[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 92 (Thursday, May 14, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22760-22761]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-11256]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

 Geological Survey


Agency Information Collection Activity; USGS National Coal 
Resources Data System (NCRDS)

AGENCY: United States Geological Survey (USGS).

ACTION: Notice of a new information collection.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we 
are notifying the public that we will submit to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) a new information collection request (ICR) 
for approval of the paperwork requirements for the National Coal 
Resources Data System (NCRDS). To submit a proposal for the NCRDS three 
standard OMB forms and project narrative must be completed and 
submitted via Grants.gov. This notice provides the public an 
opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these forms.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before July 13, 2009.

ADDRESSES: Please submit comments on this information collection 
directly to the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Desk Officer for the Department of 
the Interior, via e-mail [[email protected]] or fax (202) 395-
5806; and identify your submission as 1028-NEW. Please also submit a 
copy of your comments to Phadrea Ponds, USGS Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, 2150-C Center Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525 (mail); 
(970) 226-9230 (fax); or [email protected] (e-mail). Please reference 
Information Collection 1028-NEW, NCRDS in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Tewalt by mail at U.S. 
Geological Survey, MS956 National Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, 
Reston, VA 20192 or by telephone at 703-648-6437.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

[[Page 22761]]

I. Abstract

    The primary objective of the NCRDS is to advance the understanding 
of the energy endowment of the United States (U.S.) through the 
gathering and organization of digital geologic information related to 
coal, coalbed gas, shale gas and other energy resources. Standardized 
information on the location, quality, quantity, and availability of 
U.S. energy resources is necessary for policy makers to optimize energy 
development within an economic context; to implement wise land use 
planning, as well as to minimize environmental impacts from energy 
utilization. The primary partners, for the past 33 years of NCRDS, have 
been the State geological surveys, which function as the basic 
scientific information sources for their governments. Data submitted to 
NCRDS by States or Universities constitute more than two-thirds of 
USTRAT, a USGS point-source stratigraphic database on coal occurrence. 
This database provides the geologic basis for resource assessment 
calculations at federal and State levels. Assistance in other Energy 
Program research efforts is also provided by State survey geologists 
through the NCRDS cooperative agreements.
    Awards to a State geological survey are through a competitive 
process via submittal to http://www.grants.gov. Although no mandate 
exists, dollars are matched or in-kind services provided at some level 
by the States. Data compilation and submittal are continuous, building 
onto prior years of work, thus multi-year proposals are submitted, but 
are funded annually based on availability. In 2009, NCRDS supported 26 
projects in 23 States. The program is conducted under various 
authorities, including 30 U.S.C. 208-1, 42 U.S.C. 15801, and 43 U.S.C. 
31 et seq.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1028-New.
    Title: National Coal Resources Data System (NCRDS).
    Respondent Obligation: Voluntary; necessary to receive benefits.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Estimated Annual Number of and Description of Respondents: 30 total 
State Geological Surveys or Universities are canvassed for a multi-year 
period.
    Estimated Annual Number of Responses: 25.
    Estimated Completion Time: 20 hours per response.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 750 hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: We 
estimate the public reporting burden will average 20 hours per 
response. This includes time to develop project goals, write the 
statement of work, perform internal proposal reviews, and submit the 
proposal through grants.gov.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'': 
There are no ``non-hour cost'' burdens associated with this collection 
of information.

III. Request for Comments

    To comply with the public consultation process, we publish this 
Federal Register notice announcing that we will submit this ICR to OMB 
for approval. The notice provided the required 60-day public comment 
period. We invite comments concerning this ICR on: (a) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the agency to 
perform its duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) 
the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden on the respondents, including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    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 publically available at anytime. 
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

     Dated: May 7, 2009.
Brenda Pierce,
Program Coordinator, USGS Energy Resources Program.
[FR Doc. E9-11256 Filed 5-13-09; 8:45 am]
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