[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 58 (Monday, March 27, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15217-15218]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-4324]



[[Page 15217]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs


Submission of Information Collection to the Office of Management 
and Budget for Review Under the Paperwork Reduction Act

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, this notice 
announces that the Bureau of Indian Affairs is submitting an 
information collection to the Office of Management and Budget for 
reinstatement. This collection expired during the renewal process. The 
collection concerns the implementation of the requirements of Indian 
Reservation Roads program allocation of funds. We are requesting a 
reinstatement of clearance and requesting comments on this information 
collection.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before April 26, 2006.

ADDRESSES: You are requested to send any comments to the Desk Officer 
for the Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA via facsimile (202) 395-
6566 or by e-mail at [email protected].
    Please send a copy of any comments to LeRoy Gishi, Chief, Division 
of Transportation, 1951 Constitution Avenue, NW, Mail Stop Room 320-
SIB, Washington, DC 20240; or faxed to (202) 208-6486.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: LeRoy Gishi, (202) 513-7711.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This information collection is necessary to allow federally-
recognized tribal governments to participate in the Indian Reservation 
Roads (IRR) Program as defined in 23 U.S.C. 204(a)(1). Some of the 
information collected determines the allocation of IRR program funds to 
Indian tribes as described in 23 U.S.C. 202(d)(2)(A).

II. Request for Comments

    A notice announcing the proposed renewal appeared in the Federal 
Register on September 12, 2005 (70 FR 53809). There were 24 comments 
received on the notice. The majority of the comments were based on: (1) 
The road inventory process as defined in the regulations; (2) the 
software used for input of data into the national database; (3) the 
estimated cost and burden hours to perform road inventory updates do 
not reflect the ``in the field'' efforts; and (4) policies and 
procedures surrounding the evaluation of required documents for 
inclusion of roads into the national Indian Reservation Road inventory.
    There are current efforts on the part of the agency to further 
improve the road inventory process. Those comments on assuring that 
only the required information is collected and not duplicative will be 
reviewed and will be forthcoming in a policy update regarding the 
minimum requirements for attachments. The attachments are those stated 
in 25 CFR part 170.
    The agency is updating the software (exclusively used by the agency 
and not the public) to reflect only the required information found in 
regulatory language. There is currently a court order prohibiting 
access by the public to systems administered by the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs, Department of the Interior. This prohibition extends to the 
software used to update the national road inventory database. Although 
it is not anticipated that this will change at any time in the near 
future, if it does, specific procedures on how the public may utilize 
the update software will be provided through program guidance and 
policies.
    Based on the comments, a number of tribal transportation planners, 
BIA staff and consultants performing work for the tribes and the BIA 
were queried for an estimate of cost and burden hours to perform the 
inventory update for their average type of submission. One consultant 
estimated that the cost and time of updating the inventory for tribes 
located in rural areas of Montana, New Mexico, and Oklahoma was on the 
average of about $200/mile and about 60 days per 100 miles. This 
translates to about $14/hour and 14.4 hours per mile of update. Primary 
factors affecting this estimate are number of bridges, number of city 
streets and number of sections that are inventoried. Another tribal 
consultant working with tribes in 7 of the 12 BIA regions estimated the 
average cost at $413/mile. This ranges from a low of $85/mile to a high 
of $1,612/mile. Primary factors affecting this estimate are roadway 
surface type, class of road, location, terrain, and average daily 
traffic (ADT). A tribal engineer working in an urban setting in 
California estimated the cost at $60/hour and the time as 22 hours per 
submission (average of \1/2\ mile) or a total cost of $1,320/mile. 
Primary factors affecting this estimate are the number of jurisdictions 
or facility ownerships that require coordination. This translates to 
time and effort of determining construction and maintenance 
responsibilities, getting tribal resolutions and formal acknowledgement 
from the various jurisdictions (including tribal governments). We 
accepted these comments and revised our burden estimates accordingly.
    Most of the comments centered on the regulatory requirements of 25 
CFR part 170. These comments will be considered as part of the 
regulatory update for 25 CFR part 170, Indian Reservation Roads 
Program, when they are published to include the recent statutory 
changes in Title 23 U.S.C., as a result of the Safe Accountable 
Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act--A Legacy for Users 
(SAFETEA-LU), Public Law 109-59, August 10, 2005. This update of the 
regulations will be coordinated with the Federal Highway Administration 
as required in statute (23 U.S.C. 204(f)).
    The Department of the Interior invites comments on:
    (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 the burden (including 
the hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumption used;
    (c) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (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 collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or 
provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time 
needed to review instructions; to develop, acquire, install and utilize 
technology and systems for the purpose of collecting, validating, and 
verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and 
disclosing and providing information, to search data sources, to 
complete and review the collection of information; and to transmit or 
otherwise disclose the information.
    We will not request nor sponsor a collection of information, and 
you need not respond to such a request, if there is no valid Office of 
Management and Budget Control Number.

III. Data

    Title: 25 CFR part 170, Indian Reservation Roads.
    OMB control number: 1076-0161.

[[Page 15218]]

    Type of Review: Reinstatement.
    Description: This is a request for reinstatement of information 
collection requirements of 25 CFR part 170, Roads of the Bureau of 
Indian Affairs. Part 170 implements 23 U.S.C. 202(d) and sets policies 
and procedures governing the Indian Reservation Roads (IRR) Program. 
This information collection is necessary to implement the requirements 
of the law which allocates funding provided from the highway trust fund 
to Indian tribal governments.
    Respondents: Respondents include federally-recognized Indian tribal 
governments who have transportation needs associated with the IRR 
Program as described in 25 CFR 170.
    Total Number of Respondents: 562.
    Estimated Time per Response: The reports require from 5 hours to 40 
hours to complete. An average would be 16 hours.
    Frequency of Response: Annually or on an as needed basis.
    Total Number of Annual Responses: 5,620.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 191,496.

    Dated: March 17, 2006.
Michael D. Olsen,
Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs.
[FR Doc. E6-4324 Filed 3-24-06; 8:45 am]
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