[Federal Register Volume 71, Number 240 (Thursday, December 14, 2006)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75268-75269]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E6-21284]


=======================================================================
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[USCG-2006-25800]


Collection of Information Under Review by Office of Management 
and Budget: OMB Control Numbers: 1625-0012

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 
request for comments announces that the Coast Guard is forwarding an 
Information Collection Request (ICR), abstracted below, to the Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) of the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to request an extension of their approval 
of the following collections of information. The ICR is 1625-0012, 
Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariners. Our ICR describes the 
information we seek to collect from the public. Review and comments by 
OIRA ensure we only impose paperwork burdens commensurate with our 
performance of duties.

DATES: Please submit comments on or before January 16, 2007.

ADDRESSES: To make sure that your comments and related material do not 
reach the docket [USCG-2006-25800] or OIRA more than once, please 
submit them by only one of the following means:
    (1)(a) By mail to the Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department 
of Transportation (DOT), room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., 
Washington, DC 20590-0001. (b) By mail to OIRA, 725 17th Street, NW., 
Washington, DC 20503, to the attention of the Desk Officer for the 
Coast Guard.
    (2)(a) By delivery to room PL-401 at the address given in paragraph 
(1)(a) above, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays. The telephone number is (202) 366-9329. (b) By 
delivery to OIRA, at the address given in paragraph (1)(b) above, to 
the attention of the Desk Officer for the Coast Guard.
    (3) By fax to (a) the Facility at (202) 493-2298 or by contacting 
(b) OIRA at (202) 395-6566. To ensure your comments are received in 
time, mark the fax to the attention of Mr. Nathan Lesser, Desk officer 
for the Coast Guard.
    (4)(a) Electronically through the Web site for the Docket 
Management System (DMS) at http://dms.dot.gov. (b) By e-mail to 
[email protected].
    The Docket Management Facility maintains the public docket for this 
notice. Comments and material received from the public, as well as 
documents mentioned in this notice as being available in the docket, 
will become part of this docket and will be available for inspection or 
copying at room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday 
through Friday, except Federal holidays. You may also find this docket 
on the Internet at http://dms.dot.gov.
    A copy of the complete ICR is available through this docket on the 
Internet at http://dms.dot.gov, and also from Commandant (CG-611), U.S. 
Coast Guard Headquarters, room 10-1236 (Attn: Mr. Arthur Requina), 2100 
2nd Street, SW., Washington, DC 20593-0001. The telephone number is 
(202) 475-3523.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Arthur Requina, Office of 
Information Management, telephone (202) 475-3523 or fax (202) 475-3929, 
for questions on these documents; or Ms. Renee V. Wright, Program 
Manager, Docket Operations, (202) 493-0402, for questions on the 
docket.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Coast Guard invites comments on the 
proposed collection of information to determine whether the collection 
is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the 
Department. In particular, the Coast Guard would appreciate comments 
addressing: (1) The practical utility of the collections; (2) the 
accuracy of the estimated burden of the collections; (3) ways to 
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information that is 
the subject of the collections; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of 
collections on respondents, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments to DMS or OIRA must contain the OMB Control Number of the 
ICR addressed. Comments to DMS must contain the docket number of this 
request, [USCG 2006-25800]. For your comments to OIRA to be considered, 
it is best if OIRA receives them on or before the January 16, 2007.
    Public participation and request for comments: We encourage you to 
respond to this request by submitting comments and related materials. 
We will post all comments received, without change, to http://dms.dot.gov, they will include any personal information you have 
provided. We have an agreement with DOT to use their Docket Management 
Facility. Please see the paragraph on DOT's ``Privacy Act Policy'' 
below.
    Submitting comments: If you submit a comment, please include your 
name and address, identify the docket number for this request for 
comment [USCG-2006-25800], indicate the specific section of this 
document or the ICR to which each comment applies, and give the reason 
for each comment. You may submit your comments and material by 
electronic means, mail, fax, or delivery to the Docket Management 
Facility at the address under ADDRESSES, but please submit them by only 
one means. If you submit them by mail or delivery, submit them in an 
unbound format, no larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for 
copying and electronic filing. If you submit them by mail and would 
like to know that they reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, 
self-addressed postcard or envelope.
    The Coast Guard and OIRA will consider all comments and material 
received during the comment period. We may change the documents 
supporting this collection of information or even the underlying 
requirements in view of them.

[[Page 75269]]

    Viewing comments and documents: To view comments, as well as 
documents mentioned in this notice as being available in the docket, go 
to http://dms.dot.gov at any time and conduct a simple search using the 
docket number. You may also visit the Docket Management Facility in 
room PL-401 on the Plaza level of the Nassif Building, 400 Seventh 
Street, SW., Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.
    Privacy Act: Anyone can search the electronic form of all comments 
received in dockets by the name of the individual submitting the 
comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an 
association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review the Privacy 
Act Statement of DOT in the Federal Register published on April 11, 
2000 (65 FR 19477), or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.

Previous Request for Comments.

    This request provides a 30-day comment period required by OIRA. On 
September 19, 2006, the Coast Guard published a notice (71 FR 54830) 
and provided a 60-day comment period as required by 44 U.S.C. 
3506(c)(2). That notice elicited no comments. The proposed information 
collection request (83-I form and supporting statement) we reference in 
that notice and filed in our docket, indicated a request for an 
extension of a currently approved collection, but erroneously made 
reference to a period other than the standard 3-year period. We have 
corrected that item on the 83-I to reflect the standard 3-year 
extension.

Information Collection Request

    Title: Certificate of Discharge to Merchant Mariners.
    OMB Control Number: 1625-0012.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Masters or mates of shipping companies and 
merchant mariners.
    Forms: CG-718A.
    Abstract: Under 46 U.S.C. 10311, the Coast Guard prescribes the 
form of the Certificate of Discharge for Merchant Mariners. The 
Certificate provides merchant mariners with evidence of sea service to 
determine eligibility for various benefits, such as medical and 
retirement. The information collected is also used to show eligibility 
for an original, renewed, upgraded license or merchant mariner document 
to develop maritime sea service statistics, and to provide information 
to the U.S. Maritime Administration (MARAD) on the availability of 
mariners in a time of national emergency. The Coast Guard's Sea Service 
database captures the information from the Certificates of Discharge 
and is used by the Coast Guard's Regional Examination Centers to 
evaluate the qualifications of mariners who apply for originals, 
renewals, upgrades to their license or merchant mariners' documents. 
The information from the database is compiled annually by MARAD to 
prepare congressionally mandated reports on mariner availability. 
Currently, the CG Form 718A, Continuous Discharge Book, is only 
available in booklet format utilizing carbon copies. The Coast Guard is 
revising this form so that it may be provided to the maritime community 
for downloading via the Internet. The new version still requires vessel 
master and discharged mariner signatures. This effort is intended to 
alleviate issues regarding form availability.
    Burden Estimate: The estimated burden has decreased from 4,500 
hours to 1,800 hours a year.

    Dated: December 8, 2006.
R.T. Hewitt,
Rear Admiral, Assistant Commandant for Command, Control, 
Communications, Computers and Information Technology.
[FR Doc. E6-21284 Filed 12-13-06; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-15-P