Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review; Comment Request

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of renewal of a currently approved collection (OMB No. 1006-0006).

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501

et seq.

), this notice announces the following Information Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment: Certification Summary Form and Reporting Summary Form for Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR part 426 and 43 CFR part 428, OMB Control Number: 1006-0006. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

DATES:

Your comments must be received on or before June 19, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

You may send comments regarding the burden estimate, or any other aspect of the information collection, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, via facsimile at (202) 395-5806 or e-mail at

Ruth_Solomon@omb.eop.gov.

A copy of your comments should also be directed to the Bureau of Reclamation, Attention: D-5200, PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225-0007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

For further information or a copy of the proposed forms contact Stephanie McPhee, D-5200, PO Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225-0007; or by telephone: (303) 445-2897.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title:

Certification Summary Form and Reporting Summary Form for Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR part 426 and 43 CFR part 428.

Abstract:

The summary forms in this information collection are to be used by district offices to summarize individual landholder (direct or indirect landowner or lessee) and farm operator certification and reporting forms as required by the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA), 43 CFR part 426 and 43 CFR part 428. This information allows the Bureau of Reclamation (we, our, or us) to establish water user compliance with Federal reclamation law.

Changes to the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA) Forms and the Instructions to Those Forms

Proposed changes were made to the current Form 7-21SUMM-C, Form 7-21SUMM-R, the corresponding tabulation sheets, and the corresponding instructions prior to the 60-day comment period initiated by the notice published in the

Federal Register

on December 27, 2002 (67 FR 79147, Dec. 27, 2002). Those changes were designed to increase the respondents' understanding of the summary forms, the instructions to the summary forms, and what information is required to be submitted to Reclamation. Comments resulting from the 60-day comment period consisted of minor language additions, deletions, and revisions to specific areas of certain summary forms. Such additions, deletions, and revisions reflected language found in current RRA directives and/or in other places within the current summary forms. Changes based on the comments received were made when the changes resulted in increased clarity and increased correctness of the summary forms and the corresponding instructions. All other changes that were made are editorial or typographical in nature. The proposed revisions to the summary forms will be included starting in the 2004 water year.

Frequency:

Annually.

Respondents:

Contracting entities that are subject to the acreage limitation provisions of Federal reclamation law.

Estimated Total Number of Respondents:

256.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent:

1.25.

Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses:

320.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents:

12,800 hours.

Estimate of Burden for Each Form:

Form No.

Estimated number of

respondents

Frequency of

response

Total annual

responses

Burden hours per

response

Total burden hours

7-21SUMM-C and tabulation sheets

203

1.25

254

40

10,160

7-21SUMM-R and tabulation sheets

53

1.25

66

40

2,640

Total

256

1.25

320

12,800

Comments

Comments are invited on:

(a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of our functions, including whether the information will have practical use;

(b) The accuracy of our burden estimate for the proposed collection of information;

(c) Ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of

automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

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. Reclamation will display a valid OMB control number on the RRA forms. A

Federal Register

notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published in the

Federal Register

on December 27, 2002 (676 FR 79147, Dec. 27 2002). A list of the comments received and our responses to those comments will be sent to: (1) All districts, (2) all commenters, and (3) OMB with the ICR; it is also available from us upon request.

OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove this information collection, but may respond after 30 days; therefore, public comment should be submitted to OMB within 30 days in order to assure maximum consideration.

Department of the Interior practice is to make comments, including names and home addresses of respondents, available for public review. Individual respondents may request that we withhold their home address from public disclosure, which we will honor to the extent allowable by law. There also may be circumstances in which we would withhold a respondent's identity from public disclosure, as allowable by law. If you wish us to withhold your name and/or address, you must state this prominently at the beginning of your comment. We will make all submissions from organizations or businesses, and from individuals identifying themselves as representatives or officials of organizations or businesses, available for public disclosure in their entirety.

Dated: April 2, 2003.

Richard Rizzi,

Acting Director, Office of Policy.

[FR Doc. 03-12540 Filed 5-19-03; 8:45 am]

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