Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review; Comment Request, 38708-38710 [05-13146]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Reclamation
• Reclamation Bureau

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 127 (Tuesday, July 5, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38708-38710]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-13146]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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 currently approved collection (OMB No. 
1006-0023).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

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: Limited Recipient 
Identification Sheet and Trust Information Sheet, 43 CFR part 426, OMB 
Control Number: 1006-0023. As a result of Reclamation's activities to 
fully implement the acreage limitation provisions applicable to public 
entities (43 CFR 426.10 and the Act of July 7, 1970, Pub. L. 91-310), a 
new ``Public Entity Information Sheet'' (Form 7-2565) has been 
developed for approval as part of this information collection. The ICR 
describes the nature of the information collection and its expected 
cost and burden.

DATES: Your comments must be received on or before August 4, 2005.

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 to (202) 395-6566 or e-mail to 
OIRA--DOCKET@omb.eop.gov. A copy of your comments should also be 
directed to the Bureau of Reclamation, Attention: D-5300, 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-5300, PO Box 25007, 
Denver, CO 80225-0007; or by telephone: (303) 445-2897.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Limited Recipient Identification Sheet, Trust Information 
Sheet, and Public Entity Information Sheet for Acreage Limitation, 43 
CFR part 426 and the Act of July 7, 1970, Public Law 91-310.
    Abstract: Identification of limited recipients--Some entities that 
receive Reclamation irrigation water may believe themselves to be under 
the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA) forms submittal threshold and 
consequently, may not submit the appropriate RRA form(s). However, some 
of these entities may in fact have a different RRA forms submittal 
threshold than what they believe it to be due to the number of natural 
persons benefitting from each entity. In addition, some entities that 
are exempt from the requirement to submit RRA forms due to the size of 
their landholdings (directly and indirectly owned and leased land) may 
in fact be receiving Reclamation irrigation water for which the full-
cost rate must be paid because the entity first started to receive 
Reclamation irrigation water deliveries after October 1, 1981 [43 CFR 
426.6(b)(2)]. The information obtained through completion of the 
Limited Recipient Identification Sheet allows the Bureau of Reclamation 
(we, our, or us) to establish entities' compliance with Federal 
reclamation law. The Limited Recipient Identification Sheet is 
disbursed at our discretion.
    Trust review--We are required to review and approve all trusts [43 
CFR part 426.7(b)(2)] in order to ensure trusts meet the regulatory 
criteria specified in 43 CFR part 426.7. Land held in trust generally 
will be attributed to the beneficiaries of the trust rather than the 
trustee if the regulatory criteria are met. When we become aware of 
trusts with a relatively small landholding (40 acres

[[Page 38709]]

or less), we may extend to those trusts the option to complete and 
submit for our review the proposed Trust Information Sheet instead of 
actual trust documents. If we find nothing on the completed, Trust 
Information Sheet that would warrant the further investigation of a 
particular trust, that trustee will not be burdened with submitting 
trust documents to us for in-depth review. The Trust Information Sheet 
is disbursed at our discretion.
    Acreage limitation provisions applicable to public entities--Land 
farmed by a public entity can be considered exempt from the application 
of the acreage limitation provisions provided the public entity meets 
certain criteria pertaining to the revenue generated through the 
entity's farming activities (43 CFR 426.10 and the Act of July 7, 1970, 
Pub. L. 91-310). We are required to ascertain whether or not public 
entities that receive Reclamation irrigation water meet such revenue 
criteria regardless of how much land the public entities hold (directly 
or indirectly own or lease) [43 CFR 426.10(a)]. In order to minimize 
the burden on public entities, standard RRA forms are submitted by a 
public entity only when the public entity holds more than 40 acres, 
which makes it difficult to apply the revenue criteria as required to 
those public entities that hold less than 40 acres. A new ``Public 
Entity Information Sheet'' (Form 7-2565) has been developed for 
approval as part of this information collection. The information 
obtained through completion of Form 7-2565 allows us to establish 
compliance with Federal reclamation law for those public entities that 
hold less than 40 acres and thus do not submit a standard RRA form 
because they are below the RRA forms submittal threshold. In addition, 
for those public entities that do not meet the exemption criteria, we 
must determine the proper rate to charge for Reclamation irrigation 
water deliveries. There is anticipated to be a very minimal increase in 
burden hours resulting from the addition of this form because of the 
very limited type of landholders that can use this form (i.e., only 
those public entities that hold less than 40 acres). The Public Entity 
Information Sheet is disbursed at our discretion and will be effective 
starting in the 2006 water year. Because of the addition of this 
proposed new form to this information collection, we also propose that 
the title of this information collection be changed to ``Forms for 
Certain Landholders That Hold Less Than 40 Acres for Acreage 
Limitation.'' This change in title will allow us to capture the purpose 
of the forms in this information collection without listing lengthy 
form names.
    Changes to the RRA forms and the instructions to those forms.
    Several proposed changes were made to the current forms, and the 
proposed new form, prior to the 60-day comment period initiated by the 
notice published in the Federal Register on February 1, 2005 (70 FR 
5221, Feb. 1, 2005). Those changes were designed to increase the 
respondents' understanding of the forms and how to complete them. 
Comments resulting from the 60-day comment period consisted of minor 
language revisions and layout revisions to specific areas of the forms. 
Changes based on the comments received were made when the changes 
resulted in increased clarity and increased correctness of the forms 
and the corresponding instructions. All other changes that were made 
are editorial or typographical in nature. The proposed revisions to the 
forms will be included starting in the 2006 water year.
    Frequency: Generally, these forms will be submitted once per 
identified entity, trust, or public entity. Each year, we expect new 
responses in accordance with the following numbers.
    Respondents: Entity landholders, trusts, and public entities 
identified by Reclamation that are subject to the acreage limitation 
provisions of Federal reclamation law.
    Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 425.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.00.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: 425.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 52 hours.
    Estimate of Burden for Each Form:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                                                         Burden
                                              Estimated   Frequency of  Total annual  estimate per  Total burden
                 Form No.                     number of     response      responses     form (in        hours
                                             respondents                                minutes)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Limited Recipient Identification Sheet....           175          1.00           175             5            15
Trust Information Sheet...................           150          1.00           150             5            12
Public Entity Information Sheet...........           100          1.00           100            15            25
                                           ---------------
    Total.................................           425          1.00           425  ............            52
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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 ``Limited Recipient Identification Sheet,'' 
the ``Trust Information Sheet,'' and the ``Public Entity Information 
Sheet.'' A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published in 
the Federal Register on February 1, 2005 (70 FR 5221, Feb. 1, 2005). 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

[[Page 38710]]

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: June 17, 2005.
Roseanne Gonzales,
Director, Office of Program and Policy Services.
[FR Doc. 05-13146 Filed 7-1-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P