[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 166 (Thursday, August 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52055-52056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-21253]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-ES-2015-N169; 4500030113]


Information Collection Request Sent to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for Approval; Policy for Evaluation of Conservation 
Efforts When Making Listing Decisions (PECE)

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 August 31, 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. 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 September 28, 2015.

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 BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 
(mail), or [email protected] (email). Please include ``1018-0119'' 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: 1018-0119.
    Title: Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making 
Listing Decisions (PECE).
    Service Form Number: None.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Description of Respondents: Primarily State, local, or tribal 
governments. However, individuals, businesses, and not-for-profit 
organizations could develop agreements/plans or may agree to implement 
certain conservation efforts identified in a State agreement/plan.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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                                                                                    Completion
                    Activity                         Number of       Number of       time per      Total annual
                                                    respondents      responses       response      burden hours
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Agreement.......................................               4               4           2,000           8,000
Monitoring......................................               7               7             600           4,200
Reporting.......................................               7               7             120             840
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................              18              18  ..............          13,040
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    Abstract: Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) (16 U.S.C. 
1531 et seq.) specifies the process by which we can list species as 
threatened or endangered. When we consider whether or not to list a 
species, the ESA requires us to take into account the efforts being 
made by any State or any political subdivision of a State to protect 
such

[[Page 52056]]

species. We also take into account the efforts being made by other 
entities. States or other entities often formalize conservation efforts 
in conservation agreements, conservation plans, management plans, or 
similar documents. The conservation efforts recommended or called for 
in such documents could prevent some species from becoming so imperiled 
that they meet the definition of a threatened or endangered species 
under the ESA.
    The Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making 
Listing Decisions (PECE) (68 FR 15100, March 28, 2003) encourages the 
development of conservation agreements/plans and provides certainty 
about the standard that an individual conservation effort must meet in 
order for us to consider whether it contributes to forming a basis for 
making a decision about the listing of a species. PECE applies to 
``formalized conservation efforts'' that have not been implemented or 
have been implemented but have not yet demonstrated if they are 
effective at the time of a listing decision.
    Under PECE, formalized conservation efforts are defined as 
conservation efforts (specific actions, activities, or programs 
designed to eliminate or reduce threats or otherwise improve the status 
of a species) identified in a conservation agreement, conservation 
plan, management plan, or similar document. To assist us in evaluating 
a formalized conservation effort under PECE, we collect information 
such as conservation plans, monitoring results, and progress reports. 
The development of such agreements/plans is voluntary. There is no 
requirement that the individual conservation efforts included in such 
documents be designed to meet the standard in PECE. The PECE policy is 
posted on our Candidate Conservation Web site at http://www.fws.gov/endangered/esa-library/pdf/PECE-final.pdf.

Comments Received and Our Responses

    Comments: On June 19, 2015, we published in the Federal Register 
(80 FR 35391) a notice of our intent to request that OMB renew 
authority for this information collection. In that notice, we solicited 
public comments for 60 days, ending August 18, 2015. We did not receive 
any comments.

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.
    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: August 24, 2015.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-21253 Filed 8-26-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4310-55-P