[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 141 (Wednesday, July 23, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43540-43541]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-18677]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities: OMB Emergency Approval 
and Proposed Renewal; Comment Request

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of an OMB emergency approval and of extension of an 
information collection (1093-0004).

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we 
are inviting comments on a collection of information that the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) approved on an emergency basis on June 24, 
2003, and that we will submit to OMB for review and approval as a 
continuing information collection. The information collection request 
(ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements to carry out the Take Pride 
In America Program Act, 16 U.S.C. 4601-4608.

DATES: Submit written comments by September 22, 2003.

ADDRESSES: Mail or hand carry comments to the Department of the 
Interior, Office of the Secretary, Take Pride In America Program, MS-
3459, 1849 C Street, NW., Washington, DC 20240. If you wish to e-mail 
comments, the address is: [email protected]. Reference 
``Information Collection 1093-0004'' in your e-mail subject line and 
mark your message for return receipt. Include your name and return 
address in your message.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Marti Allbright, Take Pride In 
America, 202-208-5848. You may also contact Marti Allbright to obtain a 
copy, at no cost, of the Take Pride In America Program Act that 
necessitates this collection of information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Take Pride In America National Awards Application/Nomination 
Process.
    OMB Control Number: 1093-0004.
    Abstract: Under the Take Pride In America Program Act (Act), 16 
U.S.C. Sec. 4601-4608, the Secretary is to: (1) ``conduct a national 
awards program to honor those individuals and entities which, in the 
opinion of the Secretary of the Interior * * * have distinguished 
themselves in activities'' under the purposes of the Act; and also to 
(2) ``establish and maintain a public awareness campaign in cooperation 
with public and private organizations and individuals--(A) to instill 
in the public the importance of the appropriate use of, and 
appreciation for Federal, State, and local lands, facilities, and 
natural and cultural resources; (B) to encourage an attitude of 
stewardship and responsibility toward these lands, facilities, and 
resources; and (C) to promote participation by individuals, 
organizations, and communities of a conservation ethic in caring for 
these lands, facilities, and resources.'' The Act states that ``[t]he 
Secretary is authorized * * * generally to do any and all lawful acts 
necessary or appropriate to further the purposes of the TPIA Program.''
    The Take Pride In America (TPIA) Program was re-launched on April 
16, 2003. The Program will collect information provided voluntarily by 
individuals or organizations about their events and activities to 
further the purposes of the Act in order to select finalists and 
winners of the annual Take Pride In America National Awards. The TPIA 
National Awards recognize the valuable and significant contributions 
that individuals and organizations make in support of stewardship of 
America's lands. Their tireless and creative efforts play a vital role 
in protecting, conserving, and enhancing America's wealth of natural, 
historical, and cultural resources. These awards recognize the efforts 
of individuals and organizations in both the public and private sectors 
for outstanding stewardship involving Federal, State, local, Tribal, 
and private lands.
    We will use the information collected primarily to select finalists 
and winners of the TPIA National Awards. Information also will be used 
to assure the integrity of the Program (so that, for example, an 
individual or organization does not receive an award twice for the same 
project), for reporting on the accomplishments of the Program, for the 
public awareness campaign (such as press releases and website 
information on winning projects); and to further the purposes of the 
Act (such as fostering partnerships and coordination of projects).
    OMB approved TPIA's application instructions and form on June 24, 
2003, on an emergency basis, with an expiration date of December 31, 
2003. The approved application instructions and form can be reviewed 
through the Internet, on http://www.TakePride.gov.
    We will process any information in accordance with the Freedom of 
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing regulations at the

[[Page 43541]]

Department (43 CFR part 2). No items of a sensitive nature are 
collected. Responses are voluntary.
    Frequency: Primarily Annually.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 500 
voluntary responses from the public, another 500 from Federal 
employees.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
currently approved annual reporting burden for this collection is 250 
hours for the first year for an estimated 250 respondents. For this 
ICR, that burden will increase to 500 hours with the estimated increase 
in respondents. In calculating the burden, we assumed that respondents 
perform certain requirements in the normal course of their activities. 
We consider these to be usual and customary and took that into account 
in estimating the burden.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: We 
have identified no cost burdens for this collection.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. 
Until OMB approves a collection of information, you are not obligated 
to respond.
    Comments: Before submitting an ICR to OMB, PRA section 
3506(c)(2)(A) requires each agency ``* * * to provide notice * * * and 
otherwise consult with members of the public and affected agencies 
concerning each proposed collection of information * * *''. Agencies 
must specifically solicit comments to: (a) Evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the agency to 
perform its duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) 
evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) enhance the quality, 
usefulness, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) 
minimize the burden on the respondents, including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Agencies must also estimate the ``non-hour cost'' burdens to 
respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of 
information. Therefore, if you have costs to generate, maintain, and 
disclose this information, you should comment and provide your total 
capital and startup cost components or costs of annual operation, 
maintenance, and purchase of service components. You should describe 
the methods you use to estimate major cost factors, including system 
and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, 
discount rate(s), and the period over which you incur costs. Capital 
and startup costs include, among other items, computers and software 
you purchase to prepare for collecting information, monitoring, and 
record storage facilities. You should not include estimates for 
equipment or services purchased: (i) Before October 1, 1995; (ii) to 
comply with requirements not associated with the information 
collection; (iii) for reasons other than to provide information or keep 
records for the Government; or, (iv) as part of customary and usual 
business or private practices.
    We will summarize written responses to this notice and address them 
in our submission for OMB approval. As a result of your comments, we 
will make any necessary adjustments to the burden in our submission to 
OMB.
    Public Comment Policy: Our practice is to make comments, including 
names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review 
during regular business hours. Individual respondents may request that 
we withhold their home address from the record, which we will honor to 
the extent allowable by law. There may be circumstances in which we 
would withhold from the record a respondent's identify, as allowable by 
the law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must 
state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. However, we 
will not consider anonymous comments. 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 inspection in their entirety.

    Dated: July 16, 2003.
Marti Allbright,
Executive Director, Take Pride In America Program.
[FR Doc. 03-18677 Filed 7-22-03; 8:45 am]
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