[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 148 (Thursday, August 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46597-46598]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-18427]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Geological Survey

[GX13CD00B951000]


Agency Information Collection Activities: State Water Resources 
Research Institute Program Annual Application and Reporting

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

ACTION: Notice of an extension of currently approved information 
Collection, 1028-0097.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 National Institutes for Water Resources 
(NIWR) USGS Competitive Grant Program. 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 July 31, 2013.

DATES: Submit written comments by September 3, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written 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

[[Page 46598]]

submission with OMB Control Number 1028-0097. Please also submit a copy 
of your comments to Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. 
Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 807 National Center, 
Reston, VA 20192 (mail); [email protected] (email); or (703) 648-7195 
(fax). Please reference Information Collection 1028-0097.
    For Further Information Please Contact: Earl Greene by mail at U. 
S. Geological Survey, 5522 Research Park Drive, 436, Baltimore, MD 
21228, email: [email protected]. You may also find information about 
this ICR at www.reginfo.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: State Water Resources Research Institute Program Annual 
Application and Reporting.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-0097.
    Type of Request: Notice of an extension of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Respondent Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.

Abstract

    The Water Resources Research Act of 1984, as amended (42 U.S.C. 
10301 et seq.), authorizes a water resources research institute or 
center in each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, 
the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Federated States of Micronesia, the 
Commonwealth of the Northern Marina Islands, and American Samoa. There 
are currently 54 such institutes, one in each state, the District of 
Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. The institute 
in Guam is a regional institute serving Guam, the Federated States of 
Micronesia, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Each 
of the 54 institutes submits an annual application for an allotment 
grant and provides an annual report on its activities under the grant. 
The State Water Resources Research Institute Program issues an annual 
call for applications from the institutes to support plans to promote 
research, training, information dissemination, and other activities 
meeting the needs of the States and Nation. The program also encourages 
regional cooperation among institutes in research into areas of water 
management, development, and conservation that have a regional or 
national character.
    The U.S. Geological Survey has been designated as the administrator 
of the provisions of the Act.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: We expect to 
receive 54 applications and 54 annual reports.
    Estimated Annual Responses: 108.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 8,640 (including 100 hours per 
application and 60 hours per report).
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: 
There is no non-hour cost burden 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 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 April 
18, 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 
June 19, 2013. We did not receive any comments in response to that 
notice. We again invite comments concerning this information collection 
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) how to enhance the quality, 
usefulness, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) how 
to minimize the burden on the respondents, including the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    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: July 26, 2013.
Earl A. Greene,
Acting, Water Resources Research Act Program Coordinator.
[FR Doc. 2013-18427 Filed 7-31-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4311-AM-P