[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 75 (Friday, April 17, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21448-21450]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-08121]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-ES-2019-N164; FF09E41000 190 FXES111609C0000; OMB Control 
Number 1018-New]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Policy 
Regarding Voluntary Prelisting Conservation Actions

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 a new 
information collection in use without an OMB Control Number.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
May 18, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments on this information collection request 
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: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, 
VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number ``1018-VPCA'' in the subject line of your 
comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION 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 and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), 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 August 9, 2019, we published in the Federal Register (84 FR 
39362) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this 
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 
days, ending on October 8, 2019. We did not receive any comments in 
response to that notice.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other 
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are 
especially interested in public comment addressing the following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of response.
    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 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

[[Page 21449]]

withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we 
cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Abstract: The Service is charged with implementing the Endangered 
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The goal 
of the Act is to provide a means to conserve the ecosystems upon which 
listed species depend and a program for listed species conservation. 
Through our Candidate Conservation program, we encourage the public to 
take conservation actions for species prior to them being listed under 
the Act. Doing so may result in precluding the need to list a species, 
may result in listing a species as threatened instead of endangered, 
or, if a species becomes listed, may provide the basis for its recovery 
and eventual removal from the protections of the Act.
    This policy gives landowners, government agencies, and others 
incentives to carry out voluntary conservation actions for unlisted 
species. It allows the use of any benefits to the species from 
voluntary conservation actions undertaken prior to listing under the 
Act--by the person who undertook such actions or by third parties--to 
mitigate or offset the detrimental effects of other actions undertaken 
after listing. The policy requires participating States to track the 
voluntary conservation actions and provide this information to us on an 
annual basis. We require this information in order to provide the 
entities that have taken the conservation actions with proper credit 
that can later be used to mitigate for any detrimental actions they 
take after the species is listed.
    We plan to collect the following information:
     Description of the prelisting conservation action being 
taken.
     Location of the action (does not include a specific 
address).
     Name of the entity taking the action and their contact 
information (email address only).
     Frequency of the action (ongoing for X years, or one-time 
implementation) and an indication if the action is included in a State 
Wildlife Action Plan.
     Any transfer to a third party of the mitigation or 
compensatory measure rights.
    Each State that chooses to participate will collect this 
information from landowners, businesses and organizations, and Tribal 
and local governments that wish to receive credit for voluntary 
prelisting conservation actions. States may collect this information 
via an Access database, Excel spreadsheet, or other database of their 
choosing and submit the information to the Fish and Wildlife Service 
(via email) annually. States will use this information to calculate the 
number of credits that the entity taking the conservation action will 
receive and will keep track of the credits and notify the entity of how 
much credit they have earned. The States will report the number of 
credits to the Service, and we will determine how many credits are 
needed by the entity to mitigate or offset the detrimental effects of 
other actions they take after the species is listed (assuming it is 
listed).
    Title of Collection: Policy Regarding Voluntary Prelisting 
Conservation Actions.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-New.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Existing collection in use without an OMB Control 
Number.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals; businesses and 
organizations; and State, local, and Tribal governments.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion for new submissions, ongoing 
for recordkeeping requirements, and annually for reporting 
requirements.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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                                                                                      Average
                                   Annual number  Average number                    completion       Estimated
           Requirement                  of         of  responses  Annual  number     time per     annual  burden
                                    respondents        each        of  responses     response         hours *
                                                                                      (hours)
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State Developed Voluntary
 Conservation-Action Program:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1             320             320
Development of Conservation
 Strategy:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1             200             200
Amendments to Conservation
 Strategy:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1              16              16
Credit Agreement/Transfer of
 Credits:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1              80              80
Annual Reports:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1              20              20
State Recordkeeping
 Requirements:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1             240             240
State Reports--Voluntary
 Prelisting Conservation Actions
 Taken Under Program:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1             .25               0
Site-Level Agreements:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0

[[Page 21450]]

 
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1             100             100
Formal Agreements:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1               4               4
Monitoring Reports:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1              24              24
Site-Level Reports:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1              24              24
Management Plans:
    Individuals.................               0               0               0               0               0
    Private Sector..............               0               0               0               0               0
    Government..................               1               1               1             120             120
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        Totals:.................              12  ..............              12  ..............           1,148
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* Rounded to match ROCIS.

    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: April 14, 2020.
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer,U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-08121 Filed 4-16-20; 8:45 am]
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