[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 164 (Monday, August 25, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51000-51003]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-21640]


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 Notices
                                                 Federal Register
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 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
 or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
 and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
 delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
 statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
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  Federal Register / Vol. 68, No. 164 / Monday, August 25, 2003 / 
Notices  

[[Page 51000]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

August 19, 2003.
    The Department of Agriculture has submitted the following 
information collection requirement(s) to OMB for review and clearance 
under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Public Law 104-13. Comments 
regarding (a) whether the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy 
of the agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to 
minimize the burden of the collection of information 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 should be addressed to: Desk 
Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), [email protected] or fax (202) 395-5806; and to Departmental 
Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, DC 20250-
7602. Comments regarding these information collections are best assured 
of having their full effect if received within 30 days of this 
notification. Copies of the submission(s) may be obtained by calling 
(202) 720-6746.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information 
unless the collection of information displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and the agency informs potential persons who are to 
respond to the collection of information that such persons are not 
required to respond to the collection of information unless it displays 
a currently valid OMB control number.

Foreign Agricultural Service

    Title: CCC's Export Enhancement Program (EEP) and CCC's Dairy 
Export Incentive Program (DEIP).
    OMB Control Number: 0551-0028.
    Summary of Collection: The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) 
collects information from U.S. exporters in order to determine the 
exporters' eligibility for the Export Enhancement Program (EEP) and the 
Dairy Export Incentive Program (DEIP). Program applicants can fax 
information in or applicants may register over the Internet.
    Need and of the Information: FAS will use the information collected 
from U.S. exporters to determine whether an exporter has the experience 
necessary to perform under the proposed agreements. Other information 
is collected to determine compliance during the period of the agreement 
and to ensure that compensation in the appropriate amount is made. 
Without the application and related information, FAS would be unable to 
properly qualify U.S. exporters for EEP and DEIP.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 95.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 1,803.

Farm Service Agency

    Title: Power of Attorney.
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0190.
    Summary of Collection: Individuals or authorized representatives of 
entities wanting to appoint another to act as their attorney must 
complete FSA-211, ``Power of Attorney'' form. The FSA-211 serves as 
evidence that the grantor has appointed another to act on their behalf 
for certain Farm Service Agency (FSA), Commodity Credit Corporation 
(CCC), and Risk Management Agency (RMA) programs and related actions 
giving the appointee legal authority to enter into binding agreements 
on the grantor's behalf.
    Need and use of the Information: FSA will collect information to 
verify an individual's authority to sign and act or another in the 
event of errors or fraud that requires legal remedies. The information 
collected on the FSA-211 is limited to the grantor's name, signature, 
and identification number, the grantee's name, address, and the 
applicable FSA, CCC, and RMA programs. Failure to collect and maintain 
the data collected on the form will limit or eliminate USDA's ability 
to accept an individual's signature on behalf of another individual or 
entity.
    Description of Respondents: Farms; Individuals or households.
    Number of Respondents: 519,653.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Other (Once).
    Total Burden Hours: 129,913.

Forest Service

    Title: Forest Industries Data Collection System.
    OMB Control Number: 0596-0010.
    Summary of Collection: The Forest and Range Renewable Resources 
Planning Act of 1974 and the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources 
Research Act of 1978 require the Forest Service (FS) to evaluate trends 
in the use of logs and wood chips, to forecast anticipated levels of 
logs and wood chips, and to analyze changes in the harvest of the 
resources. Forest product and other wood-using industries are important 
to state, regional, and national economies. In most southern states, 
the value of rounded timber products is ranked either first or second 
in relation to other major agricultural crops. The importance and value 
of the timber products industry is significant in other regions of the 
United States as well.
    Need and use of the information: FS will collect information using 
questionnaires to monitor the types, species, volumes, sources, and 
prices of the timber products harvested throughout the Nation. The data 
will be used to develop specific economic development plans for new 
forest-related industries and to assist existing industries in 
identifying raw material problems and opportunities. If the information 
were not collected, data would not be available for sub-state, state, 
regional, and national policy makers and program developers to make 
decisions related to the forestland on a scientific basis.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-
profit institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 2,110.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion; Annually.
    Total Burden Hours: 1,696.

