[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 21 (Thursday, January 31, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4760-4762]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-2317]


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MORRIS K. UDALL SCHOLARSHIP AND EXCELLENCE IN NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL 
POLICY FOUNDATION


The United States Institute for Environmental Conflict 
Resolution; Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for 
OMB Review; Comment Request; U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict 
Resolution Application for Support from the Environmental Conflict 
Resolution Participation Program

AGENCY: Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National 
Environmental Policy Foundation, U.S. Institute for Environmental 
Conflict Resolution.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.) and supporting regulations, this document announces that the 
U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution (the U.S. 
Institute), part of the Morris K. Udall Foundation, is submitting the 
following Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB): Application for Support from the 
Environmental Conflict Resolution Participation Program. The ICR 
describes the nature of the information collection and its expected 
burden and cost. This document provides information on the need for the 
ECR Participation Program, information to be provided by applicants in 
the application form, and estimates the public burden associated with 
applying for and documenting activities conducted under the ECR 
Participation Program. Applications will not be accepted by the U.S. 
Institute until all Paperwork Reduction Act requirements are fulfilled.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before March 4, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Send comments referencing ``ECR-Participation Program'' to 
the following addresses: David P. Bernard, Associate Director, U.S. 
Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, 110 South Church 
Avenue, Suite 3350, Tucson, Arizona 85701, and Amy Farrell, Office of 
Management and Budget, 725 17th Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please direct comments and requests 
for information, including copies of the ICR, to: David P. Bernard, 
Associate Director, U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict 
Resolution, 110 South Church Avenue, Suite 3350, Tucson, Arizona 85701, 
Fax: 520-670-5530; Phone: 520-670-5299; E-mail: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Title for the Collection of Information

    Application for Support from the Environmental Conflict Resolution 
Participation Program

B. Potentially Affected Persons

    State and local governments and agencies, tribes, and non-
governmental organizations who may apply to the U.S. Institute for 
support to initiate multi-party, neutral-led conflict resolution 
processes on environmental and natural resource issues involving 
federal agencies or interests.

C. Questions To Consider in Making Comments

    The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) requests your comments 
and responses to any of the following questions related to collecting 
information as part of the Application for Support from the 
Environmental Conflict Resolution Participation Program.
    1. Is the proposed application process (``collection of 
information'') necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility?
    2. Is the agency's estimate of the time spent completing the 
application (``burden of the proposed collection of information'') 
accurate, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used?
    3. Can you suggest ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information collected?

[[Page 4761]]

    4. Can you suggest ways to minimize the burden of the information 
collection 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?

D. Abstract

    The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution plans to 
collect information in an application form to be submitted by entities 
and organizations for the purpose of documenting the need for U.S. 
Institute support, both technical and financial, for specific conflict 
resolution projects. Through the Environmental Conflict Resolution 
(ECR) Participation Program, the U.S. Institute will help provide 
neutral facilitation and convening services, and related participation 
support, for initiation of agreement-focused environmental conflict 
resolution processes. State and local governments and agencies, tribes, 
and non-governmental organizations, may apply for support when needed 
to create balanced stakeholder involvement processes involving federal 
agencies or interests.
    Responses to the collection of information (the application) are 
voluntary, but are required to obtain a benefit (financial or technical 
support from the U.S. Institute.) The U.S. Institute 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.
    Background Information: U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict 
Resolution. The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution 
was created in 1998 by the Environmental Policy and Conflict Resolution 
Act (P.L. 105-156). The U.S. Institute is located in Tucson, Arizona 
and is part of the Morris K. Udall Foundation, an independent agency of 
the executive branch of the federal government. The U.S. Institute's 
primary purpose is to provide impartial, non-partisan assistance to 
parties in conflicts involving environmental, natural resources, and 
public lands issues involving a federal interest. The U.S. Institute 
provides assistance in seeking agreement or resolving disputes through 
use of mediation and other collaborative, non-adversarial means.
    The Need for and Proposed Use of the Information Collected in the 
Application for the ECR Participation Program: The ECR Participation 
Program is designed to achieve several objectives, consistent with the 
U.S. Institute's mission of promoting resolution of environmental 
disputes involving federal agencies. The specific objectives for this 
program are:
     To further the U.S. Institute goal of increasing the use 
of ECR in environmental, natural resource, and public lands conflicts 
that involve federal agencies.
     To encourage high quality dispute resolution processes by 
supporting appropriate use of ECR strategies and appropriate balance 
among interests involved in the processes.
     To support the ability of all affected parties to 
participate effectively in ECR processes.
    The U.S. Institute conducted an assessment of the need for support 
to foster participation by all essential parties in ECR efforts early 
in 2001. The U.S. Institute consulted with representatives of 
constituencies who would be potential users of this program to 
ascertain their views of the need for ECR participation support. 
Representatives of environmental groups, natural resource users, 
tribes, local and state governments, and ECR practitioners provided 
information about the specific needs for such a fund and about criteria 
for eligibility.
    The consultative contacts identified the following needs for 
participation support.
     Many opportunities exist to build consensus on 
environmental and natural resource issues, but the parties are often 
unable to do so without neutral, third party assistance.
     State, local, non-governmental, and tribal entities often 
lack the technical and financial resources to obtain neutral 
feasibility assessments, ECR process design and facilitation.
     Third party assistance is often required to ensure 
balanced representation, or a level playing field, for non-
governmental, state and local groups, and others who are not paid to 
participate in environmental negotiations and collaborative processes.
     There is also a need to provide training in interest-based 
negotiations for those working to overcome serious differences on 
environmental and natural resource issues.
     A participation support program should be easy to use and 
accessible to all types of applicants involved in ECR processes, but 
particularly to groups and situations that would be less likely than 
others to succeed without it.

