[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 159 (Wednesday, August 16, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 49996-49997]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-20747]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


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

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has submitted the 
collection of information listed below to OMB for approval under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act. A copy of the information 
collection requirement is included in this notice. If you wish to 
obtain copies of the proposed information collection requirement, 
related forms, and explanatory material, contact the Service 
Information Collection Clearance Officer at the address listed below.

DATES: OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove information 
collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to ensure maximum 
consideration, you must submit comments on or before September 15, 
2000.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the requirement to the Office of 
Management and Budget, Attention: Department of the Interior Desk 
Officer, 725 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20503, and to Rebecca 
Mullin, Service Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, ms 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 1320, which implement provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), require that interested members 
of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on 
information collection and record-keeping activities (see 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (We) has submitted a 
request to OMB to renew its approval of the collection of information 
for the nontoxic shot approval process. We are requesting a 3-year term 
of approval for this information collection activity. A previous 60-day 
notice on this information collection requirement was published in the 
May 30, 2000 (65 FR 34490) Federal Register inviting public comment. No 
comments on the previous notice were received. This notice provides an 
additional 30 days in which to comment on the following information.
    Federal agencies 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. The OMB control number for this 
collection of information is 1018-0067.
    The Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703-711) and Fish and 
Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d) designate the Department of the 
Interior as the key agency responsible for the wise management of 
migratory bird populations frequenting the United States and for the 
setting of hunting regulations that allow appropriate harvests that are 
within the guidelines that will allow for those populations' well 
being. These responsibilities include approval of nontoxic shot 
materials that are allowed for use in hunting waterfowl and coots in 
the U.S.
    As of January 1, 1991, lead shot was banned for hunting waterfowl 
and coots in the U.S. At that time, steel shot was the only nontoxic 
alternative available. Since then, we have encouraged manufacturers to 
develop other alternatives that the hunting public may use. In 
approving a candidate material as nontoxic for hunting waterfowl and 
coots we must first ensure that secondary exposure (ingestion of spent 
shot or its components) are not a hazard to migratory birds and the 
environment. In order to make this decision, we require the applicant 
to collect information about the toxicity of their candidate material 
to migratory birds and the environment. A further requirement pertains 
to law enforcement. A noninvasive field detection device must be 
available to distinguish the candidate shot from lead shot. The above 
information provides the bulk of an application. Once a candidate 
material is approved as nontoxic there is no seasonal or annual 
information collection requirement.
    Title: Protocol for Nontoxic Approval Procedures for Shot and Shot 
Coatings.
    Approval Number: 1018-0067.
    Service Form Number: Not applicable.
    Frequency of Collection: Upon application.

[[Page 49997]]

    Description of Respondents: Shot manufacturers.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: The reporting burden is estimated to 
average 3,200 hours per application.
    Total Annual Responses: We expect no more than 3 applications per 
year.
    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)).

    Dated: July 10, 2000.
Paul R. Schmidt,
Acting Assistant Director Migratory Birds and State Programs.
[FR Doc. 00-20747 Filed 8-15-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P