[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 46 (Friday, March 10, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13307-13308]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-04755]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: 2017 Economic Census of Island Areas.
    OMB Control Number: 0607-0937.
    Form Number(s): IA-92101, IA-92103, IA-92104, IA-92301, IA-92303, 
IA-92304, IA-93101, IA-93103, IA-93104, IA-94201, IA-94203, IA-94204, 
IA-94401, IA-94403, IA-94404, IA-95101, IA-95103, IA-95104, IA-95201, 
IA-95203, IA-95204, IA-97201, IA-97203, IA-97204.
    Type of Request: Reinstatement of a previously approved collection.
    Number of Respondents: 51,072.
    Average Hours per Response: 1 hour.
    Burden Hours: 51,072.
    Needs and Uses: The 2017 Economic Census of Island Areas uses 
direct data collection supplemented by data from Federal administrative 
records to compile statistics on approximately 51,000 business 
establishments in industries defined by the 2017 North American 
Industry Classification System (NAICS) operating in Puerto Rico, Guam, 
the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin 
Islands and American Samoa. The enumeration of business establishments 
located within the 50 states will be submitted separately to the Office 
of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval.
    The Economic Census of Island Areas provides the only source of 
comprehensive data for the Island Areas at a geographic level similar 
to U.S. counties. It will produce basic statistics by industry for 
number of establishments, value of shipments/receipts/revenue/sales, 
payroll, and employment. It also will yield a variety of industry-
specific statistics, depreciable assets, selected purchased services, 
inventories, and capital expenditures, value of shipments/receipts/
revenue/sales by product line as defined by the North American Product 
Classification System (NAPCS), size of establishments, and other 
industry-specific measures.
    Historically American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands each received only 
one general economic census questionnaire to cover all sectors. For the 
2017 Economic Census of Island Areas, in an effort to provide all of 
the territories more complete and comparable data, American Samoa, the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and the Virgin 
Islands will receive eight sector group specific instruments, similar 
to what has been collected for Puerto Rico in prior censuses. The 
expanded content will cover the following sectors: Utilities, 
Transportation, and Warehousing; Construction; Manufacturing; Wholesale 
Trade; Retail Trade; Other Services; Finance, Insurance, Real Estate, 
Rental and Leasing; and Accommodation and Food Services. The use of 
forms tailored to the business sector allows for more detailed data 
collection that is not feasible using one form covering all sectors of 
the economy. However, the expanded content and additional questions on 
the sector driven instruments will increase the previous response time 
for American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
Guam, and the Virgin Islands. The new response burden estimate was 
determined based on cognitive testing done in Puerto Rico, as the 
instruments are modeled after the forms Puerto Rico has been receiving.
    The 2017 Economic Census of Island Areas will cover the following 
NAICS sectors of the U.S. economy:

 Mining, Quarrying, and Oil and Gas Extraction
 Utilities
 Construction
 Manufacturing
 Wholesale Trade
 Retail Trade
 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 and Waste Management and 
Remediation Services
 Educational Services
 Health Care and Social Assistance
 Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation
 Accommodation and Food Services
 Other Services (except Public Administration)

    Although some sectors do not have activity, they are not considered 
excluded from the Economic Census of Island Areas.
    The economic census will produce basic statistics by industry for 
the number of establishments, value of shipments/receipts/revenue/
sales, payroll, and employment. It also will yield a variety of 
industry-specific statistics, including expenses, depreciable assets, 
selected purchased services, inventories, and capital expenditures, 
value of shipments/receipts/revenue/sales by product line as defined by 
the North American Product Classification System (NAPCS), type of 
operation, size of establishments, and other industry-specific 
measures.
    The Economic Census of Island Areas is the major source of 
information about the structure and functioning of the economies of 
each Island Area, and features the only recognized source of data at a 
geographic level similar to U.S. counties. Economic census statistics 
serve as part of the framework for the national accounts of the Island 
Areas and provides essential information for government, 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

[[Page 13308]]

accounts, input-output tables, economic indices, and other composite 
measures that serve as the basis for economic policymaking, planning, 
and program administration. Further, the census provides benchmarks for 
surveys of businesses which track short-term economic trends, serve as 
economic indicators, and contribute critical source data for current 
estimates of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the Island Areas. 
Finally, industry, business, academia, 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 of Island Areas were not conducted, the 
Federal government would lose the only 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: Businesses; Not-for-profit institutions; State, 
local or tribal governments.
    Frequency: Every five years.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: This information collection is part of the 2017 
Economic Census, which is required by law under Title 13, United States 
Code (U.S.C.). Section 131 of this statute directs the taking of a 
census at 5-year intervals. Section 191 defines the geographic scope of 
the census to include the island areas and Section 224 makes reporting 
mandatory.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce 
collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
PRA Departmental Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-04755 Filed 3-9-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-07-P