Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request, 8485-8487 [2014-02955]

Agencies

• INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION

[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 29 (Wednesday, February 12, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8485-8487]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-02955]


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INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: United States International Trade Commission.

ACTION: Notice of proposed collection; comment request.

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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection is a 3-year extension, 
pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) (the 
``Act''), of the current generic survey clearance previously approved 
by the Office of Management and Budget (``OMB''). The clearance is used 
by the U.S. International Trade Commission (``Commission'') to issue 
information collections (specifically, producer, importer, purchaser, 
and foreign producer questionnaires and certain institution notices) 
for a series of import injury investigations that are required by the 
Tariff Act of 1930 and the Trade Act of 1974. The current generic 
survey clearance is assigned OMB control No. 3117-0016; it will expire 
on June 30, 2014. Comments concerning the proposed information 
collections are requested in accordance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
the Act; such comments are described in greater detail in the section 
of this notice entitled SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION.

DATES: To be assured of consideration, written comments should be 
received no later than 60 days after publication of this notice in the 
Federal Register.

ADDRESSES: Signed comments should be submitted to Lisa Barton, Acting 
Secretary, U.S. International Trade Commission, 500 E St. SW., 
Washington, DC 20436.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Copies of the proposed collection of 
information and supporting documentation may be obtained from Jennifer 
Brinckhaus (USITC, tel. no. 202-205-3188). Hearing-impaired persons can 
obtain information on this matter by contacting the Commission's TDD 
terminal on 202-205-1810. Persons with mobility impairments who will 
need special assistance in gaining access to the Commission should 
contact the Office of the Secretary at 202-205-2000. General 
information concerning the Commission may also be obtained by accessing 
its internet server (https://www.usitc.gov).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Request for Comments

    Comments are solicited as to (1) whether the proposed information 
collection is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed information collection, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (3) the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (4) minimization of the burden 
of the proposed information collection on those who are to respond 
(including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological forms of information technology, 
e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses).

Summary of the Proposed Information Collections

(1) Need for the Proposed Information Collections

    The information requested in questionnaires and five-year sunset 
review institution notices issued under the generic survey clearance is 
utilized by the Commission in the following statutory investigations: 
Antidumping duty, countervailing duty, escape clause, North American 
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) safeguard, market disruption, and 
interference with programs of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 
(USDA). The Commission's generic survey clearance to issue 
questionnaires will not apply to repetitive questionnaires such as 
those issued on a quarterly or annual basis or to other investigations 
and research studies conducted under section 332 of the Trade Act of 
1974. The information provided by firms in response to the 
questionnaires provides the basis for the Commission's determinations 
in the above-cited statutory investigations. The submitted data are 
consolidated by Commission staff and provided to the Commission in the 
form of a staff report. In addition, in the majority of its 
investigations, the Commission releases completed questionnaires 
returned by industry participants to representatives of parties to its 
investigations under the terms of an administrative protective

[[Page 8486]]

order, the terms of which safeguard the confidentiality of any business 
proprietary or business confidential information. Representatives of 
interested parties also receive a confidential version of the staff 
report under the administrative protective order. Subsequent party 
submissions to the Commission during the investigative process are 
based, in large part, upon their review of the information collected. 
Included in the proposed generic clearance are the institution notices 
for the five-year sunset reviews of antidumping and countervailing duty 
orders and suspended investigations. Responses to the institution 
notices will be evaluated by the Commission and form much of the record 
for its determinations to conduct either expedited or full five-year 
sunset reviews of existing antidumping and countervailing duty orders.

(2) Information Collection Plan

    Questionnaires for specific investigations are sent to all 
identified domestic producers manufacturing the product(s) in question. 
Importer and purchaser questionnaires are also sent to all substantial 
importers/purchasers of the product(s). Finally, all foreign 
manufacturers of the product(s) in question that are represented by 
counsel are sent questionnaires, and, in addition, the Commission 
attempts to contact any other foreign manufacturers, especially if they 
export the product(s) in question to the United States. Firms receiving 
questionnaires include businesses, farms, and/or other for-profit 
institutions; responses by domestic firms are mandatory. The 
institution notices for the five-year sunset reviews are published in 
the Federal Register and solicit comment from interested parties (i.e., 
U.S. producers within the industry in question as well as labor unions 
or representative groups of workers, U.S. importers and foreign 
exporters, and involved foreign country governments).

