Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 43 / Friday, March 4, 2011 / Notices 12225 

Books or records relating to a collection 

of information must be retained as long 

as their contents may become material 

in the administration of any internal 

revenue law. Generally, tax returns and 

tax return information are confidential, 

as required by 26 U.S.C. 6103. 

Request for Comments: Comments 

submitted in response to this notice will 

be summarized and/or included in the 

request for OMB approval. All 

comments will become a matter of 

public record. 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the collection of information is 

necessary for the proper performance of 

the functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

collection of information; (c) ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information to be collected; (d) 

ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on 

respondents, including through the use 

of automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology; 

and (e) estimates of capital or start-up 

costs and costs of operation, 

maintenance, and purchase of services 

to provide information. 

Approved: February 25, 2011. 

Yvette Lawrence, 

IRS Reports Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2011–4847 Filed 3–3–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4830–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY 

United States Mint 

Authority To Conduct Research and 

Development on All Circulating Coins 

AGENCY: United States Mint, Treasury. 

ACTION: Notice with request for 

comment. 

SUMMARY: Congress recently enacted the 

Coin Modernization, Oversight, and 

Continuity Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111– 

302) to provide the Secretary of the 

Treasury research and development 

authority for alternative metallic 

coinage materials. Specifically, the 

Secretary of the Treasury is authorized 

to—(1) conduct any appropriate testing 

of appropriate metallic coinage 

materials within or outside of the 

Department of the Treasury; and (2) 

solicit input from or otherwise work in 

conjunction with Federal and 

nonfederal entities, including 

independent research facilities or 

current or potential suppliers of the 

metallic material used in volume 

production of circulating coins. In 

accordance with Public Law 111–302, 

Section 2(b), in conducting research or 

soliciting input, the Secretary of the 

Treasury shall consider the following: 

(A) Factors relevant to the potential 

impact of any revisions to the 

composition of the material used in coin 

production on the current coinage 

material suppliers; 

(B) factors relevant to the ease of use 

and ability to co-circulate of new 

coinage materials, including the effect 

on vending machines and commercial 

coin processing equipment and making 

certain, to the greatest extent 

practicable, that any new coins work 

without interruption in existing coin 

acceptance equipment without 

modification; and 

(C) such other factors that the 

Secretary of the Treasury, in 

consultation with merchants who would 

be affected by any change in the 

composition of circulating coins, 

vending machine and other coin 

acceptor manufacturers, vending 

machine owners and operators, transit 

officials, municipal parking officials, 

depository institutions, coin and 

currency handlers, armored-car 

operators, car wash operators, and 

American-owned manufacturers of 

commercial coin processing equipment, 

considers to be appropriate and in the 

public interest. 

Additionally, the Secretary of the 

Treasury is required to report biennially 

to the House Financial Services 

Committee and the Senate Committee 

on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs 

on the production costs for each 

circulating coin, cost trends for such 

production, and possible new metallic 

materials or technologies for the 

production of circulating coins. 

The Secretary of the Treasury has 

delegated to the Director of the United 

States Mint the authority to conduct 

research and development for 

alternative metallic coinage materials, to 

consider the factors specified in Public 

Law 111–302, Section 2(b), and to 

prepare a biennial report to the Congress 

on the current status of coin production 

costs and analysis of alternative metallic 

coinage materials. 

Accordingly, the United States Mint 

requests public comment on the factors 

specified in Public Law 111–302, 

Section 2(b). 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before April 4, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit written 

comments by any of the following 

methods: 

• E-mail: 

coinmaterials@usmint.treas.gov 

• Fax: (202) 756–6500 

• Mail: New Coin Materials 

Comments, Mail Stop: Manufacturing 6 

North, United States Mint, 801 Ninth 

Street, NW., Washington, DC 20220. 

• Hand Delivery/Courier: Same as 

mail address. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jean 

Gentry, Deputy Chief Counsel, United 

States Mint at (202) 354–7359 (not a 

toll-free call). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Because of prevailing commodity 

market prices of certain base metals, the 

material costs for all circulating coin 

denominations have risen dramatically 

for the past several years. Most recently, 

the value of the metal content of onecent and 5-cent coins has exceeded their 

face value, compelling the United States 

Mint to implement regulations to 

protect them from arbitrage— 

speculators buying large quantities of 

these coins to profit from their metal 

value. This situation prompted Congress 

to pass legislation to give the Secretary 

of the Treasury research and 

development authority to conduct 

studies for alternative metallic coinage 

materials. The new law requires the 

Secretary of the Treasury to consider 

certain factors in the conduct of 

research, development, and the 

solicitation of input or work in 

conjunction with Federal and 

nonfederal entities, and in reporting to 

the Congress with recommendations. 

The Secretary of the Treasury has 

delegated to the Director of the United 

States Mint the authority to consider 

these factors and to prepare a report to 

the Congress recommending possible 

new metallic materials or technologies 

for the production of circulating coins. 

Accordingly, the United States Mint 

seeks information from the public on 

the factors specified in Public Law 111– 

302, Section 2(b), including factors that 

submitters believe the Secretary of the 

Treasury should consider to be 

appropriate and in the public interest. 

II. Request for Comment 

The United States Mint requests 

public comment from all interested 

persons regarding the metallic 

composition of all circulating coins 

based on the factors specified in Public 

Law 111–302, Section 2(b). These 

factors may include, but are not limited 

to, the effect of new coinage metallic 

materials on the current suppliers of 

coinage materials; the acceptability of 

new coinage metallic materials, 

including physical, chemical, 

metallurgical and technical 

characteristics; metallic material, 


jlentini on DSKJ8SOYB1PROD with NOTICES
12226 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 43 / Friday, March 4, 2011 / Notices 

fabrication, minting, and distribution 

costs; metallic material availability and 

sources of raw metals; coinability; 

durability; sorting, handling, packaging 

and vending machines; appearance; 

risks to the environment or public 

safety; resistance to counterfeiting; 

commercial and public acceptance; and 

any other factor considered to be 

appropriate and in the public interest. 

The United States Mint is not 

soliciting suggestions or 

recommendations on specific metallic 

coinage materials, and any such 

suggestions or recommendations will 

not be considered at this time. The 

United States Mint seeks public 

comment only on the factors to be 

considered in the research and 

evaluation of potential new metallic 

coinage materials. 

Dated: February 28, 2011. 

Richard A. Peterson, 

Acting Director, United States Mint. 

[FR Doc. 2011–4880 Filed 3–3–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4810–37–P 


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