[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13210-13211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7209]



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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[WO-330-1030-02-24 1A]


Extension of Approved Information Collection, OMB Number 1004-
0113

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 
prospective Federal timber purchasers to allow the BLM to determine the 
qualification of the purchaser to bid on a timber sale contract and to 
document written and sealed bids and bid deposits. BLM uses this 
information to administer the timber sale contracting process by 
ensuring only qualified bidders are participating and that the bidding 
process is not compromised.

DATES: Comments on the proposed information collection must be received 
by May 28, 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: 1004-0113'' 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: Dwight Fielder, (202) 452-7758.

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) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize 
the

[[Page 13211]]
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 manages and sells timber located on the revested Oregon and 
California Railroad and the reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant Lands 
pursuant to authority of the Act of August 28, 1937, (50 Stat. 875, 43 
U.S.C. 1181e). BLM manages and sells timber located on other lands 
under the jurisdiction of the BLM pursuant to the Act of July 31, 1947, 
as amended (61 Stat. 681, 30 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The implementing 
regulations are found at 43 CFR 5400, Sales of Forest Products; 
General. The regulations were issued on June 13, 1970 (35 FR 9785), 
amended on March 8, 1973 (38 FR 6280), September 2, 1982 (47 FR 38696), 
and last amended on July 17, 1987 (52 FR 26983). A bidder or purchaser 
for the sale of timber must be (1) an individual who is a citizen of 
the United States, (2) a partnership composed wholly of such citizens, 
(3) an unincorporated association composed wholly of such citizens, or 
(4) a corporation authorized to transact business in the States in 
which the timber is located (43 CFR 5441.1). BLM collects the 
purchaser's name and address, tract number, sale name, sale notice 
date, BLM District, evidence of qualification, bid deposit type and 
amount, product type or timber species, unit, estimated volume or 
quantity, unit price and total value using BLM Form 5440-9, Deposit and 
Bid for Timber.
    BLM uses the information to determine that a prospective purchaser 
has met the regulatory requirements to qualify for bidding and that the 
bid offered meets the minimum acceptable amount. If BLM did not collect 
this information, unqualified prospective purchasers might enter into 
the timber sale contracting process and the bidding process may be 
compromised.
    Based on BLM's experience administering timber sales, the public 
reporting burden for the information collected is estimated to average 
one and one quarter hours per response. This includes time to read and 
understand the instructions, consult the timber sale prospectus, make a 
determination of the value of the products and fill out the form. The 
respondents are prospective timber purchasers. The frequency of 
response is controlled by the number of advertised sales conducted. The 
number of responses is estimated to be 500 from experience with the 
number of bidders qualifying for timber sales over the past 3 years. 
The estimated total annual burden on respondents is about 625 hours.
    Any interested member of the public may request and obtain, without 
charge, a copy of Form 5440-9 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 20, 1996.
Dr. Annetta L. Cheek,
Chief, Regulatory Management Team.
[FR Doc. 96-7209 Filed 3-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P