[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 225 (Wednesday, November 23, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 70873-70874]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-23172]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection Renewal Sent to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction Act; 1018-
0113; Information Collection in Support of Grants Programs Authorized 
by the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (Pub. L. 106-247, 14 
Stat. 593)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (Fish and Wildlife Service, Service) have sent a request to 
OMB to renew approval for our information collection associated with 
the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) grants program. 
The current OMB control number for this information collection is 1018-
0113, which expires November 30, 2005. We have requested that OMB renew 
approval of this information collection for a 3-year term.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before December 23, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions on this information 
collection renewal to the Desk Officer for the Department of the 
Interior at OMB-OIRA at (202) 395-6566 (fax) or [email protected] (e-mail). Please provide a copy of your comments to 
Hope Grey, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife 
Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 
(mail); (703) 358-2269 (fax); or [email protected] (e-mail).

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: OMB regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which 
implement the 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)). 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.
    On July 29, 2005, we published in the Federal Register (70 FR 
43900) a 60-day notice of our intent to request renewal of this 
information collection authority from OMB. In that notice, we solicited 
public comments for 60 days ending September 27, 2005. We did not 
receive any comments regarding this notice.
    The NMBCA establishes a matching grants program to fund projects 
that promote the conservation of neotropical migratory birds in the 
United States, Latin America, and the Caribbean. The purposes of NMBCA 
are to: (1) Perpetuate healthy populations of neotropical migratory 
birds; (2) assist in the conservation of these birds by supporting 
conservation initiatives in the United States, Latin America, and the 
Caribbean; and (3) provide financial resources and 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://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat/. Persons who do not have access to the website 
may obtain instructional materials by mail by contacting the Service's 
Division of Bird Habitat Conservation. There has been little change in 
the scope and general nature of these instructions since OMB first 
approved this 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.
    We publish notices of funding availability annually on the 
Grants.gov Web site (http://www.grants.gov) as well as in the Catalog 
of Federal Domestic Assistance (http://cfda.gov). 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: Information Collection in Support of Grants Programs 
Authorized by the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (Pub. L. 
106-247; 14 Stat. 593).
    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.
    Number of Respondents: 160 submit grant applications; 60 submit 
required reports.
    Annual Burden: 70 hours per application; 30 hours per report.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 13,000.
    We again 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

[[Page 70874]]

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.

    Dated: November 17, 2005.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 05-23172 Filed 11-22-05; 8:45 am]
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