Any person submitting information to NHTSA, other than information in a class identified in appendix C of this Part, and requesting that the information be withheld from public disclosure pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(b) shall submit the following:

(a) The materials for which confidentiality is being requested, in conformance with §§ 512.5, 512.6, and 512.7 of this part;

(b) The Certificate, in the form set out in appendix A to this part;

(c) Supporting information, in conformance with § 512.8; and

(d) Any request for an extension of time, made in accordance with § 512.11.

(a) Except as provided for in subsection (c), a person must send the following in hard copy or electronic format to the Chief Counsel when making a claim for confidential treatment covering submitted material:

(1) A complete copy of the submission, and

(2) A copy of the submission containing only the portions for which no claim of confidential treatment is made and from which those portions for which confidential treatment is claimed has been redacted, and

(3) Either a second complete copy of the submission or, alternatively, those portions of the submission containing the material for which confidential treatment is claimed and any additional information the submitter deems important to the Chief Counsel's consideration of the claim.

(4) If submitted in electronic format, a copy of any special software required to review materials for which confidential treatment is requested and user instructions must also be provided.

(b) A person filing comments to a rulemaking action must additionally submit to the rulemaking docket a copy of the submission containing only the portions for which no claim of confidential treatment is made and from which those portions for which confidential treatment is claimed has been redacted.

(c) Any person submitting blueprints or engineering drawings need only provide an original version with their submission.

(a) Information claimed to be confidential must be clearly identified to enable the agency to distinguish between those portions of the submission claimed to constitute confidential business information and those portions for which no such claim is made.

(b) The word “CONFIDENTIAL” must appear on the top of each page containing information claimed to be confidential.

(1) If an entire page is claimed to be confidential, the submitter must indicate clearly that the entire page is claimed to be confidential.

(2) If the information for which confidentiality is being requested is contained within a page, the submitter shall enclose each item of information that is claimed to be confidential within brackets: “[ ].”

(c) Submissions in electronic format—(1) Persons submitting information under this Part may submit the information in an electronic format. Except for early warning reporting data submitted to the agency under 49 CFR part 579, the information submitted in an electronic format shall be submitted in a physical medium such as a CD-ROM. The exterior of the medium (e.g., the disk itself) shall be permanently labeled with the submitter's name, the subject of the information and the words “CONFIDENTIAL BUSINESS INFORMATION”.

(2) Confidential portions of electronic files submitted in other than their original format must be marked “Confidential Business Information” or “Entire Page Confidential Business Information” at the top of each page. If only a portion of a page is claimed to be confidential, that portion shall be designated by brackets. Files submitted in their original format that cannot be marked as described above must, to the extent practicable, identify confidential information by alternative markings using existing attributes within the file or means that are accessible through use of the file's associated program. When alternative markings are used, such as font changes or symbols, the submitter must use one method consistently for electronic files of the same type within the same submission. The method used for such markings must be described in the request for confidentiality. Files and materials that cannot be marked internally, such as video clips or executable files or files provided in a format specifically requested by the agency, shall be renamed prior to submission so the words “Confidential Bus Info” appears in the file name or, if that is not practicable, the characters “Conf Bus Info” or “Conf” appear. In all cases, a submitter shall provide an electronic copy of its request for confidential treatment on any medium containing confidential information, except where impracticable.

(3) Confidential portions of electronic files submitted in other than their original format must be marked with consecutive page numbers or sequential identifiers so that any page can be identified and located using the file name and page number. Confidential portions of electronic files submitted in their original format must, if practicable, be marked with consecutive page numbers or sequential identifiers so that any page can be identified and located using the file name and page number. Confidential portions of electronic files submitted in their original format that cannot be marked as described above must, to the extent practicable, identify the portions of the file that are claimed to be confidential through the use of existing indices or placeholders embedded within the file. If such indices or placeholders exist, the submitter's request for confidential treatment shall clearly identify them and the means for locating them within the file. If files submitted in their original format cannot be marked with page or sequence number designations and do not contain existing indices or placeholders for locating confidential information, then the portions of the files that are claimed to be confidential shall be described by other means in the request for confidential treatment. In all cases, submitters shall provide an electronic copy of their request for confidential treatment on any media containing confidential data except where impracticable.

(4) Electronic media may be submitted only in commonly available and used formats.

A claim for confidential treatment must be submitted in accordance with the provisions of this regulation to the Chief Counsel of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., West Building W41-227, Washington, DC 20590.

When requesting confidentiality, the submitter shall:

(a) Describe the information for which confidentiality is being requested;

(b) Identify the confidentiality standard(s) under which the confidentiality request should be evaluated, in accordance with § 512.15;

(c) Justify the basis for the claim of confidentiality under the confidentiality standard(s) identified pursuant to paragraph (b) of this section by describing:

(1) Why the information qualifies as a trade secret, if the basis for confidentiality is that the information is a trade secret;

(2) What the harmful effects of disclosure would be and why the effects should be viewed as substantial, if the claim for confidentiality is based upon substantial competitive harm;

(3) What significant NHTSA interests will be impaired by disclosure of the information and why disclosure is likely to impair such interests, if the claim for confidentiality is based upon impairment to government interests;

(4) What measures have been taken by the submitter to ensure that the information is not customarily disclosed or otherwise made available to the public, if the basis for confidentiality is that the information is voluntarily submitted; and

(5) The information is otherwise entitled to protection, pursuant to 5 U.S.C. 552(b).

(d) Indicate if any items of information fall within any of the class determinations included in appendix B to this Part;

(e) Indicate the time period during which confidential treatment is sought; and

(f) State the name, address, and telephone number of the person to whom NHTSA's response and any inquiries should be directed.