Agency Information Collection; Activities Under OMB Review; Comment Request, 36032-36034 [E7-12716]

Agencies

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

[Federal Register Volume 72, Number 126 (Monday, July 2, 2007)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36032-36034]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E7-12716]


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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. 
1006-0023).

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces the Bureau of Reclamation 
(we, our, or us) has forwarded the following Information Collection 
Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and approval: Forms to Determine Compliance by Certain Landholders, 43 
CFR part 426, OMB Control Number: 1006-0023. As a result of the 
regulatory requirements to ensure compliance with Federal reclamation 
law and assessment of the appropriate water rate [43 CFR 426.6(b)(2) 
and 43 CFR 426.9(b)], a new ``Religious or

[[Page 36033]]

Charitable Organization Identification Sheet'' (Form 7-2578) 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: OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove this information 
collection, but may respond after 30 days; therefore, public comments 
must be received on or before August 1, 2007 to assure maximum 
consideration.

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: 84-53000, PO Box 
25007, Denver, CO 80225-0007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie McPhee at: (303) 445-2897.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Forms to Determine Compliance by Certain Landholders, 43 CFR 
part 426. The former title of this information collection was ``Limited 
Recipient Identification Sheet, Trust Information Sheet, Public Entity 
Information Sheet for Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR part 426.'' Because of 
the addition of the proposed new form to this information collection as 
described below, we have changed the title of this information 
collection to ``Forms to Determine Compliance by Certain Landholders, 
43 CFR part 426.'' This title change will allow us to capture the 
purpose of the forms in this information collection without listing 
lengthy form names.
    Abstract: Identification of limited recipients--Some entities that 
receive Reclamation irrigation water may believe that they are under 
the 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 benefiting from each 
entity and the location of the land held by 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 start of 
Reclamation irrigation water deliveries occurred after October 1, 1981 
[43 CFR 426.6(b)(2)]. The information obtained through completion of 
the Limited Recipient Identification Sheet (Form 7-2536) allows us to 
establish entities' compliance with Federal reclamation law. The 
Limited Recipient Identification Sheet is disbursed at our discretion. 
The proposed revisions to the Limited Recipient Identification Sheet 
will be included starting in the 2008 water year, and are designed to 
facilitate ease of completion.
    Trust review--We are required to review and approve all trusts [43 
CFR 426.7(b)(2)] in order to ensure trusts meet the regulatory criteria 
specified in 43 CFR 426.7. Land held in trust generally will be 
attributed to the beneficiaries of the trust rather than the trustee if 
the criteria are met. When we become aware of trusts with a relatively 
small landholding (40 acres or less), we may extend to those trusts the 
option to complete and submit for our review the Trust Information 
Sheet (Form 7-2537) 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. The proposed 
revisions to the Trust Information Sheet will be included starting in 
the 2008 water year, and are designed to facilitate ease of completion.
    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 
subject to the acreage limitation provisions westwide, which makes it 
difficult to apply the revenue criteria as required to those public 
entities that hold less than 40 acres. When we become aware of such 
public entities, we may extend to those public entities the option to 
complete and submit for our review the Public Entity Information Sheet 
(Form 7-2565), which allows us to establish compliance with Federal 
reclamation law for those public entities that hold 40 acres or less 
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. The Public 
Entity Information Sheet is disbursed at our discretion. The proposed 
revisions to the Public Entity Information Sheet will be effective 
starting in the 2008 water year and are designed to facilitate ease of 
completion.
    Acreage limitation provisions applicable to religious or charitable 
organizations (new form)--Some religious or charitable organizations 
that receive Reclamation irrigation water may believe that they are 
under the RRA forms submittal threshold and, consequently, may not 
submit the appropriate RRA form(s). However, some of these 
organizations may in fact have a different RRA forms submittal 
threshold than what they believe it to be depending on whether these 
organizations meet all of the required criteria for full special 
application of the acreage limitations provisions to religious or 
charitable organizations [43 CFR 426.9(b)]. In addition, some 
organizations that (1) do not meet the criteria to be treated as a 
religious or charitable organization under the acreage limitation 
provisions, and (2) 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 start of 
Reclamation irrigation water deliveries occurred after October 1, 1981 
[43 CFR 426.6(b)(2)]. A new ``Religious or Charitable Organization 
Identification Sheet'' (Form 7-2578) has been developed for approval as 
part of this information collection, and will allow us to establish 
certain religious or charitable organizations' compliance with Federal 
reclamation law. Reclamation anticipates 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. The Religious 
or Charitable Organization Identification Sheet is disbursed at our 
discretion and will be effective starting in the 2008 water year.

[[Page 36034]]

Changes to the Forms and the Instructions to Those Forms

    Minor editorial changes were made to the currently approved forms 
and the instructions to those forms prior to the 60-day comment period 
initiated by the notice published in the Federal Register (72 FR 9964, 
Mar. 6, 2007). Those changes were designed to assist the respondents by 
increasing their understanding of the forms, clarifying the 
instructions for use when completing the forms, and clarifying the 
information that is required to be submitted with the forms. We 
received no public comments from the 60-day public comment period. The 
proposed revisions to the forms will be included starting in the 2008 
water year.
    Frequency: Generally, these forms will be submitted once per 
identified entity, trust, public entity, or religious or charitable 
organization. Each year, we expect new responses in accordance with the 
following numbers.
    Respondents: Entity landholders, trusts, public entities, and 
religious or charitable organizations identified by Reclamation that 
are subject to the acreage limitation provisions of Federal reclamation 
law.
    Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 500.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.0.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: 500.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 72 hours.
    Estimate of Burden for Each Form:

 
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                                                                                      Burden
                                     Estimated     Frequency of    Total annual    estimate per    Total burden
            Form name                Number of       response        responses       form (in          hours
                                    respondents                                      minutes)
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Limited Recipient Identification             175            1.00             175               5              15
 Sheet..........................
Trust Information Sheet.........             150            1.00             150               5              13
Public Entity Information Sheet.             100            1.00             100              15              25
Religious or Charitable                       75            1.00              75              15              19
 Identification Sheet...........
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    Total.......................             500            1.00             500  ..............              72
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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 (72 FR 9964, Mar. 6, 
2007). No public comments were received.
    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.
    Before including your address, telephone number, e-mail address, or 
other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be 
aware that your entire comment--including your personal identifying 
information--may be made publicly available at any time. While you can 
ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be 
able to do so.

Roseann Gonzales,
Director, Office of Program and Policy Services, Denver Office.
 [FR Doc. E7-12716 Filed 6-29-07; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P