[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 57 (Friday, March 22, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11860-11861]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-6902]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Land Management
[WO-330-1030-2-24 1A]


Extension of Approved Information Collection, OMB Number 1004-
0001

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is announcing its intention to request 
renewal of existing approval to collect certain information from those 
requesting a free-use permit for timber or other plant material when 
product sale is either not feasible or in the best interest of the 
Government. BLM needs this information to: 1) determine whether the 
timber or plant material requested qualifies for free use, 2) determine 
if disposal is consistent with local land use plans, and 3) ensure that 
the appropriate office is issuing the permit.

DATES: Comments on the proposed information collection must be received 
by May 21, 1996 to be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to: Regulatory Management Team (420), 
Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street NW, Room 401LS, Washington, 
D.C. 20240.
    Comments may be sent via Internet to: !WO[email protected]. Please 
include ``ATTN: 1004-0001'' and your name and return address in your 
Internet message.
    Comments may be hand-delivered to the Bureau of Land Management 
Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620 L Street, NW, Washington, DC.
    Comments will be available for public review at the L Street 
address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.), Monday 
through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bill Torgersen, (202) 452-7759.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with 5 CFR 1320.12(a), BLM is 
required to provide 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning a 
collection of information contained in a published current rule to 
solicit comments on (a) 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; (b) 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; (c)

[[Page 11861]]
ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and (d) ways 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. BLM 
will receive and analyze any comments sent in response to this notice 
and include them with its request for approval from the Office of 
Management and Budget under 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
    BLM grants free use of timber and other vegetative resources on 
public lands through authority provided by the Acts of June 3, 1878 (20 
Stat. 88, 16 U.S.C. 604-606) and March 3, 1891 (26 Stat. 1093, 16 
U.S.C. 607), as supplemented by the Act of January 11, 1921 (41 Stat. 
1088, 16 U.S.C 604, 612), to settlers, citizens, residents of States, 
and corporations. The implementing regulations are found at 43 CFR 
Subpart 5510--Free Use of Timber; General. The regulations were issued 
on June 13, 1970 (35 FR 10012) and last amended on September 29, 1995 
(60 FR 50448). Applicants for free-use permits for timber or other 
plant material must provide the information listed at 43 CFR 5511.1-
1(f). BLM collects the applicant's name and post-office address, and 
the name and address of any agent or agents who may be employed to 
procure the material, and the intended purpose of the free-use material 
using BLM Form 5510-1. The type of material, quantity, legal 
description of the location, and State and County are completed by the 
issuing office.
    BLM uses the information provided by the applicant to: 1) determine 
whether the timber or plant material requested qualifies for free use, 
2) determine if disposal is consistent with local land use plans, and 
3) ensure that the appropriate office is issuing the permit. If BLM did 
not collect this information, it could not ensure proper authorization 
of free-use material in accordance with the law. If the ability to 
regulate use is not ensured, unauthorized degradation of the 
environment could occur, including unauthorized cutting or collection 
of plants on non-Public land.
    The collection of information is short, simple and not inconvenient 
to the applicant. Valuable dialogue normally occurs at the time a 
permit is issued concerning location of the material, collection 
methods, and any required mitigation measures. Based on BLM's 
experience administering the activities described above, the public 
reporting burden for the information collected is estimated to average 
one-half hour per response. The respondents are settlers, citizens, 
residents of States and corporations. The type of information collected 
is already maintained by the respondents for their own recordkeeping 
purposes and needs only be entered on the application form. The 
frequency of response is once, upon applying for a one year free-use 
permit. The number of responses per year is estimated to be about 160. 
The estimated total annual burden on new respondents is about 80 hours.
    Any interested member of the public may request and obtain, without 
charge, a copy of Form 5510-1 by contacting the person identified under 
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will 
also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: March 18, 1996.
Dr. Annetta L. Cheek,
Chief, Regulatory Management Team.
[FR Doc. 96-6902 Filed 3-21-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P