Justification

Justification for Non-substantive Change

License Exceptions and Exclusions

OMB Control No. 0694-0137

In 1996, the Department of Commerce created License Exception TAPS (Trans-Alaska Pipeline Shipments) to authorize the export of crude oil from the North Slope of Alaska and transported over Federal rights of way granted pursuant to section 203 of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Authorization Act. This license exception required exporters to submit to BIS a copy of the same Shippers Export Declaration that the exporter was required to submit to U.S. Customs. Subsequently, US Customs and the Bureau of the Census developed the Automated Export System (AES), and required all exporters to use it to electronically submit export related information that had previously been submitted on paper. In 2010, the Bureau of the Census gave BIS authorization to access AES data specific to individual transactions. This authorization gave BIS access to TAPS shippers export declarations. BIS is therefore submitting a rule entitled “Paperwork Reduction Act: Updated List of Approved Information Collections and Removal of a Redundant Reporting Requirement” in order to remove the redundant reporting requirement for TAPS shippers export declarations.

OMB Control No. 0694-0137 has an IC entitled "TAPS Reporting and Recordkeeping." Exporters of TAPS crude oil by tanker ship under license exception TAPS must currently file redundant TAPS shippers export declarations with BIS and report deep water ballast exchanges. BIS seeks approval to remove the reporting burden of 10 hours to complete and file 55 redundant TAPS shippers export declarations from this IC. The recordkeeping burden of 28 hours to record 55 deep water ballast exchanges will remain unchanged.