[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 249 (Friday, December 27, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79144-79145]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-32666]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Agency Information Collection; Proposed Revisions to a Currently 
Approved Information Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of renewal of a currently approved collection (OMB No. 
1006-0005).

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Bureau of Reclamation (we, our, or us) 
intends to submit a request for renewal (with revisions) of an existing 
approved information collection to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB): Individual Landholder's and Farm Operator's Certification and 
Reporting Forms for Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR part 426 and 43 CFR part 
428, OMB Control Number: 1006-0005. This information collection is 
required under the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA), Acreage 
Limitation Rules and Regulations, 43 CFR part 426, and Information 
Requirements for Certain Farm Operations In Excess of 960 Acres and the 
Eligibility of Certain Formerly Excess Land, 43 CFR part 428. We 
request your comments on the revised RRA forms and specific aspects of 
the information collection.

DATES: Your written comments must be received on or before February 25, 
2003.

ADDRESSES: You may send written comments to the Bureau of Reclamation, 
Attention: D-5200, PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225-0007. You may request 
copies of the proposed revised forms by writing to the above address or 
by contacting Stephanie McPhee at (303) 445-2897.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie McPhee at: (303) 445-2897.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Changes to the RRA forms and the 
instructions to those forms.
    We made a few editorial changes to the currently approved RRA forms 
and the instructions to those forms that are designed to assist the 
respondents by increasing their understanding of the forms, clarifying 
the instructions for use when completing the forms, and clarifying the 
information that is required to be submitted to the districts with the 
forms. The proposed revisions to the RRA forms will be included 
starting in the 2004 water year.
    In response to landholding situations that have arisen in certain 
districts that are subject to the acreage limitation provisions where a 
public entity owns or leases land through a legal entity, a new 
``Attachment Sheet for Form 7-21PE'' (Form 7-21PE-IND) has been 
developed for approval as part of this information collection. In lieu 
of modifying the ``Declaration of Public Entities Landholdings'' (Form 
7-21PE) to address the rare instances where a public entity indirectly 
owns or leases land, the one-page Form 7-21PE-IND will be completed in 
conjunction with the Form 7-21PE. There is no increase in burden hours 
resulting from the addition of this form because (1) the occurrence of 
public entities that indirectly hold land is isolated at best, and (2) 
this information is currently required from the applicable public 
entities on a separate sheet of paper. Therefore, the burden hours 
applicable to Form 7-21PE-IND are included in those listed below for 
Form 7-21PE. The development of Form 7-21PE-IND provides a consistent 
format in which to gather information that is currently required.
    Title: Individual Landholder's and Farm Operator's Certification 
and Reporting Forms for Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR part 426 and 43 CFR 
part 428.
    Abstract: This information collection requires certain landholders 
(direct or indirect landowners or lessees) and farm operators to 
complete forms demonstrating their compliance with the acreage 
limitation provisions of Federal reclamation law. These forms are 
submitted to districts who use the information to establish each 
landholder's status with respect to landownership limitations, full-
cost pricing thresholds, lease requirements, and other provisions of 
Federal reclamation law. In addition, forms are submitted by certain 
farm operators to provide information concerning the services they 
provide and the nature of their farm operating arrangements. All 
landholders whose entire westwide landholdings total 40 acres or less 
are exempt from the requirement to submit RRA forms. Landholders who 
are ``qualified recipients'' have RRA forms submittal thresholds of 80 
acres or 240 acres depending on the district's RRA forms submittal 
threshold category where the land is held. Only farm operators who 
provide multiple services to more than 960 acres held in trusts or by 
legal entities are required to submit forms.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Respondents: Landholders and farm operators of certain lands in our 
projects, whose landholdings exceed specified RRA forms submittal 
thresholds.
    Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 19,202.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.02.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: 19,586.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 14,829 hours.
    Estimate of Burden for Each Form:

[[Page 79145]]



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                                                      Burden                                      Annual  burden
                                                   estimate per      Number of    Annual  number        on
                    Form No.                         form  (in      respondents    of  responses    respondents
                                                     minutes)                                       (in hours)
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Form 7-2180.....................................              60           5,358           5,465           5,465
Form 7-2180EZ...................................              45             537             548             411
Form 7-2181.....................................              78           1,758           1,793           2,331
Form 7-2184.....................................              45              40              41              31
Form 7-2190.....................................              60           1,910           1,948           1,948
Form 7-2190EZ...................................              45             113             115              86
Form 7-2191.....................................              78             891             909           1,182
Form 7-2194.....................................              45               4               4               3
Form 7-21PE.....................................              66             205             209             230
Form 7-21TRUST..................................              60           1,331           1,358           1,358
Form 7-21VERIFY.................................              12           6,452           6,581           1,316
Form 7-21FC.....................................              30             243             248             124
Form 7-21XS.....................................              30             164             167              84
Form 7-21FARMOP.................................              78             196             200             260
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    Comments.
    Comments are invited on:
    (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of our functions, including whether the 
information will have practical use;
    (b) The accuracy of our burden estimate for the proposed collection 
of information;
    (c) Ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    We will summarize all comments received regarding this notice. We 
will publish that summary in the Federal Register when the information 
collection request is submitted to OMB for review and approval.
    Department of the Interior practice is to make comments, including 
names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review. 
Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address 
from public disclosure, which we will honor to the extent allowable by 
law. There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold a 
respondent's identity from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If 
you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this 
prominently at the beginning of your comment. We will make all 
submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals 
identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations 
or businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety.

    Dated: December 10, 2002.
Elizabeth Cordova-Harrison,
Deputy Director, Office of Policy.
[FR Doc. 02-32666 Filed 12-26-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-M