[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 19, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11227-11228]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-6509]



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NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION


Request for Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved 
Information Collection

AGENCY: National Indian Gaming Commission.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The National Indian Gaming Commission is publishing this 
notice to comply with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act 
of 1995. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 was enacted for the 
purpose of minimizing the paperwork burden on the public and, in 
particular, on the regulated community. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 was also enacted to maximize the utility of information created, 
collected, maintained, used, shared and disseminated by or for the 
Federal Government. The National Indian Gaming Commission received 
clearance from the Office of Management and Budget for the collection 
of information necessary to implement the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. 
The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the National 
Indian Gaming Commission currently seeks renewal of this clearance.

DATES: Comments must be received by May 20, 1996.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Linda 
Hutchinson, National Indian Gaming Commission, 1441 L Street NW, Suite 
9100, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: (202) 632-7003.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

    Title: National Environmental Policy Act Procedures.
    OMB Number: 3141-0006.
    Expiration Date of Approval: April 30, 1996.
    Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Abstract: The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq., 
102 Stat. 2467, Pub. L. 100-497) [the Act] governs the regulation of 
gaming on Indian lands. The Act establishes the National Indian Gaming 
Commission (NIGC, or the Commission) as an independent federal 
regulatory agency

[[Page 11228]]
with authority to oversee Indian gaming. The National Environmental 
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., was enacted to 
encourage a national policy of protecting, enhancing, and restoring the 
quality of the human environment. The Council on Environmental Policy 
(CEQ), established pursuant to NEPA, promulgated implementing 
regulations at 40 C.F.R. Sec. 1501 et seq., NEPA and the CEQ's 
regulations require every federal agency to establish procedures and 
strategies that give appropriate consideration to the environmental 
consequences of federal agency actions. Under NEPA, federal agencies 
are required to prepare or cause to be prepared environmental documents 
relating to actions by the agency that have significant impacts on the 
environment. Accordingly, when the NEPA process is triggered, it is 
necessary to gather information from the regulated community regarding 
the environmental impacts of a proposed action.
    The Commission believes that the NEPA process will be triggered 
when a tribe and management contractor seek approval of a management 
contract under 25 CFR part 533. Under NEPA, an Environmental Assessment 
(EA) must be prepared when the environmental consequences of a 
particular action are unclear and need to be further refined. The 
Commission believes it will be necessary to prepare an EA when it 
approves a management agreement containing provisions for the 
construction, development, or maintenance of a gaming operation or a 
part thereof. When it has determined that preparation of an EA is 
necessary, the Commission may permit the applicants seeking approval of 
the management agreement or an environmental consultant acting on 
behalf of such applicants to prepare and submit the EA. The Commission 
must independently evaluate the EA, verify its content, and take full 
responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained therein.
    Respondents: Applicants seeking approval of a management contract 
and/or third party contractor.
    Number of Respondents: 11.
    Estimate of Burden: An average of 1090 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 12,000 hours.
    Send comments regarding the accuracy of the burden estimates, ways 
to minimize the burden or any other aspect of this collection of 
information to: Linda Hutchinson, 1441 L Street NW, Suite 9100, 
Washington, DC 20005.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.
Harold A. Monteau,
Chairman, National Indian Gaming Commission.
[FR Doc. 96-6509 Filed 3-18-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7565-01-M