31302 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 102 / Friday, May 25, 2012 / Notices 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 336,463.5 hours. (This is 

an estimation based on a three year 

usage rate as tracked by SUDS 

multiplied by Burden Hours per Form. 

This estimated annual burden on 

respondents also includes data from the 

Department of the Interior and the U.S. 

Army Corp of Engineers.) 

Department of the Interior-BLM, FWS, 

NPS and BuRec 

Estimated Annual Burden: 25 burden 

hours per response. 

Type of Respondents: Individuals, 

Businesses, Non-profit Organizations, 

and State and Local and Federal 

Government. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Respondents: 5,254. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Responses per Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 131,051 hours. 

U.S. Army Corp of Engineers 

Estimated Annual Burden: 25 burden 

hours per response. 

Type of Respondents: Individuals, 

Businesses, Non-profit Organizations, 

and State and Local and Federal 

Government. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Respondents: 32. 

Estimated Annual Number of 

Responses per Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 800 hours. 

Comment is Invited 

Comment is invited on: (1) Whether 

this collection of information is 

necessary for the stated purposes and 

the proper performance of the functions 

of the agency, including whether the 

information will have practical or 

scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden of the 

collection of information, including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; (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, including the use of 

automated, electronic, mechanical, or 

other technological collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. 

All comments received in response to 

this notice, including names and 

addresses when provided, will be a 

matter of public record. Comments will 

be summarized and included in the 

submission request toward Office of 

Management and Budget approval. 

Dated: May 18, 2012. 

Faye L. Krueger, 

Associate Deputy Chief, National Forest 

System. 

[FR Doc. 2012–12759 Filed 5–24–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–11–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Advisory Committee on Agriculture 

Statistics 

AGENCY: National Agricultural Statistics 

Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of Renewal of the Charter 

for the Advisory Committee on 

Agriculture Statistics. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) is seeking renewal 

of the 2-year charter for its discretionary 

committee, the Advisory Committee on 

Agriculture Statistics. 

Authority: The Advisory Committee on 

Agriculture Statistics was originally 

established by the Secretary of Commerce on 

July 16, 1962. The Committee is also 

established in accordance with the 

provisions of the Federal Advisory 

Committee Act (FACA), as amended, 5 U.S.C. 

App. 2. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Hubert H. Hamer, Chairperson, 

Agricultural Statistics Board, National 

Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, (202) 690– 

8141, or email hqdapp@nass.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Purpose: The purpose of the 

Committee is to advise the Secretary on 

the conduct of the periodic censuses 

and surveys of agriculture, other related 

surveys, and the types of agricultural 

information to obtain from respondents. 

The committee also prepares 

recommendations regarding the content 

of agriculture reports, and presents the 

views and needs for data of major 

suppliers and users of agriculture 

statistics. The committee draws on the 

experience and expertise of its members 

to form a collective judgment 

concerning agriculture data collected 

and the statistics issued by the National 

Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). 

The duties of the Committee are solely 

advisory in nature. 

Committee Membership: The 

Secretary of Agriculture will appoint the 

Committee’s members for 2-year terms. 

Furthermore, members will serve for 

two-year terms, and can serve no more 

than three consecutive terms. The 

Committee is composed of 20 

individuals with diverse capabilities 

distinguished by their broad range of 

knowledge and interest in, though not 

limited to, agricultural economics, rural 

sociology, farm policy analysis, and 

agricultural education. Members will 

also be drawn from representatives of 

state and local governments; agriculturerelated industry and trade or marketing 

associations; major national farm 

organizations; and producer 

organizations. A representative from the 

Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department 

of Commerce, and a representative from 

the Economic Research Service, USDA, 

shall serve as ex officio members of the 

Committee. This Committee will be 

fairly balanced in its membership in 

terms of the points of view represented 

and the functions to be performed. Steps 

will be taken to encourage fresh points 

of view, such as establishing staggered 

membership terms and limiting the 

number of renewed memberships. 

Equal opportunity practices in 

accordance with USDA policies will be 

followed in all appointments to the 

Committee. To ensure that the 

recommendations of the Committee 

have taken into account the needs of the 

diverse groups served by USDA, 

membership will include to the extent 

possible, individuals with demonstrated 

ability to represent minorities, women 

and persons with disabilities. 

