[Federal Register Volume 65, Number 246 (Thursday, December 21, 2000)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80449-80450]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 00-32542]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection To Be 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 will submit a request for 
approval of a collection of information to OMB 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: You must submit comments on or before February 20, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the requirement to the Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 
North Fairfax Drive, Mail Stop 222-ARLSQ, Arlington, Virginia 22203.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection approval request, explanatory information and related forms, 
contact Rebecca A. Mullin at (703) 358-2287, or electronically at 
[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 (Pub. L. 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)). The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
(We) plans to submit a request to OMB to renew its existing approval of 
the collection of information for Threatened and Endangered Species 
Permit Applications, which expires on February 28, 2001. We are 
requesting a 3-year term of approval for this information collection 
activity.
    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 1018-0094.
    The information collection requirements in this submission 
implement the regulatory requirements of the Endangered Species Act (16 
U.S.C. 1539), the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 704), the Lacey 
Act (18 U.S.C. 42-44), the Bald Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 668), 
and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 1374) contained in 
Service regulations in Chapter I, Subchapter B of Title 50 of the Code 
of Federal Regulations (CFR).
    Previously, common permit application and recordkeeping 
requirements were consolidated in 50 CFR part 13, and unique 
requirements of the various statutes in separate parts as identified 
below. The Service redesigned the standard license/permit application 
form 3-200 to assist persons in applying for Service permits issued 
under Subchapter B. Under the present clearance, the Service 
consolidated all requirements in one submission, and they were assigned 
OMB Approval Number 1018-0022, the Federal Fish and Wildlife License/
Permit and Related Reports. In an attempt to make the application 
process more ``user friendly,'' and to aid the public in commenting on 
specific license/permit requirements without having to comment on the 
entire package, similar types of permits were previously grouped 
together and numbered. The application to apply for Service permits 
issued under Subchapter B of 50 CFR, still requires the completion of 
the Service form 3-200, which has been revised and renumbered and is 
now Service form 3-200-1. In addition to the permit application 
(Service form 3-200-1), attachments are often necessary to provide 
additional information required for each specific type of permit, and 
these attachments have been assigned numbers, (e.g., 3-200-54). The 
information to be supplied on the application form and the attachments 
will be used to review the application and allow the Service to make 
decisions, according to criteria established in various Federal 
wildlife conservation statutes and regulations on the issuance, 
suspension, revocation, or denial of permits. The obligation to respond 
is, ``required to obtain a benefit.'' An agency may not conduct or 
sponsor a collection of information unless the collection of 
information displays a currently valid OMB control number. We have 
revised the following requirements, and they are included in this 
submission:
    1. Title: Native Endangered and Threatened Species--Enhancement of 
Survival Permits associated with Safe Harbor Agreements, and Candidate 
Conservation Agreements with Assurances.
    Approval Number: 1018-0094.
    Service Form Number: 3-200-54.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.

[[Page 80450]]

    Description of Respondents: Individuals, households, businesses, 
State agencies, private organizations.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: The reporting burden is estimated to 
average 2.5 hours per respondent for the application and 5 hours per 
respondent for the annual report of permitted activities. The Total 
Annual Burden hours is 125 hours for the application and 750 hours for 
the annual report on the permitted activities.
    Total Annual Responses: The number of respondents is estimated to 
average 50 respondents for the application and 150 for the annual 
report of the permitted activities.
    The Endangered Species Act (ESA) provides a number of exceptions to 
its prohibitions against ``take'' of listed species. Regulations have 
been promulgated at 50 CFR 17.22 (endangered species) and 17.32 
(threatened species) to guide implementation of these exceptions to the 
``take'' prohibitions through permitting programs. Service form number 
3-200-54 addresses application requirements for permits for Enhancement 
of Survival permits associated with Safe Harbor Agreements and 
Candidate Conservation Agreements with assurances. The permittee is 
required to notify the Service of any transfer of lands subject to the 
Safe Harbor Agreement so that any landowners may be offered the 
opportunity to continue the actions which the original landowner agreed 
to and thus he or she may be offered the same regulatory assurances. A 
major incentive for landowner participation in the Safe Harbor program 
is the long-term certainty the program provides, including the 
certainty that the take authorization will stay with the land when it 
changes hands. The Service also requires the permittee/landowner to 
notify the Service as far in advance as possible when he or she expects 
to take any species covered under the permit and provide the Service 
with an opportunity to translocate affected individual specimens if 
possible and appropriate.
    2. Title: Native Endangered and Threatened Species--Permits for 
Scientific Purposes, Enhancement of Propagation or Survival (i.e., 
Recovery Permits) and Interstate Commerce.
    Approval Number: 1018-0094.
    Service Form Number: 3-200-55.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals, scientific and research 
institutions.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: The reporting burden is estimated to 
average 2 hours per respondent for the application and 2 hours per 
respondent for the annual report on the permitted activities. The Total 
Annual Burden hours is 1,050 hours for the application and 200 hours 
for the annual report on the permitted activities.
    Total Annual Responses: The number of respondents is estimated to 
average 525 respondents for the application and 100 respondents for the 
annual report of the permitted activities.
    Form number 3-200-55 addresses application and reporting 
information requirements for Recovery and Interstate Commerce permits 
under Section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA. Recovery permits allow ``take'' 
of listed species as part of scientific research and management 
actions, enhancement of propagation or survival, zoological exhibition, 
educational purposes, or special purposes consistent with the ESA 
designed to benefit the species involved. Interstate Commerce permits 
allow transport and sale of listed species across State lines as part 
of breeding programs enhancing the survival of the species. Detailed 
descriptions of the proposed taking, its necessities for success of the 
proposed action, and benefits to the species resulting from the 
proposed action are required under the implementing regulations cited 
above. Take authorized under this permit program would otherwise be 
prohibited by the ESA.
    3. Title: Native Endangered and Threatened Species--Incidental Take 
Permits Associated With a Habitat Conservation Plan.
    Approval Number: 1018-0094.
    Service Form Number: 3-200-56.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals, households, businesses, 
local and State agencies.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: The reporting burden is estimated to 
average 2.5 hours per respondent for the application and 5 hours per 
respondent for the annual report on the permitted activities. The Total 
Annual Burden hours is 250 hours for the application and 1,750 hours 
for the annual report on the permitted activities.
    Total Annual Responses: The number of respondents is estimated to 
be 100 respondents for the application and 350 respondents for the 
annual report of the permitted activities.
    Form number 3-200-56 addresses applications and reporting 
requirements for Incidental Take Permits under section 10(a)(1)(B) of 
the ESA. These permits allow ``take'' of listed species that is 
incidental to otherwise lawful non-federal actions. Take authorized 
under this permit program would otherwise be prohibited by the ESA.
    We invite comments concerning this renewal on: (1) Whether the 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
our endangered and threatened species 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 records covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 
552(a)).

    Dated: December 15, 2000.
Gary D. Frazer,
Assistant Director for Endangered Species.
[FR Doc. 00-32542 Filed 12-20-00; 8:45 am]
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