[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 245 (Wednesday, December 21, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 93705-93707]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-30697]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

 Geological Survey

[GX.17.MR00.G74E4.00]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments

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

ACTION: Notice of revision of a currently approved information 
collection, (1028-0098).

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SUMMARY: We (the U.S. Geological Survey) are notifying the public that 
we have submitted to the 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

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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 January 31, 2017.

DATES: To ensure that your comments on this ICR are considered, OMB 
must receive them on or before January 20, 2017.

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: 
(OIRA[email protected]); or by fax (202) 395-5806; and identify 
your submission with `OMB Control Number 1028-0098 Nonindigenous 
Aquatic Species Sighting Reporting Form and Alert Registration Form'. 
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 1028-0098: 
Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Sighting Reporting Form and Alert 
Registration Form' in all correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pam Fuller at (352) 264-3481 
(telephone); [email protected] (email); or by mail at U.S. Geological 
Survey, 7920 NW., 71st Street, Gainesville, Florida 32653. You may also 
find information about this ICR at www.reginfo.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    America is under siege by many harmful non-native species of 
plants, animals, and microorganisms. More than 6,500 nonindigenous 
species are now established in the United States, posing risks to 
native species, valued ecosystems, and human and wildlife health. These 
invaders extract a huge cost, an estimated $120 billion per year, to 
mitigate their harmful impacts. The current annual environmental, 
economic, and health-related costs of invasive species exceed those of 
all other natural disasters combined.
    Through its Invasive Species Program (http://www.usgs.gov/ecosystems/invasive_species/), the USGS plays an important role in 
federal efforts to combat invasive species in natural and semi-natural 
areas through early detection and assessment of newly established 
invaders; monitoring of invading populations; and improving 
understanding of the ecology of invaders and factors in the resistance 
of habitats to invasion. The USGS provides the tools, technology, and 
information supporting efforts to prevent, contain, control, and manage 
invasive species nationwide. To meet user needs, the USGS also develops 
methods for compiling and synthesizing accurate and reliable data and 
information on invasive species for inclusion in a distributed and 
integrated web-based information system.
    As part of the USGS Invasive Species Program, the Nonindigenous 
Aquatic Species (NAS) database (http://nas.er.usgs.gov/) functions as a 
repository and clearinghouse for occurrence information on 
nonindigenous aquatic species from across the United States. It 
contains locality information on more than 1,900 species of 
vertebrates, invertebrates, and vascular plants introduced since 1765. 
Taxa include foreign species as well as those native to North America 
that have been transported outside of their natural range. The NAS Web 
site provides immediate access to new occurrence records through a 
real-time interface with the NAS database. Visitors to the Web site can 
use a set of predefined queries to obtain lists of species according to 
state or hydrologic basin of interest. Fact sheets, distribution maps, 
and information on new occurrences are continually posted and updated. 
Dynamically generated species distribution maps show the spatial 
accuracy of the locations reported, population status, and links to 
more information about each report.
    Information is collected from the public regarding the local 
occurrences of nonindigenous aquatic species, primarily fish, in open 
waters of the United States. This is vital information for early 
detection and rapid response for the possible eradication of organisms 
that may be considered invasive in a natural environment such as a 
lake, river, stream, or pond. Because it is not possible for USGS 
scientists to monitor all open waters for harmful nonindigenous 
organisms, the public can help by serving as the ``eyes and ears'' for 
the USGS's Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Program.
    Members of the public who wish to report the occurrence of a 
suspected nonindigenous aquatic species, usually encountered through 
fishing or some other outdoor recreational activity, may fill out and 
submit a form (http://nas.er.usgs.gov/SightingReport.aspx) posted on 
our Web site. The information requested includes type of organism, date 
and location of sighting, photograph(s) if available, and basic 
observer contact information (to allow the USGS to contact the observer 
in the event additional information, such as Photos or more specific 
location details are needed).
    NAS program staff maintains an alert system that contacts 
individuals via email when species occurrences are new to a county, 
drainage (HUC 8), or state. The alerts contain information on the 
specimen occurrence, such as the date and location of the occurrence, 
where the species is newly introduced, and any comments included by the 
reporter. In order for individuals (private or public citizens) to 
receive these alerts, they must register their first and last name 
(fictitious or real), email address, and a password on our alert 
registration form (https://nas.er.usgs.gov/AlertSystem/Register.aspx). 
Custom alerts are sent via email to individuals based on the alert 
types they chose in the alert sign-up page, and these custom alerts can 
be altered by the registered individual by logging in to the alert 
login page (https://nas.er.usgs.gov/AlertSystem/AlertLogin.aspx).
    The USGS does not actively solicit or require observation or 
contact information from the public. Participation in the reporting 
process and the alert system is completely voluntary. The personally 
identifiable information given by individuals in these forms is stored 
internally in our sighting report and alert system databases, with all 
passwords encrypted to protect users' security.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1028-0098.
    Form Number: Various (12 forms).
    Title: Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Sighting Reporting Form and 
Alert Registration Form.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Respondent Obligation: Participation is voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: Occasional.
    Description of Respondents: General public, State and Local 
governments, Tribal nations.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: We estimate 600 users 
(400 individuals and 200 state/local/tribal governments) per year for 
the sighting report form, and 80 users (50 individuals and 30 state/
local/tribal governments) per year for the alert registration form.
    Estimated Time per Response: We estimate that it will take 3 
minutes per person to complete the sighting report form and 1 minute 
per person to complete the alert registration form.

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    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: We estimate 30 hours for the 
sighting report form, and 2 hours for the alert registration form; a 
total of 32 hours for the two forms.
    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 October 5, 2016, we published a Federal Register 
notice (81 FR 69074) announcing that we would submit this ICR to OMB 
for approval and soliciting comments. The comment period closed on 
December 5, 2016. We received one comment. The commenter asked how the 
Department of the Interior (DOI) is coordinating with U.S. Department 
of Agriculture (USDA) to halt importation of invasive species that are 
currently represented in our NAS database. Our response indicated that 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) under the DOI, and the 
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) under the USDA are 
both authorized to regulate plant and animal species imported into and 
within the U.S. We provided Web site URLs for further reference to the 
agencies' policies and prohibited species lists.

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, 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 us and the OMB 
in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from 
public review, we cannot guarantee that it will be done.

Kenneth Rice,
Center Director, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, U.S. Geological 
Survey.
[FR Doc. 2016-30697 Filed 12-20-16; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4338-11-P