The USDA prohibits discrimination in 

all of its programs and activities on the 

basis of race, color, national origin, age, 

disability, and where applicable, sex, 

marital status, familial status, parental 

status, religion, sexual orientation, 

political beliefs, genetic information, 

reprisal, or because all or part of an 

individual’s income is derived from any 

public assistance program. 

More information can be found about 

the Committee’s recent activities at: 

http://www.nass.usda.gov/About_

NASS/Advisory_Committee_on_

Agriculture_Statistics/index.asp. 

Signed at Washington, DC, May 8, 2012. 

Joseph T. Reilly, 

Associate Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2012–12769 Filed 5–24–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

OFFICE OF THE FEDERAL 

COORDINATOR FOR ALASKA 

NATURAL GAS TRANSPORTATION 

PROJECTS 

Review of Federal Permit Conditions 

AGENCY: Office of the Federal 

Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas 

Transportation Projects. 

ACTION: Notice of Adoption of Final 

Policy. 

SUMMARY: The Office of the Federal 

Coordinator for Alaska Natural Gas 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 102 / Friday, May 25, 2012 / Notices 31303 

Transportation Projects is adopting a 

final policy in order to implement its 

statutory responsibilities under the 

Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act (15 

U.S.C. 720) with respect to federal 

permit conditions imposed on the gas 

pipeline project. This policy statement 

will establish the agency’s procedures 

for determining whether certain 

conditions included in a certificate, 

right-of-way, permit, lease or other 

authorization for an Alaska natural gas 

transportation project by federal 

agencies are prohibited under the 

Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act. 

DATES: Effective Date: This policy will 

be effective immediately upon 

publication. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Debra Dickson, Director of 

Administration, Office of the Federal 

Coordinator, Alaska Natural Gas 

Transportation Projects, 

ddickson@arcticgas.gov, 202–756–4972. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Congress enacted the Alaska Natural 

Gas Pipeline Act in 2004 (15 U.S.C. 720) 

to encourage construction of a pipeline 

to deliver natural gas from Alaska’s 

North Slope to the Lower 48 states. The 

Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act 

establishes a new process for approval 

and construction of the pipeline, either 

a project that completes the Alaska 

Natural Gas Transportation System that 

President Carter approved in 1977 

pursuant to the Alaska Natural Gas 

Transportation Act of 1976 (15 U.S.C. 

719), or a different pipeline project 

under the Natural Gas Act. The Alaska 

Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 created 

the Office of the Federal Coordinator for 

Alaska Natural Gas Transportation 

Projects and charged the Federal 

Coordinator, the agency head, with four 

primary responsibilities: (1) Coordinate 

the expeditious discharge of all 

activities by all federal agencies with 

respect to an Alaska natural gas 

pipeline; (2) Ensure that all federal 

agencies comply with the Alaska 

Natural Gas Pipeline Act; (3) Prohibit 

federal agencies from imposing permit 

conditions that would prevent or impair 

in any significant respect the 

expeditious construction and operation 

of the project unless the conditions are 

required by law; further, the act directs 

the Federal Coordinator to determine 

whether a term or condition would 

prevent or impair in any significant 

respect the expeditious construction 

and operation of the project; and (4) 

Participate with the state of Alaska in a 

joint construction surveillance and 

monitoring agreement. 

In addition, Congress transferred to 

the Federal Coordinator all of the 

responsibilities and authorities of the 

Federal Inspector under the Alaska 

Natural Gas Transportation Act of 1976. 

These responsibilities will be applicable 

if the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation 

System gas line is completed or if the 

1980s’ prebuilt sections of that project 

are expanded or modified within the 

United States to handle Alaska gas. 

This policy addresses the third of the 

four statutory requirements listed above 

by explaining how the Federal 

Coordinator will determine whether 

conditions that federal agencies intend 

to impose on permits, rights-of-way or 

other authorizations for an Alaska 

natural gas transportation project will 

prevent or impair in any significant 

respect the expeditious construction 

and operation of the project. 

Several sections of the Alaska Natural 

Gas Pipeline Act require the Federal 

Coordinator to consider permit 

conditions imposed by federal agencies 

with respect to the pipeline. Section 

106(d)(2), Public Law 108–324, 118 Stat. 

