[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 183 (Tuesday, September 22, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50578-50579]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-25310]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection To Be Submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Information collection; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The collection of information described below has been 
submitted to OMB for reinstatement under the provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Copies of specific information 
collection requirements and explanatory material may be obtained by 
contacting the Fish and Wildlife Service's (Service) Information 
Collection Clearance Officer at the address or phone number listed 
below.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received on or 
before October 22, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Comments and suggestions on specific requirements should be 
sent to the Service's Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222 ARLSQ, 1849

[[Page 50579]]

C Street, NW, Washington, D.C. 20240, Telephone 703/358-2287.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey L. Horwath, Division of Fish 
and Wildlife Management Assistance, Arlington, Virginia, at 703/358-
1718.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Service has submitted the following 
information collection clearance requirements to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and reinstatement of OMB Control 
Number 1018-0070 under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public L. 
104-13. The OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove information 
collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to ensure maximum 
consideration, the OMB should receive public comments by October 22, 
1998. The Service may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not 
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number. A 60-day notice inviting public 
comment on this information collection requirement previously was 
published in the Federal Register on April 1, 1998 (63 FR 15854). No 
comments on the previous notice were received. Pursuant to this request 
for approval, comments are invited on: (1) Whether the 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 burden, including 
the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (4) 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.
    Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 
authorizes the Service to allow the incidental, unintentional take of 
small numbers of marine mammals during a specified activity (other than 
commercial fishing) in a specified geographical region. Prior to 
allowing these takes, the Service must find that the total of such 
taking will have a negligible impact on the species or stocks, and will 
not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the species or stocks for 
subsistence uses by Alaska Natives.
    The information proposed to be collected by the Service will be 
used to evaluate applications for specific incidental take regulations 
to determine whether such regulations, and subsequent Letters of 
Authorization (LOA), should be issued; the information is needed to 
establish the scope of specific incidental take regulations. The 
information is also required to evaluate the impact of activities on 
the species or stocks of the marine mammals, and on their availability 
for subsistence uses by Alaskan Natives. It will ensure that all 
available means for minimizing the incidental take associated with a 
specific activity are considered by applicants.
    The Service estimates that the burden associated with this request 
will be a total of 1,100 hours for the full three year period of OMB 
authorization. Two-hundred hours will be required to complete the 
initial request for specific regulations. For each LOA expected to be 
requested and issued subsequent to issuance of specific regulations, 
the Service estimates that 20 hours will be invested: 8 hours will be 
required to complete each request for an LOA, 4 hours will be required 
for monitoring activities, and 8 hours will be required to complete 
each monitoring report. The Service estimates that five companies will 
be requesting LOAs and submitting monitoring reports annually for each 
of three sites in the region covered by the specific regulations.

    Title: Marine Mammals; Incidental Take During Specified Activities.
    Bureau form number: None.
    Frequency of collection: Biannually.
    Description of respondents: Oil and gas industry companies.
    Number of respondents: 5 for each of 3 active sites per year.
    Estimated completion time: For the initial year only, a 200 hour 
application burden is estimated. For the initial year and annually 
thereafter, 8 hours per LOA, 4 hours for monitoring, and 8 hours per 
monitoring report are estimated for each of 5 companies for each 3 
active sites (20 hours  x  5 companies  x  3 sites).
    Burden estimate: 200 hours (only in initial year for application). 
300 hours (for initial year and annually thereafter).

    Dated July 30, 1998.
Hannibal Bolton,
Acting Assistant Director-Fisheries.
[FR Doc. 98-25310 Filed 9-21-98; 8:45 am]
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