Notice of Intent To Revise a Currently Approved Information Collection, 80361-80362 [E8-31143]

Download as PDF 80361 Notices Federal Register Vol. 73, No. 251 Wednesday, December 31, 2008 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 Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service Notice of Intent To Revise a Currently Approved Information Collection pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, USDA. ACTION: Notice and request for comments. SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR part 1320 (60 FR 44977, August 29, 1995), this notice announces the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service’s (CSREES) intention to revise a currently approved information collection entitled, ‘‘Reporting Requirements for State Plans of Work for Agricultural Research and Extension Formula Funds.’’ The only proposed change to the information collection is that the initial five year plan of work will no longer be required. DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by March 2, 2009 to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable. ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket ID# CSREES_FRDOC_0001, by any of the following methods: Federal eRulemaking Portal: https:// regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. E-mail: bhewitt@csrees.usda.gov; Mail: Bart Hewitt, USDA/CSREES/ OPA, STOP 2214, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250– 2214; Fax: (202) 720–7714. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bart Hewitt, (202) 720–0747. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Reporting Requirements for State Plans VerDate Aug<31>2005 17:41 Dec 30, 2008 Jkt 217001 of Work for Agricultural Research and Extension Formula Grants. OMB Number: 0524–0036. Expiration Date of Current Approval: May 31, 2009. Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information collection for three years. Abstract: The purpose of this collection of information is to continue implementing the requirements of sections 202 and 225 of the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 (AREERA) which require that a plan of work must be submitted by each institution and approved by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES) before formula funds may be provided to the 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions. The formula funds are authorized under the Hatch Act for agricultural research activities at the 1862 land-grant institutions, under the Smith-Lever Act for the extension activities at the 1862 land-grant institutions, and under sections 1444 and 1445 of the National Agricultural Research, Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (NARETPA) for research and extension activities at the 1890 land-grant institutions. The plan of work must address critical agricultural issues in the State and describe the programs and projects targeted to address these issues using the CSREES formula funds. The plan of work also must describe the institution’s multistate activities as well as their integrated research and extension activities. This collection of information also includes the reporting requirements of section 102(c) of AREERA for the 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions. This section requires the 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant institutions receiving agricultural research, education, and extension formula funds from CSREES of the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to establish and implement processes for obtaining input from persons who conduct or use agricultural research, extension, or education concerning the use of such funds by October 1, 1999. Section 102(c) further requires that the Secretary of Agriculture promulgate regulations that prescribe what the institutions must do to meet this requirement and the consequences of not complying with this requirement. See 65 FR 5993, Feb. PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 8, 2000 (7 CFR 3418) on Stakeholder Input Requirements for Recipients of Agricultural Research, Education, and Extension Formula Funds. This rule applies not only to the land-grant institutions which receive formula funds but also to the veterinary and forestry schools that are not land-grant institutions but which receive forestry research funds under the McIntireStennis Act of 1962 and Animal Health and Disease Research funds under section 1433 of the NARETPA. Failure to comply with the requirements of this rule may result in the withholding of a recipient institution’s formula funds and redistribution of its share of formula funds to other eligible institutions. The institutions are required to annually report to CSREES: (1) The actions taken to seek stakeholder input to encourage their participation; (2) a brief statement of the process used by the recipient institution to identify individuals and groups who are stakeholders and to collect input from them; and (3) a statement of how collected input was considered. There is no legislatively prescribed form or format for this reporting requirement. However, the 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions are required to report on their Stakeholder Input Process annually as part of their Annual Report of Accomplishments and Results. Section 103(e) of AREERA requires that the 1862, 1890, and 1994 land-grant institutions establish a merit review process, prior to October 1, 1999, in order to obtain agricultural research and extension funds. Section 104(h) of AREERA also stipulated that a scientific peer review process be established for research programs funded under section 3(c)(3) of the Hatch Act (commonly referred to as Hatch Multistate Research Funds). I. Initial 5-Year Plan of Work Estimate of the Burden: The Initial 5Year Plan of Work was submitted for the FY 2007–2011 Plan of Work in 2006. Thus, this reporting burden has been satisfied and will no longer be collected. Consequently, the total reporting and record keeping requirements for the submission of the ‘‘Initial 5-Year Plan of Work’’ is estimated to average 0 hours per response. E:\FR\FM\31DEN1.SGM 31DEN1 80362 Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 251 / Wednesday, December 31, 2008 / Notices II. Annual Update to 5-Year Plan of Work Estimate of the Burden: The total reporting and record keeping requirements for the submission of the ‘‘Annual Update to the 5-Year Plan of Work’’ is estimated to average 64 hours per response. There are five components of this ‘‘5-Year Plan of Work’’: ‘‘Planned Programs,’’ ‘‘Stakeholder Input Process,’’ ‘‘Program Review Process,’’ ‘‘Multi-state Activities,’’ and ‘‘Integrated Activities.’’ Estimated Number of Respondents: 75. Estimated Number of Responses: 150. Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 9,600 hours. Frequency of Responses: Annually. pwalker on PROD1PC71 with NOTICES III. Annual Report of Accomplishments and Results Estimate of the Burden: The total annual reporting and record keeping requirements of the ‘‘Annual Report of Accomplishments and Results’’ is estimated to average 260 hours per response. Estimated Number of Respondents: 75. Estimated Number of Responses: 150. Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 39,000 hours. Frequency of Responses: Annually. Comments: 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. All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All comments also will become a matter of public record. Obtaining a Copy of the Information Collection: A copy of the information collection and related instructions may be obtained free of charge by contacting Bart Hewitt by telephone, (202) 720– 0747, or by e-mail, bhewitt@csrees.usda.gov. VerDate Aug<31>2005 17:41 Dec 30, 2008 Jkt 217001 Done in Washington, DC, this 23rd day of December 2008. Joseph Dunn, Deputy Under Secretary, Research, Education, and Economics. [FR Doc. E8–31143 Filed 12–30–08; 8:45 am] write, call, e-mail, or visit an NRCS office, or visit the NRCS Web site at: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/feature/ volunteers/ to complete and submit the forms. Title: Volunteer Program—Earth Team. BILLING CODE 3410–22–P OMB Number: 0578–0024. Expiration Date of Approval: May 31, 2009. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Type of Request: Notice to Request for Extension and Revision of Currently Natural Resources Conservation Approved Information Collection. Service Abstract: NRCS–PER–001, Volunteer Application and NRCS–PER–003, Notice of Intent: To Request an Agreement for Sponsored Voluntary Extension and Revision of a Currently Services, are discontinued. The Approved Information Collection information collected on these forms AGENCY: Natural Resources has been added to the Forest Service Conservation Service (NRCS), USDA. collection packet, the Office of ACTION: Correction and request for Management and Budget (OMB) Control comments. Number 0596–0080. Form NRCS–PER–002, Volunteer SUMMARY: NRCS published in the Interest and Placement Summary, is an Federal Register notice of October 22, optional form and assists the volunteer’s 2008 (73 FR 62949), a document stating supervisor in placing the volunteer in a ‘‘Notice to Reinstate a Previously position which is beneficial to the Approved Information Collection.’’ This volunteer and the Agency. The form is notice corrects the previously published placed in a volunteer ‘‘case file’’ and document. In accordance with the will be destroyed 3 years after the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 volunteer has completed service. In the U.S.C. Chapter 35), this notice event that the volunteer is injured, the announces the intention of NRCS to ‘‘case file’’ will be transferred to an request an extension for, and a revision Official Personnel Folder (OPF). to, the currently approved information Estimate of Burden: Public reporting collection, Volunteer Program—Earth burden for this collection of information Team. The collected information will is estimated to average 3 minutes per help NRCS match the skills of response. individuals who apply for volunteer Respondents: Retirees, students, work that will further the Agency’s teachers, persons with disabilities, or mission. Information will be collected senior citizens. from potential volunteers who are at Estimated Number of Respondents: least 14 years of age. 500. Estimated Number of Responses per DATES: Comments on this notice must be Respondent: 1. received within 60 days after Estimated Total Annual Burden on publication in the Federal Register to be Respondents: 25 hours. assured of consideration. Form NRCS–PER–004, Time Sheet, is Additional Information or Comments: also an optional form and provides the Contact Michele Eginoire, National volunteer or their supervisor a Volunteer Coordinator, at (515) 289– simplified method for tracking the 0325, extension 102. Submit comments volunteer’s time. The form is placed in to Michele by fax at (515) 289–4561, or by e-mail: michele.eginoire@ia.usda.gov. a volunteer ‘‘case file’’ and will be destroyed 3 years after the volunteer has SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Collection completed service. In the event that the of this information is necessary to match volunteer is injured, the ‘‘case file’’ will volunteer assignments to Agency be transferred to an OPF. mission as required by Federal Estimate of Burden: Public reporting Personnel Manual Supplement 296–33, burden for this collection of information Subchapter 3. Agencies are authorized is estimated to average 1 minute per to recruit, train, and accept, with regard response. to Civil Service classification laws, rules Respondents: Retirees, students, or regulations, the services of teachers, persons with disabilities, or individuals to serve without senior citizens. compensation. Volunteers may assist in Estimated Number of Respondents: any Agency program/project and may 20,480. perform any activities that Agency Estimated Number of Responses per employees are allowed. Volunteers must Respondent: 2. Estimated Total Annual Burden on be at least 14 years of age. Persons Respondents: 683 hours. interested in volunteering will have to PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 E:\FR\FM\31DEN1.SGM 31DEN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 251 (Wednesday, December 31, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80361-80362]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-31143]