[[Page 51001]]

Forest Service

    Title: Bid For Advertised Tibmer
    OMB Control Number: 0596-0066
    Summary of Collection: Individuals, large and small businesses, and 
corporations who wish to purchase timber or forest products from the 
National Forest must enter into a timber sale contract or forest 
product contract with the Forest Service (FS). Information must be 
collected by FS in order to ensure that: National Forest System timber 
is sold at not less than appraised value; bidders meet specific 
criteria when submitting a bid; and anti-trust violations do not occur 
during the bidding process. Several statutes, regulations, and policies 
impose requirements on the Government and purchasers in the bidding 
process. The FS will collect information using several forms.
    Need and Use of the Information: FS will collect information to 
determine bid responsiveness. The sale officer will ensure: the bidder 
has signed the bid form; provided a tax identification number; 
completed the unit rate, weighted average, or total sale value bid; 
entered the bid guarantee amount, type, and ensure the bid guarantee is 
enclosed with the bid, the bidder has provided the required information 
concerning Small Business Administration size and Equal Opportunity 
compliance on previous sales. The Timber Sale Contracting Officers will 
use the information to complete the contract prior to award to the 
highest bidder. Failure to include the required information may result 
in the bid declared non-responsive or the Contracting Officer may be 
unable to make an affirmative finding of purchaser responsibility and 
not able to award the contract.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; 
Individuals or households.
    Number of Respondents: 5,500.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting; On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 38,672.

Rural Utilities Service

    Title: State Telecommunications Modernization Plan.
    OMB Control Number: 0572-0104.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Electrification Loan Restructuring 
Act (RELRA, Pub. L. 103-129), November 1, 1993, amended the Rural 
Electrification Act of 1936, 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq. (the RE Act). RELRA 
requires that a State Telecommunications Modernization Plan 
(Modernization Plan or Plan), meet all the statutory requirements of 
RELRA (part 1751, Subpart B). The plan at a minimum must provide for: 
(1) The elimination of party line service; (2) the availability of 
telecommunications services for improved business, educational, and 
medical services; (3) must encourage computer networks and information 
highways for subscribers in rural areas; (4) subscribers in rural areas 
to receive through telephone lines; (a) conference calling; (b) video 
images; and (c) data at a rate of 1 million bits of information per 
second; and the proper routing of information to subscribers.
    Need and Use of the Information: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) 
telecommunications program staff will review and approve Modernization 
Plans, if they comply with the requirements of the regulation. If the 
proposed Modernization Plan is approved, RUS will notify the developer 
of the approval. If not, RUS will make specific written comments and 
suggestion for modifying the proposed Modernization Plan so that it 
will comply with the requirements of the regulation. If the information 
is not collected, RUS' authority to make loans under the Rural 
Electrification Act will be restricted.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-
profit institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 1.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 350.

Rural Housing Service

    Title: USDA Rural Housing Service--Centralized Servicing Center 
Loan Servicing Satisfaction Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 0575-NEW.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Housing Service (RHS) provides 
insured loans to low and moderate-income applicants located in rural 
geographic areas to assist them in obtaining decent, sanitary and safe 
dwellings. RHS Centralized Servicing Center (CSC) has been in operation 
since October 1996. The CSC was established to achieve a high level of 
customer service and operating efficiency that provides its borrowers 
with convenient access to their loan account information. RHS has 
developed a survey to measure the results and overall effectiveness of 
customer services provided.
    Need and Use of the Information: RHS will use the outcome of the 
Customer Satisfaction Survey to determine the general satisfaction 
level among its customers throughout the nation, highlight areas that 
need improvement and provide a benchmark for future surveys and 
improvement in customer service. The survey is administered as part of 
CSC's on going service quality improvement program.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for profit: 
Individual or households; Farms; Not-for-profit institutions; State, 
local, or Tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 23,000.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 3,680.

Rural Utilities Service

    Title: 7 CFR Part 1786, Prepayment of RUS Guaranteed and Insured 
Loans to Electric and Telephone Borrowers.
    OMB Control Number: 0572-0088.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Electrification (RE) Act of 1936, 
as amended, authorizes and empowers the Administrator of Rural 
Utilities Service (RUS) to make loans in the several States and 
Territories of the United States for rural electrification and for the 
purpose of furnishing and improving electric and telephone service in 
rural areas and to assist electric borrowers to implement demand side 
management, energy conservation programs, and on-grid and off-grid 
renewable energy systems. 7 CFR 1786, subparts E, F and G provides the 
authorization for the reporting burden in section 306(C) of the RE Act.
    Need and Use of the Information: The information will be collected 
from borrowers requesting to prepay their notes and to determine that 
the borrower is qualified to prepay under the authorizing statues. The 
overall goal of subparts E and F is to allow RUS borrowers to prepay 
their RUS loan and the overall goal of subpart G is to refinance.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-
profit institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 28.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 62.

