[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 10 (Tuesday, January 16, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2582-2583]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00619]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Census Bureau


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization

AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau, Department of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment on the 
proposed extension of the Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity 
Utilization prior to the submission of the information collection 
request (ICR) to OMB for approval.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before March 18, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to [email protected]. Please reference Quarterly Survey 
of Plant Capacity Utilization in the subject line of your comments. You 
may also submit comments, identified by Docket Number USBC-2023-0019, 
to the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. All 
comments received are part of the public record. No comments will be 
posted to http://www.regulations.gov for public viewing until after the 
comment period has closed. Comments will generally be posted without 
change. All Personally Identifiable Information (for example, name and 
address) voluntarily submitted by the commenter may be publicly 
accessible. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information. You may submit 
attachments to electronic comments in Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe 
PDF file formats.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Mary Susan Bucci, Chief Special Reimbursable Surveys Branch, (301) 
763-4639, and [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Census Bureau plans to request an extension of the current OMB 
clearance for the Quarterly Survey of Plant Capacity Utilization (SPC). 
The SPC is conducted quarterly, collecting from manufacturing plants 
and publishers, the value of actual production, the value of production 
that could have been achieved if operating at ``full production'' 
levels, and the value of production that could have been achieved if 
operating at ``national emergency'' levels. The survey also collects 
data on work patterns by shift. These data include hours in operation, 
production workers, and plant hours worked.
    The primary sponsors of this collection and users of these data are 
the Federal Reserve Board (FRB) and the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). 
The FRB uses these data in several ways. First, the capital workweek 
data is used as an indicator of capital use in the estimation of 
monthly output (industrial production). Second, the workweek data is 
used to improve the projections of labor productivity that are used to 
align industrial production (IP) with comprehensive benchmark 
information in the Manufacturing Sector of the Economic Census and the 
Annual Integrated Economic Survey. Third, the utilization rate data 
assists in the assessment of recent changes in IP, as most of the high-
frequency movement in utilization rates reflect production changes 
rather than capacity changes. Fourth, the time series of utilization 
rate data for each industry, in combination with the FRB IP data, is 
used to estimate current and historical measures of capacity consistent 
with the FRB production measures. The DLA uses these data to assess 
readiness to meet demand for goods under selected national emergency 
scenarios.

II. Method of Collection

    The Census Bureau mails letters to respondents instructing them how 
to

[[Page 2583]]

report electronically, as well as sends an email announcing the opening 
of the survey. Companies are asked to respond within 20 days of the 
initial mailing. The due date will be imprinted at the top of the 
letter and in the email notification. A reminder email is sent a week 
before the due date to delinquent respondents. Letters encouraging 
participation are mailed to companies that have not responded by the 
designated due date. A final email is sent to delinquent respondents 
with information for reporting online. Lastly, we conduct a telephone 
follow-up.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0607-0175.
    Form Number(s): MQ-C2.
    Type of Review: Regular submission, Request for an Extension, 
without Change, of a Currently Approved Collection.
    Affected Public: Manufacturing and publishing plants.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 7,500 per quarter.
    Estimated Time per Response: 20 to 40 minutes, with an average of 
30 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 15,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0. (This is not the cost of 
respondents' time, but the indirect costs respondents may incur for 
such things as purchases of specialized software or hardware needed to 
report, or expenditures for accounting or records maintenance services 
required specifically by the collection.)
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C. 8(b); 50 U.S.C. 98, et. seq; 12 
U.S.C. 244.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include, or summarize, each comment in our 
request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, 
phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable 
information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire 
comment--including your personally identifiable information--may be 
made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your 
comment to withhold your personally identifiable information from 
public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2024-00619 Filed 1-12-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-07-P