[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 180 (Friday, September 18, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47955-47956]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-22526]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


30-Day Notice of Intention to Request Clearance of Collection of 
Information; Opportunity for Public Comment

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
and 5 CFR Part 1320, Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements, the 
National Park Service (NPS) invites public comments on a revision of a 
currently approved collection of information (OMB 1024-0009).

DATES: Public comments on this Information Collection Request (ICR) 
will be accepted on or before October 19, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments directly to the Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior (OMB 1024-0009), Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB), by fax at 202/395-5806, or by electronic mail at [email protected]. Please also mail or hand carry a copy of your 
comments to Michael J. Auer, NPS Heritage Preservation Services, 
National Park Service, 1849 C St., NW., Washington, DC (2255) 20240 or 
via fax at 202/371-1616.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael J. Auer, NPS Heritage 
Preservation Services, National Park Service, 1849 C St., NW., 
Washington, DC (2255) 20240 or via fax at 202/371-1616. You are 
entitled to a copy of the entire ICR package free-of-charge. You may 
access this ICR at www.reginfo.gov/public/.

COMMENTS RECEIVED ON THE 60-DAY FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE: The NPS 
published a 60-day notice to solicit public comments on this ICR in the 
Federal Register on February 3, 2009 (Vol. 74 No. 21, FR 5945). The 
comment period closed on April 6, 2009. No comments were received on 
this notice.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 1024-0009.
    Title: Historic Preservation Certification Application--36 CFR Part 
67.
    Form(s): 10-168 (Part 1--Evaluation of Significance); 10-168a (Part 
2--Description of Rehabilitation); 10-168b (Amendment Sheet); 10-168c 
(Part 3--Request for Certification of Completed Work).
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection of 
information.
    Description of Need: Abstract. Section 47 of the Internal Revenue 
Code requires that the Secretary of the Interior certify to the 
Secretary of the Treasury upon application by owners of historic 
properties for Federal tax benefits: (a) The historic character of the 
property, and (b) that the rehabilitation work is consistent with that 
historic character. The NPS administers the program with the Internal 
Revenue Service. NPS uses the Historic Preservation Certification 
Application to evaluate the condition and historic significance of 
buildings undergoing rehabilitation for continued use, and to evaluate 
whether the rehabilitation work meets the Secretary of the Interior's 
Standards for Rehabilitation. The Standards for Rehabilitation are 
available at 36 CFR Part 67.7 and at http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/tax/rehabstandards.htm. The Department of the Interior regulation 
36 CFR Part 67 contains a requirement for completion of an application 
form. The information required on the application form is needed to 
allow the authorized officer to determine if the applicant is qualified 
to

[[Page 47956]]

obtain historic preservation certifications from the Secretary of the 
Interior. These certifications are necessary in order for an applicant 
to receive substantial Federal tax incentives authorized by Section 47 
of the Internal Revenue Code. These incentives include 20% Federal 
income tax credit for the rehabilitation of historic buildings and an 
income tax deduction for the donation of easements on historic 
properties. The Internal Revenue Code also provides a 10% Federal 
income tax credit for the rehabilitation of non-historic buildings 
built before 1936. Owners of non-historic buildings in historic 
districts must also use the application to obtain a certification from 
the Secretary of the Interior that their building does not contribute 
to the significance of the historic district before they claim this 
lesser tax credit for rehabilitation.
    Affected public: Individuals or households, businesses.
    Obligation to respond: Responses are required to obtain the benefit 
applied for.
    Frequency of response: On occasion.
    Estimated total annual responses: 5,578 responses. A total of 1,583 
for Form 10-168, a total of 1,245 for Form 10-168a, a total of 1,780 
for Form 10-168b, and a total of 970 for Form 10-168c.
    Estimated average completion time per response: Completion times 
vary from .5 to 39.8 hours.
    Estimated annual reporting burden: 25,798 hours.
    Estimated annual nonhour cost burden: $7,001,644 (application fees 
and contractor costs).
    Comments are invited on: (1) the practical utility of the 
information being gathered; (2) the accuracy of the burden hour 
estimate; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden to 
respondents, including use of automated information collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology. 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 us in your 
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public 
review, we cannot guarantee that OMB will be able to do so.

    Dated: September 15, 2009.
Cartina Miller,
NPS Information Collection Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. E9-22526 Filed 9-17-09; 8:45 am]
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