[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 63 (Friday, March 31, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17249-17251]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-8006]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

March 27, 2000.
    The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following 
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments 
regarding (a) 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; (b) the accuracy 
of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (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 should be addressed to: Desk 
Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Washington, D.C. 20503 and to 
Departmental Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, 
D.C. 20250-7602. Comments regarding these information collections are 
best assured of having their full effect if received within 30 days of 
this notification. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by 
calling (202) 720-6746.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

Farm Service Agency

    Title: Disaster Assistance--General (7 CFR part 1945-A).
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0170.
    Summary of Collection: Subtitle C of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act of 1972, as amended, authorizes emergency loss 
(EM) loans for the purpose of assisting farmers and ranchers who have 
suffered weather-related physical and production losses in areas 
declared by the President, designated by the Secretary of Agriculture, 
or named for physical loss loans by the Farm Service Agency (FSA) 
Administrator. For EM production loss loan, applicants must show a 30% 
loss in at least one basic farming enterprise. For Physical losses, 
applicants must show that property damaged or destroyed is essential to 
the continued operation of the farming or ranching operations. 
Applicant must be unable to obtain commercial credit or recover from 
the disaster and meet the specific eligibility and repayment 
requirements. FSA will collect information to evaluate requests for a 
Secretarial natural disaster designation.
    Need and Use of the Information: FSA will collect information on 
determining whether sufficient losses have been suffered to warrant a 
Secretarial natural disaster designation, determine whether extenuating 
circumstances exist to grant a natural disaster designation under the 
Secretary's discretionary authority. The information will be used by 
FSA to process State Governor requests for Secretarial natural disaster 
designations.
    Description of Respondents: Farms; Federal Government; State, Local 
or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 2,236.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 988.

Food and Nutrition Service

    Title: Status of Claims Against Households.
    OMB Control Number: 0584-0069.
    Summary of Collection: Section 11, 13, and 16 of the Food Stamp Act 
of 1977, as amended (the Act) and appropriate Food Stamp Program 
Regulation are the basis for the information collected on FNS-209. Food 
Stamp Program regulations require that State agencies submit quarterly 
form FNS-209, Status of Claims Against Households, reports. The 
required information provided on this report must be obtained from a 
State accountable system responsible for establishing claims, sending 
demand letters, collecting claims, and managing other claim activity.
    Need and Use of the Information: The Food and Nutrition Service 
(FNS) will collect information on the outstanding aggregate claim 
balance; claims established; collections; any balance and collection 
adjustments; and the amount to be retained for collecting non-agency 
error claims. The information will be used by State agencies to 
ascertain aggregate claim balance and collections for determining 
overall performance, the collection amounts to return to FNS, and claim 
retention amounts. FNS will receive collections and report collection 
activity to Treasury.
    Description of Respondents: State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 53.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: Quarterly.
    Total Burden Hours: 742.

[[Page 17250]]

Forest Service

    Title: Airplane Pilot Qualifications and Approval Record, 
Helicopter Pilot Qualifications and Approval Record, Airplane Data 
Record, and Helicopter.
    OMB Control Number: 0596-0015.
    Summary of Collection: The Forest Service (FS) is the largest owner 
and operator of aircraft in the federal government outside of the 
Department of Defense. In conducting the Forest Service land management 
mission they use 44 owned aircraft with 306 aircraft on loan to 18 
States for fire suppression activities. The majority of FS flying is in 
support of wildland fire suppression. In addition to the agency owned 
aircraft, the FS contracts with approximately 400 vendors for aviation 
services used in resource protection and administrative projects. 
Contractor aircraft and pilots are used to place water and chemical 
retardants on fires, provide aerial delivery of firefighters to fires, 
perform reconnaissance, resource surveys, search for lost personnel, 
and fire detection. Contracts for such services established rigorous 
qualification requirements for pilots and specific condition/equipment/
performance requirements for aircraft. The authority is granted under 
the Federal Aviation Administration Regulations in Title 14 
(Aeronautics and Space) of the Code of Federal Regulations. FS will 
collect information using forms FS 5700-20 & 20a and FS 5700-21 & 21a.
    Need and Use of the Information: FS will collect information to 
document the basis for approval of contract pilot and aircraft for use 
in specific FS aviation missions. The information collected from 
contract pilots in face to face meetings (such as name, age, pilots 
license number, number of hours flown in type of aircraft, etc.) is 
based on the length and type of contract but is usually done on a 
reoccurring annual basis. Without the information supplied on these 
forms, FS contracting officers and pilot/aircraft inspectors cannot 
determine if pilots and aircraft meet the detailed qualification, 
equipment, and condition requirements essential to safe, efficient 
accomplishment of FS specified flying missions and which are included 
in contract specifications.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or households; Business or 
other for-profit; State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 988.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 248.

