[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 90 (Monday, May 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26946-26948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11259]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FW-HQ-WSFR-2015-N087; FVWF941009000007B-XXX-FF09W11000; 
FVWF51100900000-XXX-FF09W11000]


Proposed Information Collection; Wildlife and Sport Fish Grants 
and Cooperative Agreements

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) 
described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act 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 IC. This IC is scheduled to expire 
on September 30, 2015. 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.

DATES: To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC, 
we must receive them by July 10, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this IC to the Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC, 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or [email protected] 
(email). Please include ``1018-0109'' in the subject line of your 
comments.

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

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR), U.S. Fish 
and Wildlife Service, administers the following financial assistance 
programs in whole or in part. We award most financial assistance as 
grants, but cooperative agreements are possible if the Federal 
Government will be substantially involved in carrying out the project. 
You can find a description of most programs in the Catalog of Federal 
Domestic Assistance (CFDA).

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                 Program                    CFDA No.            Authority             Implementing regulations
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Clean Vessel Act........................       15.616  16 U.S.C. 777g(c).........  50 CFR 85.

[[Page 26947]]

 
Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection,         15.614  16 U.S.C. 3951-3956.......  50 CFR 84.
 and Restoration Act.
Cooperative Endangered Species                 15.615  16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.....  50 CFR 81.
 Conservation Fund.
Everglades Restoration *................         None  Public Law 104-127; 16      None.
                                                        U.S.C. 460 l-4 thru l-11.
Fish and Wildlife Coordination and             15.664  ..........................  None.
 Assistance Programs (Generic).
Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation             None  16 U.S.C. 777.............  None.
 Mitigation *.
Highlands Conservation Program..........       15.667  ..........................  None.
Hunter Education and Safety.............       15.626  16 U.S.C. 669h-1..........  50 CFR 80.
Landowner Incentive *...................       15.633  Public Law 110-5..........  None.
Multistate Conservation Grants..........       15.628  16 U.S.C. 669h-2; 16        None.
                                                        U.S.C. 777m.
National Outreach and Communication.....       15.653  16 U.S.C. 777g(d).........  None.
Research Grants (Generic)...............       15.650  16 U.S.C. 753a; 16 U.S.C.   None.
                                                        460 (l-4 thru l-11); 16
                                                        U.S.C. 1531-1543.
Service Training and Technical                 15.649  16 U.S.C. 661 and 16        None.
 Assistance (Generic Training).                         U.S.C. 742f.
Sport Fish Restoration..................       15.605  16 U.S.C. 777-777n (except  50 CFR 80.
                                                        777e-1).
Sport Fishing and Boating Safety Act           15.622  16 U.S.C. 777g and g-1....  50 CFR 86.
 (Boating Infrastructure Grants).
State Wildlife Grants...................       15.634  Public Law 110-329........  None.
Tribal Landowner Incentive *............       15.638  Public Law 110-5..........  None.
Tribal Wildlife Grants..................       15.639  Public Law 110-329........  None.
Wildlife Conservation and Restoration *.       15.625  16 U.S.C. 669b and 669c...  None.
Wildlife Restoration....................       15.611  16 U.S.C. 669-669k........  50 CFR 80.
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* Program has open grants, but no new funding.

