Agency Information Collection Activity; National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (EDMAP and STATEMAP), 47948-47949 [2015-19503]

Download as PDF 47948 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 153 / Monday, August 10, 2015 / Notices activities to be conducted by the applicant over a 5-year period. Multiple Applicants The following applicants each request a permit to import the sport-hunted trophy of one male bontebok (Damaliscus pygargus pygargus) culled from a captive herd maintained under the management program of the Republic of South Africa, for the purpose of enhancement of the survival of the species. Applicant: John Klein, Amarillo, TX; PRT–72213B Applicant: Steven Smith, Montgomery, TX; PRT–71735B Applicant: William Chaney, Flower Mound, TX; PRT–72289B Brenda Tapia, Program Analyst/Data Administrator, Branch of Permits, Division of Management Authority. [FR Doc. 2015–19511 Filed 8–7–15; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4310–55–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Geological Survey [GX15GC009PLSG00] Agency Information Collection Activity; National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (EDMAP and STATEMAP) United States Geological Survey (USGS), Interior. ACTION: Notice of extension of a currently approved collection. AGENCY: We (the U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 1995, and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. This collection is scheduled to expire on October 31, 2015. SUMMARY: To ensure that your comments are considered, we must receive them on or before September 9, 2015. ADDRESSES: Please submit written 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 email: tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES DATES: VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:16 Aug 07, 2015 Jkt 235001 (OIRA_SUBMISSION@omb.eop.gov); or by fax (202) 395–5806; and identify your submission with ‘Information Collection 1028–0088, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP— EDMAP and STATEMAP)’ in all correspondence. Please also forward a copy of your comments and suggestions on this information collection to the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 807, Reston, VA 20192 (mail); (703) 648–7195 (fax); or gs-info_collections@usgs.gov (email). FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas A. Howard, Associate Program Coordinator NCGMP (STATEMAP and EDMAP), U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 908, 20192 (mail); at 703–648–6978 (telephone); or dahoward@usgs.gov (email). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. Abstract EDMAP is the educational component of the NCGMP that is intended to train the next generation of geologic mappers. The primary objective of the STATEMAP component of the NCGMP is to establish the geologic framework of areas that are vital to the welfare of individual States. The NCGMP EDMAP program allocates funds to colleges and universities in the United States and Puerto Rico through an annual competitive cooperative agreement process. Every federal dollar that is awarded is matched with university funds. Geology professors, who are skilled in geologic mapping, request EDMAP funding to support undergraduate and graduate students at their college or university in a one-year mentored geologic mapping project that focuses on a specific geographic area. Only State Geological Surveys are eligible to apply to the STATEMAP component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program pursuant to the National Geologic Mapping Act (Pub. L. 106–148). Since many State Geological Surveys are organized under a State university system, such universities may submit a proposal on behalf of the State Geological Survey. Each fall, the program announcements are posted to the Grants.gov Web site and respondents are required to submit applications (comprising of Standard Form 424, 424A, 424B, Proposal Summary Sheet, the Proposal, and Budget Sheets. Additionally, EDMAP proposal must include a Negotiated Rate Agreement, and a Support letter from a State Geologist or USGS Project Chief). Since 1996, more than $5 million from the NCGMP has supported PO 00000 Frm 00054 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 geologic mapping efforts of more than 1,000 students working with more than 244 professors at 148 universities in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Funds for graduate projects are limited to $17,500 and undergraduate project funds limited to $10,000. These funds are used to cover field expenses and student salaries, but not faculty salaries or tuition. The authority for both programs is listed in the National Geologic Mapping Act (Pub. L. 106–148). We will protect information from respondents considered proprietary under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its 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. II. Data OMB Control Number: 1028–0088. Form Number: NA. Title: National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (EDMAP and STATEMAP). Type of Request: Renewal without change. Affected Public: University or College faculty and State Geological Surveys. Respondent’s Obligation: None. Required to receive funding. Frequency of Collections: Annually. Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: Approximately 50 University or College faculty and approximately 45 State Geological Survey responses. Estimated Time per Response: 36 hours. Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 5,220 hours total. We expect to receive approximately 50 applications for EDMAP and 45 applications for STATEMAP each year which takes each applicant approximately 36 hours to complete, totaling 3,420 hours. This includes the time for project conception and development, proposal writing and reviewing, and submitting a project narrative through Grants.gov. We expect to issue 45 EDMAP and 45 STATEMAP grants per year. The grant recipients are also required to submit a final technical report which takes each grant recipient approximately 20 hours to complete, totaling 1,800 hours. Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ‘‘Non-Hour Cost’’ Burden: There are no ‘‘non-hour cost’’ burdens associated with this IC. Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a E:\FR\FM\10AUN1.SGM 10AUN1 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 153 / Monday, August 10, 2015 / Notices collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number and current expiration date. III. Request for Comments To comply with the public consultation process, on March 25, 2015, we published a Federal Register notice (80 FR 15808) announcing our intent to submit this information collection to OMB for approval. In that notice we solicited public comments for 60 days, ending on May 26, 2015. The USGS did not receive any comments. Therefore, we have not changed this collection. We again invite comments concerning this IC on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the agency to perform its duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the burden of 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 on the respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Please note that any comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of public record. 