[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 212 (Thursday, November 1, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Page 55160]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-27407]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    DOC has submitted 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 of 1995, Public Law 104-
13.
    Bureau: International Trade Administration.
    Title: Information for Assessment of U.S. Domestic Steel Capacity 
Pursuant to President's Steel Initiative.
    Agency Form Number: N/A.
    OMB Number: None.
    Type of Request: Emergency Submission.
    Burden: 175 hours.
    Number of Respondents: 35.
    Avg. Hours Per Response: 5 hours.
    Needs and Uses: The Administration is currently conducting 
multilateral negotiations on global overcapacity with steel producers 
as part of the President's Steel Initiative announced on June 5, 2001. 
During the first round of negotiations held at the Organization for 
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in September 2001, there 
was consensus among the 39 participating governments that the global 
excess of inefficient steelmaking capacity is a central problem 
affecting the steel trade. The participants at the OECD meeting 
recognized the differences among governments regarding definitions of 
inefficient or excess capacity, and acknowledged that in market-
oriented economies, decisions to reduce capacity will be decided by 
individual firms, not governments. Therefore, they proposed that the 
negotiations proceed with a ``self assessment'' in which each 
participating governments agreed to consult with individual steel 
producers in their own countries over the next two months and evaluate 
the long term economic viability of their steel facilities in an open 
global market, identify the response of their steel companies to 
changing competitive conditions in world steel markets in recent years, 
and consider what further actions their industry is likely to take. The 
results of these government/producer consultations would then be 
discussed at the next round of negotiations, currently scheduled to 
take place in December 2001. The Department must collect certain 
information from major U.S. steel producers to conduct the self 
assessment and evaluation required to support these negotiations.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profits.
    Frequency: Once.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker, (202) 395-3897.
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Madeleine Clayton, Departmental Paperwork 
Clearance Officer, (202) 482-3129, Department of Commerce, Room 6086, 
14th and Constitution, NW., Washington, DC 20230 or via internet at 
[email protected].
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent to David Rostker, OMB Desk Officer, Room 
10202, New Executive Office Building, Washington, DC 20503 within 5 
days of the publication of this notice in the Federal Register.

    Dated: October 26, 2001.
Madeleine Clayton,
Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-27407 Filed 10-31-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-DS-P