Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request, 42824 [E8-16821]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• U.s. Geological Survey
• Geological Survey

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 142 (Wednesday, July 23, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Page 42824]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-16821]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

U.S. Geological Survey


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submitted for Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of a revision of an information collection (1028-0062).

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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Geological Survey) have sent an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. The ICR, which 
is summarized below, describes the nature of the collection and the 
estimated burden and cost. This ICR is scheduled to expire on July 31, 
2008. We 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. However, under OMB regulations, we may 
continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is 
pending at OMB.

DATE: You must submit comments on or before August 22, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this information collection directly 
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Desk Officer for the Department of the 
Interior via e-mail: OIRA_DOCKET@omb.eop.gov; or by fax (202) 395-
6566; and identify your submission with 1028-0062.
    Please submit a copy of your comments to Phadrea Ponds, Information 
Collections, U.S. Geological Survey, 2150-C Center Avenue, Fort 
Collins, CO 80525 (mail); (970) 226-9230 (fax); or pponds@usgs.gov (e-
mail). Use OMB Control Number 1028-0062 in the subject line.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Scott F. Sibley at (703) 648-4976.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    OMB Control Number: 1028-0062
    Title: Industrial Minerals Surveys.
    Form Number: Various (38 forms).
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Private Sector; State, Local, and Tribal 
governments.
    Respondent Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: Monthly, Quarterly, Semiannually, or 
Annually. Respondents are canvassed for one frequency period (e.g., 
monthly respondents are not canvassed annually).
    Estimated Number and Description of Respondents: Approximately 
15,993 producers and consumers of industrial minerals.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 18,339.
    Completion Time per Response: We estimate that the public reporting 
burden averages 15 minutes to 5 hours per response. This includes the 
time for reviewing instructions, gathering and maintaining data, and 
completing and reviewing the information.
    Annual burden hours: 12,639 hours.
    Abstract: Respondents supply the U.S. Geological Survey with 
domestic production and consumption data for nonfuel mineral 
commodities. This information will be published as chapters in Minerals 
Yearbooks, monthly/quarterly Mineral Industry Surveys, annual Mineral 
Commodity Summaries, and special publications, for use by Government 
agencies, industry, education programs, and the general public.
    We will protect information from respondents considered proprietary 
under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and implementing 
regulations (43 CFR part 2), and under regulations at 30 CFR 250.197, 
``Data and information to be made available to the public or for 
limited inspection.'' Responses are voluntary. No questions of a 
``sensitive'' nature are asked. We will release data collected on these 
forms only in a summary format that is not company-specific.
    Comments: To comply with the public consultation process, on April 
16, 2008, we published a Federal Register notice (73 FR 20707) 
announcing our intent to submit this information collection to OMB for 
approval. In that notice we solicited public comments for 60 days, 
ending on June 16, 2008. We received one comment in response to the 
notice. In this comment, the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) stated 
that they support the USGS continuing to collect Industrial Minerals 
Surveys data because they are an important data source for key 
components of BEA's economic statistics. The BEA also requested that 
they be kept informed of any modifications to these forms. We did not 
make any changes to our information collection requirements as a result 
of this comment.
    We again invite comments concerning this information collection on:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents.
    Please note that the comments submitted in response to this notice 
are a matter of public record. Before including your address, phone 
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 OMB in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that it will be done.
    USGS Information Collection Clearance Contact: Phadrea Ponds (970) 
226-9445.

    Dated: July 17, 2008.
John H. DeYoung, Jr.,
Chief Scientist, Minerals Information Team.
[FR Doc. E8-16821 Filed 7-22-08; 8:45 am]
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