[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 192 (Thursday, October 7, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Page 55857]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21940]



[[Page 55857]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Indian Affairs

[2221A2100DD/AAKC001030/A0A501010.999900 253G; OMB Control Number 1076-
0104]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Federal 
Acknowledgment as an Indian Tribe, 25 CFR 83

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 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 Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs (AS-IA) are proposing to renew 
an information collection with revisions.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
November 8, 2021.

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 R. Lee Fleming, Director, Office of Federal Acknowledgment, 
Assistant Secretary--Indian Affairs, 1849 C Street NW, MS-4071 MIB, 
Washington, DC 20240; facsimile: (202) 219-3008; email: 
[email protected]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1076-0104 in 
the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact R. Lee Fleming, (202) 513-7650. 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 provides 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 
May 20, 2021 (86 FR 27464). 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 the AS-IA; (2) will this information be processed 
and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; 
(4) how might the AS-IA enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (5) how might the AS-IA 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: Submission of this information allows the Office of 
Federal Acknowledgment (OFA), within the Office of the Assistant 
Secretary--Indian Affairs, to review groups' documented petitions for 
the Federal acknowledgment as an Indian tribe. The acknowledgment 
regulations at 25 CFR 83 contain seven criteria that unrecognized 
groups seeking Federal acknowledgment as Indian tribes must demonstrate 
that they meet. Information collected from petitioning groups under 
these regulations provide anthropological, genealogical, and historical 
data used by the AS-IA to establish whether a petitioning group has the 
characteristics necessary to be acknowledged as a continuously existing 
Indian tribe. Federal acknowledgment establishes a government-to-
government relationship with the United States. Respondents are not 
required to retain copies of the information submitted to OFA but will 
probably maintain copies for their own use; therefore, there is no 
recordkeeping requirement included in this information collection.

Proposed Revisions to This Information Collection

    We are no longer planning to revise this information collection to 
include collections of information related to petitions for Federal 
acknowledgment under 25 CFR part 82, for entities in Alaska that were 
not recognized as bands or Tribes before 1936, as stated in the 
proposed rule published in the Federal Register of January 2, 2020 (85 
FR 26902) and May 5, 2020 (85 FR 26902).
    Title of Collection: Federal Acknowledgment as an Indian Tribe, 25 
CFR 83.
    OMB Control Number: 1076-0104.
    Form Number: BIA-8304, BIA-8305, and BIA-8306.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Groups petitioning for Federal 
acknowledgment as Indian Tribes.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 1 per year, on 
average.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 1 per year, on average.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 1,516 hours, on average.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1,516 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain a Benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: Once.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $2,100,000.
    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).

Elizabeth K. Appel,
Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action--Indian 
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2021-21940 Filed 10-6-21; 8:45 am]
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