Rural Housing Service

    Title: 7 CFR 1951-F, Analyzing Credit Needs and Graduation of 
Borrower
    OMB Control Number: 0575-0093
    Summary of Collection: Section 333 of the Consolidated Farm and 
Rural Development Act and section 502 of the Housing Act of 1949, 
require the Rural Housing Service (RHS), the Rural Business-Cooperative 
Service (RBS), and the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to graduate their 
direct loan borrowers to other credit when they are able to do so. 
Graduation is an integral part of Agency lending, as Government loans 
beyond a borrower's need for subsidized rates of non-market terms. The 
notes, security

[[Page 51002]]

instruments, or loan agreements of most borrowers require borrowers to 
refinance their Agency loans when other credit becomes available at 
reasonable rates and terms. If the borrower finds other credit is not 
available at reasonable rates and terms, the Agency will continue to 
review the borrower for possible graduation at periodic intervals. 
Information will be collected from the borrowers concerning their 
loans.
    Needs and Use of the Information: The information submitted by FSA, 
RBS, or RHS borrowers to Agency offices is used to graduate direct 
borrowers to private credit with or without the use of Agency loan 
guarantees. The data collected will include financial information such 
as income; farm operating expenses, asset values, and liabilities.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or households; Business or 
other for-profit; Farms; State, local or Tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 31,975.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: Quarterly.
    Total Burden Hours: 74,419.

Rural Housing Service

    Title: 7 CFR 1965-E, ``Prepayment and Displacement Prevention of 
Multiple Family Housing Loans.''
    OMB Control Number: 0575-0155.
    Summary of Collection: The Housing and Community Development Act of 
1987 required that Rural Rental Housing borrowers wishing to prepay 
their loans, must first decide if the housing continues to serve low- 
and moderate-income tenants, if so, Rural Development (RD) must offer 
the borrower a fair incentive to prepay the loan. If the borrower 
rejects the incentive, the housing must be offered for sale to a 
nonprofit organization or public agencies. Only if no nonprofit 
organization or public agencies can be found to purchase the project at 
the market value can the loan be prepaid.
    Need and Use of the Information: When a request to prepay a rural 
rental-housing loan is received, RD will collect information to 
determine the need for the housing to remain in the low-income program. 
RD will also determine the extent to any incentive offer to keep the 
housing within the RD program. If RD does not have current and 
appropriate information, the decision to accept or reject the 
prepayment request and the amount of an incentive offer would be made 
inappropriately.
    Description of Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions; Business 
or other for-profit; Individuals or households; Farms; State, local or 
Tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 800.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 687.

Agricultural Marketing Service

    Title: Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 1999.
    OMB Control Number: 0581-0186.
    Summary of Collection: The Livestock Mandatory Reporting Act of 
1999 mandates the reporting of information on prices and quantities of 
livestock products by packer processing plants meeting certain 
criteria, including size as measured by annual slaughter. The 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
Agriculture Marketing Service. USDA's market news provides all market 
participants, including producers, with the information necessary to 
make intelligent and informed marketing decisions.
    Need and Use of the Information: The information collected and 
recordkeeping requirements are essential to establishing and 
implementing a mandatory program of livestock and livestock products 
reporting. The information is reported up to three times daily and once 
weekly and is only available directly from those entities required to 
report under the Act.
    Description of Respondents: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 119.
    Frequency of Response: Reporting; Weekly; Other (Daily).
    Total Burden Hours: 24,429.

