[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 189 (Thursday, September 29, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 60451-60452]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-24999]


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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 of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin 
Islands, Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and 
American Samoa--Collectively Referred to as Island Areas.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0937.
    Form Number(s): IA-97120, IA-97220, IA-97123, IA-97223, IA-97130, 
IA-97230, IA-97142, IA-97242, IA-97144, IA-97244, IA-97152, IA-97252, 
IA-97172, IA-97272, IA-97180, IA-97280, IA-97190, IA-97290, IA-98163, 
IA-98173, IA-98183, IA-98193.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement, with change, of an expired 
collection.
    Burden Hours: 56,825.
    Number of Respondents: 59,100.
    Average Hours per Response: 58 minutes.
    Needs and Uses: The 2012 Economic Census of Island Areas, which 
includes Puerto Rico, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa, is part of the 
2012 Economic Census.
    The 2012 Economic Census of Island Areas will cover the following 
sectors (as defined by the North American Industry Classification 
System (NAICS)): Mining, Utilities, Construction, Manufacturing; 
Wholesale and Retail Trades, Transportation and Warehousing, 
Information; Finance and Insurance; Real Estate and Rental and Leasing; 
Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services; Management of 
Companies and Enterprises; Administrative and Support, Waste Management 
and Remediation Services; Educational Services; Health Care and Social 
Assistance; Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation; Accommodation and Food 
Services; and Other Services (except Public Administration). This scope 
is equivalent to that of the stateside economic census.
    The economic census provides the only source for dependable, 
comparable data for the island areas at a geographic level consistent 
with U.S. counties. The 2012 Economic Census of Island Areas is 
particularly important because of the rapid and varied changes taking 
place in the economies of these areas.
    The economic census is the primary source of dependable facts about 
the structure and functioning of the economies of each Island Area, and 
it features the only recognized source of data at a geographic level 
equivalent to U.S. counties. Economic census statistics serve as part 
of the framework for the national accounts of the Island Areas and 
provide essential information for government (Federal and local), 
business, and the general public. The governments of the Island Areas 
and the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) rely on the economic census 
as an important part of the framework for their 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 
benchmarks for surveys of business which track short-term economic 
trends, serve as economic indicators, and contribute critical source 
data for current estimates of the gross product of the Island Areas. In 
addition, industry, business, academia, and the general public use 
information from the economic census for evaluating markets,

[[Page 60452]]

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 were not conducted in the Island Areas, the 
Federal government would lose the only dependable source of detailed 
comprehensive information of the economies of these areas. 
Additionally, the governments of the Island Areas would lose vital 
source data and benchmarks for their national accounts, input-output 
tables, and other composite measures of economic activity, causing a 
substantial degradation in the quality of these important statistics.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Frequency: Every 5 years.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Title 13, United States Code, 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: September 23, 2011.
Glenna Mickelson,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2011-24999 Filed 9-28-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P