1625-0099_SS_r1_2012

1625-0099

Supporting Statement

for

Requirements for the Use for Liquefied Petroleum Gas

and Compressed Natural Gas as

Cooking Fuel on Passenger Vessels

A. Justification.

1. Circumstances making the collection of information necessary.

Title 46 U.S.C. 3306 (a) (5) provides for the regulation of the use of vessel stores and other supplies of a dangerous nature. The Coast Guard allows the use of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) and compressed natural gas (CNG) cooking appliances on passenger-carrying vessels provided certain requirements are met. These requirements¹ primarily consist of existing industry standards. One section of these standards requires the posting of two placards that contain operating instructions and safety precautions for the gas cooking appliance and the gas system.

This information collection supports the following strategic goals:

Department of Homeland Security

• Prevention

Coast Guard

• Marine Safety

Prevention Policy & Response Policy Directorates (CG-5P & CG-5R)

• Safety: Eliminate deaths, injuries, and property damage associated with commercial maritime operations.

2. Purpose for which information is to be used.

The information provided by the placards is to be used by any person operating cooking appliances to ensure it is operated in a safe manner.

3. Consideration of use of improved information technology.

The owner/operator of a passenger vessel—with a cooking appliance that use liquefied petroleum gas or compressed natural gas—must post placards that contain safety and operating instructions for the gas cooking system.

4. Efforts to identify duplication. Why similar information already available cannot be used.

There is no duplication involved with the requirement. There is no other information already available which can be used or modified for use.

5. Methods used to minimize burden.

This information collection does not have an impact on small businesses or other small entities.

6. Consequences to Federal program if collection were done less frequently.

This information collection burden entails installing the two placards, any decrease in the frequency of information collection would be not to install the placards at all. This would degrade the operational safety of the gas cooking appliances on passenger-carrying vessels and therefore not be consistent with Coast Guard policy regarding the safety of vessels.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause the information collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with guidelines.

This information collection is conducted in manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).

8. Consultation.

A 60-day Notice and 30-day Notice were published in the Federal Register to obtain public comment on this collection. (See [USCG-2012-0149]; March 19, 2012, 77 FR 16044; and May 29, 2012, 77 FR 31629). The Coast Guard has not received any comments on this information collection.

9. Provide any payment or gift to respondents.

There is no offer of monetary or material value for this information collection.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents.

There are no assurances of confidentiality provided to the respondents for this information collection.

11. Additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature.

There are no questions of sensitive language.

12. Estimate of reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

a. Burden Hours. Estimating that no more than 25% of the 23,791 passenger-carrying vessels would opt to install gas cooking appliances, the total number of vessels affected is 5,948. Each vessel is required to install two operating instructional placards.

5,948 respondents x 2 (number of instructional placards required)
= 11,896 (annual responses).

5,948 respondents x 1 (hour per two responses) = 5,948 hours.

b. Annual Cost. At the wage rate² of approximately $35.00 per hour, the cost for the labor hours to install the placards would be $208,180 ($35.00/hr. x 5,948).

13. Estimates of annualized capital and start-up costs.

If purchased, the placards should cost no more than $7.00 each which would mean a total of $14.00 per vessel. The estimated cost of the placards to the respondents would be $83,272 ($14.00 x 5,948 vessels).

14. Estimates of annualized cost to the Federal Government.

Coast Guard personnel review safety placards during periodic inspections, random boardings, and post-casualty investigations. The incremental burden to the Government is negligible, and therefore not herein calculated.

15. Reasons for change in the burden.

The change in burden hours is an ADJUSTMENT due to a change in the vessel population. There is no proposed change to the recordkeeping requirements of this collection. The recordkeeping requirements, and the methodology for calculating burden, remain unchanged.

The following items listed below are changes to the collection:

• Increase in burden (i.e., respondents/responses/burden hours) is due to an increase in the estimated vessel population.

• Updates are provided for cost burden associated with this collection of information.

• Correction made to non-labor-related cost, accounting for that cost now under SS Q 13 vice Q12.

• The Coast Guard has created printable instructions for this collection of information.

16. For collections of information whose results are planned to be published for statistical use, outline plans for tabulation, statistical analysis and publication.

The Coast Guard does not intend to employ the use of statistics or the publication thereof for this information collection.

17. Approval to not display expiration date.

The Coast Guard will display the expiration date for OMB approval of this information collection.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement.

The Coast Guard does not request an exception to the certification of this information collection.

B. Collection of Information Employing Statistical Methods.

This information collection does not employ statistical methods.

1 For inspected pax vessels see 46 CFR 121.240 & 184.240, and for uninspected pax vessels see 46 CFR 25.45-2.

2 Equivalent to a GS-05 (out-of-gov’t) rate, per COMDTINST 7310.1M.

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