
[Federal Register: April 2, 2010 (Volume 75, Number 63)]
[Notices]               
[Page 16895-16896]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr02ap10-137]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

 
Reports, Forms and Record Keeping Requirements; Agency 
Information Collection Activity Under OMB Review

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Department of 
Transportation (NHTSA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces that the Information 
Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been forwarded to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR 
describes the nature of the information collection and the expected 
burden. The Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period was 
published on June 22, 2009. This is a request for a new collection.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 3, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Send comments within 30 days to the Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 725 17th 
Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention: NHTSA Desk Officer.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. Mary Versailles, Office of 
Rulemaking, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590. Telephone: (202) 366-0846.
    For legal issues: Ms. Sarah Alves, Office of the Chief Counsel, 
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, 
SE., Washington, DC 20590.
    Telephone: (202) 366-2992.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Under the procedures established by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (PRA), a person is not required to respond to a collection of 
information by a Federal agency unless the collection displays a valid 
OMB control number. The final rule establishes a new consumer 
information program at 49 CFR Part 575.106, Tire fuel efficiency 
consumer information program. Tire manufacturers would provide data to 
NHTSA under a reporting requirement. For this new regulation, NHTSA is 
submitting to OMB a request for approval of the following collection of 
information.
    In compliance with the PRA, this notice announces that the 
Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below has been 
forwarded to OMB for review and comment. The ICR describes the nature 
of the information collections and their expected burden. This is a 
request for a new collection.
    Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
    Title: 49 CFR Part 575.106, Tire fuel efficiency consumer 
information program.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    OMB Clearance Number: Not assigned.
    Form Number: The collection of this information will not use any 
standard forms.
    Requested Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from the date of 
approval.

Summary of the Collection of Information

    NHTSA is adding a new requirement in Part 575 which would require 
tire manufacturers and tire brand name owners to rate all replacement 
passenger car tires for fuel efficiency (i.e., rolling resistance), 
safety (i.e., wet traction), and durability (i.e., treadwear), and 
submit reports to NHTSA regarding the ratings. The ratings for safety 
and durability are based on test procedures specified under the UTQGS 
traction and treadwear ratings requirements. This information would be 
used by consumers of replacement passenger car tires to compare tire 
fuel efficiency across different tires and examine any tradeoffs 
between fuel efficiency (i.e., rolling resistance), safety (i.e., wet 
traction), and durability (i.e., treadwear) in making their purchase 
decisions.

Description of the Need for the Information and Use of the Information

    NHTSA needs the information to provide consumers information to 
allow them to compare tire fuel efficiency across different tires and 
examine any tradeoffs between fuel efficiency (i.e., rolling 
resistance), safety (i.e., wet traction), and durability (i.e., 
treadwear) in making their purchase decisions.

Description of the Likely Respondents (Including Estimated Number, and 
Proposed Frequency of Response to the Collection of Information)

    There are approximately 28 manufacturers of replacement tires sold 
in the United States who would be required to report annually.

[[Page 16896]]

Estimate of the Total Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden 
Resulting from the Collection of Information

    NHTSA estimates that there are 28 tire manufacturers that will be 
required to report. Each of these will need to set up the software in a 
computer program to combine the testing information, organize it for 
NHTSA's use, etc. We estimate this cost to be a one-time charge of 
about $10,000 per company. Based on the costs used in the Early Warning 
Reporting Regulation analysis,\1\ we estimate the annual cost per 
report per tire manufacturer to be $287. There are also computer 
maintenance costs of keeping the data up to date, etc. as tests come in 
throughout the year. In the EWR analysis, we estimated costs of $3,755 
per year per company. Thus, the total annual cost is estimated to be 
$4,042 per company. Thus the total costs would be $280,000 + $113,176 = 
$393,176 for the first year and $113,176 as an annual cost for the 28 
tire manufacturers.
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    \1\ Preliminary Regulatory Evaluation, Tread Act Amendments to 
Early Warning Reporting Regulation Part 579 and Defect and 
Noncompliance Part 573, August 2008 (Docket No. 2008-0169-0007.1).
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    The largest portion of the cost burden imposed by the tire fuel 
efficiency program arises from the testing necessary to determine the 
ratings that should be assigned to the tires. As detailed in our 
reponse to question 8, our revised per-SKU costs to test for 
rolling resistance, traction, and treadwear amount to $2,040 (i.e. $540 
+ $500 + $1,000). This would result in testing costs of $38,760,000 in 
the first year (19,000 SKUs) and $6,573,000 in subsequent years (3,222 
new SKUs annually).
    The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $1.28 
million. This cost includes $730,000 for enforcement testing, and about 
$550,000 annually to set up and keep up to date a website that includes 
the information reported to NHTSA.
    Comments are invited on:
     Whether the collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the Department, including 
whether the information will have practical utility.
     Whether the Department's estimate for the burden of the 
information collection is accurate.
     Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    A comment to OMB is most effective if OMB receives it within 30 
days of publication.

    Issued on: March 29, 2010.
Stephen R. Kratzke,
Associate Administrator for Rulemaking.
[FR Doc. 2010-7396 Filed 4-1-10; 8:45 am]
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