Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2004 / Notices 69361

public burden of this collection of 

information is accurate, and based on 

valid assumptions and methodology; 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and ways in which we can 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

information on those who are to 

respond, through the use of appropriate 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology.

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

December 29, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments regarding 

this burden estimate or any other aspect 

of this collection of information, 

including suggestions for reducing this 

burden to the General Services 

Administration, FAR Secretariat (VR), 

1800 F Street, NW, Room 4035, 

Washington, DC 20405. Please cite OMB 

Control No. 9000–0027, Value 

Engineering Requirements, in all 

correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

Cecelia Davis, Contract Policy Division, 

GSA,(202) 219–0202.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

Value engineering is the technique by 

which contractors (1) voluntarily 

suggest methods for performing more 

economically and share in any resulting 

savings or (2) are required to establish 

a program to identify and submit to the 

Government methods for performing 

more economically. These 

recommendations are submitted to the 

Government as value engineering 

change proposals (VECP’s) and they 

must include specific information. This 

information is needed to enable the 

Government to evaluate the VECP and, 

if accepted, to arrange for an equitable 

sharing plan.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Respondents: 400.

Responses Per Respondent: 4.

Total Responses: 1,600.

Hours Per Response: 30.

Total Burden Hours: 48,000.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals:

Requesters may obtain a copy of the 

information collection documents from 

the General Services Administration, 

FAR Secretariat (VR), 1800 F Street, 

NW, Room 4035, Washington, DC 

20405, telephone (202) 501–4755. Please 

cite OMB Control No. 9000–0027, Value 

Engineering Requirements, in all 

correspondence.

Dated: November 19, 2004.

Laura Auletta,

Director, Contract Policy Division.

[FR Doc. 04–26276 Filed 11–26–04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820–EP–S

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

GENERAL SERVICES 

ADMINISTRATION

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND 

SPACE ADMINISTRATION

[OMB Control No. 9000–0113]

Federal Acquisition Regulation; 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Acquisition of Helium

AGENCIES: Department of Defense (DOD), 

General Services Administration (GSA), 

and National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Notice of request for comments 

regarding an extension to an existing 

OMB clearance (9000–0113).

SUMMARY: Under the provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35), the Federal 

Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 

Secretariat has submitted to the Office 

of Management and Budget (OMB) a 

request to review and approve an 

extension of a currently approved 

information collection requirement 

concerning acquisition of helium. A 

request for public comments was 

published at 69 FR 54655 on September 

9, 2004. No comments were received.

Public comments are particularly 

invited on: Whether this collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of functions of the FAR, 

and whether it will have practical 

utility; whether our estimate of the 

public burden of this collection of 

information is accurate, and based on 

valid assumptions and methodology; 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and ways in which we can 

minimize the burden of the collection of 

information on those who are to 

respond, through the use of appropriate 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology.

DATES: Submit comments on or before 

December 29, 2004.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments regarding 

this burden or any other aspect of this 

collection of information, including 

suggestions for reducing this burden to 

the General Services Administration, 

FAR Secretariat (VR), 1800 F Street, 

NW, Room 4035, Washington, DC 

20405. Please cite OMB Control No. 

9000–0113, Acquisition of Helium, in 

all correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

Linda Nelson, Contract Policy Division, 

GSA (202) 501–1900.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

The Helium Act (Pub. L. 86–777) (50 

U.S.C. 167a, et seq.) and the Department 

of the Interior’s implementing 

regulations (30 CFR parts 601 and 602) 

require Federal agencies to procure all 

major helium requirements from the 

Bureau of Land Management, 

Department of the Interior.

The FAR requires offerors responding 

to contract solicitations to provide 

information as to their forecast of 

helium required for performance of the 

contract. Such information will 

facilitate enforcement of the 

requirements of the Helium Act and the 

contractual provisions requiring the use 

of Government helium by agency 

contractors, in that it will permit 

corrective action to be taken if the 

Bureau of Land Management, after 

comparing helium sales data against 

helium requirement forecasts, discovers 

apparent serious discrepancies.

The information is used in 

administration of certain Federal 

contracts to ensure contractor 

compliance with contract clauses. 

Without the information, the required 

use of Government helium cannot be 

monitored and enforced effectively.

B. Annual Reporting Burden

Respondents: 26.

Responses Per Respondent: 1.

Total Responses: 26.

Hours Per Response: 1.

Total Burden Hours: 26.

Obtaining Copies of Proposals:

Requesters may obtain a copy of the 

information collection documents from 

the General Services Administration, 

FAR Secretariat (VR), Room 4035, 1800 

F Street, Washington, DC 20405, 

telephone (202) 501–4755. Please cite 

OMB Control No. 9000–0113, 

Acquisition of Helium, in all 

correspondence.

Dated: November 19, 2004.

Laura Auletta,

Director, Contract Policy Division.

[FR Doc. 04–26277 Filed 11–26–04; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6820–EP–S

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare an Integrated 

Feasibility Report/Environmental 

Impact Statement—James River 

Feasibility Study, South Dakota

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice.

69362 Federal Register / Vol. 69, No. 228 / Monday, November 29, 2004 / Notices 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

National Environmental Policy Act and 

implementing regulations, an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

will be prepared and incorporated into 

the James River, South Dakota 

Feasibility Study once alternative 

actions are identified that meet the 

project objectives described below. The 

James River Water Development District 

(JRWDD) is the non-Federal sponsor for 

this study. The JRWDD encompasses 

portions of Brown, Marshall, Spink, 

Davison, Yankton, Beadle, Sanborn, 

Hutchinson and Hanson Counties in 

South Dakota. 

