59290 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 191 / Monday, October 4, 2004 / Notices 

under its business loan assistance 

programs, as well as seeking comments 

on a proposed assessment of the effects 

of the Agency’s 7(a) business loan 

program and 504 certified development 

company program upon the 

environment. The comment period 

closes on October 5, 2004. Due to a 

request from the public for an extension 

of time for comments and SBA’s desire 

to have a meaningful dialogue on these 

issues, SBA is extending the time period 

for comments through December 15, 

2004.

DATES: The comment period for the 

Notice of proposed change in 

procedures published August 6, 2004 

(69 FR 47971) is extended through 

December 15, 2004.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by a reference to ‘‘NEPA 

Procedures Public Comments,’’ by any 

of the following methods: Through the 

Federal eRulemaking portal at http://

www.regulations.gov; by mail to Eric S. 

Benderson, Associate General Counsel, 

Office of General Counsel, 7th Floor, 

U.S. Small Business Administration, 

409 Third Street, SW., Washington, DC 

20416; by e-mail (include reference to 

‘‘NEPA Procedures Public Comments’’

in the subject line) to 

eric.benderson@sba.gov; or via facsimile 

to (202) 205–7154.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Eric 

S. Benderson, Associate General 

Counsel (202) 205–6636; 

eric.benderson@sba.gov.

Dated: September 28, 2004. 

Ronald E. Bew, 

Associate Deputy Administrator.

[FR Doc. 04–22187 Filed 10–1–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8025–01–P

SOCIAL SECURITY ADMINISTRATION

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Proposed Request and 

Comment Request 

The Social Security Administration 

(SSA) publishes a list of information 

collection packages that will require 

clearance by the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) in compliance with 

Pub. L. 104–13, the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, effective October 

1, 1995. The information collection 

packages that may be included in this 

Notice are for revisions to OMBapproved information collections and 

extensions (no change) of OMBapproved information collections. 

SSA is soliciting comments on the 

accuracy of the agency’s burden 

estimate; the need for the information; 

its practical utility; ways to enhance its 

quality, utility, and clarity; and on ways 

to minimize burden on respondents, 

including the use of automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. Written 

comments and recommendations 

regarding the information collection(s) 

should be submitted to the OMB Desk 

Officer and the SSA Reports Clearance 

Officer. The information can be mailed 

and/or faxed to the individuals at the 

addresses and fax numbers listed below: 

(OMB), Office of Management and 

Budget, Attn: Desk Officer for SSA, New 

Executive Building, Room 10235, 725 

17th St., NW., Washington, DC 20503, 

Fax: 202–395–6974. 

(SSA), Social Security 

Administration, DCFAM, Attn: Reports 

Clearance Officer, 1338 Annex Building, 

6401 Security Blvd., Baltimore, MD 

21235, Fax: 410–965–6400. 

I. The information collections listed 

below are pending at SSA and will be 

submitted to OMB within 60 days from 

the date of this notice. Therefore, your 

comments should be submitted to SSA 

within 60 days from the date of this 

publication. You can obtain copies of 

the collection instruments by calling the 

SSA Reports Clearance Officer at 410–

965–0454 or by writing to the address 

listed above. 

1. Cessation or Continuance of 

Disability or Blindness Determination—

20 CFR 404.1615, 20 CFR 404.1512, and 

20 CFR 404.1588–1599—0960–0443.

The information on Form SSA–832-U3/

C3 is used by SSA to document 

determinations as to whether an 

individual’s disability benefits should 

be terminated or continued on the basis 

of his/her impairment. The respondents 

are State Disability Determination 

Service employees adjudicating 

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) 

disability claims. 

Type of Request: Extension of an 

OMB-approved information collection. 

Number of Respondents: 392,191. 

Frequency of Response: 1. 

Average Burden Per Response: 30 

minutes. 

Estimated Annual Burden: 196,096 

hours. 

2. Work Activity Report (SelfEmployed Person)—20 CFR 404.1520(b), 

20 CFR 1571–.1576, 20 CFR 404.1584–

.1593, and 20 CFR 416.971–.976—0960–

0598. The information on Form SSA–

820–F4 is used by SSA to determine 

initial or continuing eligibility for SSI or 

Social Security disability benefits. 

Under titles II and XVI of the Act, 

applicants for disability benefits must 

prove an inability to perform any kind 

of Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) 

generally available in the national 

economy for which they might be 

expected to qualify on the basis of age, 

education, and work experience. SSA 

needs to secure information about this 

work in order to ascertain whether the 

applicant was (or is) engaging in SGA. 

