[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 137 (Monday, July 20, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 45280-45281]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2026-14515]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Geological Survey
[Docket No. USGS-2026-0199; OMB Control Number 1028-0137;
GX26EN05ES90000]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Evaluation of
the Arctic Rivers Project
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 of 1995 (PRA),
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is proposing an extension of an
information collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
August 19, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments by one of the following methods:
[ssquf] Internet: https://www.regulations.gov. Search for and
[[Page 45281]]
submit comments on Docket No. USGS-2026-0199.
[ssquf] U.S. Mail: USGS, Information Collections Clearance Officer,
12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 159, Reston, VA 20192.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this Information Collection Request (ICR), contact Ryan Toohey by
email at [email protected], or by telephone at 907-227-6423. Individuals
in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or Tele Braille) 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 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 (91 FR 23301) with a 60-day public
comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information
was published on April 30, 2026, we received the following comment,
(summarized). The Northern Alaska Environmental Center (NAEC) supports
renewing the USGS information collection for the Evaluation of the
Arctic Rivers Project, emphasizing its value for understanding climate-
driven changes in Arctic river systems and ensuring project tools
remain relevant to Tribes, Indigenous Knowledge holders, and rural
communities. The NAEC urges the USGS to refine burden estimates, use
clear and purposeful evaluation questions, respect Tribal sovereignty
and data protections, and reduce respondent burden through flexible
participation options. Continued evaluation is seen as essential for
strengthening community-centered science and improving the project's
usefulness, accessibility, and accountability.
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 comments 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 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 using 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. 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: We will collect information from stakeholders of the
Arctic Rivers Project, which include representatives of Indigenous
communities in Alaska, representatives of Indigenous organizations, and
others regarding the effectiveness of participatory methods and
achievement of overall project goals. Evaluation information will be
collected via semi-structured interviews, surveys, and polls. Questions
will focus on the relevancy of the project to participants, methods
used to engage with participants, feedback about project components,
input for the direction of the project, preferred communication
methods, current and future use of project products. This information
will allow for a greater understanding of the effectiveness of
community engagement, the co-production process, and participation in
the direction of the project. This information will help guide the
project through its various phases, and it will help enhance
communication and product development.
Title of Collection: Evaluation of the Arctic Rivers Project.
OMB Control Number: 1028-0137.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals/Tribal governments.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 150.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 150.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: 30 minutes.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 75.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: One time.
Total Estimated Annual Non-hour 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 Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Stephen Gray,
Alaska Climate Science Center Director.
[FR Doc. 2026-14515 Filed 7-17-26; 8:45 am]
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