Draft Guideline and Sample Application Form

    The U.S. Institute has developed guidelines and an application form 
to gather information about ECR processes for which support was 
requested. This provides the U.S. Institute with a mechanism for 
determining if the applicants meet the criteria for receiving support 
and for targeting support to the most promising ECR efforts (i.e. those 
likely to produce implementable results through collaboration.) The 
proposed Guidelines and sample Application form are located on the U.S. 
Institute's website, at www.ecr.gov/new.htm#ecr. It is expected that 
the ECR Participation Program will be open for applications through 
March, 31, 2004, roughly two years from approval of the information 
collection request.

ICR Process

    The first Federal Register notice was published on July 24, 2001, 
(66 (142): 38434-38440). No formal written comments were received. 
However, several organizations wrote to the U.S. Institute indicating 
an interest in the program, and asking to be notified when the program 
begins accepting funding applications.

E. Burden Statement

    The annual public reporting and record keeping burden for this 
collection of information is estimated to average eight hours per 
response. As used here, burden means the total time, effort, or 
financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 
or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This 
includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, 
install, and utilize technology and systems for the purpose of 
collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and 
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information and 
transmitting information.
    The Application Form will be available both in hard copy and 
through the U.S. Institute's web site. It is a two-page list of 
questions about the proposed ECR effort and the activities that require 
support. The application includes suggested budget formats, and is 
designed to allow applicants to attach existing documents and, where 
possible, reduce the time required for completion of the application. 
An application can be submitted electronically, through e-mail, and/or 
in hard copy via fax or mail. The required quarterly progress report 
form is also included in the application form attached to this 
submittal.
    The Burden calculation includes time for applicants to complete the 
application form and the time required for the submittal of quarterly 
reports. It assumes a pool of 15 applicants per

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year, and assumes that 10 of the applications will be approved. 
Quarterly reports would be required only for those ten funded projects. 
It further assumes an average of four quarterly project reports per 
project.
    Respondent Pool: State agency staff, local government staff, non-
governmental organizations, tribal governments, and natural resource 
user group association staff or members.
    Estimated Number of Respondents (per year): 15.
    Proposed Frequency of Response: One response per application, plus 
up to four quarterly progress reports per year.
    Respondent Time Burden Estimates:
    Time per Response for Initial Application: Eight hours.
    Time per Responder for Quarterly Reports: 4 hours per year (1 hour 
per report).
    Total Burden Per Year for Applications: 120 hours for 15 
applicants.
    Total Burden Per Year for Quarterly Reports: 40 hours for ten 
projects.
    Respondent Cost Burden Estimates (managerial level salary at $55 
per hour):

Capital or start-up costs.....................................        $0
Cost per Respondent per application...........................       440
Cost per Project for Quarterly Reports........................       220
    Total Annual Cost Burden for 15 Applications..............     6,600
    Total Annual Cost Burden for Quarterly Reports............     2,200
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    Total Annual Cost Burden..................................     8,800
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    Total Cost Burden, Two Years..............................    17,600
 

    Send comments on the Agency's need for this information, the 
accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods 
for minimizing respondent burden, including through use of automated 
collection techniques to the addresses listed above. Please refer to 
ECR Participation Program in any correspondence.

(Authority: 20 USC Sec. 5601-5609).

    Dated the 25th day of January 2002.
Christopher L. Helms,
Executive Director, Morris K. Udall Foundation.
[FR Doc. 02-2317 Filed 1-30-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-FN-P