Work after a claimant becomes entitled 

can cause the cessation of disability 

benefits. The information obtained from 

form SSA–820–F4 is needed to 

determine if a cessation of benefits 

should occur. The respondents are 

applicants and claimants for SSI or 

Social Security benefits.

Type of Request: Extension of an 

OMB-approved information collection. 

Number of Respondents: 100,000. 

Frequency of Response: 1. 

Average Burden Per Response: 30 

minutes. 

Estimated Annual Burden: 50,000 

hours. 

3. Representative Payee Report—20 

CFR 404.2035, 20 CFR 404.2065, 20 CFR 

416.635, and 20 CFR 416.665—0960–

0068. The information on Forms SSA–

623 and SSA–6230 is used by SSA to 

determine whether payments certified 

to the representative payee have been 

used for the beneficiary’s current 

maintenance and personal needs, and to 

determine whether the representative 

payee continues to be concerned with 

the beneficiary’s welfare. The 

respondents are representative payees. 

Type of Request: Extension of an 

OMB-approved information collection. 

Number of Respondents: 6,000,000. 

Frequency of Response: 1. 

Average Burden Per Response: 15 

minutes. 

Estimated Annual Burden: 1,500,000 

hours. 

4. Modified Benefit Formula 

Questionnaire—0960–0395. The Social 

Security Administration uses the 

information collected by the SSA–150 to 

determine the correct formula to be used 

in computing the Social Security benefit 

for someone who receives a pension 

from employment not covered by Social 

Security. The SSA–150 collects the 

information needed to make all the 

necessary benefit computations. The 

respondents are claimants for Social 

Security benefits who are entitled to 

both Social Security and a pension not 

covered by Social Security. 

Type of Request: Extension of an 

OMB-approved information collection. 

Number of Respondents: 90,000. 

Frequency of Response: 1. 

Average Burden Per Response: 8 

minutes. 

Estimated Average Burden: 12,000 

hours. 

5. Modified Benefit Formula 

Questionnaire-Employer—0960–0477.

The information collected on Form 

SSA–58 is used by the SSA to verify the 

Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 191 / Monday, October 4, 2004 / Notices 59291

claimant’s allegations on Form SSA–150 

(OMB No. 0960–0395). SSA must make 

a determination regarding whether the 

modified benefit formula is applicable 

and when to first apply it to a person’s 

benefit. This form will be sent to an 

employer for pension-related 

information if the claimant is unable to 

provide it. The respondents are 

individuals who are eligible after 1985 

for both Social Security benefits and a 

pension based on work not covered by 

Social Security. 

Type of Request: Extension of an 

OMB-approved information collection. 

Number of Respondents: 30,000. 

Frequency of Response: 1. 

Average Burden Per Response: 20 

minutes. 

Estimated Average Burden: 10,000 

hours. 

6. Report by Former Representative 

Payee—20 CFR 404.2060 and 20 CFR 

404.2065—0960–0112. SSA collects the 

information on Form SSA–625 when a 

mental facility is terminating its payee 

services and a successor payee is to be 

named. The information is needed to 

determine the proper disposition of any 

conserved funds. The respondents are 

State institutions or agencies which are 

no longer serving as representative 

payee(s) for beneficiaries who are 

incapable of managing benefits. 

Type of Request: Extension of an 

OMB-approved information collection. 

Number of Respondents: 8,000. 

Frequency of Response: 1. 

Average Burden Per Response: 15 

minutes. 

Estimated Average Burden: 2,000 

hours. 

7. State Death Match—20 CFR 

404.301, 20 CFR 404.310–311, 20 CFR 

404.316, 20 CFR 404.330–341, 20 CFR 

404.350–352, 20 CFR 404.371, and 20 

CFR 416.912—0960–NEW

Background 

Section 205(r) of the Social Security 

Act requires SSA to contract with the 

States to obtain death certificate 

information in order to compare it to 

SSA’s payment files. This match 

ensures the accuracy of our payment 

files by detecting unreported or 

inaccurate deaths of beneficiaries.

Entitlement to retirement, disability, 

wife’s, husband’s or parent’s benefits 

under the provisions of the Social 

Security Act terminates when the 

beneficiary dies. About 2.5 million 

people die in the United States each 

year. Approximately 2.0 million are 

SSA beneficiaries. Therefore, the 

information is instrumental in 

maintaining payment integrity. 

