[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 246 (Monday, December 22, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78385-78386]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-30432]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R9-MB-2008-N0339] [91100-3740-GRNT-7C]


Information Collection Sent to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Approval; 1018-0113; Neotropical Migratory Bird 
Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grant Programs

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION:  Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY:  We (Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. The ICR, which 
is summarized below, describes the nature of the collection and the 
estimated burden and cost. This ICR is scheduled to expire on December 
31, 2008. We 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. However, under OMB regulations, we may 
continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is 
pending at OMB.

DATES: You must send comments on or before January 21, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions on this ICR 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) or [email protected] (e-mail).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Hope Grey by mail or e-mail (see ADDRESSES) or 
by telephone at (703) 358-2482.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0113.
    Title: Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act (NMBCA) Grant 
Programs.
    Service Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Extension of currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Domestic or foreign individuals; corporations, 
partnerships, trusts, associations, or other private entities; and 
State/local/tribal governments.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion. 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.

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                                   Number of annual    Number of annual   Completion time per    Annual burden
            Activity                  respondents          responses            response             hours
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Grant Applications..............                 100                 120  70 hours...........              8,400
Reports.........................                  65                  75  30 hours...........              2,250
    Totals......................                 165                 195  ...................             10,650
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    Abstract: The Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Act 
establishes a matching grants program to fund projects that promote the 
conservation of neotropical migratory birds in the United States, 
Canada, 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, Canada, Latin America, 
and the Caribbean; and
    (3) Provide financial resources and foster international 
cooperation for those initiatives.
    Principal conservation actions supported by NMBCA are:
    (1) Protection and management of neotropical migratory bird 
populations.
    (2) Maintenance, management, protection, and restoration of 
neotropical migratory bird habitat.
    (3) Research and monitoring.
    (4) Law enforcement.
    (5) Community outreach and education.
    We publish notices of funding availability on the Grants.gov 
website (http://www.grants.gov) as well as in the Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance (http://cfda.gov). To compete for grant funds, 
partnerships submit applications that describe in substantial detail 
project locations, project resources, future benefits, and other 
characteristics that meet the standards established by the Fish and 
Wildlife Service and the requirements of NMBCA.
    Materials that describe the program and assist applicants in 
formulating project proposals for consideration are available on our 
website at http://www.fws.gov/birdhabitat. Persons who do not have 
access to the Internet may obtain instructional materials by mail. We 
have not made any major changes in the scope and general nature of the 
instructions since the OMB first approved the information collection in 
2002.
    Comments: On June 24, 2008, we published in the Federal Register 
(73 FR 35704) a notice of our intent to request that OMB renew this 
ICR. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 days, ending on 
August 25, 2008. We received one comment. The comment expressed 
opposition to the NMBCA grants program, but did not address the 
information collection requirements. We did not make any changes to our 
information collection requirements as a result of this comment.

[[Page 78386]]

    We again invite comments concerning this information collection on:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information;
    (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.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you 
should be aware that your entire comment, including your personal 
identifying information, may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask OMB in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that it 
will be done.

    Dated: November 28, 2008
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
FR Doc. E8-30432 Filed 12-19-08; 8:45 am
BILLING CODE 4310-55-S