[Federal Register Volume 79, Number 39 (Thursday, February 27, 2014)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11121-11122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2014-04319]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-MB-2014-N034: FF09M21200-134-FXMB1231099BPP0]


Information Collection Request Sent to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for Approval; Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit 
Applications and Reports--Migratory Birds and Eagles

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) 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 February 28, 2014. 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 March 31, 2014.

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 Service 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service, MS 2042-PDM, 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 
(mail), or [email protected] (email). Please include ``1018-0022'' in 
the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Hope Grey at [email protected] (email) or 703-
358-2482 (telephone). 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:

Information Collection Request

    OMB Control Number: 1018-0022.
    Title: Federal Fish and Wildlife License/Permit Applications and 
Reports, Migratory Birds and Eagles, 50 CFR 10, 13, 21, and 22.
    Service Form Numbers: 3-200-6 through 3-200-9, 3-200-10a through 3-
200-10f, 3-200-12 through 3-200-16, 3-200-18, 3-200-67, 3-200-68, 3-
200-71, 3-200-72, 3-200-77, 3-200-78, 3-200-79, 3-200-81, 3-200-82, 3-
202-1 through 3-202-17, 3-186, and 3-186A.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Description of Respondents: Individuals; zoological parks; museums; 
universities; scientists; taxidermists; businesses; utilities; and 
Federal, State, tribal, and local governments.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion for applications; annually or 
on occasion for reports.
    Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 61,623.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 15 minutes to 
452 hours, depending on activity.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 106,661.
    Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $1,520,525 for permit 
application fees.
    Abstract: Our Regional Migratory Bird Permit Offices use 
information that we collect on permit applications to determine the 
eligibility of applicants for permits requested in accordance with the 
criteria in various Federal wildlife conservation laws and 
international treaties, including:
    (1) Migratory Bird Treaty Act (16 U.S.C. 703 et seq.).
    (2) Lacey Act (16 U.S.C. 3371 et seq.).
    (3) Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act (16 U.S.C. 668).
    Service regulations implementing these statutes and treaties are in 
chapter I, subchapter B of title 50 of the Code of Federal Regulations 
(CFR). These regulations stipulate general and specific requirements 
that, when met, allow us to issue permits to authorize activities that 
are otherwise prohibited.
    All Service permit applications are in the 3-200 series of forms, 
each tailored to a specific activity based on the requirements for 
specific types of permits. We collect standard identifier information 
for all permits. The information that we collect on applications and 
reports is the minimum necessary for us to determine if the applicant 
meets/continues to meet issuance requirements for the particular 
activity.
    This ICR also includes the burden for permit applications and 
report forms for long-term eagle take permits that is currently 
approved under OMB Control Number 1018-0151. Once OMB takes action on 
this IC, we will discontinue OMB Control No. 1018-0151.

Comments Received and Our Responses

    On November 13, 2013, we published in the Federal Register (78 FR 
68086) 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 January 13, 2014. We received one comment from the 
American Bird Conservancy (ABC).
    The commenter stressed that while ``there are ways that the 
quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected can be 
enhanced and ways that a system can be streamlined to minimize burden 
of the collection of information on respondents. . .,'' he emphasized 
that ``the minimum amount of information to be collected must allow the 
USFWS to make a valid determination that the proposed action is 
permissible under the law. Information regarding impact on wild 
populations, proposed use of the specimens, and explanations of 
necessary mitigation/compensation, when required are thus critical for 
allowing the USFWS to do its important job of protecting our public 
trust resources for the benefit of all.''
    We appreciate ABC's comments because they recognize the importance 
of collecting sufficient information from applicants and permittees to 
ensure that the applicant qualifies for the permit, that issuance of 
the permit meets

[[Page 11122]]

issuance criteria, and that report information is sufficient to allow 
both enforcement of the permits, and, particularly where wild birds are 
concerned, that the report information collected contributes to our 
knowledge of the impacts of utilities and other entities on migratory 
birds, including eagles.
    A significant change we are making is to convert the report form 
for Special Purpose Utility permits (3-202-17) from paper to electronic 
format. These permits allow utilities such as electric, wind, and solar 
companies to collect birds found dead on their property. The data will 
be housed in the Avian Injury/Mortality Reporting System (AIMRS). Our 
goal is to make reporting more convenient for permittees, but 
electronic submission will be particularly beneficial for the Service, 
because it will make the data accessible for analysis without staff 
having to enter it manually. This will make the data on this important 
source of mortality readily available to biologists who are monitoring 
the impacts of incidental take and working with industry to identify 
best practices to reduce those impacts.

Request for Public Comments

    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.

Availability of Public Comments

    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 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: February 24, 2014.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy and Directives Management, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2014-04319 Filed 2-26-14; 8:45 am]
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