[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 136 (Friday, July 15, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 41756-41757]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-17849]


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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: 2012 Economic Census Covering the Wholesale Trade Sector.
    Form Number(s): Various.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0929.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change, of an expired 
collection.
    Burden Hours: 675,000 in FY 2013.
    Number of Respondents: 450,000.
    Average Hours per Response: 1.5 hours.
    Needs and Uses: The 2012 Economic Census covering the Wholesale 
Trade sector will use a mail canvass, supplemented by data from Federal 
administrative records, to measure the economic activity of more than 
450,000 wholesale establishments classified in the North American 
Industry Classification System (NAICS).
    The Wholesale Trade sector comprises establishments engaged in 
wholesaling merchandise, generally without transformation, and 
rendering services incidental to the sale of merchandise. Wholesalers 
are organized to sell or arrange the purchase or sale of (a) goods for 
resale (i.e., goods sold to other wholesalers or retailers), (b) 
capital or durable nonconsumer goods, and (c) raw and intermediate 
materials and supplies used in production. The economic census will 
produce basic statistics by kind of business on number of 
establishments, sales, payroll, employment, inventories, and operating 
expenses. It also will yield a variety of subject statistics, including 
sales by product line; sales by class of customer; employment by 
primary function; measures of gross margin and gross profit; and other 
industry-specific measures, such as bulk storage capacity by type of 
facility for petroleum bulk stations and terminals. Basic statistics 
will be summarized for the United States, states, metropolitan areas, 
counties, and places. Tabulations of subject statistics also will 
present data

[[Page 41757]]

for the United States and, in some cases, for states.
    The economic census 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 
Federal Government uses information from the economic census as an 
important part of the framework for the national income and product 
accounts, input-output tables, economic indexes, and other composite 
measures that serve as the factual basis for economic policy-making, 
planning, and program administration.
    Further, the census provides sampling frames and benchmarks for 
current surveys of business which track short-term economic trends, 
serve as economic indicators, and contribute critical source data for 
current estimates of gross domestic product. State and local 
governments rely on the economic census as a unique source of 
comprehensive economic statistics for small geographic areas for use in 
policy-making, planning, and program administration. Finally, industry, 
business, academe, and the general public use information from the 
economic census for evaluating markets, preparing business plans, 
making business decisions, developing economic models and forecasts, 
conducting economic research, and establishing benchmarks for their own 
sample surveys.
    If the economic census was not conducted, the Federal Government 
would lose vital source data and benchmarks for the national accounts, 
input-output tables, and other composite measures of economic activity, 
causing a substantial degradation in the quality of these important 
statistics. Further, the government would lose critical benchmarks for 
current sample-based economic surveys and an essential source of 
detailed, comprehensive economic information for use in policy-making, 
planning, and program administration.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Frequency: Every 5 years.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., Sections 131 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: July 12, 2011.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-17849 Filed 7-14-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P