[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 49 (Friday, March 13, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12440-12441]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04926]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Geological Survey
[Docket No. USGS-2025-0303; OMB Control Number 1028-0098;
GX25MR00UTCWD00]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Nonindigenous Aquatic
Species Sighting Report Form and Alert Registration Form
AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995,
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing to renew an information
collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
May 12, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
[ssquf] Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and
submit comments on Docket No. USGS-2025-0303.
[ssquf] U.S. Mail: USGS, Information Collections Clearance Officer,
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 159, Reston, VA 20192.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew Neilson by email at
[email protected], or by telephone at +1 352-517-4091. 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 PRA of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information
collections require approval under the PRA.
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 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: America is impacted by many harmful non-native species of
plants, animals, and microorganisms. More than 6,500 nonindigenous
species are now established in the United States, posing risks to
native species, valued ecosystems, and human and wildlife health. These
invaders extract a huge cost for management and mitigation of harmful
impacts, with annual estimated costs ranging from $21-$120 billion and
reported aggregate expenditures from 1960-2020 reaching between $1.22-
4.52 trillion (Pimentel et al. 2005; Fantle-Lepczyk et al. 2022). The
current annual environmental, economic, and health-related costs of
invasive species exceed those of all other natural disasters combined.
Through its Invasive Species Program (http://www.usgs.gov/ecosystems/invasive_species/), the USGS plays an important role in
federal efforts to combat invasive species in natural and semi-natural
areas through early detection and assessment of newly established
invaders; monitoring of invading populations; and improving
understanding of the ecology of invaders and factors in the resistance
of habitats to invasion. The USGS provides the tools, technology, and
information supporting efforts to prevent, contain, control, and manage
invasive species nationwide. To meet user needs, the USGS also develops
methods for compiling and synthesizing accurate and reliable data and
information on invasive species for inclusion in a distributed and
integrated web-based information system.
As part of the USGS Invasive Species Program, the Nonindigenous
Aquatic Species (NAS) database (http://nas.er.usgs.gov/) functions as a
repository and clearinghouse for occurrence information on
nonindigenous aquatic species from across the United States. It
contains locality information on approximately 1,380 species of
vertebrates, invertebrates, and vascular plants introduced since 1850.
Taxa include foreign species as well as those native to North America
that have been transported outside of their natural range. The NAS
website provides immediate access to new occurrence records through a
real-time interface with the NAS database. Visitors to the website can
use a set of predefined queries to obtain lists of species according to
state or hydrologic basin of interest. Fact sheets, distribution maps,
and information on new occurrences are continually posted and updated.
Dynamically generated species distribution maps show the spatial
accuracy of the locations reported, population status, and links to
more information about each report. The NAS
[[Page 12441]]
database will collect information on new species occurrences from the
public using a sighting report form, including the species observed,
location and date of observation, optional contact information (for any
subsequent follow up discussion on observation), and optional images or
other media files that provide supporting evidence of the organism.
The NAS website also allows users to sign up for email alert
notifications of new species observations of interest matching several
taxonomic or geographic filters through an alert registration form. The
information collected includes a name, email address, a user-specific
password, and notification preferences.
Fantle-Lepczyk, Jean E., Phillip J. Haubrock, Andrew M. Kramer,
Ross N. Cuthbert, Anna J. Turbelin, Robert Crystal-Ornelas, Christophe
Diagne, and Franck Courchamp. ``Economic Costs of Biological Invasions
in the United States.'' Science of The Total Environment 806 (February
2022): 151318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151318.
Pimentel, David, Rodolfo Zuniga, and Doug Morrison. ``Update on the
Environmental and Economic Costs Associated with Alien-Invasive Species
in the United States.'' Ecological Economics 52, no. 3 (February 2005):
273-88. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.10.002.
Title of Collection: Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Sighting
Reporting Form and Alert Registration Form.
OMB Control Number: 1028-0098.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Renewal of a currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Federal, State, and local government
employees, university personnel, and private individuals.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: We estimate
approximately 350 respondents per year for the sighting report form
(some respondents will submit multiple reports per year), and 50
respondents (i.e., new registrations) per year for the alert
registration form.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: We estimate 600
responses per year for the sighting report form, and 50 responses
(i.e., new registrations) per year for the alert registration form.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: We estimate 3 minutes for
the sighting report form, and 1 minute for the alert registration form.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: We estimate 30 hours
for the sighting report form, and 1 hour for the alert registration
form; a total of 31 hours for the two forms.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
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.).
Lynn Copeland,
Center Director.
[FR Doc. 2026-04926 Filed 3-12-26; 8:45 am]
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