[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 180 (Friday, September 17, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 56981-56982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-23278]


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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: Precanvass Operation for the 2012 Economic Census Commodity 
Flow Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0921.
    Form Number(s): CFS-0001(2012).
    Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change of an expired 
collection.
    Burden Hours: 8,333.
    Number of Respondents: 100,000.
    Average Hours per Response: 5 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The U.S. Census Bureau plans to conduct the 2012 
Commodity Flow Survey (CFS) as a part of the quinquennial Economic 
Census. In advance of the 2012 CFS, we will conduct a Precanvass 
(Advance Mailing), which is the subject of this request. The 
information collected in the 2012 CFS Precanvass will be used to 
improve the 2012 CFS universe and sampling quality and efficiency, and 
provide contact information for the selected establishments, reducing 
the cost and improving the timeliness of data collection for the 2012 
CFS.
    The CFS, a component of the Economic Census, is the only 
comprehensive source of multi-modal, system-wide data on the volume and 
pattern of goods movement in the United States. The CFS is conducted in 
partnership with the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), 
Research and Innovative Technologies (RITA), U.S. Department of 
Transportation. The 2012 CFS will be the subject of a separate Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) clearance submission in the Spring of 
2011.
    The 2012 CFS Precanvass will be mailed to auxiliary establishments, 
and establishments expected to be selected with certainty in the 2012 
CFS. It will also include selected small establishments from industries 
with a high incidence of non-shipping locations.
    All information collected in the Precanvass will be used internally 
to improve the 2012 CFS universe and mail-out processing. Each 
establishment in the Precanvass is asked to verify shipping activity 
for that particular physical location. The Precanvass

[[Page 56982]]

sample is heavily weighted with industries that contain a significant 
percentage of non-shipping establishments. The identification and 
elimination of the non-shippers will produce a more efficient 2012 CFS 
sample. Each confirmed shipper is asked to indicate its level of 
shipping activity. The value of shipments measure is used in the 
stratification and allocation for CFS sampling. Each shipper is asked 
to verify address and contact information, allowing us to update our 
mailing records for the 2012 CFS. Because the CFS requests a sample of 
outbound shipments and their characteristics, the questionnaire must be 
completed by someone with access to the establishment's transportation 
records, unlike many other economic surveys which are directed to 
accounting departments. By ensuring the direct delivery of the 2012 CFS 
questionnaire to the correct contact, we will be able to improve the 
quality and level of response in the CFS.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for-profit.
    Frequency: One time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, U.S.C., sections 131,193, and 224.
    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 6616, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).
    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 ([email protected]).

    Dated: September 14, 2010.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2010-23278 Filed 9-16-10; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P