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 publically 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 will be done. Douglas A. Howard, Associate Program Coordinator, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program. BILLING CODE 4311–AM–P DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bureau of Indian Affairs [156A2100DD/AAKC001030/ A0A501010.999900 253G] tkelley on DSK3SPTVN1PROD with NOTICES HEARTH Act Approval of Seminole Tribe of Florida Regulations Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: On January 8, 2015, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) approved the Seminole Tribe of Florida leasing regulations under the HEARTH Act. VerDate Sep<11>2014 18:16 Aug 07, 2015 Jkt 235001 I. Summary of the HEARTH Act The HEARTH (Helping Expedite and Advance Responsible Tribal Homeownership) Act of 2012 (the Act) makes a voluntary, alternative land leasing process available to tribes, by amending the Indian Long-Term Leasing Act of 1955, 25 U.S.C. 415. The Act authorizes tribes to negotiate and enter into agricultural and business leases of tribal trust lands with a primary term of 25 years, and up to two renewal terms of 25 years each, without the approval of the Secretary of the Interior. The Act also authorizes tribes to enter into leases for residential, recreational, religious or educational purposes for a primary term of up to 75 years without the approval of the Secretary. Participating tribes develop tribal leasing regulations, including an environmental review process, and then must obtain the Secretary’s approval of those regulations prior to entering into leases. The Act requires the Secretary to approve tribal regulations if the tribal regulations are consistent with the Department’s leasing regulations at 25 CFR part 162 and provide for an environmental review process that meets requirements set forth in the Act. This notice announces that the Secretary, through the Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs, has approved the tribal regulations for the Seminole Tribe of Florida. II. Federal Preemption of State and Local Taxes [FR Doc. 2015–19503 Filed 8–7–15; 8:45 am] SUMMARY: With this approval, the Tribe is authorized to enter into the following type of leases without BIA approval: Business and residential ordinances. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cynthia Morales, Office of Trust Services—Division of Realty, Bureau of Indian Affairs; Telephone (202) 768– 4166; Email cynthia.morales@bia.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department’s regulations governing the surface leasing of trust and restricted Indian lands specify that, subject to applicable Federal law, permanent improvements on leased land, leasehold or possessory interests, and activities under the lease are not subject to State and local taxation and may be subject to taxation by the Indian tribe with jurisdiction. See 25 CFR 162.017. As explained further in the preamble to the final regulations, the Federal government has a strong interest in promoting economic development, self-determination, and tribal sovereignty. 77 FR 72,440, 72447–48 (December 5, 2012). The principles supporting the Federal preemption of State law in the field of Indian leasing PO 00000 Frm 00055 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 47949 and the taxation of lease-related interests and activities applies with equal force to leases entered into under tribal leasing regulations approved by the Federal government pursuant to the HEARTH Act. Section 5 of the Indian Reorganization Act, 25 U.S.C 465, preempts State and local taxation of permanent improvements on trust land. Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation v. Thurston County, 724 F.3d 1153, 1157 (9th Cir. 2013) (citing Mescalero Apache Tribe v. Jones, 411 U.S. 145 (1973)). In addition, as explained in the preamble to the revised leasing regulations at 25 CFR part 162, Federal courts have applied a balancing test to determine whether State and local taxation of non-Indians on the reservation is preempted. White Mountain Apache Tribe v. Bracker, 448 U.S. 136, 143 (1980). The Bracker balancing test, which is conducted against a backdrop of ‘‘traditional notions of Indian self-government,’’ requires a particularized examination of the relevant State, Federal, and tribal interests. We hereby adopt the Bracker analysis from the preamble to the surface leasing regulations, 77 FR at 72,447–48, as supplemented by the analysis below. The strong Federal and tribal interests against State and local taxation of improvements, leaseholds, and activities on land leased under the Department’s leasing regulations apply equally to improvements, leaseholds, and activities on land leased pursuant to tribal leasing regulations approved under the HEARTH Act. Congress’s overarching intent was to ‘‘allow tribes to exercise greater control over their own land, support self-determination, and eliminate bureaucratic delays that stand in the way of homeownership and economic development in tribal communities.’’ 158 Cong. Rec. H. 2682 (May 15, 2012). The HEARTH Act was intended to afford tribes ‘‘flexibility to adapt lease terms to suit [their] business and cultural needs’’ and to ‘‘enable [tribes] to approve leases quickly and efficiently.’’ Id. at 5–6. Assessment of State and local taxes would obstruct these express Federal policies supporting tribal economic development and self-determination, and also threaten substantial tribal interests in effective tribal government, economic self-sufficiency, and territorial autonomy. See Michigan v. Bay Mills Indian Community, 134 S. Ct. 2024, 2043 (2014) (Sotomayor, J., concurring) (determining that ‘‘[a] key goal of the Federal Government is to render Tribes more self-sufficient, and better positioned to fund their own sovereign E:\FR\FM\10AUN1.SGM 10AUN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 153 (Monday, August 10, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 47948-47949]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-19503]


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

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

[GX15GC009PLSG00]


Agency Information Collection Activity; National Cooperative 
Geologic Mapping Program (EDMAP and STATEMAP)

AGENCY: United States Geological Survey (USGS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of a currently approved collection.

