2022-07105. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Chemical Weapons Convention Declaration and Report Handbook and Forms & Chemical Weapons ...

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 January 12, 2022, during a 60-day comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public comments.

Agency: Bureau of Industry and Security, Department of Commerce.

Title: Chemical Weapons Convention Declaration and Report Handbook and Forms & Chemical Weapons Convention Regulations (CWCR).

OMB Control Number: 0694-0091.

Form Number(s): Form 1-1, Form, 1-2, Form 1-2A, Form 1-2B.

Type of Request: Regular submission, extension of a current information collection.

Number of Respondents: 779.

Average Hours per Response: 10 minutes to 12 hours.

Burden Hours: 14,813.

Needs and Uses: The Chemical Weapons Convention ((CWC or Convention) is a multilateral arms control and non-proliferation treaty that seeks to achieve an international ban on chemical weapons (CW). The CWC prohibits, inter alia, the use, development, production, acquisition, stockpiling, retention, and direct or indirect transfer of chemical weapons. Furthermore, each State Party to the Convention is required to make initial and annual declarations on certain facilities which produce, process, consume, transfer, or import/export toxic chemicals and their precursors as specified in three lists or schedules of chemicals contained in the Convention's Annex on Chemicals. In addition to traditional CW agents, the Schedules include chemicals that have both large-scale commercial uses and CW applications (referred to as “dual-use chemicals”). Information is also required on facilities which produce a broad class of chemicals referred to as “Unscheduled Discrete Organic Chemicals,” or “UDOCs.” Finally, information is also required from facilities subject to inspection by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). This information is in addition to information provided in initial and annual declarations.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.

Frequency: On Occasion.

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

Legal Authority: Executive Order 13128 authorizes the Department of Commerce (DOC) to issue regulations necessary to implement the Act and U.S. obligations under Article VI and related provisions of the Convention.

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 0694-0093.

Sheleen Dumas,

Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, Commerce Department.