[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 28, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4972-4973]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-1833]


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

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R9-ES-2009-N0012; 92210-1111-0000-B3]


Information Collection Sent to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Approval; OMB Control Number 1018-0119; Policy for 
Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making Listing Decisions (PECE)

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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

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. This ICR is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2009. 
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 February 27, 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: 1018-0119.
    Title: Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making 
Listing Decisions (PECE).
    Service Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Extension of currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Primarily State, local, or tribal governments. 
However, individuals, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations 
could develop agreements/plans or may agree to implement certain 
conservation efforts identified in a State agreement/plan.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                   Number of annual    Number of annual   Completion time per    Annual burden
            Activity                  respondents          responses            response             hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Original Agreement..............                   4                   4  2,000 hours........              8,000
Monitoring......................                   7                   7  600 hours..........              4,200
Reporting.......................                   7                   7  120 hours..........                840
    Totals......................                  18                  18  ...................             13,040
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Abstract: Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) specifies 
the process by which we can list species as threatened or endangered. 
When we consider whether or not to list a species, the ESA requires us 
to take into account the efforts being made by any State or any 
political subdivision of a State to protect such species. We also take 
into account the efforts being made by other entities. States or other 
entities often formalize conservation efforts in conservation 
agreements, conservation plans, management plans, or similar documents. 
The conservation efforts recommended or called for in such documents 
could prevent some species from becoming so imperiled that they meet 
the definition of a threatened or endangered species under the ESA.
    The Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making 
Listing Decisions (PECE) encourages the development of conservation 
agreements/plans and provides certainty about the standard that an 
individual conservation effort must meet for us to consider whether it 
contributes to forming a basis for making a decision about the listing 
of a species. PECE applies to ``formalized conservation efforts'' that 
have not been implemented or have been implemented but have not yet 
demonstrated if they are effective at the time of a listing decision.
    Under PECE, formalized conservation efforts are defined as 
conservation efforts (specific actions, activities, or programs 
designed to eliminate or reduce threats or otherwise improve the status 
of a species) identified in a conservation agreement, conservation 
plan, management plan, or similar document (68 FR 15100). The 
development of such agreements/plans is voluntary. There is no 
requirement that the individual conservation efforts included in such 
documents be designed to meet the standard in PECE.
    Comments: On November 24, 2008, we published in the Federal 
Register (73 FR 71041) a notice of our intent to request that OMB renew 
this ICR. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 days, ending on 
January 23, 2009. We received one comment in response to this notice. 
The commenter did not address the information collection requirements, 
but did object to the continuation of this program. We have not made 
any changes to our information collection requirements as a result of 
this comment.
    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

[[Page 4973]]

information from public review, we cannot guarantee that it will be 
done.

Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
FR Doc. E9-1833 Filed 1-27-09; 8:45 am
BILLING CODE 4310-55-S