SSA is seeking clearance of both the 

current state death match reporting 

process and the new Web-based 

Electronic Death Registration (EDR) 

process described below: 

State Death Match—Current Process 

The first participants in the death 

registration process, usually funeral 

directors, are charged by State law to 

complete the demographic information 

on the decedent and obtain necessary 

physicians’ signatures to complete the 

death registration. Once the death 

registration information is completed, 

the first participant sends the 

information to the State’s bureaus of 

vital statistics (SBVS). The SBVS 

officially registers the death and is the 

official keeper of the death record. Each 

State then furnishes this information to 

SSA, using current technology 

including Vital Information Systems 

Network (VISN), electronic Vital 

Information Systems Network (eVISN), 

and ConnectDirect. Under this process 

SSA must independently verify the 

State death data before taking a 

termination action. The respondents are 

the SBVS. 

State Death Match— EDR Online 

Verification of the Social Security 

Number in State Death Registration 

Process 

The States are now updating and 

further automating the death registration 

processes. This State reengineering 

effort is widely known as the Electronic 

Death Registration (EDR) initiative. The 

EDR system permits electronic transfer 

of the death certificate. Under EDR the 

first participant completes a portion and 

electronically sends the document to the 

next participant for completion and 

submission to the BVS. 

An additional feature of EDR is the 

Online Verification System (OVS) 

developed by the National Association 

for Public Health Statistics and 

Information System (NAPHSIS) in 

conjunction with SSA. The process 

allows the first participants in the death 

registration process to enter the 

decedent’s demographic information 

including the social security number 

(SSN) into the EDR system. The system 

will verify the SSN online in real time 

and creates an electronic death 

certificate as well as a fact of death 

report. The States have agreed that the 

on-line verification of the SSN at the 

first point of collection in the 

registration process will satisfy the 

requirement to independently verify the 

SSN. 

EDR reduces the processing time 

needed to register deaths and greatly 

improves the business practices of the 

various participants in death 

registration process. EDR will result in 

the State’s ability to send SSA the report 

with a verified SSN within 5 days of the 

date of death and within 24 hours of 

receipt in the State repository. SSA is 

using a phased-in approach to EDR. 

When fully implemented, SSA will save 

significant program dollars and work 

years annually. The respondents are the 

SBVS. 

Type of Request: New information 

collection. 

Estimated Annual Cost for all 

respondents:

Collection format Number of respondents Frequency of responses 

Average cost 

per record request 

Estimated annual cost burden 

State death match—current registration process.52 50,000 per state ............................................. .67 $1,742,000 

State death match—electronic death registration (EDR).3 50,000 per state ............................................. $2.48 $372,000 

** Please note that both of these data matching processes are entirely electronic and there is no hourly burden for the respondent to provide 

this information. 

59292 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 191 / Monday, October 4, 2004 / Notices 

II. The information collection listed 

below has been submitted to OMB for 

clearance. 

Your comments on the information 

collection would be most useful if 

received by OMB and SSA within 30 

days from the date of this publication. 

You can obtain a copy of the OMB 

clearance package by calling the SSA 

Reports Clearance Officer at 410–965–

0454, or by writing to the address listed 

above.

Request for Waiver of Special 

Veterans Benefits (SVB) Overpayment 

Recovery or Change in Repayment 

Rate—0960—NEW

Background 

Section 251 of the Foster Care 

Independence Act of 1999, Pub. L. 106–

169, added Title VIII (Special Benefits 

for Certain World War II veterans) to the 

Social Security Act. Title VIII allows for 

the payments of monthly benefits to 

qualified World War II veterans who 

reside outside the United States. When 

an overpayment in SVB occurs, the 

beneficiary can request a waiver of 

recovery of the overpayment or a change 

in the overpayment rate. 

The Information Collection 

Form SSA–2032–BK will be used by 

SSA to obtain the information necessary 

to determine whether the provisions of 

the Act regarding waiver of recovery of 

the overpayment are met. The 

information on the form is needed to 

determine a repayment rate if 

repayment cannot be waived. The 

information will be collected by 

personnel in SSA field offices, U.S. 

Embassies or consulates, or the Veterans 

Affairs Regional Office in the 

Philippines. Respondents to the SSA–

2032 are beneficiaries who have 

overpayments on their Title VIII record 

and wish to file a claim for waiver of 

recovery or change in repayment rate. 

Type of Request: New Information 

Collection. 

Number of Respondents: 39. 

Frequency of Response: 1. 

Average Burden Per Response: 120 

minutes. 

Estimated Annual Burden: 78 hours.

Dated: September 28, 2004. 

Elizabeth A. Davidson, 

Reports Clearance Officer, Social Security 

Administration.