(3) Description of the Information To Be Collected

    Although the content of each questionnaire will differ based on the 
needs of a particular investigation, questionnaires are based on long-
established, generic formats. Producer questionnaires generally consist 
of the following four parts: (part I) General questions relating to the 
organization and activities of the firm; (part II) data on capacity, 
production, inventories, employment, and the quantity and value of the 
firm's shipments and purchases from various sources; (part III) 
financial data, including income-and-loss data on the product in 
question, data on asset valuation, research and development expenses, 
and capital expenditures; and (part IV) pricing and market factors. 
(Questionnaires may, on occasion, also contain part V, an abbreviated 
version of the above-listed parts, used for gathering data on 
additional product categories.) Importer questionnaires generally 
consist of three parts: (part I) General questions relating to the 
organization and activities of the firm; (part II) data on the firm's 
imports and the shipment and inventories of its imports; and (part III) 
pricing and market factors similar to that requested in the producer 
questionnaire. Purchaser questionnaires generally consist of five 
parts: (part I) General questions relating to the organization and 
activities of the firm; (part II) data concerning the purchases of the 
product by the firm; (part III) market characteristics and purchasing 
practices; (part IV) comparisons between imported and U.S.-produced 
product; and (part V) actual purchase prices for specific types of 
domestic and subject imported products and the names of the firm's 
vendors. Foreign producer questionnaires generally consist of (part I) 
general questions relating to the organization and activities of the 
firm; (part II) data concerning the firm's manufacturing operations; 
and may include (part III) market factors. The notices of institution 
for the five-year sunset reviews include 11 specific requests for 
information that firms are to provide if their response is to be 
considered by the Commission.

(4) Estimated Burden of the Proposed Information Collection

    The Commission estimates that information collections issued under 
the requested generic clearance will impose an average annual burden of 
173,094 burden hours on 4,929 respondents (i.e., recipients that 
provide a response to the Commission's questionnaires or the notices of 
institution of five-year sunset reviews). Table 1 lists the projected 
annual burden for each type of information collection for the July 
2014-June 2017 period.

(5) Minimization of Burden

    The Commission periodically reviews its investigative processes, 
including data collection, to reduce the information burden. 
Questionnaires clearly state that estimates are acceptable for certain 
items. They are designed in part with check-in type formats to simplify 
the response. The reporting burden for smaller firms is reduced in that 
the sections of the questionnaire that are applicable to their 
operations are typically more limited. Requests by parties to expand 
the data collection or add items to the questionnaire for specific 
investigations may not be accepted if the Commission believes such 
requests will increase the response burden while not substantially 
adding to the investigative record. Completed questionnaires have 
traditionally been returned to the Commission in paper form, however 
the Commission is promoting options for electronic submission. For 
example, the Commission provides the questionnaires on the Commission's 
Web site in a fillable Word format and has created a secure drop box 
which questionnaire respondents can use to securely upload completed 
questionnaires. The information provided in response to its notices of 
institution for the five-year sunset reviews is typically submitted in 
document form directly to the Office of the Secretary although it may 
be submitted to the Commission's Electronic Data Information System 
(EDIS) and Electronic Docket.

                              Table 1--Projected Annual Burden Data, by Type of Information Collection, July 2014-June 2017
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                                                                                                                            Institution
                        Item                             Producer        Importer        Purchaser     Foreign producer    notices for 5-       Total
                                                      questionnaires  questionnaires  questionnaires    questionnaires      year reviews
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Number of respondents...............................             930           1,395           1,260              1,116                228       4,929
Frequency of response...............................               1               1               1                  1                  1           1
Total annual responses..............................             930           1,395           1,260              1,116                228       4,929
Hours per response..................................              49              36              25                 39                 10          35.1
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    Total hours.....................................          45,570          50,220          31,500             43,524              2,280     173,094
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[[Page 8487]]

    No record keeping burden is known to result from the proposed 
collection of information.

    By order of the Commission.

     Issued: February 6, 2014.
Lisa R. Barton,
Acting Secretary to the Commission.
[FR Doc. 2014-02955 Filed 2-11-14; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7020-02-P