[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 38 (Monday, February 27, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11565-11566]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-4442]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Geological Survey

[GX12GC009PLSG0]


Agency Information Collection: Comment Request AGENCY: United 
States Geological Survey (USGS), Interior

ACTION: Notice of an extension of a currently approved collection 
(1028-0088).

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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 OMB an extension of a 
currently approved information collection for the National Cooperative 
Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP)--EDMAP and STATEMAP. As required by 
the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, and as part of our 
continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite 
the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity 
to comment on this Information Collection (IC). The existing IC is 
scheduled to expire on August 31, 2012.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before April 27, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Please submit a copy of your written comments to USGS 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 
Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 807, Reston, VA 20192 (mail); 703-648-7199 
(fax); or [email protected]. Please reference Information Collection 
1028-0088, NCGMP EDMAP and STATEMAP.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas A. Howard, Associate Program 
Coordinator NCGMP (STATEMAP and EDMAP), USGS Geological Survey, 12201 
Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 908, 20192 (mail); at 703-648-6978 
(telephone); or [email protected] (email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP-EDMAP 
and STATEMAP).
    OMB Control Number: 1028-0088.
    Abstract: EDMAP is the educational component of the NCGMP that is 
intended to train the next generation of geologic mappers. The NCGMP 
allocates funds to colleges and universities in the United States and 
Puerto Rico through an annual competitive cooperative agreement 
process. Every federal dollar that is awarded is matched with 
university funds. Geology professors, who are skilled in geologic 
mapping, request EDMAP funding to support undergraduate and graduate 
students at their college or university in a one-year mentored geologic 
mapping project that focuses on a specific geographic area. Each fall, 
the program announcement is posted to the Grants.gov Web site and 
respondents are required to submit applications (comprising of Standard 
Form 424, 424A, 424B, a Negotiated Rate Agreement, a Support letter 
from State Geologist or USGS Project Chief, an EDMAP Proposal Summary 
Sheet, the Proposal, and Budget Sheets) using Grants.gov.
    Since 1996, more than $5 million from the NCGMP have supported 
geologic mapping efforts of more than 1,000 students working with more 
than 244 professors at 148 universities in 44 states, the District of 
Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Funds for graduate projects are limited to 
$17,500 and undergraduate project funds limited to $10,000. These funds 
are used to cover field expenses and student salaries, but not faculty 
salaries. The authority for the program is listed in the National 
Geologic Mapping Act (Pub. L. 106-148).
    We will protect information from respondents considered proprietary 
under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and it's 
implementing regulations (43 CFR Part 2), and under regulations at 30 
CFR 250.197, ``Data and information to be made available to the public 
or for limited inspection.'' Responses are voluntary. No questions of a 
``sensitive'' nature are asked.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary (necessary to receive funding).
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 50 
University/College Professors or faculty advisors annually.
    Annual Burden Hours: 1,640 hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Hour'' Burden: We 
expect to receive approximately 50 applications each year which takes 
each applicant approximately 20 hours to complete, totaling 1,000 
hours. This includes the time for project conception and development, 
proposal writing and reviewing, and submitting a project narrative 
through Grants.gov. We expect to issue 40 grants per year. The grant 
recipients are also required to submit a final technical report which 
takes each grant recipient approximately 16 hours to complete, totaling 
640 hours.
    Estimated Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'': We 
have not identified any ``non-hour cost'' burdens associated with this 
collection of information.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor and

[[Page 11566]]

you are not required to respond to, a collection of information unless 
it displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    Comments: We invite comments concerning this IC 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. Please 
note that any comments submitted in response to this notice are a 
matter of public record. Before including your address, phone number, 
email 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 
any time. While you can ask OMB in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that will be done.

    Dated: February 17, 2012.
Douglas A. Howard,
Associate Program Coordinator, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping 
Program.
[FR Doc. 2012-4442 Filed 2-24-12; 8:45 am]
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