19310 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 67 / Thursday, April 7, 2011 / Notices 

assist APHIS in developing more 

effective methods for the NEPA process. 

APHIS intends to create mechanisms for 

early and frequent interactions between 

APHIS’ Biotechnology Regulatory 

Services program staff and participants 

in the pilot project to identify and 

thoroughly evaluate the potential 

environmental impacts pertinent to the 

Agency’s NEPA analysis. This pilot will 

also include mechanisms to identify 

NEPA-related issues early in the process 

involving both the petitioners and 

interested partners. APHIS also intends 

to use the pilot project to develop 

guidance for all petitioners that clearly 

identifies the information needed to 

initiate and complete the required 

NEPA analysis. 

APHIS will evaluate the overall 

results of the pilot project, including the 

effectiveness of using environmental 

analyses and documents prepared by 

petitioners (environmental reports) as 

compared to environmental analyses 

and documents prepared using an 

independent contractor (EAs and EISs), 

and a cost analysis of the two 

approaches in relationship to the quality 

and timeliness of the final product. 

APHIS is soliciting letters of interest 

from regulated entities interested in 

participating in the NEPA Pilot Project; 

no limit has been set on the number of 

participants. APHIS anticipates that the 

pilot project will run for 2 years. 

However, APHIS is interested in 

advancing the pilot project in the next 

few months and therefore encourages 

interested entities to submit letters of 

interest as soon as possible. Interested 

entities may submit letters of interest by 

mail or e-mail through April 8, 2013 to 

the person listed under FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION CONTACT. APHIS will 

promptly contact all entities that submit 

letters of interest to discuss their 

participation in the NEPA Pilot Project. 

Authority: 7 U.S.C. 7701–7772 and 7781– 

7786; 31 U.S.C. 9701; 7 CFR 2.22, 2.80, and 

371.3. 

Done in Washington, DC, this 1st day of 

April 2011. 

Kevin Shea, 

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant 

Health Inspection Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–8329 Filed 4–6–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Farm Service Agency 

Information Collection; Certified State 

Mediation Program 

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Farm Service Agency (FSA) is seeking 

comments from all interested 

individuals and organizations on an 

extension of a currently approved 

information collection that supports the 

Certified State Mediation Program. The 

information collection is necessary to 

ensure the grant program is being 

administered properly. The collection of 

information by mail, phone, fax, in 

person, and by the internet is utilized by 

FSA initially to determine whether the 

State meets the eligibility criteria to be 

a recipient of grant funds. Lack of 

adequate information to make these 

determinations could result in the 

improper administration and 

appropriation of Federal grant funds. 

DATES: We will consider comments that 

we receive by June 6, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit 

comments on this notice. In your 

comments, include date, volume, and 

page number of this issue of the Federal 

Register. You may submit comments by 

any of the following methods: 

• Mail: Carol Wagner, Certified State 

Mediation Program Manager, USDA, 

FSA, Appeals and Litigation Staff, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., Ag Stop 

0570, Washington, DC 20250–0570. 

• E-mail: 

Carol.Wagner@wdc.usda.gov. 

• Fax: (202) 690–3003. 

You may also send comments to the 

Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget, 

Washington, DC 20503. Copies of the 

information collection may be requested 

by contacting Carol Wagner at the above 

addresses. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Carol Wagner, FSA, Appeals and 

Litigation Staff, telephone (202) 720– 

4966. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Certified State Mediation 

Program. 

OMB Control Number: 0560–0165. 

Expiration Date of Approval: August 

31, 2011. 

Type of Request: Extension. 

Abstract: This information is needed 

for FSA to effectively administer the 

Certified State Mediation Program in 

accordance with Subtitles A and B of 

Title V of the Agricultural Credit Act of 

1987 (7 U.S.C. 5106). FSA requires some 

of the collected information to be 

reported in a standard manner. 

Although other institutions, public and 

private, generally require and collect 

information similar to that requested by 

FSA, there is a wide diversity in 

reporting practices. 

The information to be collected 

includes an application for certification, 

re-verification for subsequent annual 

approval, SF–424, SF–424A, and SF– 

424B Application for Federal 

Assistance, financial management 

systems and reporting requirements, 

and audit reports. The information 

collection request has not changed since 

the last OMB approval. 

The information requested is reported 

annually and is necessary for the FSA 

to determine eligibility and administer 

the mediation grant program in an 

equitable and cost-effective manner. 

Estimated of Annual Burden: The 

public reporting burden for this 

information collection is estimated to 

average 34 hours per respondent. 

Respondents: State Agencies. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

35. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 5. 

Estimated Total Annual of Reponses: 

175. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

hours: 1190 hours. 

We are requesting comments on all 

aspects of this information collection to 

help us to: 

(1) Evaluate whether the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) Evaluate the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; 

(3) Enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; 

(4) 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 comments 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 request 

for OMB approval. 

Signed at Washington DC, on April 1, 

2011. 

Carolyn B. Cooksie, 

Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2011–8320 Filed 4–6–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P 

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