1255 prohibits agencies from including 

certain conditions in permits and other 

approvals, it states: 

(2) PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN TERMS 

AND CONDITIONS—No Federal agency may 

include in any certificate, right-of-way, 

permit, lease, or other authorization issued to 

an Alaska natural gas transportation project 

any term or condition that may be permitted, 

but is not required, by any applicable law if 

the Federal Coordinator determines that the 

term or condition would prevent or impair in 

any significant respect the expeditious 

construction and operation, or an expansion, 

of the Alaska natural gas transportation 

project. 

Thus, the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline 

Act of 2004 prohibits conditions that 

may be included but are not required by 

any applicable law if the Federal 

Coordinator determines that the 

condition would prevent or impair in 

any significant respect the expeditious 

construction and operation, or an 

expansion, of the Alaska natural gas 

transportation project. The Federal 

Coordinator’s function with regard to 

some conditions is limited. The Alaska 

Natural Gas Pipeline Act, Division C, 

Section 106(d)(4), Public Law 108–324 

denies the Federal Coordinator any 

authority to override the Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission’s 

implementation of open seasons for the 

project or the Commission’s orders for 

expansion of the project under Section 

105 of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline 

Act, or to add or impose any terms or 

conditions to the Federal Energy 

Regulatory Commission certificate or 

any agency’s permit or other 

authorization for the project. Division C, 

Section 106(d)(4), Public Law 108–324 

states: 

(4) LIMITATION—The Federal Coordinator 

shall not have authority to— 

(A) override— 

(i) the implementation or enforcement of 

regulations issued by the Commission under 

section 103; or 

(ii) an order by the Commission to expand 

the project under section 105; or 

(B) impose any terms, conditions, or 

requirements in addition to those imposed by 

the Commission or any agency with respect 

to construction and operation, or an 

expansion of, the project. 

The Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act 

also prohibits federal agencies from 

amending any previously issued permit 

or authorization to add conditions 

determined by the Federal Coordinator 

to prevent or impair in any significant 

respect the expeditious construction 

and operation of the pipeline. 

(3) PROHIBITION OF CERTAIN 

ACTIONS—Unless required by law, no 

Federal agency shall add to, amend, or 

abrogate any certificate, right-of-way, permit, 

lease, or other authorization issued to an 

Alaska natural gas transportation project if 

the Federal Coordinator determines that the 

action would prevent or impair in any 

significant respect the expeditious 

construction and operation, or an expansion, 

of the Alaska natural gas transportation 

project. ANGPA § 106(d)(3). 

The prohibition of permit conditions 

that would prevent or impair 

expeditious construction and operation 

does not apply to conditions adopted by 

state agencies, even those issued 

pursuant to programs encouraged or 

funded by the federal government. 

However, if a state-issued permit 

includes a condition which is 

incorporated into a federal permit by a 

federal agency, the Federal Coordinator 

may review the condition that the 

federal agency adopted. Any 

determination the Federal Coordinator 

makes would not affect the state 

condition, just the applicability of the 

federal permit condition. 

II. Discussion of the Final Policy 

The Office of the Federal Coordinator 

is implementing these provisions of the 

Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 

by policy, establishing the process by 

which the Federal Coordinator will 

exercise its responsibility to determine 

whether permit conditions would 

prevent or impair expeditious 

construction of the project. This policy 

will apply to the agency’s review of 

conditions initially included in an 

authorization for an Alaska natural gas 

transportation project, as well as any 

renewal or reissuance of authorizations. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

31304 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 102 / Friday, May 25, 2012 / Notices 

One commenter suggested that the 

policy include a statement of the legal 

authority on which it is based. We have 

expanded the introduction to the policy 

to include this information. 

A. Intention To Work With Other 

Agencies 

It is the Federal Coordinator’s 

intention to work closely with other 

federal agencies before, during and after 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

process and during the permit 

application review process of each 

agency in order to identify the likely 

need for permit conditions early and to 

determine as soon as possible whether 

a particular permit condition would be 

consistent with the Alaska Natural Gas 

Pipeline Act’s statutory prohibition. The 

Office of the Federal Coordinator for 

Alaska Natural Gas Transportation 

Projects expects that through 

coordination with other federal agencies 

and the permit applicant, it should be 

able to resolve concerns about most 

terms and conditions early and either 

avoid a formal review process or 

conclude it expeditiously. 

