[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 50 (Tuesday, March 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13981-13982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-5981]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; 2012 Economic 
Census Covering the Construction Sector

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau.

ACTION: Notice.

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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: To ensure consideration, written comments must be submitted on 
or before May 16, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Diana Hynek, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 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 Julius Smith, Jr., U.S. Census Bureau, 
Manufacturing and Construction Division, Room 7K055, 4600 Silver Hill 
Road, Washington, DC 20233, telephone (301) 763-7662 (or via the 
Internet at [email protected]).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau is the preeminent collector and provider of 
timely, relevant and quality data about the people and economy of the 
United States. Economic data are the Census Bureau's primary program 
commitment during non-decennial census years. The economic census, 
conducted under authority of Title 13, United States Code, is the 
primary source of facts about the structure and functioning of the 
Nation's economy and features unique industry and geographic detail. 
Economic census statistics serve as part of the framework for the 
national accounts and provide essential information for government, 
business and the general public. The 2012 Economic Census covering the 
Construction Sector (as defined by the North American Industry 
Classification System (NAICS)) is a sample survey that will measure the 
economic activity of almost 650,000 establishments engaged in building 
construction and land subdivision and land development, heavy 
construction (except buildings), such as highways, power plants, 
pipelines; and construction activity by special trade contractors.
    The information collected from businesses in this sector of the 
economic census will produce basic statistics by industry for number of 
establishments, value of construction work, payroll, employment, 
selected costs, depreciable assets, inventories, and capital 
expenditures. It also will yield a variety of subject statistics, 
including estimates of type of construction work done, kind of business 
activity, size of establishments and other industry-specific measures.
    Primary strategies for reducing burden in Census Bureau economic 
data collections are to increase electronic reporting through broader 
use of computerized self-administered census questionnaires, on-line 
questionnaires and other electronic data collection methods.

II. Method of Collection

    The construction industry sector of the economic census will select 
establishments for its mail canvass from a sample frame extracted from 
the Census Bureau's Business Register. To be eligible for selection, an 
establishment will be required to satisfy the following conditions: (i) 
It must be classified in the construction industry sector; (ii) it must 
be an active operating establishment of a multi-establishment firm, or 
it must be a single-establishment firm with payroll for at least one 
quarter of calendar year 2012; and (iii) it must be located in one of 
the 50 States or the District of Columbia. Mail selection procedures 
will distinguish the following groups of establishments:

A. Establishments of Multi-Establishment Firms

    Selection procedures will assign all active construction 
establishments of multi-establishment firms to the mail component of 
the potential respondent universe. We estimate that the mail canvass 
for the 2012 construction sector will include approximately 18,000 
establishments of multi-establishment firms.

B. Single-Establishment Firms With Payroll

    In the fall of 2011, the Census Bureau will conduct a limited 
classification refile operation (see Federal Register Notice issued 
December 2010, 2012 Economic Census Classification Report for 
Construction, Manufacturing, and Mining Sectors). Within the 
construction sector, this refile will be directed to single-
establishment firms in the Business Register with a NAICS industry code 
within the 236 subsector. This specific subsector was problematic in 
the 2007 Economic Census. The goal of the refile is to obtain accurate 
6-digit NAICS industry codes for these single-establishment firms prior 
to the sampling operation. We are not aware of other systematic coding 
issues that need to be addressed via this refile.
    The primary goal is to produce reliable State level estimates for 
each NAICS industry. We will use a stratified probability-
proportionate-to-size (PPS) sample strategy for selecting the sample of 
single-establishment firms. The population of eligible single-
establishment firms will be partitioned into State by NAICS strata. 
Within each stratum, each establishment will be

[[Page 13982]]

assigned a probability of selection that is a function of its relative 
size within the stratum (payroll) and a stratum-specific reliability 
constraint. The larger establishments in a stratum may have 
probabilities equal to 1.00. Within each stratum, an independent sample 
will be selected. We will use a fixed sample size selection method for 
selecting the sample. This technique considerably improves the 
reliability of the resulting survey estimates by eliminating the 
variability associated with a variable sample size. The impact of the 
multi-establishment firms within each stratum will be taken into 
account in deriving the target sample size from the single-
establishment firm population. We estimate that the mail canvass for 
the 2012 construction sector will include approximately 112,000 
establishments of single-establishment firms.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0935.
    Form Number: CC-23601, CC-23701, CC-23801-4. You can obtain 
information on the proposed content at this Web site: http://www.census.gov/mcd/clearance.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Businesses or other for profit, non-profit 
institutions or organizations, and State or Local Governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 130,000.
    Estimated Time per Response: 2.9 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 377,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $12,222,340.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, Sections 131 and 
224.

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: March 10, 2011.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-5981 Filed 3-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P