========================================================================
Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

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.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 251 / Wednesday, December 31, 2008 / 
Notices

[[Page 80361]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service


Notice of Intent To Revise a Currently Approved Information 
Collection

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, 
USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 
L. 104-13) and Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 
CFR part 1320 (60 FR 44977, August 29, 1995), this notice announces the 
Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service's (CSREES) 
intention to revise a currently approved information collection 
entitled, ``Reporting Requirements for State Plans of Work for 
Agricultural Research and Extension Formula Funds.'' The only proposed 
change to the information collection is that the initial five year plan 
of work will no longer be required.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by March 2, 
2009 to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by Docket ID 
CSREES--FRDOC--0001, by any of the following methods: Federal 
eRulemaking Portal: https://regulations.gov. Follow the instructions for 
submitting comments.
    E-mail: bhewitt@csrees.usda.gov;
    Mail: Bart Hewitt, USDA/CSREES/OPA, STOP 2214, 1400 Independence 
Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20250-2214;
    Fax: (202) 720-7714.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bart Hewitt, (202) 720-0747.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Reporting Requirements for State 
Plans of Work for Agricultural Research and Extension Formula Grants.
    OMB Number: 0524-0036.
    Expiration Date of Current Approval: May 31, 2009.
    Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved information 
collection for three years.
    Abstract: The purpose of this collection of information is to 
continue implementing the requirements of sections 202 and 225 of the 
Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998 
(AREERA) which require that a plan of work must be submitted by each 
institution and approved by the Cooperative State Research, Education, 
and Extension Service (CSREES) before formula funds may be provided to 
the 1862 and 1890 land-grant institutions. The formula funds are 
authorized under the Hatch Act for agricultural research activities at 
the 1862 land-grant institutions, under the Smith-Lever Act for the 
extension activities at the 1862 land-grant institutions, and under 
sections 1444 and 1445 of the National Agricultural Research, 
Extension, and Teaching Policy Act of 1977 (NARETPA) for research and 
extension activities at the 1890 land-grant institutions. The plan of 
work must address critical agricultural issues in the State and 
describe the programs and projects targeted to address these issues 
using the CSREES formula funds. The plan of work also must describe the 
institution's multistate activities as well as their integrated 
research and extension activities.
    This collection of information also includes the reporting 
requirements of section 102(c) of AREERA for the 1862 and 1890 land-
grant institutions. This section requires the 1862, 1890, and 1994 
land-grant institutions receiving agricultural research, education, and 
extension formula funds from CSREES of the Department of Agriculture 
(USDA) to establish and implement processes for obtaining input from 
persons who conduct or use agricultural research, extension, or 
education concerning the use of such funds by October 1, 1999. Section 
102(c) further requires that the Secretary of Agriculture promulgate 
regulations that prescribe what the institutions must do to meet this 
requirement and the consequences of not complying with this 
requirement. See 65 FR 5993, Feb. 8, 2000 (7 CFR 3418) on Stakeholder 
