[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 48 (Monday, March 13, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15453-15455]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-05108]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-R3-NWRS-2023-N015; FF09R50000-22X-FVRS84510900000; OMB Control 
Number 1018-0174]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service Preliminary Land Acquisition Process

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 without change.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
April 12, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this 
particular information collection by selecting ``Currently under 
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. 
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 ``1018-0174'' 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 review the ICR online at http://www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to review Department of the 
Interior collections under review by OMB. Individuals in the United 
States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech 
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access 
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United 
States should use the relay services offered within their country to 
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and its implementing regulations at 5 
CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require approval under 
the PRA. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to 
respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently 
valid OMB control number.
    On July 19, 2022, we published in the Federal Register (87 FR 
43047) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this 
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 
days, ending on September 19, 2022. In an effort to increase public 
awareness of, and participation in, our public commenting processes 
associated with information collection requests, the Service also 
published the Federal Register notice on Regulations.gov (Docket FWS-
R3-NWRS-2022-0097) to provide the public with an additional method to 
submit comments (in addition to the typical [email protected] email and 
U.S. mail submission methods). We did not receive any comments in 
response to that notice.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies 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.
    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

[[Page 15454]]

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. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. 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: Information collected by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service (in support of the land acquisition program) is required under 
applicable statutes, Department of Justice regulations, Departmental 
and Service policies, and best business practices. In addition, the 
land acquisition program facilitates Secretarial Orders 3356 and 3366 
by tracking land acquisitions that have potential to support public 
hunting, fishing, and other forms of outdoor recreation, and access 
related thereto. Authorities for the collection of realty-related 
information include:
     U.S. Department of Justice; Regulations of the Attorney 
General Governing the Review and Approval of Title for Federal Land 
Acquisitions (2016);
     Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property 
Acquisition Policies Act of 1970, as amended (42 U.S.C. 4601 et seq.);
     National Wildlife Refuge Administration Act of 1966 (16 
U.S.C. 668dd et seq.);
     Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act (16 
U.S.C. 718);
     Migratory Bird Conservation Act, as amended (16 U.S.C. 
715-715r);
     Land and Water Conservation Fund Act of 1965 (54 U.S.C. 
200301 et seq.);
     Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 
et seq.);
     Emergency Wetlands Resources Act of 1986 (16 U.S.C. 3901); 
and
     Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956, as amended (16 U.S.C. 
742a).
    The Service tracks information collected from landowners as part of 
the preliminary land acquisition process. Information collected by the 
Service as part of the preliminary land acquisition process may include 
the following:
     Initial Requests--Initial request to consider property, to 
include such items as:
    [cir] Identifying information for the legal property owner(s), such 
as:

--Name of primary property owner, along with spouse and/or co-owner(s) 
whose names appear on the current deed to the property under review;
--Marital status;
--Other names used; and
--Contact information, to include telephone numbers, personal email 
addresses, and mailing/home addresses.

    [cir] Financial information, to include Social Security Numbers 
(necessary for final payment transaction).
    [cir] Property description, to include such information as:

--Property name,
--Location,
--Legal description, and
--Introductory information.

     Permission to Inspect and Appraise (FWS Form 3-2471)--
Collects information about the property owner and location, and grants 
permission to enter and inspect the property for real estate 
acquisition purposes. Inspection may include, but is not limited to:
    [cir] Appraisal valuations;
    [cir] Boundary survey;
    [cir] Hazardous materials examination (contaminant survey); and
    [cir] Physical examination of any structures on the property.
    We do not use FWS Form 3-2471 in projects that are under Memoranda 
of Understanding (MOU), Memoranda of Agreement (MOA), Cooperative 
Agreements, certain donation partnerships, and other special cases.
     Waiver of Appraisal Requirement (FWS Form 3-2461)--Per 49 
CFR 24.102(c)(2), a willing-seller landowner may release the Service 
from the obligation of obtaining an appraisal for (1) land donations 
and (2) certain land acquisitions where the anticipated value is low 
and the valuation problem is uncomplicated.
    Unless delivered in person, both the Permission to Inspect and 
Appraise form (FWS Form 3-2471) and the Waiver of Appraisal Requirement 
form (FWS Form 3-2461) will contain a cover letter referred to as the 
access permission letter. The access permission letter does not request 
any information, but is used to explain the form or waiver process.
    Information is collected and protected in accordance with the 
Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552a) and the Freedom of Information Act (5 
U.S.C. 552). We will maintain the information in a secure system of 
records (Real Property Records, FWS-11; 71 FR 68635 (November 27, 
2006); modification published 73 FR 31877 (June 4, 2008)). We gather 
Social Security numbers and banking information to assist with 
electronic payments and preparation of the required Internal Revenue 
Service 1099 Forms.
    Title of Collection: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Preliminary 
Land Acquisition Process.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0174.
    Form Numbers: 3-2461 and 3-2471.
    Type of Review: Extension without change of a currently approved 
collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals/households, private 
sector, and State/local/Tribal governments participating in realty 
transactions with the Service.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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                                                                                      Average
                                  Average number  Average number  Average number    completion       Estimated
           Requirement               of annual     of responses      of annual       time per      annual burden
                                    respondents        each          responses       response         hours *
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                                                Initial Requests
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Individuals.....................             151               1             151              .5              76
Private Sector..................             208               1             208               1             208
Government......................              16               1              16               2              32
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[[Page 15455]]

 
                                       Permission to Inspect and Appraise
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Individuals.....................              53               1              53             .25              13
Private Sector..................              96               1              96             .25              24
Government......................               7               1               7             .25               2
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                                         Waiver of Appraisal Requirement
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Individuals.....................               9               1               9             .25               2
Private Sector..................              17               1              17             .25               4
Government......................               5               1               5             .25               1
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    Totals:.....................             562  ..............             562  ..............             362
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* Rounded.

    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.).

Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2023-05108 Filed 3-10-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P