[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 172 (Thursday, September 5, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46752-46753]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-19173]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-LE-2019-N091; FF09L00200-FX-LE18110900000; OMB Control Number 
1018-0129]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Captive 
Wildlife Safety Act

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), are proposing to renew an 
information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
October 7, 2019.

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 the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service, MS: JAO/1N PRB/PERMA, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls 
Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 1018-0129 in the subject line of your 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Madonna L. Baucum, Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at [email protected], or by 
telephone at (703) 358-2503. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork 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.
    On December 27, 2018, we published a Federal Register notice 
soliciting

[[Page 46753]]

comments on this collection of information for 60 days, ending on 
February 25, 2019 (83 FR 66740). We received one comment in response to 
the Federal Register notice:
    Comment: On February 11, 2019, we received a comment from the 
Executive Director of the Zoological Association of America (ZAA). The 
ZAA strongly opposes the elimination of recordkeeping requirements or 
any further preference proposed by the Service for wildlife sanctuaries 
under the Captive Wildlife Safety Act. The ZAA specifically cited their 
objection to the ``accredited wildlife sanctuary'' exemption that they 
feel largely hinges on IRS 501(c)(3) status and not wildlife expertise. 
ZAA stated that any reputable wildlife holding facility should have 
extensive records, including acquisition and disposition records, as 
well as husbandry and medical records. These records establish the 
basis of knowledge and care of every animal in the care of a facility, 
and no facility, accredited or not, should be exempt from having such 
records.
    Agency Response: No action required. The Service is not seeking to 
eliminate the records keeping requirement. The Federal Register notice 
announced our intention to renew the information collection 
requirements established under the CWSA for accredited wildlife 
sanctuaries. Additionally, changes to, or removal of, the eligibility 
requirements by accredited wildlife sanctuaries under the CWSA would 
require a substantive change to the Act by Congress. Such changes would 
not be part of this information collection.
    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 the Service; (2) will this information be processed 
and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 
(4) how might the Service enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (5) how might the Service 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 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: The Captive Wildlife Safety Act (CWSA; Pub. L. 108-191; 
16 U.S.C. 3371 note and 16 U.S.C. 3372 note) amends the Lacey Act (16 
U.S.C. 3371 et seq.; 18 U.S.C. 42-43) by making it illegal to import, 
export, buy, sell, transport, receive, or acquire, in interstate or 
foreign commerce, live lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, clouded 
leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, or cougars, or any hybrid combination of 
any of these species, unless certain exceptions are met. The CWSA was 
signed into law in 2003 and enforcement began on September 17, 2007. 
There are several exemptions to the prohibitions of the CWSA, including 
accredited wildlife sanctuaries. There is no requirement for wildlife 
sanctuaries to submit applications to qualify for the accredited 
wildlife sanctuary exemption. Wildlife sanctuaries themselves will 
determine if they qualify. As a matter of routine, we do not inspect or 
follow-up on wildlife sanctuaries unless we have cause for concern. To 
qualify, they must meet all of the following criteria:
     Obtain approval by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 
as a corporation that is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of 
the IRS Code of 1986 (Pub. L. 99-514), which is described in sections 
501(c)(3) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of that code.
     Do not engage in commercial trade in the prohibited 
wildlife species, including offspring, parts, and products.
     Do not propagate the prohibited wildlife species.
     Have no direct contact between the public and the 
prohibited wildlife species.
    The basis for this information collection is the recordkeeping 
requirement that we place on accredited wildlife sanctuaries. We 
require accredited wildlife sanctuaries to maintain complete and 
accurate records of any possession, transportation, acquisition, 
disposition, importation, or exportation of the prohibited wildlife 
species as defined in the CWSA (see title 50 of the Code of Federal 
Regulations (CFR) at part 14, subpart K). Records must be up to date 
and include: (1) Names and addresses of persons to or from whom any 
prohibited wildlife species has been acquired, imported, exported, 
purchased, sold, or otherwise transferred; and (2) dates of these 
transactions. Accredited wildlife sanctuaries must:
     Maintain these records for 5 years.
     Make these records accessible to Service officials for 
inspection at reasonable hours.
     Copy these records for Service officials, if requested.
    Title of Collection: Captive Wildlife Safety Act, 50 CFR 14.250-
14.255.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0129.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Accredited wildlife sanctuaries.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 750.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 750.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 1 hour.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 750.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: Ongoing.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $300.
    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 30, 2019.
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-19173 Filed 9-4-19; 8:45 am]
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