[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 212 (Wednesday, November 4, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57189-57190]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-26470]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service


60-Day Notice of Intention To Request Clearance of Collection of 
Information; Opportunity for Public Comment

AGENCY: Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

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 Record Keeping Requirements, the 
National Park Service (NPS) invites public comments on an extension of 
a currently approved collection of information (OMB 1024-
0232).

DATES: Public comments on this Information Collection Request (ICR) 
will be accepted on or before January 4, 2010.

ADDRESSES: Send comments to: Diane Miller, National Manager, National 
Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, National Park Service, 
Midwest Regional Office, 601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68102 or 
via fax at 402-661-1982; or via e-mail at [email protected]. All 
responses to the Notice will be summarized and included in the request 
for the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) approval. All comments 
will become a matter of public record.
    To Request a Draft of Proposed Collection of Information Contact: 
Diane Miller, National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, 
National Park Service, 601 Riverfront Drive, Omaha, Nebraska 68102; or 
via phone at 402/661-1588; or via fax at 402/661-1982; or via e-mail 
at: [email protected]. You are entitled to a copy of the entire ICR 
package free of charge once the package is submitted to OMB for review. 
You can access this ICR at: http://www.reginfo.gov/public/.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: National Park Service National Underground Railroad Network 
to Freedom.
    Form(s): National Park Service National Underground Railroad 
Network to Freedom Application Form.
    OMB Control Number: 1024-0232.
    Expiration Date: 2/28/2010.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection of 
information.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB regulations at 5 CFR 1320, which 
implementing provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 
104-13), require that interested members of the public and affected 
agencies have an opportunity to comment on information collection and 
recordkeeping activity [see 5 CFR 1320.8 (d)]. This notice identifies 
an information collection that NPS will be submitting to OMB for 
approval. This collection is contained in Public Law 105-23, the 
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Act of 1998 which 
requires the establishment of a network justifiably associated with the 
Underground Railroad. The Network is designed to be a collection of 
sites, facilities, and programs, both governmental and non-
governmental, around the United States with a verifiable association 
with the historic Underground Railroad movement. The Network to Freedom 
Application Form is completed by Federal agencies, State Historic 
Preservation Offices, other State agencies, local governments, 
organizations, and individuals to determine their eligibility to the 
Network. The National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, National 
Park Service will request a 3-year term of approval for this 
information collection activity.
    Description of Need: The NPS has identified guidelines and criteria 
for associated elements to qualify for the Network. The application 
form for historic sites, educational programs, and archives and 
research centers collects data to determine if eligibility requirements 
are met. The documentation will be incorporated into a database that 
will be available to the general public for information purposes. 
Public Law 105-2103 authorizes the NPS to develop and administer the 
National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Program, a nationwide 
collection of governmental and non-governmental sites, facilities, and 
programs associated with the historic Underground Railroad movement. 
The NPS has developed the application process through which associated 
elements can be included in the Network. The information collected 
will: (a) Verify associations to the Underground Railroad; (b) measure 
minimum levels of standards for inclusion in the Network; and (c) 
identify general needs for technical assistance. The NPS specifically 
requests comments on: (1) The need for information including whether 
the information has practical utility; (2) the accuracy of the 
reporting burden hours estimates; (3) ways to enhance the quality and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize 
the burden of information collection on respondents, including the use 
of automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    Automated Data Collection: Respondents must verify associations and 
characteristics through descriptive texts that are the result of 
historical research. Evaluations are based on subjective analysis of 
the information provided, which often includes copies of rare documents 
and photographs. Much of the information is submitted in electronic 
format, but at the present time, there is no automated way to gather 
all of the required information.
    Description of respondents: The affected public is State, tribal, 
and local governments, Federal agencies, businesses, non-profit 
organizations, and individuals throughout the United States.
    Estimated average number of responses: 70 per year.
    Frequency of Response: Once per respondent.

[[Page 57190]]

    Estimated average time burden per respondent: 15 hours.
    Estimated total annual reporting burden: 1,050 hours.
    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 being 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 we will be able to do so.

    Dated: October 29, 2009.
Cartina A. Miller,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. E9-26470 Filed 11-3-09; 8:45 am]
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