Agency information collection activities; proposals, submissions, and approvals,

[Federal Register: June 7, 2006 (Volume 71, Number 109)]

[Notices]

[Page 32919-32920]

From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

[DOCID:fr07jn06-51]

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

DOC has submitted 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: 2007 Economic Census Covering Utilities; Transportation and Warehousing; Finance and Insurance; and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Sectors.

Form Number(s): The 36 report forms covered by this request are too numerous to list here.

Agency Approval Number: None.

Type of Request: New collection.

Burden: 951,328 hours.

Number of Respondents: 787,577.

Avg. Hours Per Response: One and one half hours.

Needs and Uses: The 2007 Economic Census covering the Utilities; Transportation and Warehousing; Finance and Insurance; and Real Estate and Rental and Leasing sectors will use a mail canvass, supplemented by data from Federal administrative records, to measure the economic activity of more than 1,230,000 establishments in these sectors of the economy as classified in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS). The Utilities sector comprises establishments primarily engaged in the provision of utility services through a permanent infrastructure. The Transportation sector comprises establishments primarily engaged in transporting people and goods. The Warehousing sector comprises establishments primarily engaged in the warehousing and storage of goods. The Finance and Insurance sector comprises two types of establishments: Those engaged in financial transactions, that is, transactions involving the creation, liquidation, or change in ownership of financial assets, or in facilitating financial transactions; and those engaged in the intermediating as the consequence of pooling risks and facilitating such intermediation. The Real Estate subsector comprises establishments primarily engaged in leasing real estate to others, as well as real estate managers, agents, and brokers. The Rental and Leasing subsector comprises establishments primarily engaged in acquiring, owning, and making available a wide variety of tangible goods such as machinery, equipment, computers, and consumer goods to businesses or individuals, in return for a periodic rental or lease payment. The economic census will produce basic statistics by kind of business on number of establishments, revenue, payroll, and employment. It also will yield a variety of subject statistics, including revenue by product line, and other industry- specific measures, such as insurance benefits paid to policyholders, exported services, purchased transportation, and exported energy. Basic statistics will be summarized for the United States, states, metropolitan areas and, in some cases, for counties and places having 2,500 inhabitants or more. Tabulations of subject statistics also will present data for the United States and, in some cases, for states.

The economic census is the primary source of facts about the structure and functioning of the Nation's economy and features unique industry and geographic detail. Economic census statistics serve as part of the framework for the national accounts and provide essential information for government, business, and the general public. The Federal Government uses information from the economic census as an

[[Page 32920]]

important part of the framework for the national income and product accounts, input-output tables, economic indices, and other composite measures that serve as the factual basis for economic policy-making, planning, and program administration. Further, the census provides sampling frames and benchmarks for current surveys of business which track short-term economic trends, serve as economic indicators, and contribute critical source data for current estimates of gross domestic product. State and local governments rely on the economic census as a unique source of comprehensive economic statistics for small geographic areas for use in policy-making, planning, and program administration. 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 were not conducted, the Federal Government would lose vital source data and benchmarks for the national accounts, input-output tables, and other composite measures of economic activity, causing a substantial degradation in the quality of these important statistics. Further, the government would lose critical benchmarks for current sample-based economic surveys and an essential source of detailed, comprehensive economic information for use in policy-making, planning, and program administration.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; Individuals or households; Not-for-profit institutions; State, local, or Tribal governments.

Frequency: One time.

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

Legal Authority: Title 13 U.S.C., sections 131 and 224.

OMB Desk Officer: Susan Schechter, (202) 395-5103.

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 6625, 14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at dhynek@doc.gov).

Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice to Susan Schechter, OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202-395-7245) or e- mail (susan_schechter@omb.eop.gov).

Dated: June 1, 2006. Madeleine Clayton, Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer. [FR Doc. E6-8781 Filed 6-6-06; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3510-07-P