Information Collection Activity; Comment Request, 31549-31550 [E7-10943]

Download as PDF 31549 Notices Federal Register Vol. 72, No. 109 Thursday, June 7, 2007 This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency statements of organization and functions are examples of documents appearing in this section. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Forest Service Siskiyou County Resource Advisory Committee Forest Service, USDA. Notice of meeting. AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: The Siskiyou County Resource Advisory Committee (RAC) will meet in Yreka, California, June 18, 2007. The meeting will include routine business and discussion of future project submissions for RAC funding. DATES: The meeting will be held June 18, 2007, from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m. ADDRESSES: The meeting will be held at the Yreka High School Library, Preece Way, Yreka, California. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bob Talley, Forest RAC coordinator, Klamath National Forest, (530) 841– 4423 or electronically at rtalley@fs.fed.us. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The meeting is open to the public. Public comment opportunity will be provided and individuals will have the opportunity to address the Committee at that time. Dated: June 1, 2007. Margaret J. Boland, Designated Federal Official. [FR Doc. 07–2828 Filed 6–6–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–11–M DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Rural Utilities Service rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES Information Collection Activity; Comment Request Rural Utilities Service, USDA. Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: ACTION: SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 VerDate Aug<31>2005 20:59 Jun 06, 2007 Jkt 211001 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Utilities Service an agency delivering the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development Utilities Programs, invites comments on this information collection for which approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be requested. DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by August 6, 2007. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michele Brooks, Acting Director, Program Development and Regulatory Analysis, USDA Rural Development, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., STOP 1522, Room 5168 South Building, Washington, DC 20250–1522. Telephone: (202) 690–1078. Fax: (202) 720–8435. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) regulation (5 CFR 1320) implementing provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13) requires that interested members of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an information collection that RUS is submitting to OMB for extension. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to 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. Comments may be sent to: Michele Brooks, Acting Director, Program Development and Regulatory Analysis, USDA Rural Development, STOP 1522, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250–1522. FAX: (202) 720–8435. Title: 7 CFR Part 1730, Electric System Emergency Restoration Plan. OMB Control Number: 0572–0140. PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 Type of Request: Request for an extension of a currently approved information collection. Abstract: Electric power systems have been identified in Presidential Decision Directive 63 (PDD–63), May 1998, as one of the critical infrastructures of the United States. The term ’’critical infrastructure’’ is defined in section 1016(e) of the USA Patriot Act of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)) as ‘‘systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact on security, national economic security, national public health or safety, or any combination of those matters.’’ Damage to or loss of critical or significant parts of the U.S. electric power system can cause enormous damage to the environment, loss of life and economic loss and can affect the national security of the United States. Such damage or loss can be caused by acts of nature or human acts, ranging from an accident to an act of terrorism. Of particular concern are physical and cyber threats from terrorists. Protecting America’s critical infrastructure is the shared responsibility of Federal, State, and local government in active partnership with the private sector. Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD–7), December 2003, established a national policy for Federal departments and agencies to identify and prioritize United States critical infrastructure and key resources and to protect them from terrorist attacks. America’s open and technologically complex society includes a wide array of critical infrastructure and key resources that are potential terrorist targets. The majority of these are owned and operated by the private sector and State or local governments. These critical infrastructures and key resources are both physical and cyber-based and span all sectors of the economy. A substantial portion of the electric infrastructure of the United States resides in, and is maintained by, rural America. To ensure that the electric infrastructure in rural America is adequately protected, RUS is instituting the requirement that all current electric borrowers enhance an existing ERP or, if none exists, develop and maintain an ERP. Title 7 CFR Part 1730, Electric System and Maintenance, establishes a E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM 07JNN1 31550 Federal Register / Vol. 72, No. 109 / Thursday, June 7, 2007 / Notices requirement for electric program distribution, generation, and transmission borrowers to develop an ERP or expand an existing ERP and to provide RUS with a written certification that they have an ERP based upon a VRA. Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response. Respondents: Not for profit. Estimated Number of Respondents: 676. Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1. Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 338 hours. Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Joyce McNeil, Program Development and Regulatory Analysis at (202) 720–0812. FAX: (202) 720–8435. All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record. Dated: May 31, 2007. James M. Andrew, Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. [FR Doc. E7–10943 Filed 6–6–07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3410–15–P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [I.D. 050307A] Small Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Movement of Barges through the Beaufort Sea between West Dock and Cape Simpson or Point Lonely, Alaska National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce. ACTION: Notice of receipt of application and proposed incidental harassment authorization; request for comments. rwilkins on PROD1PC63 with NOTICES AGENCY: SUMMARY: NMFS has received a request to authorize FEX L.P. (FEX) to take small numbers of marine mammals by harassment incidental to conducting a barging operation within the U.S. Beaufort Sea. Under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), NMFS is requesting comments on its proposal to authorize FEX to incidentally take, by harassment, small numbers of bowhead whales, gray whales, beluga whales, ringed seals, bearded seals, and spotted seals in the above mentioned area between approximately July 1 and November 30, 2007. VerDate Aug<31>2005 20:59 Jun 06, 2007 Jkt 211001 Comments and information must be received no later than July 9, 2007. ADDRESSES: Comments on the application should be addressed to P. Michael Payne, Chief, Permits, Conservation and Education Division, Office of Protected Resources, National Marine Fisheries Service, 1315 EastWest Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910–3225, or by telephoning the contact listed here. The mailbox address for providing email comments is PR1.050307A@noaa.gov. Comments sent via e-mail, including all attachments, must not exceed a 10– megabyte file size. A copy of the application containing a list of the references used in this document may be obtained by writing to this address or by telephoning the contact listed here and is also available at: https:// www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/permits/ incidental.htm. Documents cited in this notice may be viewed, by appointment, during regular business hours, at this address. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Shane Guan, Office of Protected Resources, NMFS, (301) 713–2289, ext 137, or Brad Smith, Alaska Region, NMFS, (907) 271–3023. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: DATES: Background Sections 101(a)(5)(A) and (D) of the MMPA (16 U.S.C. 1361 et seq.) direct the Secretary of Commerce to allow, upon request, the incidental, but not intentional, taking of small numbers of marine mammals by U.S. citizens who engage in a specified activity (other than commercial fishing) within a specified geographical region if certain findings are made and either regulations are issued or, if the taking is limited to harassment, a notice of a proposed authorization is provided to the public for review. An authorization shall be granted if NMFS finds that the taking will have a negligible impact on the species or stock(s), will not have an unmitigable adverse impact on the availability of the species or stock(s) for subsistence uses, and that the permissible methods of taking and requirements pertaining to the mitigation, monitoring and reporting of such takings are set forth. NMFS has defined ‘‘negligible impact’’ in 50 CFR 216.103 as ’’...an impact resulting from the specified activity that cannot be reasonably expected to, and is not reasonably likely to, adversely affect the species or stock through effects on annual rates of recruitment or survival.’’ Section 101(a)(5)(D) of the MMPA established an expedited process by which citizens of the United States can PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 apply for an authorization to incidentally take small numbers of marine mammals by harassment. Except with respect to certain activities not pertinent here, the MMPA defines ‘‘harassment’’ as: any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance which (i) has the potential to injure a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild [Level A harassment]; or (ii) has the potential to disturb a marine mammal or marine mammal stock in the wild by causing disruption of behavioral patterns, including, but not limited to, migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering [Level B harassment]. Section 101(a)(5)(D) establishes a 45– day time limit for NMFS review of an application followed by a 30–day public notice and comment period on any proposed authorizations for the incidental harassment of marine mammals. Within 45 days of the close of the comment period, NMFS must either issue or deny the authorization. Summary of Request On April 26, 2007, NMFS received an application from FEX to take several species of marine mammals incidental to the movement of two tugs towing barges in the U.S. Beaufort Sea. Marine barges would be used to either resupply or demobilize from their ongoing drilling activities on the Northwest National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska Oil and Gas Leases. For a resupply operation, consumables, fuel, and essential pad construction equipment would be marine lifted from West Dock (Prudhoe Bay) to the Cape Simpson operational staging area, where it would be stored in preparation of the 2007 2008 winter exploration season. Barges proposed for the marine lift from the West Dock Causeway include but are not limited to: Crowley Marine Kavik River and the Sag River (1,100 horsepower each) tugs, and Bowhead Stryker or Garrett (two engines x 220 horsepower each) barges or comparable class vessels. Additional barges and support vessels may be utilized as available and needed. Barges would be moving at a speed at about 5 knots. Barge traffic between West Dock and Cape Simpson or Pt. Lonely is scheduled to occur during the 2007 open-water season. The distance between West Dock and Cape Simpson is approximately 240 km (149 mi). From West Dock Causeway, it would take approximately 17.5 hours one way for a barge to reach Point Lonely and 22 hours to Cape Simpson. Typically the open-water season begins mid- to late July. Every effort will be made to complete the barging activities prior to August 15, but no later than September 1, 2007. A late season barge effort after E:\FR\FM\07JNN1.SGM 07JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 109 (Thursday, June 7, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31549-31550]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-10943]