Based on the authorizing legislation 

and previous studies, this Feasibility 

Study will address the need for 

enhancement of ecological resources 

and ecosystem management and flood 

damage reduction, both independently 

and in combination. The study will 

evaluate pertinent information and 

identify problems and opportunities 

that exist in the study area. Various 

alternatives (i.e., potential projects) will 

be evaluated to determine whether or 

not they are technically feasible and 

economically cost effective or 

economically justified depending on 

their purpose (e.g., ecosystem 

enhancement/restoration and/or flood 

damage reduction).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

additional information on the NEPA 

process, or to be added to the mailing 

list, contact Eric Laux, CENWO–PM–

AE, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 106 

South 15th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 

68102, telephone at (402) 221–7186, or 

Fax (402) 221–4886. For additional 

information on the Feasibility Study, 

contact Richard Taylor, CENWO–PM–

AP, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 106 

South 15th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 

68102, telephone (402) 221–3772, or Fax 

(402) 221–4890.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: a. This 

Feasibility Study is authorized under 

Section 401(b) of the Water Resources 

Development Act of 1986. The Federal 

objective of water and related land 

resources planning is to contribute to 

national economic development 

consistent with protecting the nation’s 

environment in accordance with 

national environmental statutes, 

applicable executive orders, and other 

Federal planning requirements. 

b. The study area consists of the 

portion of the James River and adjacent 

areas that are located in eastern South 

Dakota. The James River flows generally 

southward for a distance of 747 river 

miles, 474 miles of which lie in the 

study area. This river has the flattest 

gradient of any river of its length in 

North America, falling only about 135 

feet along its South Dakota course. The 

James River basin occupies a total of 

22,000 square miles, of which 14,000 

square miles lie in South Dakota. The 

basin in South Dakota is bounded by the 

Missouri River drainage to the west and 

the Big Sioux and Vermillion River 

basins to the east and southeast. The 

Sand Lake Wildlife Refuge is located at 

the upper end of the study area. Land 

use in the basin is primarily agriculture 

and the larger communities located in 

the study area include Mitchell, Huron, 

and Aberdeen. 

c. The intention of this Feasibility 

Study and EIS is to formulate and 

evaluate alternatives that help to restore 

or enhance ecological function and 

habitat and/or ameliorate flooding 

problems along the James River. Factors 

such as sediment deposits from 

tributaries, log jams, encroachment of 

vegetation into the channel, inadequate 

bridge capacity, low head dams in the 

channel, and the flat slope and 

meandering nature of the river are 

contributors to the flooding problems 

exhibited by the river. In 2000, the 

Corps completed a reconnaissance study 

evaluating potential solutions to limit 

flooding along the James River and to 

identify where flood control storage 

could supplement instream flows for 

fish and wildlife habitat. No structural 

flood control projects were found to be 

feasible. However, the study 

recommended future local study efforts 

focusing on long-term management and 

protection of the two- to five-year flood 

plain with emphasis on removing local 

channel obstructions. In addition, the 

report identified numerous 

opportunities to pursue environmental 

restoration projects that would also help 

alleviate agricultural flood damages. 

d. Scoping and agency meetings will 

be held for this project. A public notice 

will be widely distributed inviting 

public participation in the scoping 

process. This process will be the key to 

preparing a concise EIS and clarifying 

the significant issues to be analyzed in 

depth. Public concerns on issues, 

studies needed, alternatives to be 

examined, procedures and other related 

matters will be addressed during 

scoping. Scoping meetings are 

tentatively planned to be held at 

Aberdeen, Huron, Mitchell and 

Yankton, South Dakota in the middle 

part of December. Upon setting exact 

locations, dates, and times for the 

meetings, the specific locations of the 

meetings will be provided in news 

releases and posted on the Omaha 

District Corps of Engineers and James 

River Water Development District Websites. The web addresses for the sites are 

http://www.nwo.usace.army.mil/html/

pa/pahm/hottopics.htm and http://

www.jrwdd.com.

e. The estimated date when a Draft 

Environmental Impact Statement is 

expected to be available for public 

review is September 2006.

Candace M. Gorton, 

Chief, Environmental, Economics, and 

Cultural Resources Section, Planning Branch.

[FR Doc. 04–26262 Filed 11–26–04; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3710–62–M

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army; Corps of 

Engineers 

Intent To Prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement for the Regional 

Dredged Material Management Plan for 

San Francisco Bay and Estuary, CA

AGENCY: Department of the Army, U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers, DOD.

ACTION: Notice of intent.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of 

Engineers, San Francisco District 

(Corps) will prepare an Environmental 

Impact Statement (EIS) for the San 

Francisco Bay and Estuary Regional 

Dredged Material Management Plan 

(Regional DMMP). The Regional DMMP 

will identify specific measures to 

manage the dredged material from 

maintenance and construction dredging 

at Federal navigation projects over the 

next twenty years. The Corps will take 

into consideration the dredged sediment 

from non-Federal, permitted dredging 

projects with the Bay and Estuary in 

formulating the Regional DMMP to the 

extent that disposal of the material 

affects the capacity and availability of 

disposal options required for Federal 

projects.

DATES: A scoping meeting will be held 

Thursday, December 16, 2004 from 7 

p.m. until 9 p.m.

ADDRESSES: The meeting will be at the 

Joseph P. Bort MetroCenter, 101 Eighth 

Street, Oakland, CA (510) 464–7700. 

TDD/TTY is (510) 464–7769. Public 

transit access includes BART (Lake 

Merritt Station on Fremont Line), AC 

Transit and Amtrak.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Questions about the proposed action 

and Environmental Impact Statement 

should be directed to Mr. Richard 

Stradford, either at (415) 977–8669 or 

richard.a.stradford@ 

spd02.usace.army.mil. Written 

correspondence should be sent to Mr. 

Stradford, U.S. Army Corps of