[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 60 (Thursday, March 28, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19006-19007]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07137]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-CR-HPS-12019; PPWOCRADI0, PCU00RP14.R50000]


Information Collection Request Sent to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for Approval; Historic Preservation Certifications

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (National Park Service, NPS) have sent an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. We summarize 
the ICR below and describe the nature of the collection and the 
estimated burden and cost. This information collection is scheduled to 
expire on March 31, 2013. We 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. However, under OMB 
regulations, we may continue to conduct or sponsor this information 
collection while it is pending at OMB.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before April 29, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions on this information 
collection to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at 
OMB-OIRA at (202) 395-5806 (fax) or [email protected] 
(email). Please provide a copy of your comments to the Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 I Street NW., 
MS 1237, Washington, DC 20005 (mail); or [email protected] 
(email). Please reference OMB Control Number 1024-0009 in the subject 
line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Michael J. Auer at (202) 354-2031 or [email protected] (email). You may review the ICR online at http://www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to review Department of the 
Interior collections under review by OMB.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 1024-0009.
    Title: Historic Preservation Certifications, 36 CFR Part 67.
    Form Numbers: 10-168, 10-168a, 10-168b, 10-168c, 10-168d, and 10-
168e.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 3,300.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals; businesses; and State, 
local, or tribal governments.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                Total
                                    Number of    Completion     annual
             Activity               responses     time per      burden
                                                 response*      hours
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Part 1--Form 10-168:
    Nonconsultants...............          558           27       15,066
    Consultants..................          559            0
Part 2--Form 10-168a:
    Nonconsultants...............          590           51       30,090
    Consultants..................          591            0
Amendment--Form 10-168b:
    Nonconsultants...............          908           17       15,436
    Consultants..................          909            0
Part 3--Form 10-168c:
    Nonconsultants...............          395           14        5,530
    Consultants..................          395            0
State Review:
    Form 10-168d.................        1,117          2.5        2,793
    Form 10-168e (for Part 2s)...        1,181            5        5,905
    Form 10-168e (for Part 3s)...          790          3.5        2,765
    Form 10-168e (for Amds.).....        1,817          2.5        4,543
Certification of Statutes........            2            5           10
Certification of Historic                    2           60          120
 Districts.......................
Appeals:
    Nonconsultants...............            4           40          160
    Consultants..................           30            0
        TOTALS...................        9,848  ...........       82,418
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Burden for consultants is included in nonhour burden costs.

    Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $11,497,474, for application 
fees, consultant costs, and other costs such as printing photographs 
and architectural drawings.

[[Page 19007]]

    Abstract: We administer the Federal Historic Preservation Tax 
Incentives program with the Internal Revenue Service in partnership 
with State Historic Preservation Offices. The tax incentives promote 
the rehabilitation of income-producing historic structures of every 
period, size, style and type. Through this program, underutilized or 
vacant schools, warehouses, factories, retail stores, apartments, 
hotels, houses, offices, and other buildings throughout the country 
have been returned to useful life in a manner that maintains their 
historic character.
    Owners of historic buildings use the Historic Preservation 
Certification Application (Forms 10-168, 10-168a, 10-168b, and 10-168c) 
to apply for Federal tax incentives. Sections 47 and 170 of the 
Internal Revenue Code require the Secretary of the Interior to make 
certain ``certifications'' for owners of historic buildings seeking 
Federal tax incentives for historic preservation. Department of the 
Interior regulations (36 CFR 67) require an owner of an historic 
building to complete an application form to receive these 
certifications for the Federal tax incentives. These incentives include 
a 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 nonhistoric 
buildings built before 1936. Owners of nonhistoric buildings in 
historic districts must 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 can 
claim the lesser tax credit for rehabilitation.
    In accordance with 36 CFR 67, we also collect information for: (1) 
Certifications of State and local statutes (Sec.  67.8), (2) 
certifications of State or local historic districts (Sec.  67.9), and 
(3) appeals (Sec.  67.10).
    State Historic Preservation Offices (SHPOs) are the first point of 
contact for property owners wishing to use the rehabilitation tax 
credit. They help applicants determine if an historic building is 
eligible for Federal or State historic preservation tax incentives, 
provide guidance on an application before or after the project begins, 
and provide advice on appropriate preservation work. SHPOs use Forms 
10-168d and 10-168e to make recommendations to NPS.
    Comments: On August 30, 2012, we published in the Federal Register 
(77 FR 52757) a notice of our intent to request that OMB renew approval 
for this information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments 
for 60 days, ending on October 29, 2012. We received one comment in 
response to this notice. The commenter suggested: (1) That the 
application form be modified to include a mechanism for applicants to 
include relevant information regarding economic and technical 
feasibility considerations and the application of the Secretary of the 
Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation, the standards used to evaluate 
applications under the program, and (2) that the application 
instructions clearly state that the economic and technical feasibility 
are important and required considerations pursuant to 36 CFR 67.7(b). 
We did not modify the information collection in response to this 
comment. We already collect this information as part of the application 
(Detailed Description of Rehabilitation Work). Economic and technical 
feasibility is not a separate consideration, but one of several 
considerations identified in 36 CFR 67.7(b) as part of the agency's 
review of proposed rehabilitation work. The application instructions 
are not meant to supersede the regulations governing the program or 
replace other guidance and materials. The instructions specifically 
refer to the regulations and state that these regulations take 
precedence over the application instructions.
    We again invite comments concerning this information collection on:
     Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
     The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this 
collection of information;
     Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
     Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents.
    Comments that you submit 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 publicly available at anytime. 
While you can ask OMB in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that it 
will be done.

    Dated: March 22, 2013.
Madonna L. Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2013-07137 Filed 3-27-13; 8:45 am]
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