[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 235 (Friday, December 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 57947]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26464]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 235 / Friday, December 8, 2017 / 
Notices  

[[Page 57947]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency


Information Collection Request; Emergency Conservation Program 
(ECP) and Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP)

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, as 
amended, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all 
interested individuals and organizations on an extension with a 
revision of currently approved information collection associated with 
the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Biomass Crop Assistance 
Program (BCAP). This information is collected in support of, 
respectively, sections 401-407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978, 
as amended, and section 9011 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 
Act of 2002, as amended.

DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by February 6, 2018.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this Notice. In your 
comment, include the volume, date, and page number of this issue of the 
Federal Register. You may submit comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to: www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail, hand delivery, or courier: Virginia Green, ECP 
Program Manager, Conservation and Environmental Programs Division, Farm 
Service Agency, United States Department of Agriculture, STOP 0513, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, 20250-0513.
    You may also send comments to the Desk Officer for Agriculture, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Washington, DC 20503. Copies of the information collection may 
be requested by contacting Martin Bomar.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, Virginia Green, (202) 401-9144.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Description of Information Collection

    Title: Emergency Conservation Program and Biomass Crop Assistance 
Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0082.
    Expiration Date: March 31, 2018.
    Type of Request: Extension of a Currently Approved Information 
Collection.
    Abstract: The collection of this information is necessary to allow 
FSA to:
    (1) Effectively administer the regulations under ECP, which are set 
forth at 7 CFR part 701, so as to provide funding and technical 
assistance for farmers and ranchers to restore farmland damaged by 
natural disasters, and for emergency water conservation measures in 
severe droughts; and
    (2) Effectively administer the regulations for BCAP, which are set 
forth at 7 CFR part 1450, so as to provide financial assistance to 
owners and operators of agricultural and non-industrial private forest 
land who wish to establish, produce, and deliver biomass feedstocks.
    This information is collected in support of, respectively, sections 
401-407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-334), as 
amended, and section 9011 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 
of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-171), as amended.
    FSA will decrease the burden hours in the request because FSA will 
replace the form series AD-245 and its associated computing process, 
with the new form series FSA-848 and a web-based computing environment. 
Also, participation in BCAP has been reduced due to reduced funding. 
FSA is removing three forms for ECP, FSA-18, ACP-153, and ACP-153A, and 
one form for BCAP, CCC-36, Assignment of Payment, from the information 
collection.
    For the following estimated total annual burden on respondents, the 
formula used to calculate the total burden hours is the estimated 
average time per response multiplied by the estimated total annual of 
responses.
    Estimate of Average Time To Respond: Public reporting burden for 
collecting information under this notice is estimated to average 
0.26556 hours per response (an average of 16 minutes), including the 
time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, 
gathering and maintaining the data needed, completing and reviewing the 
collection of information for all respondents, and travel time for half 
of the respondents. The average travel time, which is included in the 
total annual burden, is estimated to be 1 hour per respondent.
    Type of Respondents: Owners, operators and other eligible 
agricultural producers on eligible farmland.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 55,680.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.258.
    Estimated Total Annual Reponses: 292,820.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 0. 26556 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 77,763 hours.
    We are requesting comments on all aspects of this information 
collection to help us to:
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (3) Evaluate the quality, ability and clarity of the information 
technology; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the information collection on those who 
respond through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information.
    All responses to this notice, including names and addresses when 
provided, will be summarized and included in the request for OMB 
approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.

Steven J. Peterson,
Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 2017-26464 Filed 12-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-05-P