Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 180 / Tuesday, September 19, 2023 / Notices 64407 

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. 2023–20256 Filed 9–18–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Census Bureau 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; Automated Export System 

(AES) 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit the following information 

collection request to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and clearance in accordance 

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995, on or after the date of publication 

of this notice. We invite 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. Public 

comments were previously requested 

via the Federal Register on November 

21, 2022 during a 60-day comment 

period. This notice allows for an 

additional 30 days for public comments. 

Agency: U.S. Census Bureau, 

Department of Commerce. 

Title: Automated Export System 

(AES). 

OMB Control Number: 0607–0152. 

Form Number(s): Automated Export 

System (AES). 

Type of Request: Regular submission, 

request for extension without change of 

a currently approved collection. 

Number of Respondents: 17,025,219. 

Average Hours per Response: 3 

minutes per AES transaction. 

Burden Hours: 851,261. 

Needs and Uses: The Census Bureau 

requires mandatory filing of all export 

information via the Automated Export 

System (AES). This requirement is 

mandated through Public Law 107–228 

of the Foreign Trade Relations Act of 

2003. This law authorizes the Secretary 

of Commerce with the concurrences of 

the Secretary of State and the Secretary 

of Homeland Security to require all 

persons who file export information 

according to title 13, United States Code 

(U.S.C.), chapter 9, to file such 

information through the AES. With this 

submission, the Census Bureau is 

requesting continued clearance of the 

AES program. 

The AES is the primary instrument 

used for collecting export trade data, 

which are used by the Census Bureau 

for statistical purposes. The AES 

provides the means for collecting data 

on U.S. exports. Title 13, U.S.C., chapter 

9, sections 301–307, mandates the 

collection of these data. The regulatory 

provisions for the collection of these 

data are contained in the Foreign Trade 

Regulations (FTR), title 15, Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR), part 30. The 

official export statistics collected from 

these tools provide the basic component 

for the compilation of the U.S. position 

on merchandise trade. These data are an 

essential component of the monthly 

totals provided in the U.S. International 

Trade in Goods and Services (FT–900) 

Press Release, a principal federal 

economic indicator, and a primary 

component of the Gross Domestic 

Product. The published export data 

enable the private and public sector to 

develop practical marketing strategies as 

well as provide a means to assess the 

impact of exports on the domestic 

economy. These data are used in the 

development of U.S. Government 

economic and foreign trade policies, 

including export control purposes under 

the Export Control Reform Act of 2018, 

50 U.S.C. 4801–4852. The Bureau of 

Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. 

Customs and Border Protection (CBP), 

and other enforcement agencies use 

these data to detect and prevent the 

export of certain items by unauthorized 

parties to unauthorized destinations or 

end users. 

In order to publish accurate export 

trade statistics, the Census Bureau is 

responsible for maintaining the FTR, 

which implements the provisions for 

filing export information in the AES. In 

addition to the publication of the FT– 

900, the Census Bureau releases data on 

imports of steel mill products in 

advance of the regular monthly trade 

statistics release. This exception to the 

normal procedure was initially 

approved by the OMB in January 1999 

and had been subsequently extended 

annually through means of a separately 

submitted memo. This exception has 

permitted the public release of 

preliminary monthly data on imports of 

steel under the provisions of the OMB’s 

Statistical Policy Directive No. 3 on the 

Compilation, Release and Evaluation of 

Principal Federal Economic Indicators. 

With the revision to the AES Program in 

2019, the Census Bureau eliminated the 

need for an annual approval from OMB 

since it is included in the Information 

Collection Request (ICR). 

With this submission, the Census 

Bureau is requesting continued 

clearance of the AES program as a result 

of the publication of a final rule in the 

Federal Register on August 10, 2023 (88 

FR 54234) adding a conditional data 

element to the AES called the 

Directorate of Defense Trade Controls 

Category XXI Determination Number. 

The final rule will require on the 

effective date of November 8, 2023 AES 

filers (the U.S. Principal Party in 

Interest (USPPI) or the authorized agent) 

to report the DDTC Category XXI 

Determination Number only when the 

DDTC United States Munitions List 

(USML) Category XXI is selected in the 

DDTC USML Category Code field in the 

AES. In calendar year 2022, 156,195 

(0.6%) AES records consisted of USML 

Category XXI commodities. 

The Census Bureau published a notice 

of proposed rulemaking in the Federal 

Register on May 3, 2023 (88 FR 27815) 

inviting public comments on our plans 

to add the conditional data element. The 

Census Bureau gave the public 60 days 

to comment, and at the conclusion of 

the 60 days, no comments were 

received. In the final rule published on 

August 10, 2023, the Census Bureau 

sought public comments regarding: 

whether this proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether the 

information shall have practical utility; 

the accuracy of the burden estimate; 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information, 

including through the use of automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

The information collected via the AES 

conveys what is being exported 

(description and commodity 

classification number); how much is 

exported (quantity, shipping weight, 

and value); how it is exported (method 

of transport, exporting carrier, and 

whether containerized); who the parties 

to the transaction are (USPPI, 

authorized agent, and intermediate and 

ultimate consignees); from where (State 

of origin and port of export); to where 

(port of unloading and country of 

ultimate destination); and when a 

commodity is exported (date of 

exportation). Profile information on the 

USPPI and the authorized agent 

provides a contact for verification of the 

information. 

