[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 118 (Friday, June 19, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 35392-35393]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-15073]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Geological Survey

[USGS--GX15GL00DT7ST00]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments

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

ACTION: Notice of revision of a currently approved information 
collection (1028-0087).

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SUMMARY: We (the U.S. Geological Survey) are notifying the public that 
we have submitted to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) the 
information collection request (ICR) described below. To comply with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) 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 
September 30, 2015.

DATES: To ensure that your comments on this ICR are considered, OMB 
must receive them on or before July 20, 2015.

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 submission with `OMB Control Number 1028-0087 National Geological 
and Geophysical Data Preservation Program'. Please also forward a copy 
of your comments and suggestions on this information collection to the 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 
Sunrise Valley Drive MS 807, Reston, VA 20192 (mail); (703) 648-7195 
(fax); or [email protected] (email). Please reference `OMB 
Information Collection 1028-0087: National Geological and Geophysical 
Data Preservation Program' in all correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Betty Adrian at (303) 202-4828 or by 
mail at U.S. Geological Survey, Box 25046, MS 975, Denver Federal 
Center, Denver, CO 80225, or by email at [email protected]. You may also 
find information about this ICR at www.reginfo.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This notice concerns the collection of information that is 
sufficient and relevant to evaluate and select proposals for funding 
under the NGGDPP. We will accept proposals from State geological 
surveys requesting funds to (1) inventory, assess, and preserve the 
condition of geoscientific collections and individual physical samples, 
(2) create metadata for individual samples and collections, (3) create 
or update digital infrastructure, including data migration to 
contemporary formats to assure data are not lost due to recording media 
degradation or changing data recording formats or software programs; 
and (4) rescue data at risk. Financial assistance will be awarded 
annually on a competitive basis following the evaluation and ranking of 
State proposals by a review panel composed of representatives from the 
Department of the Interior, State geological surveys, academic 
institutions, and the private sector. To submit a proposal, respondents 
must complete a project narrative and submit the application via 
www.grants.gov. Grant recipients must complete a final technical report 
at the end of the project period. Narrative and report guidance is 
available through http://datapreservation.usgs.gov and at 
www.grants.gov.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1028-0087.
    Form Number: not applicable.
    Title: National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation 
Program (NGGDPP).
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Respondent Obligation: Voluntary, but necessary to receive 
benefits.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Description of Respondents: All State Geological Surveys will have 
the opportunity to apply for matching Federal funds.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: 59 (32 applications and 
27 reports).
    Estimated Time per Response: We estimate that it will take 42 hours 
per person to fill out and submit an application requesting financial 
assistance and provide a final report.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 1,324 burden hours. We expect to 
receive approximately 32 applications. It takes each applicant 
approximately 38 hours to complete the narrative and to present 
supporting documents. This includes the time for project conception and 
development, proposal writing and reviewing, and submitting the 
proposal application through Grants.gov (totaling 1,324 burden hours). 
We anticipate awarding 27 grants per year. The award recipients must 
submit a final report. We estimate that it will take approximately 4 
hours to complete the requirement for the final report (totaling 108 
hours).
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: 
There are no ``non-hour cost'' burdens 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. Until the OMB approves a collection 
of information, you are not obliged to respond.
    Comments: On March 24, 2015, we published a Federal Register notice 
80 FR 15631 announcing that we would submit this ICR to OMB for 
approval and soliciting comments. The comment period closed on May 26, 
2015. We received no comments.

III. Request for Comments

    We again invite comments concerning this ICR as to: (a) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the agency to 
perform its duties,

[[Page 35393]]

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 comments submitted in response to this notice are 
a matter of public record. Before including your personal mailing 
address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable 
information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire 
comment, including your personally identifiable information, may be 
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask the OMB in your 
comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public 
review, we cannot guarantee that it will be done.

Betty M. Adrian,
Program Coordinator, National Geological and Geophysical Data 
Preservation Program.
[FR Doc. 2015-15073 Filed 6-18-15;8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4311-AM-P