    Authorities and implementing regulations establish the purposes of 
the grant programs and the types of projects to be funded. Some list 
eligibility criteria as well as activities ineligible for funding. The 
authorities and implementing regulations for the competitive programs 
establish preferences or ranking factors for the selection of projects 
to be funded. These legal requirements make it essential for an 
awarding agency to have certain information so that it funds only 
eligible projects, and, in the case of competitive programs, to select 
those projects that will result in the greatest return on the Federal 
investment.
    Some grants are mandatory and receive funds according to a formula 
set by law or policy. Other grants are discretionary, and we award them 
based on a competitive process. Mandatory grant recipients must give us 
specific, detailed project information during the application process 
so that we can ensure that projects are eligible for the mandatory 
funding, are substantial in character and design, and comply with all 
applicable Federal laws. All grantees must submit financial and 
performance reports that contain information necessary for us to track 
costs and accomplishments.
    In February 2014, OMB approved our request to use a new electronic 
system (Wildlife Tracking and Reporting Actions for the Conservation of 
Species (Wildlife TRACS)) to collect application and performance 
reporting information on our grant programs. OMB assigned OMB Control 
No. 1018-0156, which expires February 28, 2017. Wildlife TRACS allows 
us to take advantage of newer technology and gives applicants direct 
access to enter project information that can be used to submit an 
application through http://www.grants.gov. Grantees can also report 
performance accomplishments in Wildlife TRACS. We are including the use 
of Wildlife TRACS and the collection of additional information in this 
revision to OMB Control No. 1018-0109. If OMB approves this revision, 
we will discontinue OMB Control No. 1018-0156.
    To apply for financial assistance funds, you must submit an 
application that describes in substantial detail project locations, 
benefits, funding, and other characteristics. Materials to assist 
applicants in formulating project proposals are available on 
Grants.gov. We use the application to determine:
     Eligibility.
     Scale of resource values or relative worth of the project.
     If associated costs are reasonable and allowable.
     Potential effect of the project on environmental and 
cultural resources.
     How well the proposed project will meet the purposes of 
the program's establishing legislation.
     If the proposed project is substantial in character and 
design.
     For competitive programs, how the proposed project 
addresses ranking criteria.
    Persons or entities receiving grants must submit periodic 
performance reports that contain information necessary for us to track 
costs and accomplishments.
    In addition to the information currently collected under OMB 
Control No. 1018-0109, we will collect the following additional 
information currently approved under OMB Control No. 1018-0156:
    For mandatory grant program applications and amendments:
     Geospatial entry of project location.
     Project status (active, completed, etc.).
     Project leader contact information.
     Partner information.
     Objectives, including output measures and desired future 
values.
     Plan information (for projects connected to plans).
    For all WSFR grant program projects and reports:
     The information above, as applicable to the approved 
grant.
     Public description.
     Action status (active, completed, etc.).
     Summary trend information, as applicable.
     Estimated costs, by action. (non-auditable).
     Effectiveness measures (initially for State Wildlife 
Grants).
    For real property acquisition projects, information related to:
     Transactions, such as dates, method of transfer, title 
holder, and seller.
     Identifiers, such as State and Federal Record ID, parcel 
number, and property name.
     Values such as appraised value, purchase price and other 
cost information, and acres or acre feet.
     Encumbrances.
     Partners.

[[Page 26948]]

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1018-0109.
    Title: Wildlife and Sport Fish Grants and Cooperative Agreements, 
50 CFR 80, 81, 84, 85, and 86.
    Service Form Number: None.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Description of Respondents: States; the Commonwealths of Puerto 
Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands; the District of Columbia; the 
territories of Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa; federally 
recognized tribal governments; institutions of higher education; and 
nongovernmental organizations.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: We require applications annually for new 
grants. We require amendments on occasion when key elements of a 
project change. We require quarterly and final performance reports in 
the National Outreach and Communication Program and annual and final 
performance reports in the other programs. We may require more frequent 
reports under the conditions stated at 2 CFR 200.205 and 2 CFR 200.207.

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                                                                                    Completion
                    Activity                         Number of       Number of       time per      Total annual
                                                    respondents      responses       response      burden hours
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Initial Application (project narrative).........             200           2,500              44         110,000
Revision of Award Terms (Amendment).............             150           1,500               6           9,000
Performance Reports.............................             200           3,500              12          42,000
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................             550           7,500  ..............         161,000
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III. Comments

    We 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. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this IC. 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 us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.

    Dated: May 5, 2015.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-11259 Filed 5-8-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-55-P