[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 189 (Monday, October 2, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45884-45886]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-21098]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[RR83550000, 17XR0680A1, RX.31580001.0090104; OMB Control Number 1006-
0023]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Forms To 
Determine Compliance by Certain Landholders, 43 CFR Part 426

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), are proposing to renew an 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
November 1, 2017.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this information collection request 
(ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior by email at [email protected]; or 
via facsimile to (202) 395-5806. Please provide a copy of your comments 
to Stephanie McPhee, Bureau of Reclamation, 84-55000, P.O. Box 25007, 
Denver, CO 80225-0007; or via email to [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 1006-0023 in the subject line of your 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Stephanie McPhee, Bureau of Reclamation, by 
email at [email protected], or by telephone at (303) 445-2897. You may 
also view the information collection request at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork

[[Page 45885]]

Reduction Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal 
agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and 
continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact 
of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information 
collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired 
format.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
December 21, 2016 (81 FR 93709). No comments were received.
    We are again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is 
described below. We are especially interested in public comment 
addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the 
proper functions of Reclamation; (2) will this information be processed 
and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 
(4) how might Reclamation enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (5) how might Reclamation minimize 
the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the 
use of information technology.
    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 us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.
    Abstract: Identification of limited recipients--Some entities that 
receive Reclamation irrigation water may believe that they are under 
the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA) forms submittal threshold and, 
consequently, may not submit the appropriate RRA form(s). However, some 
of these entities may in fact have a different RRA forms submittal 
threshold than what they believe it to be due to the number of natural 
persons benefiting from each entity and the location of the land held 
by each entity. In addition, some entities that are exempt from the 
requirement to submit RRA forms due to the size of their landholdings 
(directly and indirectly owned and leased land) may in fact be 
receiving Reclamation irrigation water for which the full-cost rate 
must be paid because the start of Reclamation irrigation water 
deliveries occurred after October 1, 1981 [43 CFR 426.6(b)(2)]. The 
information obtained through completion of the Limited Recipient 
Identification Sheet (Form 7-2536) allows us to establish entities' 
compliance with Federal reclamation law. The Limited Recipient 
Identification Sheet is disbursed at our discretion.
    Trust review--In order to administer section 214 of the RRA and 43 
CFR 426.7, we are required to review and approve all trusts. Land held 
in trust generally will be attributed to the beneficiaries of the trust 
rather than the trustee if the criteria specified in the RRA and 43 CFR 
426.7 are met. We may extend the option to complete and submit for our 
review the Trust Information Sheet (Form 7-2537) instead of actual 
trust documents when we become aware of trusts with a relatively small 
landholding (40 acres or less in districts subject to the prior law 
provisions of Federal reclamation law, 240 acres or less in districts 
subject to the discretionary provisions of Federal reclamation law). If 
we find nothing on the completed Trust Information Sheet that would 
warrant the further investigation of a particular trust, that trustee 
will not be burdened with submitting trust documents to us for in-depth 
review. The Trust Information Sheet is disbursed at our discretion.
    Acreage limitation provisions applicable to public entities--Land 
farmed by a public entity can be considered exempt from the application 
of the acreage limitation provisions provided the public entity meets 
certain criteria pertaining to the revenue generated through the 
entity's farming activities (43 CFR 426.10 and the Act of July 7, 1970, 
Pub. L. 91-310). We are required to ascertain whether or not public 
entities that receive Reclamation irrigation water meet such revenue 
criteria regardless of how much land the public entities hold (directly 
or indirectly own or lease) [43 CFR 426.10(a)]. In order to minimize 
the burden on public entities, standard RRA forms are submitted by a 
public entity only when the public entity holds more than 40 acres 
subject to the acreage limitation provisions westwide, which makes it 
difficult to apply the revenue criteria as required to those public 
entities that hold less than 40 acres. When we become aware of such 
public entities, we request those public entities complete and submit 
for our review the Public Entity Information Sheet (Form 7-2565), which 
allows us to establish compliance with Federal reclamation law for 
those public entities that hold 40 acres or less and, thus, do not 
submit a standard RRA form because they are below the RRA forms 
submittal threshold. In addition, for those public entities that do not 
meet the exemption criteria, we must determine the proper rate to 
charge for Reclamation irrigation water deliveries. The Public Entity 
Information Sheet is disbursed at our discretion.
    Acreage limitation provisions applicable to religious or charitable 
organizations--Some religious or charitable organizations that receive 
Reclamation irrigation water may believe that they are under the RRA 
forms submittal threshold and, consequently, may not submit the 
appropriate RRA form(s). However, some of these organizations may in 
fact have a different RRA forms submittal threshold than what they 
believe it to be depending on whether these organizations meet all of 
the required criteria for full special application of the acreage 
limitations provisions to religious or charitable organizations [43 CFR 
426.9(b)]. In addition, some organizations that (1) do not meet the 
criteria to be treated as a religious or charitable organization under 
the acreage limitation provisions, and (2) are exempt from the 
requirement to submit RRA forms due to the size of their landholdings 
(directly and indirectly owned and leased land), may in fact be 
receiving Reclamation irrigation water for which the full-cost rate 
must be paid because the start of Reclamation irrigation water 
deliveries occurred after October 1, 1981 [43 CFR 426.6(b)(2)]. The 
Religious or Charitable Organization Identification Sheet (Form 7-2578) 
allows us to establish certain religious or charitable organizations' 
compliance with Federal reclamation law. The Religious or Charitable 
Organization Identification Sheet is disbursed at our discretion.
    Title of Collection: Forms to Determine Compliance by Certain 
Landholders, 43 CFR part 426.
    Form Numbers: Form 7-2536, Form 7-2537, Form 7-2565, and Form 7-
2578.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Entity landholders, trusts, public 
entities, and religious or charitable organizations identified by 
Reclamation that are subject to the acreage limitation provisions of 
Federal reclamation law.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 500.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 500.

[[Page 45886]]

    Estimated Completion Time per Response: See table below.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 72 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                      Burden
                                                   estimate per      Number of     Annual number   Annual burden
                    Form No.                         form (in       respondents    of responses   on respondents
                                                     minutes)                                       (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Limited Recipient Identification Sheet..........               5             175             175              15
Trust Information Sheet.........................               5             150             150              13
Public Entity Information Sheet.................              15             100             100              25
Religious or Charitable Identification Sheet....              15              75              75              19
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................  ..............             500             500              72
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    An agency 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.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq).

    Dated: August 9, 2017.
Ruth Welch,
Director, Policy and Administration.
[FR Doc. 2017-21098 Filed 9-29-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4332-90-P