[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 145 (Friday, July 29, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43900-43902]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-15021]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Renewal to Be Sent to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act; 1018-0113; Grants Program Authorized by the Neotropical Migratory 
Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service, Service) plan to send a request 
to OMB to renew approval for the collection of information described 
below under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. We 
use the information collected to conduct our NMBCA grants program in 
the manner prescribed by that Act. We also use the information to 
comply with Federal reporting requirements for grants awarded under the 
program.

[[Page 43901]]


DATES: You must submit comments on or before September 27, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection to Hope 
Grey, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife 
Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 
(mail); [email protected] (e-mail); or (703) 358-2269 (fax).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request a copy of the information 
collection requirements or explanatory information, contact Hope Grey, 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, at the above addresses or by 
telephone at (703) 358-2482.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The OMB regulations at 5 CFR part 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 information 
collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). We will 
ask OMB to renew approval of the collection of information for the 
NMBCA grants program. The current OMB control number for this 
collection of information is 1018-0113, which expires on November 30, 
2005. We will request a 3-year term of approval for this information 
collection activity. Federal agencies 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.
    The purposes of NMBCA are (1) to perpetuate healthy populations of 
neotropical migratory birds; (2) to assist in the conservation of 
neotropical migratory birds by supporting conservation initiatives in 
the United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean; and (3) to provide 
financial resources and to foster international cooperation for those 
initiatives. Principal conservation actions supported by NMBCA are 
protection and management of neotropical migratory bird populations; 
maintenance, management, protection, and restoration of neotropical 
migratory bird habitat; research and monitoring; law enforcement; and 
community outreach and education.
    Competing for grant funds involves applications from partnerships 
that describe in substantial detail project locations, project 
resources, future benefits, and other characteristics, to meet the 
standards established by the Fish and Wildlife Service and the 
requirements of NMBCA. The information collection for this program is 
part of a system of records covered by the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 
552(a)).
    Materials that describe the program and assist applicants in 
formulating project proposals are available on our Web site at http://birdhabitat.fws.gov. Persons who do not have access to the Web site may 
obtain instructional materials by mail. There has been little change in 
the scope and general nature of these instructions since OMB first 
approved the information collection in 2002. Instructions assist 
applicants in formulating detailed project proposals for consideration 
by a panel of reviewers from the Fish and Wildlife Service. These 
instructional materials are the basis for this information collection 
request. Notices of funding availability are posted annually on the 
Grants.gov Web site (http://www.grants.gov) as well as in the Catalog 
of Federal Domestic Assistance. We use information collected under this 
program to respond to such needs as audits, program planning and 
management, program evaluation, Government Performance and Results Act 
reporting, Standard Form 424 (Application For Federal Assistance), 
assistance awards, budget reports and justifications, public and 
private requests for information, data provided to other programs for 
databases on similar programs, congressional inquiries, and reports 
required by NMBCA.
    If the information were not collected, we would have to eliminate 
the program because it would not be possible to determine eligibility 
and the relative worth of the proposed projects. Reducing the frequency 
of collection would only reduce the frequency of grant opportunities as 
the information collected is unique to each project proposal. 
Discontinuation of the program is not a viable option.
    Title: Grants Programs Authorized by the Neotropical Migratory Bird 
Conservation Act.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0113.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Frequency of Collection: Occasional. This grants program has one 
project proposal submission per year. Annual reports are due 90 days 
after the anniversary date of the grant agreement. Final reports are 
due 90 days after the end of the project period. The project period is 
up to 2 years.
    Description of Respondents: (1) An individual, corporation, 
partnership, trust, association, or other private entity; (2) an 
officer, employee, agent, department, or instrumentality of the Federal 
Government, of any State, municipality, or political subdivision of a 
State, or of any foreign government: (3) a State, municipality, or 
political subdivision of a State; (4) any other entity subject to the 
jurisdiction of the United States or of any foreign country; and (5) an 
international organization.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,000. We estimate 100 hours for each 
grant proposal.
    Number of Respondents: Approximately 40 from the United States. We 
anticipate funding approximately one quarter of the projects submitted.
    We queried five recipients of NMBCA grants with regard to three 
aspects of the grants programs: (1) The availability of the information 
requested, (2) the clarity of the instructions, and (3) the annual 
burden hours for preparing applications and other materials, such as 
annual and final reports. All respondents advised that the application 
instructions are readily available for organizations in the United 
States. One respondent indicated that some smaller organizations in 
Latin America and the Caribbean might have difficulty finding the 
information. Similarly, respondents found the clarity of the 
information/instructions to be good, while some smaller organizations 
outside the United States might require assistance. One respondent 
indicated that the Grant Administration Guidelines, provided to 
successful grant recipients, are complex and sometimes difficult to 
interpret.
    Respondents report that, on average, proposal preparation requires 
about 70 hours and report preparation averaged about 30 hours, yielding 
an average annual burden of about 100 hours for a successful recipient 
of grant funds. We therefore consider our original estimate of 40 hours 
for proposal preparation only to be low. Pending further refinement 
from responses to this notice, we may further revise our estimate of 
the total annual burden hours.
    We invite your comments on: (1) Whether or not the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the NMBCA grants 
programs, including whether or not in the opinion of the respondent the 
information has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of our estimate of 
the annual hour burden of information requested; (3) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; 
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents.


[[Page 43902]]


    Dated: June 30, 2005.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 05-15021 Filed 7-28-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-P