[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 146 (Wednesday, July 29, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45654-45655]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-16365]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NRSS-NPS0028497; PPWONRADD3, PPMRSNR1Y.NM0000, 199P103601 
(200); OMB Control Number 1024-0236]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Research 
Permit and Reporting System Applications and Reports

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, 
we, the National Park Service (NPS) are proposing to renew an 
information collection with revisions.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
August 28, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Please 
provide a copy of your comments to Phadrea Ponds, NPS Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 
80525; or by email at [email protected]. Please reference OMB 
Control Number 1024-0236 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR by mail contact Bill Commins, Natural Resource 
Stewardship and Science by email at [email protected]; or by 
telephone at 202-513-7166. Individuals who are hearing or speech 
impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY 
assistance. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq. 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.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
March 18, 2020 (85 FR 15495). We received one response to that notice 
from the State of Alaska on May 18, 2020. The following comments were 
received from the State of Alaska requesting changes to the application 
form:

Comment #1

    . . . we request the following question be added to the 
application, under the section ``Study Schedule.''  Is your 
schedule time sensitive due to biological, weather, or other 
circumstances beyond your control?

Comment #2

    To increase the utility and clarity of this application (as 
requested, we request it include a separate box (in item 3) under the 
section ``Does your study propose to involve any of the following?'' 
 Alaska Park Units, subject to ANILCA.

NPS Response

    We examined the requests in the context that RPRS is a national 
system that applies equally to all parks that receive applications for 
Scientific Research and Collecting Permits. With respect to the first 
comment, the NPS recognizes that many parks, whether in Alaska, the 
conterminous states, the Caribbean, or Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, 
are subject to biological, weather, or other circumstances beyond the 
control of incoming field teams. We conclude that all parks issuing 
Scientific Research and Collecting Permits, including the parks in 
Alaska, are acutely aware of factors that can affect field schedules 
and as a consequence maintain appropriate flexibilities to work with 
permittees to modify field schedules as necessary. Because of this 
awareness, we conclude that park research coordinators do not require 
redundant notice, therefore we rejected this recommendation.
    With respect to the second comment, there is already a section in 
the application titled: ``Does your study propose to involve any of the 
following? (check all that apply)'' that currently has a check box 
regarding ``wilderness''. We concluded that adding a second check box 
specifying ``wilderness in Alaska'' for a permit for studies in Alaska 
would be unnecessary and redundant, therefore we rejected this 
recommendation.
    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 NPS, 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 NPS 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 entire comment--including your personal

[[Page 45655]]

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: NPS policy requires that research studies and specimen 
collection conducted by researchers, other than NPS employees on 
official duty, require an NPS scientific research and collecting 
permit. The permitting process adheres to regulations codified in 36 
CFR 2.1 which prohibit the disturbing, removing, or possessing of 
natural, cultural, and archeological resources. Additionally, 
regulations codified in 36 CFR 2.5 govern the collection of specimens 
in parks for the purpose of research, baseline inventories, monitoring, 
impact analysis, group study, or museum display.
    As required by these regulations, a permitting system is managed 
for scientific research and collecting. NPS forms 10-741a, 
``Application for a Scientific Research and Collecting Permit'' and 10-
741b, ``Application for a Science Education Permit,'' are used to 
collect information from persons seeking a permit to conduct natural or 
social science research and collection activities in individual units 
of the National Park System. Individuals who receive a permit must 
report annually on the activities conducted under the permit using form 
10-226, ``Investigator's Annual Report.''
    The information in this collection is used to manage the use and 
preservation of park resources, and to report on the status of 
permitted research and collecting activities. We encourage respondents 
to use RPRS to complete and submit applications and reports. Additional 
information about existing applications, reporting forms, guidance and 
explanatory material can be found on the RPRS website (https://irma.nps.gov/RPRS/).
    With this renewal we are requesting clearance for the use of a new 
form, the ``Permittee Field Check-In/Field Check-Out Report.'' 
Information requested will give parks real time knowledge of what 
activities are taking place and where, ensuring field work conducted 
conforms with the permitted activity. For form users on the RPRS, the 
majority of the new form will be prepopulated using responses from the 
permit application.
    Title of Collection: Research Permit and Reporting System 
Applications and Reports, 36 CFR 2.1 and 2.5.
    OMB Control Number: 1024-0236.
    Form Number: NPS Forms 10-226, 10-741a, and 10-741b.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals; businesses; academic and 
research institutions; and Federal, State, local, and tribal 
governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 8,590.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 8,590.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 15 minutes to 
83 minutes, depending on activity.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 5,684.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion for applications; annually for 
reports.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    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.).

Phadrea Ponds,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2020-16365 Filed 7-28-20; 8:45 am]
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