[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 27 (Wednesday, February 9, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 6388-6390]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-2809]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


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

AGENCY:  Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:  Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY:  We will submit the collection of information listed below to 
OMB for approval under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act. 
We have included a copy of the information collection requirement in 
this notice. If you wish to obtain copies of the proposed information 
collection requirement, related forms, and

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explanatory material, contact the Service Information Collection 
Clearance Officer at the address listed below.

DATES:  You must submit comments on or before April 10, 2000.

ADDRESSES:  Send your comments on the requirement to the Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Room 222 
ARLSQ, 1849 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20204.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  To request a copy of the information 
collection request, explanatory information, and related forms, contact 
Rebecca A. Mullin at (703) 358-2287 or electronically to 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
regulations at 5 CFR part 1320, which implement provisions of the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Public Law 104-13), require that 
interested members of the public and affected agencies have an 
opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping 
activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). We plan to submit a request to OMB to 
renew approval of the collection of information for special use permit 
applications on national wildlife refuges in Alaska. We are requesting 
a 3-year term of approval for this information collection activity. An 
agency 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.
    Title: Special Use Permit Applications on National Wildlife Refuges 
in Alaska.
    Approval Number: 1018-0014.
    Service Form Number: 3-2001.
    Description and use: The National Wildlife Refuge System 
Improvement Act of 1997 that amends the National Wildlife Refuge 
Administration Act of 1966 (16 U.S.C. 668 dd-ee) requires that we 
authorize economic privileges on any national wildlife refuge by permit 
only when the activity will not be incompatible with the purposes for 
which the refuge was established. The Alaska National Interest Lands 
Conservation Act (ANILCA) provides for the disposition and use of a 
variety of federally owned lands in Alaska. Section 1307 of ANILCA 
contains two provisions concerning persons and entities who we are to 
give special rights and preferences with respect to providing ``visitor 
services'' on certain lands under the administration of the Secretary 
of the Interior (Secretary), in this context, units of the National 
Wildlife Refuge System. The term, ``visitor services,'' is defined in 
section 1307 as ``* * * any service made available for a fee or charge 
to persons who visit a conservation system unit, including such 
services as providing food, accommodations, transportation, tours and 
guides, excepting the guiding of sport hunting and fishing.'' Other 
sections of ANILCA allow the Secretary to permit uses on national 
wildlife refuges in Alaska under certain conditions. Specifically, 
section 1303 of ANILCA states that we will issue no special use permits 
unless the permit applicant provides certain items of information.
    We will provide the permit applications as requested by interested 
Alaska citizens. We will use information provided on the required 
written forms and/or verbal applications to ensure that the applicant 
is eligible for non-competitively awarded permits, or in the case of 
competitively awarded permits, the most qualified applicant to receive 
benefits of a refuge permit. In the case of ``1307'' permits, we will 
use the information to determine whether the applicant is: a member of 
a Native Corporation; a local resident; engaged in adequately providing 
visitors services on or before January 1, 1979; or eligible to receive 
Cook Inlet Region rights.
    We make provision in our general refuge regulations for public 
entry for specialized purposes, including economic activities such as 
the operation of guiding and other visitor services on refuges by 
concessionaires or cooperators under appropriate contracts or legal 
agreements (found in 50 CFR 25.61) or special use permits (found in 50 
CFR parts 26.22(b) and 26.25). These rules provide the authorities and 
procedures for selecting permittees on Alaska refuges, the vast 
majority of which are providers of services and facilities to the 
public. We will issue permits for a specific period as determined by 
the type and location of the use or visitor service provided.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals and households; Business 
and other for-profit; Not-for-profit institutions; Farms; and State, 
local or Tribal governments.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: (see table below).

                                     Information Collection Burden Estimate
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          Type of permit                   Competitive respondents              Non-competitive  respondents
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Visitor Services:
    Hunting and Fishing..........  50....................................  160
    Completion time..............  30 hours..............................  1.5 hours
    Annual burden hours..........  1,500 hour............................  240 hours
    Total annual burden hours:
     1,740.
Visitor Services:
    General......................  2.....................................
    Completion time..............  40 hours..............................
    Annual burden hours: 80......
Combined Annual Burden:
    Number of responses: 212.....
    Average burden per response:
     8.6 hours.
    Annual burden: 1,820 hours...
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    We invite comments concerning this renewal on (1) Whether the 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
our migratory bird management functions, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (2) The accuracy of our 
estimate of the burden of the collection of information; (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 respondents. The information collections in this program 
are part of a system of record covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 
552(a)).


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    Dated: February 1, 2000.
Paul R. Schmidt,
Acting Assitant Director for Refuges and Wildlife.
[FR Doc. 00-2809 Filed 2-8-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-U