Agency Information Collection Activities; New Collection of Information; Global Interoperability Standard (GIS)

AGENCY:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security.

ACTION:

60-Day notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will be submitting the following information collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). The information collection is published in the Federal Register to obtain comments from the public and affected agencies.

DATES:

Comments are encouraged and must be submitted (no later than November 4, 2024) to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and/or suggestions regarding the item(s) contained in this notice must include the OMB Control Number 1651-0NEW in the subject line and the agency name. Please submit written comments and/or suggestions in English. Please use the following method to submit comments:

Email. Submit comments to: CBP_PRA@cbp.dhs.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

CBP invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on the proposed and/or continuing information collections pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). This process is conducted in accordance with 5 CFR 1320.8. Written comments and suggestions from the public and affected agencies should address one or more of the following four points: (1) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) suggestions to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) suggestions to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. The comments that are submitted will be summarized and included in the request for approval. All comments will become a matter of public record.

Overview of This Information Collection

Title: Global Interoperability Standard (GIS).

OMB Number: 1651-0NEW.

Form Number: N/A.

Current Actions: New Collection of Information.

Type of Review: New Collection of Information.

Affected Public: Businesses.

Abstract: A batch of crude oil from Canada can take days to cross the United States border and travel through the North American pipeline network, leaving no easily identifiable starting point for monitoring timely entry and entry summary filing. Moreover, Canadian crude oil is actively traded as a commodity while in transit though the North American pipeline network, so ownership (which impacts the right to make entry) may not be known to CBP until well after the commodity crosses the border.

Further, the need for confidentiality of transactional data among private parties means there are limitations on CBP's and the trade's visibility into product origin traceability through the supply chain to establish Free Trade Agreement (FTA) eligibility. The absence of a system or technology capable of tracking changes in ownership and destination of pipeline-borne goods such as crude oil, from wellhead to refinery, has resulted in CBP creating a patchwork of policies for data collection from carriers and importers over the decades.

The Silicon Valley Innovation Program (SVIP), part of the Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology Directorate, helps develop and find new technologies that strengthen national security with the goal of reshaping how government and industry work together to find cutting-edge solutions to problems such as those involved in pipeline-borne goods. A private company SVIP participant has a platform to document the movement (including ownership changes) of crude oil. The platform will monitor Canadian crude oil, a continuous flow commodity, using global interoperability standards (GIS) adopted by test participants who will supply the GIS data to the platform where CBP will be able to view the data in near real time. GIS data utilizes decentralized identifiers (DIDs) and verifiable credentials (VCs) to help in identifying legitimate products and associated companies to build a transparent supply chain.

A transparent supply chain will be achieved in the platform through the recordation of bi-lateral transaction data at each step in a supply chain, allowing for dynamic updates of ownership and destination information, securing it from disclosure to unauthorized parties, and making this data available to CBP in near real time while creating an immutable chain of custody from wellhead to refinery.

If successful, the test could result in the ability to potentially eliminate all port-level paper processes as well as create an automation environment in which pre-arrival data collection, in-bond tracking, and Free Trade Agreement compliance traceability no longer pose issues.

Therefore, the purpose of the test is to measure the usefulness and accuracy of the platform's global interoperability standards with a view toward resolving any issues prior to determining next steps, which could include implementing new policies and regulations leading to the integration of GIS data with the Automated Commercial Environment (ACE) for Canadian crude oil and other pipeline commodities for entry purposes.

This collection of information is authorized by 19 U.S.C. 1411 National Customs Automation Program.

Type of Information Collection: Non-Standard PDF.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 24.

Estimated Number of Annual Responses per Respondent: 12.

Estimated Number of Total Annual Responses: 288.

Estimated Time per Response: 4 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 19.

[FR Doc. 2024-19627 Filed 8-30-24; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 9111-14-P