B. Definitions 

(1) Condition: The agency proposes to 

define term or condition of the Alaska 

Natural Gas Pipeline Act, Section 106(d) 

(2), Pub. L. 108–324, 118 Stat. 1255— 

referred to in this policy as condition— 

to mean any obligation not proposed by 

the applicant but proposed to be added 

to the permit or authorization by a 

federal agency. That includes all terms, 

stipulations or conditions required by 

the agency and any other requirement 

imposed by a federal agency. It excludes 

any obligation included by the applicant 

in its application, even if the obligation 

is suggested by an agency. 

One commenter suggested that 

Federal Coordinator should not exclude 

from its review terms or conditions 

suggested by or agreed to by the project 

applicant, stating that the project 

applicant may not have the same 

interest as the United States in 

expeditious completion of the gas 

pipeline. The Office of the Federal 

Coordinator believes it is highly 

unlikely that an applicant will not want 

expeditious construction of the project. 

Besides, if the applicant and an agency 

mutually agree on a particular term or 

condition, and that term or condition is 

part of the application, it could not be 

considered as imposed by an agency on 

a project authorization. The Office of the 

Federal Coordinator’s review only 

relates to permit conditions imposed by 

federal agencies. 

(2) Authorization: The Federal 

Coordinator is defining the term 

authorization to mean any certificate, 

right-of-way, permit, lease, approval or 

other authorization required in order to 

construct or operate an Alaska natural 

gas transportation project, but excludes 

permissions for useful, but not required 

authorizations. Accordingly, federal 

loan guarantees, licenses for 

communications equipment not 

necessary for the project and other such 

permissions would not be subject to 

Federal Coordinator review. 

One commenter believed the 

proposed policy was too narrow because 

it used the term ‘‘permit’’ to include any 

permit, right-of-way or other 

authorization. It was the Office of the 

Federal Coordinator’s intention to 

include any kind of authorization in its 

review, not only permits. To clarify this, 

we are changing the policy to define the 

term ‘‘authorization’’ and defining that 

term to encompass any permit, right-ofway, lease or other authorization 

required for an Alaska natural gas 

transportation project. 

One commenter suggested that 

authorizations which would assist but 

are not essential for an Alaska natural 

gas transportation project should 

nonetheless be subject to review. The 

Federal Coordinator disagrees. Congress 

granted the Federal Coordinator limited 

authority to review permit conditions 

that might prevent or delay expeditious 

construction and operation of the 

project. If an authorization is not 

required for the project, any condition 

imposed on that authorization is 

unlikely to prevent or delay expeditious 

construction or operation of the project. 

(3) Alaska Natural Gas 

Transportation Project: The agency does 

not intend to propose a definition of 

Alaska natural gas transportation 

project, as that term is defined in the 

Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act, 

Section 102 of Pub. L. 108–324, 118 

Stat. 1255. It is important to note that 

the definition includes the entire 

system, not simply the pipeline. 

Therefore, this permit review policy 

will cover conditions addressing 

support facilities, compressor stations, 

the gas treatment plant and other parts 

of the project. 

(4) Prevent or Impair in Any 

Significant Respect the Expeditious 

Construction and Operation of the 

Project: As discussed in the proposal, 

the agency did not define ‘‘prevent or 

impair in any significant respect the 

expeditious construction and operation 

of the project’’ because the agency 

believes this should be interpreted 

based on the circumstances of the 

project at the time of an agency’s action, 

the agency’s intention and justification 

in crafting the proposed condition, and 

the condition’s effect on the project. 

Prevent or impair in any significant 

respect cannot be well defined in the 

absence of specific circumstances. As an 

example, a condition that causes a 

significant delay in the first in-service 

date contractually agreed to between the 

pipeline owner and/or operator and a 

shipper could, if extreme, be deemed to 

impair expeditious construction and 

operation of the project. However, such 

a determination could only be made if 

the contractual in-service date were 

reasonable in light of the complexity of 

the project and other circumstances. 

C. Process for Review of Permit 

Conditions 

The Federal Coordinator does not 

intend to review every condition on 

every permit. Rather, the agency will 

generally review permit conditions at 

the request of the applicant or 

permittee. In addition, the Office of the 

Federal Coordinator reserves the right to 

select conditions for review on its own 

initiative. When the permitting agency’s 

practice or regulations allow that agency 

or the Office of the Federal Coordinator 

to share a draft permit condition with an 

applicant, the Office of the Federal 

Coordinator will work with the 

applicant and the agency as early as 

possible to identify problematic permit 

conditions. An applicant may request 

review of a permit condition by the 

Office of the Federal Coordinator prior 

to issuance if the applicant believes it 

may prevent or impair in any significant 

respect the expeditious construction 

and operation of the project. If the 

practice of the permitting agency does 

not allow draft permit conditions to be 

shared with an applicant, the permittee 

will have to wait to request review of a 

permit condition until after the permit 

is issued. 

