Federal Register: November 10, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 217)
DOCID: FR Doc 04-25105
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Docket ID: [Docket Number 041029299-4299-01]
NOTICE: NOTICES
ACTION: Surveys, determinations, etc.:
DOCUMENT ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
SUBJECT CATEGORY:
Current Industrial Reports
DATES: Written comments on this notice must be submitted on or before December 10, 2004.
DOCUMENT SUMMARY:
The Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) plans to cancel 13 surveys that are part of its Current Industrial Report (CIR) program. The Census Bureau plans to do so in order to redirect its resources to areas of the manufacturing sector that are of increasing importance. The surveys would be canceled on December 31, 2004.
SUMMARY:
Current Industrial Report (CIR) program; survey cancellations; comment request,
SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION
The Census Bureau conducts 53 diverse surveys within its CIR program. The data from these surveys serve a wide variety of data users and meet a wide variety of needs. Most of these surveys were started before 1970, and many were started before 1950. While the Census Bureau regularly receives requests to expand the program in order to cover areas that have grown in economic significance, new resources to do that have not been made available. In order to identify resources that might be assigned to areas of the manufacturing sector that are of increasing importance, the Census Bureau conducted a comprehensive review of its CIR program. In that evaluation, the Census Bureau found that it could best serve the broadest group of data users by expanding its collection of information on certain industries, such as electronics equipment, communications equipment, and computers. The only way to accomplish this task without additional resources is to eliminate some existing surveys.
Determining which surveys to eliminate is always a difficult task
since there are users of all the data. The Census Bureau made every
effort to determine the types of data that are no longer as significant
to the overall assessment of our economy or are of lessor quality.
Based on that evaluation, the Census Bureau proposes to cancel the following 13 surveys:
Canceling the above surveys will be the first step in the restructuring of the CIR program. The next step will be to redesign and expand or reduce individual surveys or groups of surveys. The Census Bureau will conduct that work over the coming year. Those proposals will be submitted through future notices requesting comments. We expect the first proposal to be a quarterly textile survey that consolidates several ongoing textile surveys. We expect that information to be published in January.
Paperwork Reduction Act
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person is required
to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure
to comply with, a collection of information subject to requirements of
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA), unless that collection of
information displays a current valid Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) control number. In accordance with the PRA, 44 U.S.C., Chapter
35, the OMB approved the current group of CIR surveys under OMB Control
Numbers 06070392, 06070395, and 06070476. We will provide copies of
associated forms and publications upon written request to the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, Washington, DC 202330001.
Dated: November 5, 2004.
Charles Louis Kincannon,
Director, Bureau of the Census.
[FR Doc. 0425105 Filed 11904; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 351007P
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
Judy M. Dodds, Assistant Division Chief, Census and Related Programs, Manufacturing and Construction Division, on (301) 7634587 or by email at judy.m.dodds@census.gov.