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

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Rural Utilities Service


Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Utilities Service an agency 
delivering the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development 
Utilities Programs, invites comments on this information collection for 
which approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) will be 
requested.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by August 6, 2007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michele Brooks, Acting Director, 
Program Development and Regulatory Analysis, USDA Rural Development, 
1400 Independence Ave., SW., STOP 1522, Room 5168 South Building, 
Washington, DC 20250-1522. Telephone: (202) 690-1078. Fax: (202) 720-
8435.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) 
regulation (5 CFR 1320) implementing provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) requires that interested members 
of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on 
information collection and recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 
1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an information collection that RUS 
is submitting to OMB for extension.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the Agency, including whether the information will have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to 
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. Comments may be sent to: Michele 
Brooks, Acting Director, Program Development and Regulatory Analysis, 
USDA Rural Development, STOP 1522, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., 
Washington, DC 20250-1522. FAX: (202) 720-8435.
    Title: 7 CFR Part 1730, Electric System Emergency Restoration Plan.
    OMB Control Number: 0572-0140.
    Type of Request: Request for an extension of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Abstract: Electric power systems have been identified in 
Presidential Decision Directive 63 (PDD-63), May 1998, as one of the 
critical infrastructures of the United States. The term ''critical 
infrastructure'' is defined in section 1016(e) of the USA Patriot Act 
of 2001 (42 U.S.C. 5195c(e)) as ``systems and assets, whether physical 
or virtual, so vital to the United States that the incapacity or 
destruction of such systems and assets would have a debilitating impact 
on security, national economic security, national public health or 
safety, or any combination of those matters.'' Damage to or loss of 
critical or significant parts of the U.S. electric power system can 
cause enormous damage to the environment, loss of life and economic 
loss and can affect the national security of the United States. Such 
damage or loss can be caused by acts of nature or human acts, ranging 
from an accident to an act of terrorism. Of particular concern are 
physical and cyber threats from terrorists. Protecting America's 
critical infrastructure is the shared responsibility of Federal, State, 
and local government in active partnership with the private sector. 
Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7), December 2003, 
established a national policy for Federal departments and agencies to 
identify and prioritize United States critical infrastructure and key 
resources and to protect them from terrorist attacks. America's open 
and technologically complex society includes a wide array of critical 
infrastructure and key resources that are potential terrorist targets. 
The majority of these are owned and operated by the private sector and 
State or local governments. These critical infrastructures and key 
resources are both physical and cyber-based and span all sectors of the 
economy. A substantial portion of the electric infrastructure of the 
United States resides in, and is maintained by, rural America. To 
ensure that the electric infrastructure in rural America is adequately 
protected, RUS is instituting the requirement that all current electric 
borrowers enhance an existing ERP or, if none exists, develop and 
maintain an ERP.
    Title 7 CFR Part 1730, Electric System and Maintenance, establishes 
a

[[Page 31550]]

requirement for electric program distribution, generation, and 
transmission borrowers to develop an ERP or expand an existing ERP and 
to provide RUS with a written certification that they have an ERP based 
upon a VRA.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of 
information is estimated to average 30 minutes per response.
    Respondents: Not for profit.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 676.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 338 hours.
    Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Joyce 
McNeil, Program Development and Regulatory Analysis at (202) 720-0812. 
FAX: (202) 720-8435.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of 
public record.

    Dated: May 31, 2007.
James M. Andrew,
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. E7-10943 Filed 6-6-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-15-P
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