[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 164 (Friday, August 23, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68185-68187]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-18907]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GR.24.NC00.UMR10.NB; OMB Control Number 1028-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; 1028-NEW 
Wildlife Morbidity-Mortality or Disease Surveillance Event Reporting

AGENCY: Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), 
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Wildlife Health Center 
(NWHC) is proposing a new information collection in use without OMB 
approval.

[[Page 68186]]


DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
September 23, 2024.

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 Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Please provide a 
copy of your comments by mail to U.S. Geological Survey, Information 
Collections Officer, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive MS 159, Reston, VA 
20192; or by email to [email protected]. Please reference 
OMB Control Number 1028-NEW Wildlife Morbidity in the subject line of 
your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this information collection request (ICR), contact Katherine 
Richgels by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 608-381-
2492. 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. 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 
April 19, 2022 (87 FR 23228). No comments were received.
    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 the agency might 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 personally identifiable information 
(PII) in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your PII--may be made publicly available at any time. While 
you can ask us in your comment to withhold your PII from public review, 
we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.
    Abstract: The USGS NWHC collects information on the presence of 
highly consequential wildlife diseases and the occurrence of wildlife 
morbidity/mortality events nationwide to aid in outbreak investigations 
conducted by land-management agencies and as part of their mission-
critical activities associated with response to animal health 
emergencies (Emergency Support Function 11). The collected information 
is used in the diagnostic evaluation of specimens submitted to the NWHC 
and to provide situational awareness of wildlife health issues, 
including potential zoonotic disease threats of interest to human- and 
agricultural-health agencies, and species/population impacts to assist 
management agencies with management decisions. The NWHC requests that 
State, Federal, and Tribal natural-resource managers report wildlife 
morbidity and mortality events and collaborate on national-scale 
surveillance. Reported information includes the location, land 
ownership, and date(s) where the event occurred; where the carcass was 
collected or sample was taken; capture methods and sample type; species 
sampled; individual characteristics such as sex, age, and size; any 
clinical signs or other event history observed; habitat characteristics 
known to affect the suspected disease process, such as habitat type, 
habitat cover, temperature, precipitation, or others; laboratory 
confirmed or suspected diagnoses; and contact information of the person 
reporting the event or submitting the sample. The NWHC reports back the 
results of diagnostic testing and cause of death (if applicable) to the 
submitter and other parties, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 
Migratory Bird Coordinators, as applicable and provides generalized 
information to all users through our WHISPers platform where users can 
search and download current and historical trends in wildlife diseases 
(in accordance with the open data policy and FAIR standards).
    Wildlife health information is shared in international health 
monitoring efforts through the NWHC's role (along with the Canadian 
Wildlife Health Cooperative) as a Collaborating Centre for Research, 
Diagnosis, and Surveillance of Wildlife Pathogens within the World 
Organization for Animal Health. The NWHC is also a Reference Center for 
Wildlife Health and Wildlife Disease, a member of the U.S. Department 
of Agriculture National Animal Health Laboratory Network, and a Food 
and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Reference Center for 
Wildlife Health and Wildlife Disease Diagnostics.
    Title of Collection: Wildlife Morbidity/Mortality or Disease 
Surveillance Event Reporting.
    OMB Control Number: 1028-NEW.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: An existing collection without an OMB approval.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Employees of State, Federal, or Tribal 
agencies, often but not limited to, those with land management 
authority. Other organizations such as universities or non-government 
entities often working in partnership or under permit with management 
agencies.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 539.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 1723.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Approximately 2-285 min. 
May vary depending on activity and data provided.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 1101.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: Per wildlife health event, or surveillance 
sampling effort, frequency depends on the number of events experienced 
by an agency/management unit and specimen collection effort.

[[Page 68187]]

    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 PRA of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et 
seq.).

Katherine Richgels,
Chief, Ecology and Epidemiology Branch.
[FR Doc. 2024-18907 Filed 8-22-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4338-11-P