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

SUMMARY: We (the U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) 
described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 
1995, and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and 
respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal 
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this IC. This 
collection is scheduled to expire on October 31, 2015.

DATES: To ensure that your comments are considered, we must receive 
them on or before September 9, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written 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 email: 
(OIRA_SUBMISSION@omb.eop.gov); or by fax (202) 395-5806; and identify 
your submission with `Information Collection 1028-0088, National 
Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP--EDMAP and STATEMAP)' in 
all correspondence. Please also forward a copy of your comments and 
suggestions on this information collection to the Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise 
Valley Drive, MS 807, Reston, VA 20192 (mail); (703) 648-7195 (fax); or 
gs-info_collections@usgs.gov (email).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Douglas A. Howard, Associate Program 
Coordinator NCGMP (STATEMAP and EDMAP), U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 
Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 908, 20192 (mail); at 703-648-6978 
(telephone); or dahoward@usgs.gov (email).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    EDMAP is the educational component of the NCGMP that is intended to 
train the next generation of geologic mappers. The primary objective of 
the STATEMAP component of the NCGMP is to establish the geologic 
framework of areas that are vital to the welfare of individual States.
    The NCGMP EDMAP program allocates funds to colleges and 
universities in the United States and Puerto Rico through an annual 
competitive cooperative agreement process. Every federal dollar that is 
awarded is matched with university funds. Geology professors, who are 
skilled in geologic mapping, request EDMAP funding to support 
undergraduate and graduate students at their college or university in a 
one-year mentored geologic mapping project that focuses on a specific 
geographic area. Only State Geological Surveys are eligible to apply to 
the STATEMAP component of the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping 
Program pursuant to the National Geologic Mapping Act (Pub. L. 106-
148). Since many State Geological Surveys are organized under a State 
university system, such universities may submit a proposal on behalf of 
the State Geological Survey.
    Each fall, the program announcements are posted to the Grants.gov 
Web site and respondents are required to submit applications 
(comprising of Standard Form 424, 424A, 424B, Proposal Summary Sheet, 
the Proposal, and Budget Sheets. Additionally, EDMAP proposal must 
include a Negotiated Rate Agreement, and a Support letter from a State 
Geologist or USGS Project Chief).
    Since 1996, more than $5 million from the NCGMP has supported 
geologic mapping efforts of more than 1,000 students working with more 
than 244 professors at 148 universities in 44 states, the District of 
Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Funds for graduate projects are limited to 
$17,500 and undergraduate project funds limited to $10,000. These funds 
are used to cover field expenses and student salaries, but not faculty 
salaries or tuition. The authority for both programs is listed in the 
National Geologic Mapping Act (Pub. L. 106-148).
    We will protect information from respondents considered proprietary 
under the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its 
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.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1028-0088.
    Form Number: NA.
    Title: National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (EDMAP and 
STATEMAP).
    Type of Request: Renewal without change.
    Affected Public: University or College faculty and State Geological 
Surveys.
    Respondent's Obligation: None. Required to receive funding.
    Frequency of Collections: Annually.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: Approximately 50 
University or College faculty and approximately 45 State Geological 
Survey responses.
    Estimated Time per Response: 36 hours.
    Estimated Annual Burden Hours: 5,220 hours total. We expect to 
receive approximately 50 applications for EDMAP and 45 applications for 
STATEMAP each year which takes each applicant approximately 36 hours to 
complete, totaling 3,420 hours. This includes the time for project 
conception and development, proposal writing and reviewing, and 
submitting a project narrative through Grants.gov. We expect to issue 
45 EDMAP and 45 STATEMAP grants per year. The grant recipients are also 
required to submit a final technical report which takes each grant 
recipient approximately 20 hours to complete, totaling 1,800 hours.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: 
There are no ``non-hour cost'' burdens associated with this IC.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor and you are not 
required to respond to a

[[Page 47949]]

collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB 
control number and current expiration date.

III. Request for Comments

    To comply with the public consultation process, on March 25, 2015, 
we published a Federal Register notice (80 FR 15808) announcing our 
intent to submit this information collection to OMB for approval. In 
that notice we solicited public comments for 60 days, ending on May 26, 
2015. The USGS did not receive any comments. Therefore, we have not 
changed this collection.
    We again invite comments concerning this IC on: (a) Whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the agency to 
perform its duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) 
the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 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 on the respondents, including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Please 
note that any comments submitted in response to this notice are a 
matter of public record. 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 publically 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 will be done.

Douglas A. Howard,
Associate Program Coordinator, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping 
Program.
[FR Doc. 2015-19503 Filed 8-7-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4311-AM-P

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