[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 12, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35110-35111]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-14213]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

[Docket No. NHTSA-2012-0071]


Agency Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review: 
Production Plan Reports

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 
Department of Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation (DOT) invites public comments 
about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) approval for a renewal of an information collection. The 
collection involves vehicle manufacturers submitting updated future 
product plans, as well as production data through the recent past, 
including data about engines and transmissions for model year (MY) 2012 
through MY 2025 passenger cars and light trucks and the assumptions 
underlying those plans.
    The information to be collected will be used to assist NHTSA with 
the setting of future fuel economy standards for light duty vehicles. 
We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by August 13, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments [identified by Docket No. NHTSA-
2012-0071] through one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Fax: 1 (202) 493-2251
     Mail or Hand Delivery: Docket Management Facility, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., West 
Building, Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except on Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kenneth R. Katz, Fuel Economy 
Division, Office of International Policy, Fuel Economy and Consumer 
Programs, NVS-132, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, U.S. 
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, 
DC 20590. Phone: (202) 366-4936.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 2127-0655.
    Title: 49 CFR Parts 531 and 533 Passenger Car Average Fuel Economy 
Standards--Model Years 2016-2025; Light Truck Average Fuel Economy 
Standards--Model Years 2016-2025; Production Plan Data.
    Type of Review: Extension of existing collection.
    Background: In this collection of information, NHTSA is requesting 
updated future product plans from vehicle manufacturers, as well as 
production data through the recent past, including data about engines 
and transmissions for model year MY 2012 through MY 2025 passenger cars 
and light trucks and the assumptions underlying those plans.
    NHTSA requests information for MYs 2012-2025 to aid NHTSA in 
developing a realistic forecast of the MY 2016-2025 vehicle market. 
Information regarding earlier model years may help the agency to better 
account for cumulative effects such as volume-and time-based reductions 
in costs, and also may help to reveal product mix and technology 
application trends during model years for which the agency is currently 
receiving actual corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) compliance data. 
Information regarding later model years helps the agency gain a better 
understanding of how manufacturers' plans through MY 2025 relate to 
their longer-term expectations regarding Energy Independence and 
Security Act requirements, market trends, and prospects for more 
advanced technologies.
    NHTSA will also consider information from model years before and 
after MYs 2016-2025 when reviewing manufacturers' planned schedules for 
redesigning and freshening their products, in order to examine how 
manufacturers anticipate tying technology introduction to product 
design schedules. In addition, the agency is requesting information 
regarding manufacturers' estimates of the future vehicle population, 
and fuel economy improvements and incremental costs attributed to this 
notice.
    Respondents: Automobile manufacturers.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: Thirty.
    Estimated Number of Responses: Thirty.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: Reports are requested from each of 
the thirty automotive manufacturers. For each manufacturer who supplies 
product plan reports, NHTSA has made available a product plan template, 
which can be found at: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Laws+&+Regulations/CAFE+-+Fuel+Economy/Current+and+past+product+plan+requests. NHTSA currently 
has a clearance for 16,000 hours, based on reports being received from 
22 manufacturers. Including reports from eight additional 
manufacturers, most of which produce approximately 500 vehicles per 
year, results in an additional reporting burden of 500 hours. Adding 
that burden to the existing burden of 16,000, results in a total 
reporting burden of 16,500 hours. The information requested in the 
templates may change from request to request as new fuel economy 
technologies are implemented, which may increase the amount of 
information requested, and as older technologies are phased out, which 
may decrease the amount of information requested. Therefore, the time 
needed to complete the templates may vary for each product plan 
request. Although the reporting burden may not be precisely 16,500 
hours for each specific product plan request, NHTSA believes that, 
based on prior experience, that this

[[Page 35111]]

burden is representative and accurate for the purposes of this 
clearance.
    Estimated Frequency: Manufacturer product plans are requested each 
time that NHTSA initiates a rulemaking for light-duty fuel economy 
standards. These standards may be issued for a one to five year time 
frame, thus manufacturers would be expected to provide these reports 
every one to five years. Recent NHTSA rulemakings have typically ranged 
between three and five years. NHTSA generally requests products plans 
prior to issuing a notice of proposed rulemaking and prior to the 
issuance of a final rule. Since the gap between the two rules generally 
is less than a year, manufacturers would be expected to provide two 
reports for each rulemaking cycle.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the Department's 
performance; (b) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (c) ways for the 
Department to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the 
information collection; and (d) ways that the burden could be minimized 
without reducing the quality of the collected information. The agency 
will summarize and/or include your comments in the request for OMB's 
clearance of this information collection.

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1:48.

    Issued on: June 6, 2012.
Christopher J. Bonanti,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2012-14213 Filed 6-11-12; 8:45 am]
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