[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 82 (Monday, April 29, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25094-25095]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-09995]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX13EN05ESB0500]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of an extension of currently approved information 
Collection, 1028-0096.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the 
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is inviting comments on an information 
collection request (ICR) that we have sent to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR concerns the 
paperwork requirements for the Department of the Interior Regional 
Climate Science Centers. 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 ICR. This 
collection is scheduled to expire on April 30, 2013.

DATES: Submit written comments by May 29, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Please submit comments on this information collection 
directly to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior via email: ([email protected]); 
or by fax (202) 395-5806; and identify your submission with 
1028-0096. Please also submit a copy of your comments to 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 807 
National Center, Reston, VA 20192 (mail); [email protected] (email); or

[[Page 25095]]

(703) 648-7195 (fax). Please Reference Information Collection 1028-0096 
in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nadine Hartke by mail at U.S. 
Geological Survey, MS 400 National Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, 
Reston, VA 20192, or by telephone at 703-648-4607. You may also find 
information about this ICR at www.reginfo.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Department of the Interior Regional Climate Science Centers.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-0096.
    Type of Request: Notice of an extension of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Respondent Obligation: Required to obtain a benefit.
    Abstract: The National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center 
(NCCWSC) has the responsibility to manage DOI Climate Science Centers 
(CSCs) that are co-located at cooperating organizations at non-USGS 
facilities. The NCCWSC works in close partnership with the climate 
change science and natural and cultural resource management communities 
to understand high priority science needs and to develop science 
information tools that can help resource managers develop strategies 
for responding to climate change. This program provides funding for 
researchers through cooperative agreements that involve climate change 
science as a major component. Eight DOI CSCs have been established. The 
DOI CSCs and host partnerships have been established on a 5-year 
renewable basis. The initial information collection activity was 
performed to identify the preferred locations/institutional partners 
for Climate Science Centers. This was a full and open competition 
announced on Grants.gov. Based on this information, CSC host 
institutions have been identified and have entered cooperative 
agreements with USGS. At present, information collection activities 
focus on annual performance and financial reports, required under the 
cooperative agreements. This information is used to conduct an annual 
performance evaluation of each CSC's progress in meeting the goals of 
the agreement.
    Frequency of Collection: Once annually.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: We expect to 
receive approximately 40 responses (annual status reports) from a 
combination of state/local and tribal governments as well as from 
individuals representing the private sector.
    Estimated Annual Responses: 40.
    Estimated Annual burden hours: 800.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: 
There is no non-hour cost burden associated with this activity.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor and you are not 
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.
    Comments: To comply with the public consultation process, on 
January 11, 2013, we published a Federal Register notice (78 FR 2422) 
announcing that we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The 
notice provided the required 60-day public comment period, which ended 
March 12, 2013. In response to our Federal Register Notice, we received 
two comments, which consisted of general invectives about the U.S. 
Government and did not pertain to this information collection. We again 
invite comments concerning this information collection on: (1) Whether 
or not the collection of information is necessary, including whether or 
not the information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of 
our estimate of the burden for this collection of information; (3) ways 
to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be 
collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on respondents. Please note that the 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 publicly 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 it will be done.

     Dated: April 16, 2013.
 T. Douglas Beard, Jr.,
Chief, NCCWSC, U.S. Geological Survey.
[FR Doc. 2013-09995 Filed 4-26-13; 8:45 am]
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