[FR Doc. 04–22219 Filed 10–1–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4191–02–P

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice 4849] 

Notice of Finding of No Significant 

Impact and Summary Environmental 

Assessment: Express Pipeline in 

Montana and Wyoming

AGENCY: Department of State, Office of 

International Energy and Commodities 

Policy.

ACTION: Notice.

The proposed action is to issue a 

Presidential Permit to Express Pipeline 

LLC (‘‘Express’’) to authorize it to 

construct, connect, operate and 

maintain six new pump stations for an 

existing 24-inch outer diameter pipeline 

to convey crude petroleum from 

Hardisty, Alberta in Canada, to Casper, 

Wyoming. The Department of State (the 

‘‘Department’’) issued a Presidential 

Permit on August 30, 1996 to construct, 

connect, operate, and maintain the 24-

inch-diameter buried steel pipeline that 

is currently capable of transporting 

172,000 bpd of petroleum from 

Hardisty, Alberta, Canada to Casper, 

Wyoming. On behalf of Express, 

Westech Environmental Services of 

Helena, Montana, prepared a draft 

environmental assessment (‘‘EA’’) for 

the proposed action under the guidance 

and supervision of the Department. The 

Department placed a notice in the 

Federal Register (69 FR 33691 (June 16, 

2004)) regarding the availability for 

inspection of the Express permit 

application and the draft environmental 

assessment, and initiating a 30-day 

public comment period. No public 

comments were submitted on the draft 

environmental assessment. 

Numerous Federal and State agencies 

independently reviewed the Express 

Permit application and the draft 

environmental assessment. They 

include: the Environmental Protection 

Agency, the Department of 

Transportation, the Department of the 

Interior, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service, the U.S. Department of 

Homeland Security, the Department of 

Defense, the Department of Commerce 

and the Department of Energy. 

Comments received from the Federal 

and State agencies were either 

responded to directly, or addressed 

directly by incorporation into the 

analysis contained in the draft 

environmental assessment. In addition 

to inclusion in the analyses of impacts 

and risks, Federal and State agency 

comments were used to develop 

measures to be undertaken by Express to 

prevent or mitigate potentially adverse 

environmental impacts, which were 

included as commitments by Express 

and its operator Terasen Pipelines, Inc., 

in the EA and are to be included in the 

permit to be issued. 

The summary environmental 

assessment, comments submitted by the 

Federal and State agencies, responses to 

those comments, and the draft 

environmental assessment, as amended, 

together constitute the Final 

Environmental Assessment of the 

proposed action. 

Introduction 

The Express Pipeline is a 24-inchdiameter buried steel pipeline currently 

capable of transporting approximately 

172,000 bpd of petroleum from 

Hardisty, Alberta, Canada to Casper, 

Wyoming. The U.S. portion of the 

Express Pipeline was authorized by a 

Presidential Permit issued by the 

Department on August 30, 1996 which 

permitted the operation of five pump 

stations, several mainline valves and 

other pipeline related facilities on the 

basis of an environmental impact 

statement that is an annex to this 

environmental assessment. The Express 

Pipeline was constructed in the fall and 

winter of 1996–1997, and became 

operational in early 1997. 

The 1996 Presidential Permit was 

issued to Express Pipeline partnership, 

a Delaware partnership. On August 1, 

2001, Express Pipeline partnership filed 

a certificate of conversion to a limited 

liability company with the Delaware 

Secretary of State, thereby automatically 

converting to a domestic limited 

liability company, Express Pipeline 

LLC. On January 9, 2003, Encana 

Corporation of British Columbia sold 

Express Pipeline LLC to a consortium 

comprised of Terasen, Inc., of British 

Columbia, the Ontario Municipal 

Employees Retirement System and the 

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board, 

each holding an equal one-third interest. 

Terasen Pipelines (USA) Inc., 

(‘‘Terasen’’) operates and maintains the 

existing system on behalf of Express 

Pipeline LLC. 

Express Pipeline LLC (‘‘Express’’) 

owns the portion of the Express Pipeline 

system from the Canada/U.S. border to 

Casper, Wyoming. Express is now 

applying for a Presidential Permit from 

the U.S. Department of State to 

construct, operate and maintain six 

additional pump stations on the Express 

Pipeline in Montana and Wyoming and 

to transfer the existing Presidential 

Permit from Express Pipeline 

partnership to Express (the ‘‘Proposed 

Action’’). This expansion of the capacity 

of the Express Pipeline in the United 

States would enable Express to respond 

to the market demand of Rocky 

Mountain and Midwest refiners for