[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 250 (Wednesday, December 31, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75617-75618]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-32144]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission to OMB for 
Extension of Collection 1093-0004; Comment Request

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

ACTION: Notice of submission to OMB of a request for extension of an 
information collection (1093-0004) and request for public comments.

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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 have submitted to OMB for review and approval as a 
continuing information collection. The information collection request 
(ICR) concerns the paperwork requirements to carry out the national 
awards program required by the Take Pride In America Program Act, 16 
U.S.C. 4601-4608.

DATES: OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the information 
collection request, but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, public 
comments should be submitted to OMB by January 30, 2004, in order to be 
assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Please submit your comments via e-mail to the Desk Officer 
for the Department of the Interior, OMB Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, at [email protected] or via fax at (202) 
395-6566. Also, please hand-carry or mail a copy of your 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, or 
e-mail a copy to [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: To request a free copy of the 
information collection request or for further information about this 
collection, contact Marti Allbright, Executive Director, Take Pride In 
America Program, at 202-208-5848 or via e-mail at 
[email protected].

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 of the Interior is to: (1) 
``conduct a national awards program to honor those individuals and 
entities which, in the opinion of the Secretary * * * 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 collects 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 the 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 use the information collected primarily to select finalists and 
winners of the TPIA National Awards. Information also is 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. To obtain a copy of the approved application instructions and 
form, please contact the TPIA office as shown in the FOR FURTHER 
INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
    No items of a sensitive nature are collected. Responses are 
voluntary.
    A Federal 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. As required under 5 CFR 
1320.8(d), we published a Federal Register notice soliciting comments 
on this collection of information on July 23, 2003 (68 FR 43540). We 
received no comments. This notice provides the

[[Page 75618]]

public with an additional 30 days to comment.
    Frequency of collection: Primarily annually.
    Estimated Annual Number and Description of Respondents: 
Approximately 500 voluntary responses from the public, with another 500 
from Federal employees.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: The 
currently approved annual reporting burden for this collection is 250 
hours--one hour per response for an estimated 250 public respondents. 
For this ICR, that burden will increase to 500 hours due to an increase 
in the estimated number of public respondents.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: We 
have identified no non-hour burdens for this collection.
    Comments: We specifically request your comments as to: (a) Whether 
the proposed collection of information is necessary for the agency to 
perform its duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) 
the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information; (c) the quality, usefulness, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) how to minimize the burden on 
the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques 
or other forms of information technology.

    Dated: December 23, 2003.
Marti Allbright,
Executive Director, Take Pride In America Program.
[FR Doc. 03-32144 Filed 12-30-03; 8:45 am]
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