One commenter suggested that the 

policy include a procedure for federal 

agencies other than the Federal 

Coordinator to request a review of 

proposed conditions before issuing a 

project authorization. The Federal 

Coordinator has not adopted this 

suggestion. The Office of the Federal 

Coordinator will work with other 

agencies during the permitting process. 

If an agency chooses to share possible 

permit conditions with the Office of the 

Federal Coordinator in advance of 

issuing its permit, the office will 

provide guidance on how to avoid 

problems. It is not the Federal 

Coordinator’s intention to provide a 

formal review before issuance. However, 

if an early formal determination is 

sought, the Federal Coordinator will 

make every effort to provide effective 

guidance to an agency. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 102 / Friday, May 25, 2012 / Notices 31305 

Requests from the applicant or the 

permittee for review of permit 

conditions should specify what specific 

condition will prevent or impair 

expeditious construction and operation 

of the project and should explain why 

the condition will have a detrimental 

impact on the project. 

D. Information Required for Review 

The Office of the Federal Coordinator 

will need background information from 

the agency in order to conduct its 

review, including: 

(1) The language of the specific 

condition. 

(2) A citation to the legal requirement 

for the condition. 

(3) Any analysis the agency has 

prepared of the cost of implementing 

the condition. 

(4) Any other information that 

explains the agency’s reasons to include 

the condition, especially the 

circumstances that require its inclusion. 

This should include any discussion of 

the benefits of the conditions, or a costbenefit analysis if one has been 

prepared. 

(5) If the permit has not been issued, 

a statement addressing whether it is 

permissible under the agency’s practice 

to share the draft condition with the 

applicant. 

The Office of the Federal Coordinator 

expects this information should be 

readily available from the agency and 

will not impose a burden on the agency, 

as the agency should have already 

documented the need for the condition 

as part of the administrative record. 

Accordingly, the Office of the Federal 

Coordinator anticipates that the agency 

will be able to provide this information 

within ten (10) calendar days of Office 

of the Federal Coordinator’s notification 

of a review and request for additional 

information. 

One commenter suggested that the 

Federal Coordinator reserve the right to 

deny an application for review due to a 

lack of adequate information, if it is 

frivolous, or for any other cause. If the 

request for review is incomplete, does 

not demonstrate merit or otherwise does 

not provide a basis for relief, the Federal 

Coordinator does not need 

supplemental reasons for denying relief. 

Based on Office of the Federal 

Coordinator’s review of the proposed 

condition, the Federal Coordinator will 

determine whether the condition would 

prevent or impair in any significant 

respect the expeditious construction 

and operation of the project. In most 

cases, the Office of the Federal 

Coordinator’s review should be 

completed in less than thirty (30) days 

after a project applicant requests a 

review. The Federal Coordinator will 

provide notice of its decision and 

reasoning to the applicant and the 

agency. If the Federal Coordinator 

determines that the condition or 

proposed condition would prevent or 

impair in any significant respect the 

expeditious construction and operation 

of the project, the Office of the Federal 

Coordinator will facilitate a meeting 

between the permittee or applicant and 

the issuing agency and, if appropriate, 

other experts, in order to help resolve 

the issue. 

A commenter suggested including a 

statement to the effect that the permit 

condition review policy was intended to 

reduce litigation and that it did not 

create any legal rights. The Office of the 

Federal Coordinator disagrees with such 

an addition to this policy. If the Federal 

Coordinator determines that a permit 

condition will prevent or impair 

expeditious construction of the project, 

that determination creates the right for 

the applicant to seek a judicial ruling 

that the condition is unenforceable if it 

is not required by law. Accordingly, the 

Federal Coordinator will not adopt this 

suggestion. 

