Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review; Renewal of a Currently Approved Information Collection, 25764-25766 [2013-10357]

Agencies

• DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
• Bureau of Reclamation

[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 85 (Thursday, May 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25764-25766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10357]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Reclamation

[A10-1412-0001-009-01-0-4, 8453000; OMB Control Number 1006-0023]


Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review; 
Renewal of a Currently Approved Information Collection

AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of renewal and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation has forwarded the following 
Information Collection Request 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).

DATES: OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove this information 
collection request, but may respond after 30 days; therefore, public 
comments must be received on or before June 3, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Send written comments 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) 395-5806, or 
email to oira_submission@omb.eop.gov. A copy of your comments should 
also be directed to the Bureau of Reclamation, Attention: 84-53000, 
P.O. Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225-0007. Please reference OMB Control 
Number 1006-0023 in your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie McPhee, Bureau of 
Reclamation, at (303) 445-2897. You may also view the Information 
Collection Request at www.reginfo.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    Identification of limited recipients--Some entities that receive 
Reclamation irrigation water may believe that they are 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 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.
    Trust review--In order to administer section 214 of the RRA and 43 
CFR 426.7, we are required to review all trusts. Land held in trust 
generally will be attributed to the beneficiaries of the trust rather 
than the trustee if the criteria specified in the RRA and 43 CFR 426.7 
are met. We may extend the option to complete and submit for our review 
the Trust Information Sheet (Form 7-2537) instead of actual trust 
documents when we become aware of trusts with a relatively small 
landholding (40 acres or less in districts subject to the prior law 
provisions of Federal reclamation law, 240 acres or less in districts 
subject to the discretionary provisions of Federal reclamation law). 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 public 
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

[[Page 25765]]

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 request 
those public entities 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.
    Acreage limitation provisions applicable to religious or charitable 
organizations--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)]. The 
Religious or Charitable Organization Identification Sheet (Form 7-2578) 
allows us to establish certain religious or charitable organizations' 
compliance with Federal reclamation law. The Religious or Charitable 
Organization Identification Sheet is disbursed at our discretion.

II. Changes to the RRA Forms and Their Instructions

    The changes made to the currently approved RRA forms and the 
corresponding instructions are of an editorial nature, and are designed 
to assist the respondents by increasing their understanding of the 
forms, clarifying the instructions for completing the forms, and 
clarifying the information that is required to be on the forms. The 
proposed revisions to the Trust Information Sheet also include 
clarification in the form's subtitle of the 40-acre and 240-acre RRA 
forms submittal thresholds applicable to prior law districts and 
discretionary provisions districts, respectively. The proposed 
revisions to the RRA forms will be effective in the 2014 water year.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1006-0023.
    Title: Forms to Determine Compliance by Certain Landholders, 43 CFR 
part 426.
    Form Number: Form 7-2536, Form 7-2537, Form 7-2565, and Form 7-
2578.
    Frequency: Generally, these forms will be submitted only 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 Annual 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.
    Estimated Completion Time per Respondent: See table below:

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                                                      Burden
                                                   estimate per      Number of     Annual number   Annual burden
                    Form No.                         form (in       respondents    of responses   on respondents
                                                     minutes)                                       (in hours)
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Limited Recipient Identification Sheet..........               5             175             175              15
Trust Information Sheet.........................               5             150             150              13
Public Entity Information Sheet.................              15             100             100              25
Religious or Charitable Identification Sheet....              15              75              75              19
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Totals......................................  ..............             500             500              72
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IV. Request for Comments

    We invite your comments 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 information collection 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 (77 FR 57586, September 18, 2012). No 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.

V. Public Disclosure

    Before including your address, phone number, email 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.


[[Page 25766]]


    Dated: April 26, 2013.
Roseann Gonzales,
Director, Policy and Administration, Denver Office.
[FR Doc. 2013-10357 Filed 5-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P