[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 102 (Friday, May 29, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25763-25764]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-12525]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation


Agency Information Collection; Activities Under OMB Review; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of renewal of a currently approved collection (OMB No. 
1006-0029).

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation, we) has forwarded the following 
Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Rural Water Supply Act, OMB 
Control Number: 1006-0029. Title 43 CFR part 404 requires entities 
interested in participating in the Rural Water Supply Program (Rural 
Water Program) to submit information to allow Reclamation to evaluate 
and prioritize requests for financial or technical assistance.

DATES: OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove this information 
collection, but may respond after 30 days; therefore, public comments 
must be received on or before June 29, 2009 to assure maximum 
consideration.

ADDRESSES: You may send written comments to the Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior at the Office of Management and Budget, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, via facsimile to (202) 
395-5806 or e-mail to [email protected]. A copy of your comments 
should also be directed to the Bureau of Reclamation, Attention: 84-
52000, PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Avra Morgan at: (303) 445-2906.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Reclamation Rural Water Supply Program, 43 CFR part 404.
    OMB Control Number: 1006-0029.
    Abstract: The purpose of the Rural Water Program is to provide 
assistance to small communities of 50,000 inhabitants or less, 
including tribes and tribal organizations, to plan the design and 
construction of projects to serve rural areas with industrial, 
municipal, and residential water. Specifically, Reclamation is 
authorized to provide financial and technical assistance to conduct 
appraisal investigations and feasibility studies for rural water supply 
projects. Reclamation's regulations (43 CFR part 404) establish 
criteria governing how the program will be implemented, including 
eligibility and prioritization criteria, and criteria to evaluate 
appraisal and feasibility studies.
    Entities interested in participating in the Rural Water Program 
will be requested to submit information regarding proposed appraisal 
investigations and feasibility studies, to allow Reclamation to 
evaluate and prioritize requests for financial or technical assistance 
under the program. Reclamation will apply the program criteria to the 
information provided to determine whether the entity seeking assistance 
is eligible, whether the project is eligible for assistance, and to 
what extent the project meets Reclamation's prioritization criteria. 
Requests for assistance under the Rural Water Program will be made on a 
voluntary basis. There is no form associated with this information 
collection.
    There are three different types of assistance that a project 
sponsor can request under the Rural Water Program, each of which 
requires different information to be submitted, as follows:
    (1) Review of a Completed Study. To request Reclamation to review a 
completed appraisal investigation or feasibility study--which was not 
completed with assistance under the Rural Water Program, the entity 
making the request (the project sponsor) must submit a cover letter 
requesting Reclamation to commence the review. The cover letter must 
address the eligibility criteria set forth in Sec. Sec.  404.6 and 
404.7 of the regulations, and the prioritization criteria under Sec.  
404.13.
    (2) Assistance to Conduct an Appraisal Investigation. To request 
technical or financial assistance to conduct an appraisal 
investigation, the project sponsor must submit a statement of interest 
in response to the program announcement, as explained in Sec.  404.14. 
Reclamation will post a program announcement on www.grants.gov one time 
annually to provide notice to the public of the

[[Page 25764]]

opportunity to request assistance under the Rural Water Program. No 
form is required to be filled out in order to submit a statement of 
interest. The statement of interest will include information regarding 
the eligibility of the project sponsor to participate in the program, 
whether the proposed project meets the program eligibility 
requirements, and the extent to which the proposed project meets the 
prioritization criteria.
    (3) Assistance to Conduct a Feasibility Study. To request technical 
or financial assistance to conduct a feasibility study, the project 
sponsor must have already completed an appraisal investigation. Since a 
statement of interest will have already been submitted, project 
sponsors seeking to conduct a feasibility study may simply complete a 
full proposal without having to complete another statement of interest. 
No form is required to be filled out in order to submit a full 
proposal. The full proposal will be used by Reclamation to determine 
whether the project sponsor is eligible to participate in the program, 
whether the proposed project meets the program eligibility 
requirements, the extent to which the proposed project meets the 
prioritization criteria, and to evaluate the proposal in general to 
determine whether it is reasonable and can be successful. The content 
of a full proposal will be described in detail in the program 
announcement and will typically include a detailed scope of work for 
the proposed study.
    Frequency: Once annually, in response to the program announcement.
    Respondents: States, tribes, municipalities, water districts, and 
other entities created under State law with water management authority.
    Estimated Annual Total Number of Potential Respondents: 185.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.0.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: 56.0.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 2,100 hours.

Comments

    We invite your comments on:
    (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of our functions, including whether the 
information will have practical use;
    (b) The accuracy of our burden estimate for 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 of the information collection on 
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    An agency 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. A 60-day comment period soliciting 
comments on this collection of information was published in the Federal 
Register (73 FR 67778, Nov. 17, 2008) in an interim final rule. No 
public comments were received.
    Before including your address, telephone 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 us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

Roseann Gonzales,
Director, Policy and Program Services, Bureau of Reclamation.
[FR Doc. E9-12525 Filed 5-28-09; 8:45 am]
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