[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 222 (Tuesday, November 18, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65081-65082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-28689]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Renewal To Be Submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction Act; 
NEPA Compliance Checklist

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (We) will submit the 
collection of information described below to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for approval under the provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995. You may obtain copies of the collection 
requirement, related forms, or explanatory material by contacting the 
person listed below under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

DATES: Interested parties must submit comments on or before January 20, 
2004.

ADDRESSES: Interested parties should send comments on the information 
collection by mail to Information Collection Officer, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 222, Arlington, VA 
22203; by fax to (703) 358-2269; or by e-mail to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Kim Galvan, voice (703) 358-2420, fax 
(703) 358-1837, or e-mail [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which 
implement provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq.), require that interested members of the public and 
affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on

[[Page 65082]]

information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)). An agency 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 will submit a request to OMB to renew its approval of the 
collection of information associated with the NEPA Compliance 
Checklist. The Service administers several grant programs authorized by 
the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669-669i), the 
Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777-777l), the 
Anadromous Fish Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 757a-757g), the Endangered 
Species Act (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), the Clean Vessel Act (33 U.S.C. 
1322, 16 U.S.C. 777c), the Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act (16 
U.S.C. 777g-l), North American Wetlands Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 
4401-4412), the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration 
Act (16 U.S.C. 3951 et seq.), and through other Acts and authorities. 
The Service uses the information collected on the NEPA Compliance 
Checklist to determine whether a grantee complies with the National 
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347, 40 CFR 1500-
1508). The State or other grantee uses the checklist as a guide to 
general NEPA requirements, and the checklist becomes an administrative 
record to meet their assurances requirements for receiving a grant.
    Certain grant applicants must provide the information requested on 
the NEPA Compliance Checklist in order to qualify to receive benefits 
in the form of grants for purposes outlined in the applicable law. This 
form is designed to cause the minimum impact in the form of hourly 
burden on respondents and still obtain all necessary information. Only 
about 3 percent of the Service's applicants for either a new grant or 
for an amendment to an existing grant will meet the criteria and need 
to complete the NEPA Compliance Checklist. The checklist needs to be 
prepared when (a) The proposed action is not completely covered by a 
categorical exclusion (e.g., the proposal cannot meet the qualifying 
criteria in the categorical exclusion, and ``is not'' will be checked 
on the Checklist); (b) The proposed action cannot be categorically 
excluded because an exception to the categorical exclusion applies 
(e.g., a ``Yes'' will be checked on the Checklist); (c) Environmental 
conditions at or in the vicinity of the site have materially changed, 
affecting the consideration of alternatives and impacts (applicable to 
amendments and renewals); (d) There is a need to document a normally 
categorically excluded action that may be controversial; or (e) 
Additional internal review and/or documentation of the NEPA 
administrative record are desirable.
    The current OMB control number for this information collection is 
1018-0110, and the OMB approval for this collection expires on March 
31, 2004. We are requesting a three year term of approval for this 
information collection activity.
    Title: NEPA Compliance Checklist.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0110.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Description of Respondents: The 50 U.S. States, the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of the Northern 
Mariana Islands, Guam, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Indian 
Tribal Governments, local governments, and others receiving grant 
funds.
    Annual Burden Estimates:

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                                                                                   Annual number   Total annual
                   Name                       Completion time (per checklist)      of responses    burden hours
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Checklist................................  \1/2\ hour...........................             160              80
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    We invite comments on: (1) 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; (2) the 
accuracy of the agency's estimates of burden of the collection of 
information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

    Dated: November 7, 2003.
Anissa Craghead,
Service Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 03-28689 Filed 11-17-03; 8:45 am]
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