Input Requirements for Recipients of Agricultural Research, Education, 
and Extension Formula Funds. This rule applies not only to the land-
grant institutions which receive formula funds but also to the 
veterinary and forestry schools that are not land-grant institutions 
but which receive forestry research funds under the McIntire-Stennis 
Act of 1962 and Animal Health and Disease Research funds under section 
1433 of the NARETPA. Failure to comply with the requirements of this 
rule may result in the withholding of a recipient institution's formula 
funds and redistribution of its share of formula funds to other 
eligible institutions. The institutions are required to annually report 
to CSREES: (1) The actions taken to seek stakeholder input to encourage 
their participation; (2) a brief statement of the process used by the 
recipient institution to identify individuals and groups who are 
stakeholders and to collect input from them; and (3) a statement of how 
collected input was considered. There is no legislatively prescribed 
form or format for this reporting requirement. However, the 1862 and 
1890 land-grant institutions are required to report on their 
Stakeholder Input Process annually as part of their Annual Report of 
Accomplishments and Results.
    Section 103(e) of AREERA requires that the 1862, 1890, and 1994 
land-grant institutions establish a merit review process, prior to 
October 1, 1999, in order to obtain agricultural research and extension 
funds. Section 104(h) of AREERA also stipulated that a scientific peer 
review process be established for research programs funded under 
section 3(c)(3) of the Hatch Act (commonly referred to as Hatch 
Multistate Research Funds).

I. Initial 5-Year Plan of Work

    Estimate of the Burden: The Initial 5-Year Plan of Work was 
submitted for the FY 2007-2011 Plan of Work in 2006. Thus, this 
reporting burden has been satisfied and will no longer be collected. 
Consequently, the total reporting and record keeping requirements for 
the submission of the ``Initial 5-Year Plan of Work'' is estimated to 
average 0 hours per response.

[[Page 80362]]

II. Annual Update to 5-Year Plan of Work

    Estimate of the Burden: The total reporting and record keeping 
requirements for the submission of the ``Annual Update to the 5-Year 
Plan of Work'' is estimated to average 64 hours per response. There are 
five components of this ``5-Year Plan of Work'': ``Planned Programs,'' 
``Stakeholder Input Process,'' ``Program Review Process,'' ``Multi-
state Activities,'' and ``Integrated Activities.''
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 75.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 150.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 9,600 hours.
    Frequency of Responses: Annually.

III. Annual Report of Accomplishments and Results

    Estimate of the Burden: The total annual reporting and record 
keeping requirements of the ``Annual Report of Accomplishments and 
Results'' is estimated to average 260 hours per response.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 75.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 150.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 39,000 hours.
    Frequency of Responses: Annually.
    Comments: 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.
    All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the 
request for OMB approval. All comments also will become a matter of 
public record.
    Obtaining a Copy of the Information Collection: A copy of the 
information collection and related instructions may be obtained free of 
charge by contacting Bart Hewitt by telephone, (202) 720-0747, or by e-
mail, bhewitt@csrees.usda.gov.

    Done in Washington, DC, this 23rd day of December 2008.
Joseph Dunn,
Deputy Under Secretary, Research, Education, and Economics.
[FR Doc. E8-31143 Filed 12-30-08; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-22-P

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