The data collected from the AES 

serves as the official record of export 

transactions and is used by the U.S. 

Federal Government and the private 

sector. The Federal Government uses 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1
64408 Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 180 / Tuesday, September 19, 2023 / Notices 

every data element in the AES. The 

mandatory filing requirement of the 

export information in AES enables the 

Federal Government to produce more 

complete, accurate and timely export 

statistics. The Census Bureau delegated 

the authority to enforce the FTR to the 

BIS’s Office of Export Enforcement 

along with the Department of Homeland 

Security’s CBP and Homeland Security 

Investigations (HSI). The mandatory use 

of the AES also facilitates the 

enforcement by the BIS of the Export 

Administration Regulations for the 

detection and prevention of exports of 

national security sensitive commodities 

to unauthorized destinations; the 

enforcement by the CBP of the U.S. 

Department of State’s International 

Traffic in Arms Regulations for the 

exports of defense articles; the 

validation by the Census Bureau of the 

Kimberly Process Certificate for the 

exports of rough diamonds; and 

enforcement and compliance by other 

federal agencies (i.e., Environmental 

Protection Agency, Drug Enforcement 

Agency, etc.) of regulations pertaining to 

export requirements. 

Other Federal agencies use these data 

to develop the components of the 

merchandise trade figures used in the 

calculations for the balance of payments 

and Gross Domestic Product accounts to 

evaluate the effects of the value of U.S. 

exports; and to prepare for and assist in 

trade negotiations under the General 

Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. 

Collection of these data also eliminates 

the need for conducting additional 

surveys for the collection of information 

because the AES shows the relationship 

of the parties to the export transaction 

(as required by the Bureau of Economic 

Analysis (BEA). The Bureau of Labor 

Statistics also uses the AES data as a 

source for developing the export price 

index and by the U.S. Department of 

Transportation for administering the 

negotiation of reciprocal arrangements 

for transportation facilities between the 

U.S. and other countries. Additionally, 

a collaborative effort amongst the 

Census Bureau, the National Governors’ 

Association and other data users 

resulted in the development of export 

statistics requiring the State of origin to 

be reported on the AES. This 

information enables State governments 

to focus activities and resources on 

fostering the exports of goods that 

originate in their States. 

The International Trade 

Administration relies heavily on the 

preliminary import statistics of steel 

mill products provided by the Census 

Bureau. As a part of the Government’s 

steel initiative, the Department of 

Commerce was instructed by the 

Administration to monitor steel imports. 

The early release of preliminary 

statistics on steel mill imports allows 

the steel industry to identify trends and 

potential shifts in trade patterns and 

take appropriate action. A variety of 

parties, including government officials 

and the public with an interest in 

imports of steel products continue to 

use this monitoring system heavily. The 

FTR, subpart F addresses the general 

requirements for filing import entries 

with CBP in the ACE in accordance with 

19 CFR, which is the source of the 

import data on steel mill products. 

Export statistics collected from the 

AES aid private sector companies, 

financial institutions, and transportation 

entities in conducting market analysis 

and market penetration studies for the 

development of new markets and 

market-share strategies. Port authorities, 

steamship lines, airlines, aircraft 

manufacturers, and air transport 

associations use these data for 

measuring the volume and effect of air 

or vessel shipments and the need for 

additional or new types of facilities. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations. 

Frequency: On occasion. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Mandatory. 

Legal Authority: Title 13 United States 

Code, chapter 9, section 301. 

This information collection request 

may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov. 

Follow the instructions to view the 

Department of Commerce collections 

currently under review by OMB. 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function and 

entering either the title of the collection 

or the OMB Control Number 0607–0152. 

Sheleen Dumas, 

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of 

the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, 

Commerce Department. 

[FR Doc. 2023–20227 Filed 9–18–23; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Office of the Secretary 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; Generic Clearance Improving 

Customer Experience (OMB Circular 

A–11, Section 280 Implementation) 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit the following information 

collection request to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and clearance in accordance 

with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 

1995, on or after the date of publication 

of this notice. We invite 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. Public 

comments were previously requested 

via the Federal Register on April 20, 

2023, during a 60-day comment period. 

This notice allows for an additional 30 

days for public comments. 

Agency: Office of the Secretary, 

Department of Commerce. 

Title: Improving Customer Experience 

(OMB Circular A–11, Section 280 

Implementation). 

OMB Control Number: 0690–0035. 

Form Number(s): None. 

Type of Request: Regular Submission, 

extension without change of a currently 

approved collection. 

Number of Respondents: 300,000. 

Average Hours per Response: Varied, 

dependent upon the data collection 

method used. The possible response 

time to complete a questionnaire or 

survey may be 3 minutes or up to 2 

hours to participate in an interview or 

focus group. 

Burden Hours: 27,725. 

Needs and Uses: The results will be 

used to improve the delivery of Federal 

services and programs. It will also 

provide government-wide data on 

customer experience that can be 

displayed on www.performance.gov to 

help build transparency and 

accountability of Federal programs to 

the customers they serve. 

Affected Public: Collections will be 

targeted to the solicitation of opinions 

from respondents who have experience 

with the program or may have 

experience with the program in the near 

future. For the purposes of this request, 

‘‘customers’’ are individuals, 

businesses, and organizations that 

interact with a Federal Government 

agency or program, either directly or via 


ddrumheller on DSK120RN23PROD with NOTICES1