[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 199 (Monday, October 15, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52444-52445]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-25866]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Submitted to the Office of Management and 
Budget for Renewal Under the Paperwork Reduction Act

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has submitted the 
collection of information listed below to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for approval under the provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act. A copy of the information collection requirement is 
included in this notice. Copies of the proposed information collection 
requirement, related forms, and explanatory material may be obtained by 
contacting 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 November 14, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Send comments and suggestions on specific requirements 
directly to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Department of the Interior Desk 
Officer, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503; and a copy to our 
Rebecca A. Mullin, Service Information Collection Clearance Officer, 
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service [MS 222 ARLSQ], 4401 North Fairfax 
Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22203.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca A. Mullin, Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer at (703) 358-2287 or electronically at 
[email protected].

[[Page 52445]]


SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 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 be compatible and appropriate with the 
purposes for which the refuge was established. We will provide the 
permit applications as requested by interested citizens. We will use 
information provided on the required written forms and/or verbal 
applications to ensure that the applicant is eligible for the permit. 
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 
concessionaire or cooperators under appropriate contractors or legal 
agreements or special use permits (50 CFR Sec. 25.41 and Secs. 25.61, 
30.11, 31.13, and 31.16). These regulations provide the authorities and 
procedures for allowing permits on refuges outside of Alaska.
    We use this permit to authorize such items as farming operations 
(haying and grazing, and beneficial management tools that we use to 
provide the best habitat possible on some refuges), recreational 
visitor service operations (outfitters/guides), commercial filming, and 
other commercial and noncommercial activities. Likely respondents will 
be individual citizens, certain corporations who wish to be considered 
to conduct special uses on a refuges, non-profit organizations, 
Federal, State, local, or Tribal governments. We will issue permits for 
a specific period as determined by the type and location of the use or 
visitor service provided.
    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 recordkeeping 
activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). We are submitting a request to OMB to 
renew its existing approval of the collection of information for 
National Wildlife Refuge System Special Use Permit for all Refuges 
Outside Alaska, which expires on December 31, 2001.
    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.
    We previously published a 60-day notice on this information 
collection requirement in the Federal Register on April 26, 2001 (66 FR 
21006) inviting public comment. We received no comments on that notice 
as of the comment close of June 25, 2001. This notice provides an 
additional 30 days in which to comment on the following information:
    Title: National Wildlife Refuge System Special Use Permit for all 
Refuges Outside Alaska.
    Approval Number: 1018-0102.
    Service Form Number: 3-1383.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals and households; Business 
and other for-profit organizations; nonprofit institutions; Farms; and 
State, local or tribal governments.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: We have 522 national wildlife refuges 
outside the State of Alaska. We anticipate that each refuge will 
authorize approximately 20 permits each year. This is a total of 10,440 
permits. We estimate that it takes an hour to complete the application 
requirements to supply the necessary information. Therefore the annual 
burden estimate in hours is 10,440.

    Dated: September 6, 2001.
Rebecca A. Mullin,
Service Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 01-25866 Filed 10-12-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P