Rural Utilities Service

    Title: 7 CFR 1980-I, Community Programs Guaranteed Loans.
    OMB Control Number: 0572-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is 
authorized by Section 306 of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926) to make loans to public agencies, 
nonprofit corporations, and Indian tribes for the development of water 
and waste disposal facilities primarily serving rural residents. 
Implementation of the Community Program guaranteed loan program was 
effected to comply with the Appropriations Act of 1990 when Congress 
allocated funds for this authority. The guaranteed loan program 
encourages lender participation and provides specific guidance in the 
processing and servicing of guaranteed Water and Waste Disposal loans.
    Need and Use of the Information: RUS will collect information to 
determine applicant/borrower eligibility, project feasibility, and to 
ensure borrowers operate on a sound basis and use loan funds for 
authorized purposes. Failure to collect proper information could result 
in improper determinations of eligibility, improper use of funds, and/
or unsound loans.
    Description of Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions; State, 
Local or Tribal Government.
    Number of Respondents: 10.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion; Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 1,352.

Agricultural Marketing Service

    Title: Customer Service Survey (Meat Grading and Certification 
Services).
    OMB Control Number: 0581-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: The Agricultural Marketing Act (AMA) of 
1946, as amended, authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to provide 
consumers with voluntary Federal meat grading and certification 
services that facilitate the marketing of meat and meat products. The 
Meat Grading and Certification (MGC) Branch provides these services 
under the authority of 7 CFR Part 54B Meats, Prepared Meats, and Meat 
Products (Grading, Certification, and Standards). Applicants 
(individuals or businesses with financial interest in the product) may 
request MGC Branch services. Once services are provided, the MGC Branch 
does not have any way of determining the quality of service that is 
being provided to its customers. Therefore, the MGC Branch would like 
to annually conduct a customer service survey to gather information 
from its customers.
    Need and use of the Information: The Agricultural Marketing Service 
will collect information to evaluate services and assist in planning 
and managing the program. The information will be used to continually 
improve the MGC Branch services.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 428.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 36.

Agricultural Marketing Service

    Title: Federal-State Shipping Point Inspection Program Customer 
Service Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0581-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) 
provides federal oversight of grading and product certification 
services of fresh fruits and vegetables at shipping point locations 
under authority of 7 CFR Part 51, Regulations Governing Inspection, 
Certification and Standards for Fresh Fruits, Vegetables, and Other 
Products. These services are provided through cooperative agreements 
with all State grading and certification services by providing Federal 
oversight to the state grading programs, including training, license 
certification, and indirect supervisory oversight of shipping point 
graders employed by the states. To maintain and improve the quality of 
these services, AMS has sought to make this process more customer-
driven and therefore is seeking opinion from the users of these 
services. AMS will distribute the FV-600, A Federal-State Shipping 
Point Inspection Program Customer Service Survey. AMS will collect 
information using a survey for customers that use the USDA Federal-
State Shipping Point Inspection Program services.
    Need and Use of the Information: AMS will collect information to 
maintain and improve grading and certification services through the 
revision of current grading and certification services and by the 
development of new and improved services that respond to customer needs 
while maintaining program integrity. Information collected will be 
shared with each participating State in a cooperative effort to seek 
improvements in the delivery of services to the customers and to design 
new grading and certification services that meet customer needs. If the 
information is not collected AMS will not be able to obtain timely and 
accurate information about its services from the customers that use 
them.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; farms.
    Number of Respondents: 18,000.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.

[[Page 17251]]

    Total Burden Hours: 3,000.

William McAndrew,
Departmental Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-8006 Filed 3-30-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-01-M