III. Final Policy for Review of Federal 

Permit Conditions for an Alaska 

Natural Gas Transportation Project 

The purpose of this policy is to 

explain how the Office of the Federal 

Coordinator will exercise its 

responsibilities with respect to review 

of permit conditions under Section 

106(d) of the Alaska Natural Gas 

Pipeline Act (15 U.S.C. 720(d)(d)). 

Section 106(a) of the Alaska Natural Gas 

Pipeline Act (15 U.S.C. 720(d)(a)) 

established the Office of the Federal 

Coordinator as an independent office in 

the executive branch. The Federal 

Coordinator also exercises authorities 

under the Alaska Natural Gas 

Transportation Act (15 U.S.C. 719), and 

this policy is adopted in order to 

implement those responsibilities as 

well. This policy applies to the issuance 

of initial permits, as well as the renewal 

or reissuance of permits for an Alaska 

natural gas transportation project. 

It is the Federal Coordinator’s 

intention to work closely with other 

federal agencies before, during and after 

the National Environmental Policy Act 

process for an Alaska natural gas 

pipeline project and also during the 

permit application review process of 

each agency in order to identify early 

the likely need for permit conditions 

and to determine as soon as possible 

whether a particular permit condition 

would be precluded by the Alaska 

Natural Gas Pipeline Act’s statutory 

prohibition. The Federal Coordinator 

expects that through coordination with 

other federal agencies and the permit 

applicant, it should be able to resolve 

concerns about most terms and 

conditions early on and either avoid a 

formal review process or conclude it 

expeditiously. 

1. Definitions 

(a) Term or condition in Section 

106(d)(2) of the Alaska Natural Gas 

Pipeline Act—referred to in this policy 

as condition—means any obligation not 

proposed by the applicant but proposed 

to be added to the permit or 

authorization by a federal agency. This 

includes all terms, stipulations, 

conditions or additions to the 

application and any other requirement 

imposed by an agency. It excludes any 

obligation included by the applicant in 

its application, even if the obligation is 

suggested by an agency. 

(b) Authorization means certificate, 

right-of-way, permit, lease or any other 

authorization required in order to 

construct or operate an Alaska natural 

gas transportation project. 

2. Review of Proposed Terms or 

Conditions 

(a) Review of Permit Conditions by 

Request of Applicant 

(1) An applicant for any authorization 

or a permittee for any authorization for 

an Alaska natural gas transportation 

project may request the Federal 

Coordinator to review any condition 

included in or proposed for inclusion in 

the authorization. 

(2) Such requests must be made to the 

Federal Coordinator no later than 30 

days after issuance. 

(3) The request shall include a 

specific identification of each condition 

which the applicant or permittee 

believes is inconsistent with the Alaska 

Natural Gas Pipeline Act and an 

explanation of the basis of that belief, 

including information that supports the 

contention that the permit condition 

would prevent or impair in any 

significant respect the expeditious 

construction and operation of the 

project. 

(4) The Federal Coordinator may 

review a permit condition even if the 

permittee has not requested review. 

(b) Materials Necessary for Review 

If the Federal Coordinator receives a 

request for review of any condition, the 

Federal Coordinator will notify the 

issuing agency of the request. The 

Federal Coordinator will need the 

following information from the agency: 

(1) The language of the specific 

condition. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

31306 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 102 / Friday, May 25, 2012 / Notices 

(2) A citation to the legal requirement 

for the condition. 

(3) Any analysis the agency has 

prepared of the cost of implementing 

the condition. 

(4) Any other information that 

explains the agency’s reasons to include 

the condition, especially the 

circumstances that require its inclusion. 

This should include any discussion of 

the benefits of the conditions, or a costbenefit analysis if one has been 

prepared. 

(5) If the permit has not yet been 

issued, a statement addressing whether 

agency practice or regulations would 

allow the Office of the Federal 

Coordinator to discuss the proposed 

condition with the applicant. 

(c) Permit Condition Review 

In determining whether a proposed 

permit condition would prevent or 

impair expeditious construction and 

operation of the project, the Federal 

Coordinator will consider: 

(1) Any delays in project construction 

and operation caused by the condition. 

(2) All other available information, 

including, if available, the project’s cost 

of meeting the condition. 

(3) The statutory and regulatory basis 

for the condition, as provided by the 

issuing agency. 

(4) The views of the applicant. 