Rural Utilities Service

    Title: Request for Release of Lien and/or Approval of Sale.
    OMB Control Number: 0572-0041.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is a 
credit agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). It makes 
mortgage loans and loan guarantees to finance electric, 
telecommunications, water and waste facilities in rural areas. RUS 
manages loan programs in accordance with the Rural Electrification Act 
of 1936, 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq., as amended (RE Act). A 1949 amendment to 
the RE Act established the telephone program in RUS with the purpose of 
making loans to furnish and improve rural telephone service. Section 
201 of the RE Act provides that loans shall not be made unless RUS 
finds and certifies that the security for the loan is reasonably 
adequate and that the loan will be repaid within the time agreed. In 
addition to providing loans and loan guarantees, one of RUS' main 
objectives is to safeguard loan security until the loan is repaid.
    Need and Use of the Information: A borrower's assets provide the 
security for a Government loan. The selling of assets reduces the 
security and increases the risk of loss to the Government. RUS Form 793 
allows the telecommunication program borrower to seek agency permission 
to sell some of its assets. The form collects detailed information 
regarding the proposed sale of a portion of the borrower's system. RUS 
telephone borrowers fill out the form to request RUS approval in order 
to sell capital assets. Specifics to the sale of capital assets, 
including the use of Form 793 and submission of supporting 
documentation, are covered in REA Bulletin 415-1, ``Sale of Property by 
Telephone Borrowers.''
    If the information in Form 793 is not collected when capital assets 
are sold, the capital assets securing the Government's loans could be 
liquidated and the Government's security either eliminated entirely or 
diluted to an undesirable level. This increases the risk of loss to the 
Government in the case of a default.
    Description: Business or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 
institutions.
    Number of Respondents: 75.
    Frequency of Response: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 206.

Rural Utilities Service

    Title: Request for Release of Lien and/or Approval of Sale.
    OMB Control Number: 0572-0041.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Utilities Service (RUS) is a 
credit agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that makes 
mortgage loans and loan guarantees to finance electric, 
telecommunications, and water and waste facilities in rural areas. RUS 
manages loan programs in accordance with the Rural Electrification Act 
(RE Act) of 1936, 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq., as amended (RE Act). A 1949 
amendment to the RE Act established the telephone program in RUS with 
the purpose of making loans to furnish and improve rural telephone 
service. Section 201 of the RE Act provides that loans shall not be 
made unless RUS finds and certifies that the security for the loan is 
reasonably adequate and that the loan will be repaid within the time 
agreed. In addition to providing loans and loan guarantees, one of 
RUS's main objectives is to safeguard loan security until the loan is 
repaid.
    Need and Use of the Information: A borrower's assets provide the 
security for a Government loan. The selling of assets reduces the 
security and increases

[[Page 51003]]

the risk of loss to the Government. A borrower seeking permission to 
sell some of its assets uses RUS Form 793. The form contains detailed 
information regarding the proposed sale. If the information in Form 793 
is not collected when capital assets are sold, the capital assets 
securing the Government's loans could be liquidated and the 
Government's security either eliminated entirely or diluted to an 
undesirable level. This increases the risk of loss to the Government in 
the case of a default.
    Description of Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions; State, 
Local or Tribal government.
    Number of Respondents: 75.
    Frequency of Responses: Reporting: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 206.

Rural Housing Service

    Title: 7 CFR Part 1924-A, Planning and Performing Construction and 
other Development.
    OMB Control Number: 0575-0042.
    Summary of Collection: The Rural Housing Service (RHS) is the 
credit agency for rural housing and community development within the 
Rural Development mission area of the United States Department of 
Agriculture. RHS offers a supervised credit program to build modest 
housing and essential community facilities in rural areas. Section 501 
of Title V of the Housing Act of 1949, authorizes the Secretary of 
Agriculture to extend financial assistance to construct, improve, 
alter, repair, replace, or rehabilitate dwellings, farm buildings and/
or related facilities to provide decent, safe sanitary living 
conditions and adequate farm building and other structures in rural 
areas.
    Need and Use of the Information: RHS provides several forms to 
assist in the collection and submission of information. The information 
will be used to determine whether a loan/grant can be approved; to 
ensure that RHS has adequate security for the loans financed; to 
monitor compliance with the terms and conditions of the agency loan/
grant and to monitor the prudent use of Federal funds. If the 
information is not collected and submitted, RHS would have no control 
over the type and quality of construction and development work planned 
and performed with Federal funds.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals or households; Business or 
other for-profit; Not-for-profit institutions; Farms.
    Number of Respondents: 25,340.
    Frequency of Responses: Recordkeeping; Report: On occasion.
    Total Burden Hours: 94,924.

Sondra Blakey,
Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-21640 Filed 8-22-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-01-M