[Federal Register Volume 64, Number 1 (Monday, January 4, 1999)]
[Notices]
[Pages 174-175]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-34379]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Notice of Proposed Revisions to a Currently Approved Information 
Collection

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation (we, our, or us) intends to submit 
the following proposed revised information collection to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.): Certification Summary Form, 
Reporting Summary Form for Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR Part 426, OMB 
Control Number: 1006-0006. This information collection is required 
under the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA), Acreage Limitation 
Rules and Regulations, 43 CFR Part 426, and a proposed rulemaking 
entitled: Information Requirements for Certain Farm Operations In 
Excess of 960 Acres and the Eligibility of Certain Formerly Excess 
Land, 43 CFR Part 428. We request your comments on the revised RRA 
forms and specific aspects of the information collection.

DATES: Your written comments must be received on or before March 5, 
1999.

ADDRESSES: You may send written comments to the Bureau of Reclamation, 
Attention: D-5200, PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225-0007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You may request copies of the proposed 
revised forms by writing to the above address or by contacting Marilyn 
Rehfeld at: (303) 445-2899.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Changes to the RRA Forms and the Instructions to Those Forms

    We made a few changes to the current Form 7-21SUMM-C and Form 7-

[[Page 175]]

21SUMM-R and rewrote the instructions to those forms in ``plain 
language'' to meet the requirements of the President's June 1, 1998, 
memorandum. Other changes to the forms and the instructions to the 
forms are editorial in nature and are designed to increase the 
respondents' understanding of the forms, instructions to the forms, and 
what information is required to be submitted with the forms to the 
districts. The proposed revisions to the RRA forms will be effective in 
the 2000 water year.

Draft of a New RRA Form

    We published a proposed rulemaking, 43 CFR Part 428, in the Federal 
Register on November 18, 1998 (63 FR 64154, Nov. 18, 1998), and 
requested comments on the proposed rule and the information collection 
to be submitted to us by January 19, 1999. The proposed rulemaking 
requires farm operators who provide services to more than 960 nonexempt 
acres westwide, held by a single trust or legal entity or any 
combination of trusts and legal entities to submit RRA forms to the 
district(s) where such land is located. We requested comments from the 
public on whether to revise an existing RRA form or create a new form 
for farm operators to prepare.
    We anticipate that if the rule is finalized, the districts will be 
required to provide specific information about declaring farm operators 
to us annually. We have developed a new Tabulation G to be used with 
Form 7-21SUMM-C and Form 7-21SUMM-R, and instructions on how to 
complete the tabulation sheets to accommodate this requirement. We do 
not believe the estimated burden hours will increase by requiring 
districts to complete these tabulation sheets since only a few 
districts should have farm operators in this category. Nevertheless, 
the tabulation sheets will not be used until after the proposed rule is 
published as a final rule in the Federal Register.
    Title: Certification Summary Form, Reporting Summary Form for 
Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR Part 426.
    Abstract: These forms are to be used by district offices to 
summarize individual landholder (direct or indirect landowner or 
lessee) certification and reporting forms as required by the RRA, 43 
CFR Part 426, and proposed regulation 43 CFR Part 428. This information 
allows us to establish water user compliance with Federal reclamation 
law.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondents: Contracting entities that are subject to the acreage 
limitation provisions of Federal reclamation law.
    Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 276.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.25.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: 345.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 13,800 hours.
    Estimate of Burden for Each Form:

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                                                      Burden
                                                   estimate per      Number of     Annual number   Annual burden
                    Form No.                         form (in       respondents    of responses   on respondents
                                                      hours)                                        (in hours)
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7-21SUMM-C and associated tabulation sheets.....              40             222             278          11,120
7-21SUMM-R and associated tabulation sheets.....              40              54              67           2,680
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Comments

    Comments are invited on:
    (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of our functions, including whether the 
information will have practical use;
    (b) The accuracy of our burden estimate for the proposed collection 
of information;
    (c) Ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    We will summarize all comments received to this notice and any 
comments regarding this information collection received during the 
comment period for the notice of proposed rulemaking. We will publish 
that summary in the Federal Register when the information collection 
request is submitted to OMB for review and approval.

    Dated: December 18, 1998.
Alonzo D. Knapp,
Acting Director, Program Analysis Office.
[FR Doc. 98-34379 Filed 12-31-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-94-M