[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 3 (Wednesday, January 5, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Page 424]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-28541]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 3 / Wednesday, January 5, 2022 / 
Notices  

[[Page 424]]


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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service

[Docket No. RUS-21-ELECTRIC-0022]


Information Collection Activities: Extension of a Currently 
Approved Information Collection; Comment Request; Settlement of Debt 
Owed by Electric Borrowers

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Utilities Service 
(RUS) announces its' intention to request an extension of a currently 
approved information collection and invites comments on this 
information collection.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by March 7, 2022 to be 
assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted by the Federal eRulemaking Portal: 
Go to https://www.regulations.gov and, in the lower ``Search 
Regulations and Federal Actions'' box, select ``Rural Utilities 
Service'' from the agency drop-down menu, then click on ``Submit.'' In 
the Docket ID column, select RUS-21-ELECTRIC-0022 to submit or view 
public comments and to view supporting and related materials available 
electronically. Information on using Regulations.gov, including 
instructions for accessing documents, submitting comments, and viewing 
the docket after the close of the comment period, is available through 
the site's ``User Tips'' link.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: MaryPat Daskal, Chief, Branch 1, Rural 
Development Innovation Center--Regulations Management Division, United 
States Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue SW, South 
Building, Washington, DC 20250-1522. Telephone: (202) 720-7853. Email 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) regulation (5 CFR part 
1320) implementing provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(Pub. L. 104-13) requires that interested members of the public and 
affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information 
collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). This 
notice identifies the following information collection that RUS is 
submitting to OMB as extension to an existing collection with Agency 
adjustment.
    Title: 7 CFR Part 1717, Subpart Y, Settlement of Debt Owed by 
Electric Borrowers.
    OMB Control Number: 0572-0116.
    Expiration Date of Approval: March 31, 2022.
    Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 1,000 hours per response.
    Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions and other businesses.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1,000 hours.
    Abstract: The Rural Utilities Service makes mortgage loans and loan 
guarantees to electric systems to provide and improve electric service 
in rural areas pursuant to the Rural Electrification Act of 1936, as 
amended (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) (RE Act). This information collection 
requirement stems from passage of Public Law 104-127, on April 4, 1996, 
which amended section 331(b) of the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1921 et seq.) to extend to RUS the Secretary 
of Agriculture's authority to settle debts with respect to loans made 
or guaranteed by RUS. Only those electric borrowers that are unable to 
fully repay their debts to the Government and who apply to RUS for 
relief will be affected by this information collection. The collection 
will require only that information which is essential for determining: 
The need for debt settlement; the amount of relief that is needed; the 
amount of debt that can be repaid; the scheduling of debt repayment; 
and the range of opportunities for enhancing the amount of debt that 
can be recovered. The information to be collected will be similar to 
that which any prudent lender would require to determine whether debt 
settlement is required and the amount of relief that is needed. Since 
the need for relief is expected to vary substantially from case to 
case, so will the required information collection.

    Comments are invited on:
    (a) Whether the collection of information is necessary for the 
proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether 
the information will have practical utility;
    (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
collection of information including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used;
    (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information 
on respondents, including through the use of appropriate automated, 
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques 
or other forms of information technology. All responses to this 
notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB 
approval. All comments will become a matter of public record.

    Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Kimble 
Brown, Rural Development Innovation Center--Regulations Management 
Division, at (202) 720-6780. Email: [email protected].
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

Christopher McLean,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-28541 Filed 1-4-22; 8:45 am]
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