U.s. Geological Survey 2012 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is inviting comments on an information collection request (ICR) that we have sent to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The ICR concerns the paperwork requirements for the USA National Phenology NetworkThe Nature's Notebook Plant and Animal Observing Program. 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 ICR. This collection is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2013.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we will submit to OMB an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements for respondents to submit proposals and fulfill assistance reporting requirements for research in earthquake hazard assessments and earthquake occurrence under the Earthquake Hazards Reduction Act of 1977, as amended, Public Law 95-124, 42 U.S.C. 7701 et. seq. To submit a proposal, three standard OMB forms and a project narrative must be completed and submitted via Grants.gov. This collection is scheduled to expire on February 28, 2013. This notice provides the public an opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these forms.

We (the USGS) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. This collection consists of 1 form. 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 March 31, 2013.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we have submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a new information collection request (ICR) for the extension of the paperwork requirements for the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP). This notice provides the public and other Federal agencies an opportunity to comment on the nature of this collection which is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2012.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we will submit to OMB an information collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork requirements for ``Bird Banding Lab (4 USGS forms).'' This notice provides the public and other Federal agencies an opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of this form. This collection is scheduled to expire on November 30, 2012.

Notice is hereby given of a meeting of the ACWI. This meeting is to discuss broad policy-related topics relating to national water initiatives, and the development and dissemination of water information, through reports from ACWI subgroups. The agenda will include updates from ACWI's various subcommittees; discussion of a new Climate Workgroup that is being formed; a report on the National Monitoring Conference, which was held earlier this year in Portland, Oregon; a demonstration of new features that will be released later in the summer for the U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Information System; an update on the National Ground Water Monitoring Network Data Portal; a report on the Hydrologic Frequency Analysis Work Group's progress on revising Bulletin 17B, Guidelines For Determining Flood Flow Frequency; and a demonstration of a new component of the National Environmental Methods Index that provides better access to statistical and assessment methods for water quality. The ACWI was established under the authority of the Office of Management and Budget Memorandum M-92-01 and the Federal Advisory Committee Act. The purpose of the ACWI is to provide a forum for water information users and professionals to advise the Federal Government on activities and plans that may improve the effectiveness of meeting the Nation's water information needs. Member organizations help to foster communications between the Federal and non-Federal sectors on sharing water information. Membership, limited to 35 organizations, represents a wide range of water resources interests and functions. Representation on the ACWI includes all levels of government, academia, private industry, and professional and technical societies. For more information on the ACWI, its membership, subgroups, meetings and activities, please see the Web site at: https://ACWI.gov.

The U.S. Geological Survey is creating 10-year strategies for each of its Mission Areas: Climate and Land Use Change, Core Science Systems, Ecosystems, Energy and Minerals, Environmental Health, Natural Hazards, and Water. This process involves gathering input from the public on draft strategy documents. Feedback can be offered at https:// www.usgs.gov/startwithscience.

We (the U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described below. To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA) 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 IC is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2012. To submit a proposal for the MRERP a project narrative must be completed and submitted via Grants.gov. Furthermore, for multi-year projects, an annual progress report must be completed, and for all projects, a final technical report is required at the end of the project period. The narrative and report guidance is available at https://www.usgs.gov/contracts/Minerals/.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we (the U.S. Geological Survey) are notifying the public that we will submit to OMB an extension of a currently approved information collection (IC) for the National Geological and Geophysical Data Preservation Program (NGGDPP) under Section 351 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This notice provides the public and other Federal agencies an opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of this information collection (IC). The existing IC is scheduled to expire on July 31, 2012. To submit a proposal to the NGGDPP, a project narrative must be completed and submitted via www.Grants.gov. Furthermore, a final technical report for all projects is required at the end of the project period. Narrative and report guidance is available through https:// datapreservation.usgs.gov/and at www.Grants.gov.

To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we are notifying the public that we will submit to OMB an extension of a currently approved information collection for the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program (NCGMP)EDMAP and STATEMAP. 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 Information Collection (IC). The existing IC is scheduled to expire on August 31, 2012.