[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 244 (Tuesday, December 19, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79420-79421]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32292]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[WO-220-1020-PB-01-24 1A]


Extension of Approved Information Collection, OMB Approval Number 
1004-0051

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) announces its intention to request 
extension of an existing approval to collect certain information from 
permittees and lessees on the actual grazing use by their livestock. 
BLM uses Form 4130-5 (ACTUAL GRAZING USE REPORT) under the authority of 
Sections 3 and 15 of the Taylor Grazing Act and implementing 
regulations found at 43 CFR 4130.3-2(d) and 4130.8-1(e). BLM request 
information necessary to compute the amount of forage consumed by the 
authorized grazing animals by area and period.

DATES: You must submit your comments to BLM at the appropriate address 
below on or before February 20, 2001. BLM will not necessarily consider 
any comments received after the above date.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to: Regulatory Affairs Group (630), 
Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street NW., Room 401LS, Washington, 
DC 20240.
    Comments may be sent via Internet to: [email protected]. Please 
include ``ATTN: 1004-0051'' and your name and return address in your 
Internet message.
    Comments may be hand-delivered to the Bureau of Land Management, 
Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620 L Street, NW., Washington, DC.
    Comments will be available for public review at the L Street 
address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m), Monday 
through Friday.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: You may contact Ken Visser on (202) 
452-7743 (commercial or FTS). Persons who use a telecommunications 
device for the

[[Page 79421]]

deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service at 1-800-877-
8330, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to contact Mr. Visser.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 5 CFR 1320.12(a) requires BLM to provide 60-
day notice in the Federal Register concerning a collection of 
information contained in regulations in 43 CFR Part 4130 to solicit 
comments on (a) whether the proposed 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 the burden of the proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (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. BLM will receive and analyze any comments sent in response 
to this notice and include them with its request for approval from the 
Office of Management and Budget under 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.
    The Taylor Grazing Act (TGA) of 1934 (43 U.S.C. 315, 315 et seq.,) 
the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA) of 1976 (43 U.S.C. 
1701 et seq.), and the Public Rangelands Improvement Act (PRIA) of 1978 
(43 U.S.C. 1901 et seq.) provide the authority for the BLM to 
administer the livestock grazing program consistent with land-use 
plans, multiple-use objectives, sustained yield, environmental values, 
economic considerations, and other factors. BLM administers the grazing 
program generally by issuing grazing permits or leases that specify 
allowable livestock use by location, number and period. BLM recognizes 
that to sustain and conserve resources, minor annual adjustments of 
grazing terms and conditions as specified on a multi-year term permit 
or lease are needed to balance actual grazing use with available forage 
and water. Therefore, rather than relying solely upon the terms and 
conditions of the permit or leases as a record of the use made during 
any one year, BLM can require submission of information that more 
accurately reflects the grazing use. Sections 3 and 15 of the TGA and 
regulations in 43 CFR 4130.3-2(d) provide that BLM may require 
permittees or lessees to furnish a record of their actual grazing use. 
The regulations at 43 CFR 4130.8-1(e) provide for a grazing fee payment 
after the grazing season under specified circumstances.
    BLM uses this information for two specific purposes:
    a. To calculate the fees due for the grazing use completed. Fees 
are due the United States upon issuance of a billing notice and must be 
paid in full prior to grazing use, except when an allotment management 
plan (AMP) provides for delayed payment and has been incorporated into 
a grazing permit or lease. In this latter situation, BLM will issue a 
billing notice based upon the actual grazing use completed at the end 
of the grazing period or year (43 CFR 4130.8-1(e)). BLM uses the 
information collected to bill for grazing use or to makeup a part of 
the allotment monitoring records. The permittee and lessee must keep 
accurate and current records for the period of time covered by his/her 
permit or lease. The information collected includes allotment and 
pasture location of the grazing, the date and numbers of livestock 
permitted on or removed from the range, and the kind or class of 
livestock grazed.
    b. To obtain information needed to monitor and evaluate livestock 
grazing use. The purposes of the information are to determine if 
adjustments in the amount of use are needed, or if other management 
actions could achieve the desired effects. Knowledge of actual 
livestock grazing use is essential in the monitoring and the evaluation 
of the livestock grazing management program. Information on the 
specific use is essential for an accurate and complete analysis and 
evaluation of the effects of livestock grazing during particular 
periods of time, as interrelated with other factors such as climate, 
growth characteristics of the vegetation, and utilization levels on the 
plants. Failure to collect this information would result in BLM having 
unsatisfactory data and a reduced capability to make adjustments in 
grazing use or management.
    Without this information, the BLM could not fulfill its 
responsibility to manage uses of the public land as required by law. 
The required information is only available form the grazing operators. 
Because the actual grazing use that occurs is not constant from year to 
year, BLM requires information for each grazing season for which 
grazing use is sought.
    Based on BLM's experience administering the activities described 
above, the public reporting burden for the information collected 
estimates to average 25 minutes per response. Because of the variations 
in size and complexity of range livestock operations, some of the 
15,000 responses may take a few minutes in one recording session to 
complete the form, while others may take up to 60 minutes combined 
through several sessions during the grazing year, with each requiring a 
few minutes to enter the required data. The respondents include 
permittees and lessees required to furnish a record of the actual 
grazing use. The frequency of response is annually. The estimated 
number of responses per year is 15,000. The estimated total annual 
burden is 6,250 hours. BLM specifically requests your comments on its 
estimate of the amount of time that it takes to prepare a response.
    BLM will summarize all responses to this notice and include them in 
the request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments 
will also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: December 14, 2000.
Michael Schwartz,
BLM Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 00-32292 Filed 12-18-00; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-M