[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 153 (Monday, August 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47948-47949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-19503]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX15GC009PLSG00]


Agency Information Collection Activity; National Cooperative 
Geologic Mapping Program (EDMAP and STATEMAP)

AGENCY: United States Geological Survey (USGS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of a currently approved collection.

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SUMMARY: We (the U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) 
described below. 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 IC. This 
collection is scheduled to expire on October 31, 2015.

DATES: To ensure that your comments are considered, we must receive 
them on or before September 9, 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 `Information Collection 1028-0088, National 
Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP--EDMAP and STATEMAP)' in 
all correspondence. 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).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas A. Howard, Associate Program 
Coordinator NCGMP (STATEMAP and EDMAP), U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 
Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 908, 20192 (mail); at 703-648-6978 
(telephone); or [email protected] (email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    EDMAP is the educational component of the NCGMP that is intended to 
train the next generation of geologic mappers. The primary objective of 
the STATEMAP component of the NCGMP is to establish the geologic 
framework of areas that are vital to the welfare of individual States.
    The NCGMP EDMAP program allocates funds to colleges and 
universities in the United States and Puerto Rico through an annual 
competitive cooperative agreement process. Every federal dollar that is 
awarded is matched with university funds. Geology professors, who are 
skilled in geologic mapping, request EDMAP funding to support 
undergraduate and graduate students at their college or university in a 
one-year mentored geologic mapping project that focuses on a specific 
geographic area. Only State Geological Surveys are eligible to apply to 
the STATEMAP component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping 
Program pursuant to the National Geologic Mapping Act (Pub. L. 106-
148). Since many State Geological Surveys are organized under a State 
university system, such universities may submit a proposal on behalf of 
the State Geological Survey.
    Each fall, the program announcements are posted to the Grants.gov 
Web site and respondents are required to submit applications 
(comprising of Standard Form 424, 424A, 424B, Proposal Summary Sheet, 
the Proposal, and Budget Sheets. Additionally, EDMAP proposal must 
include a Negotiated Rate Agreement, and a Support letter from a State 
Geologist or USGS Project Chief).
    Since 1996, more than $5 million from the NCGMP has supported 
geologic mapping efforts of more than 1,000 students working with more 
than 244 professors at 148 universities in 44 states, the District of 
Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Funds for graduate projects are limited to 
$17,500 and undergraduate project funds limited to $10,000. These funds 
are used to cover field expenses and student salaries, but not faculty 
salaries or tuition. The authority for both programs is listed in the 
National Geologic Mapping Act (Pub. L. 106-148).
    We will protect information from respondents considered proprietary 
under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its 
implementing regulations (43 CFR part 2), and under regulations at 30 
CFR 250.197, ``Data and information to be made available to the public 
or for limited inspection.'' Responses are voluntary. No questions of a 
``sensitive'' nature are asked.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1028-0088.
    Form Number: NA.
    Title: National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (EDMAP and 
STATEMAP).
    Type of Request: Renewal without change.
    Affected Public: University or College faculty and State Geological 
Surveys.
    Respondent's Obligation: None. Required to receive funding.
    Frequency of Collections: Annually.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: Approximately 50 
University or College faculty and approximately 45 State Geological 
Survey responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 36 hours.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 5,220 hours total. We expect to 
receive approximately 50 applications for EDMAP and 45 applications for 
STATEMAP each year which takes each applicant approximately 36 hours to 
complete, totaling 3,420 hours. This includes the time for project 
conception and development, proposal writing and reviewing, and 
submitting a project narrative through Grants.gov. We expect to issue 
45 EDMAP and 45 STATEMAP grants per year. The grant recipients are also 
required to submit a final technical report which takes each grant 
recipient approximately 20 hours to complete, totaling 1,800 hours.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: 
There are no ``non-hour cost'' burdens associated with this IC.
    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

[[Page 47949]]

collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and current expiration date.

III. Request for Comments

    To comply with the public consultation process, on March 25, 2015, 
we published a Federal Register notice (80 FR 15808) announcing our 
intent to submit this information collection to OMB for approval. In 
that notice we solicited public comments for 60 days, ending on May 26, 
2015. The USGS did not receive any comments. Therefore, we have not 
changed this collection.
    We again invite comments concerning this IC 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) ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to 
minimize the burden on the respondents, including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Please 
note that any 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 publically 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 will be done.

Douglas A. Howard,
Associate Program Coordinator, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping 
Program.
[FR Doc. 2015-19503 Filed 8-7-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4311-AM-P