(d) The Federal Coordinator Will 

Endeavor To Complete Its Review 

Within 30 Days After a Request From an 

Applicant or Permittee 

(e) The Federal Coordinator’s Decision 

(1) The Federal Coordinator will 

determine whether the proposed 

condition would prevent or impair in 

any significant respect the expeditious 

construction and operation of an Alaska 

natural gas transportation project or 

expansion of that project. The Federal 

Coordinator’s decision will be sent to 

the agency and the applicant or 

permittee. 

(2) If the Federal Coordinator 

determines that the condition or 

proposed condition would prevent or 

impair in any significant respect the 

expeditious construction and operation 

of the project, the Federal Coordinator 

will facilitate a meeting between the 

permittee or applicant and the issuing 

agency and, if appropriate, other 

experts, in order to help resolve the 

issue. 

Dated: May 18, 2012. 

Larry Persily, 

Federal Coordinator. 

[FR Doc. 2012–12737 Filed 5–24–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6820–TP–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit to the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) for clearance the 

following proposal for collection of 

information under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

chapter 35). 

Agency: U.S. Census Bureau. 

Title: Census Field Staff Exit 

Questionnaires. 

OMB Control Number: 0607–0404. 

Form Number(s): BC–1294, BC– 

1294D. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Burden Hours: 84. 

Number of Respondents: 650. 

Average Hours per Response: BC– 

1294 = 7 minutes, BC–1294D = 10 

minutes. 

Needs and Uses: Retention of trained 

field interviewing staff is a major 

concern for the Census Bureau because 

of both the monetary costs associated 

with employee turnover, as well as the 

potential impact on data quality. 

Therefore, in a continuous effort to 

devise policies and practices aimed at 

reducing turnover among interviewers, 

the Census Bureau collects data on the 

reasons interviewers leave their Census 

Bureau jobs. 

The exit questionnaires are the 

instruments we use to collect turnover 

data from a sample of former current 

survey interviewers (field 

representatives) and decennial census 

interviewers (enumerators and listers). 

The goal or purpose of the exit 

questionnaires is to determine the 

reasons for interviewer turnover and 

what the Census Bureau might have 

done, or can do, to influence 

interviewers not to leave. Thus the exit 

questionnaires seek reasons 

interviewers quit, inquire about 

motivational factors that would have 

kept interviewers from leaving, attempt 

to identify training program strengths 

and weaknesses and their impacts on 

turnover, and explore the impact of pay, 

working conditions and supervisory 

styles on employees’ reasons for 

quitting. 

As the environment in which surveys 

take place, the demographics of our 

labor force and the way surveys are 

conducted continues to change, it is 

important that we continue to examine 

the interviewers’ concerns about their 

job. Information provided by 

respondents to the exit questionnaire 

provides insight on the measures the 

Census Bureau might take to decrease 

turnover, and is useful in helping us 

determine if the reasons for interviewer 

turnover appear to be systemic or 

localized. The exit questionnaires have 

shown to be useful and, therefore, we 

believe it is important to continue to use 

them to affect program planning and 

management. 

Forms BC–1294 and the BC–1294(D) 

are the instruments we currently use to 

collect turnover data from a sample of 

former current survey interviewers, and 

decennial census listers/enumerators, 

respectively. 

This submission includes changes to 

the BC–1294, which reflect Census 

Bureau policy and procedural changes 

to current surveys since the last request 

for clearance. This submission does not 

include changes to the BC–1294(D). We 

are dropping the BC–1294(CM), 

Coverage Measurement Exit 

Questionnaire, from this clearance. 

Affected Public: Individuals. 

Frequency: One time. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

Legal Authority: Title 5 U.S.C., 

Sections 301, 2301 and 3101. 

OMB Desk Officer: Brian HarrisKojetin, (202) 395–7314. 

Copies of the above information 

collection proposal can be obtained by 

calling or writing Jennifer Jessup, 

Departmental Paperwork Clearance 

Officer, (202) 482–0336, Department of 

Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and 

Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, 

DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 

jjessup@doc.gov). 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to Brian Harris-Kojetin, 

OMB Desk Officer either by fax (202– 

395–7245) or email 

(bharrisk@omb.eop.gov). 

Dated: May 21, 2012. 

Glenna Mickelson, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2012–12697 Filed 5–24–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit to the Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) for clearance the 

following proposal for collection of 

information under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 

chapter 35). 

Agency: U.S. Census Bureau. 

Title: Service Annual Survey. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES