
increase in both paper and electronic filings. Also, with the expansion 
of the global economy and the increased emphasis on international 
trade, the Census Bureau has experienced a significant increase in the 
number of export transactions being filed. For example, in 1993 the 
Census Bureau received 1.1 million transactions per month. In 1999 the 
Census Bureau received 1.7 million transactions per month. This 
represents an increase of 55 percent in the number of monthly 
transactions processed by the Census Bureau. The Census Bureau expects 
this trend to continue for the next several years. All these factors 
combined, have resulted in an increase in our estimate of annual 
responses from the previous submission.
    In summary, for non-Canadian exports, approximately 55 percent of 
export transactions are reported electronically using the AES, and 
approximately 45 percent of export transactions are reported using the 
paper SEDs. The Census Bureau expects the percentage of electronic 
filings through the AES to substantially increase during the next 
several years.

III. Data

    OMB Number: 0607-0152.
    Form Number: 7525-V, 7525-V-Alternate (Intermodal), Automated 
Export System (AES) submissions.
    Type of Review: Regular Submission.
    Affected Public: Exporters, Forwarding Agents, Export Carriers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 200,000.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 13,449,996..
    Estimated Time Per Response: 11.166 minutes for 7525-V, 7525-V-
Alternate 3.0 minutes for AES submissions.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,284,949.

    SEDs, 837,450.
    AES, 447,499.

    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $19,274,235.
    SEDs--837,450 hrs @ $15/hr = $12,561,750.
    AES--447,499 hrs @ $15/hr = $6,712,485.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Chapter 9.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be 
summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this 
information collection; they also will become a matter of public 
record.

    Dated: April 25, 2000.
Madeleine Clayton,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-10650 Filed 4-27-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P