Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 233 / Thursday, December 3, 2020 / Notices 78143 

current version of the form is accessible 

at: https://www.cbp.gov/document/ 

forms/form-5106-importer-id-inputrecord. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

300,000. 

Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses per Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Number of Total Annual 

Responses: 300,000. 

Estimated Time per Response: 45 

minutes. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 225,000. 

Dated: November 30, 2020. 

Seth D. Renkema, 

Branch Chief, Economic Impact Analysis 

Branch, U.S. Customs and Border Protection. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26642 Filed 12–2–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 9111–14–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–HQ–ES–2020–N139; FF09E00000 190 

FXES11130900000; OMB Control Number 

1018–0094] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget for Review 

and Approval; Federal Fish and 

Wildlife Permit Applications and 

Reports—Native Endangered and 

Threatened Species 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 

the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

(Service), are proposing to renew an 

information collection with revisions. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before January 

4, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. Find this particular 

information collection by selecting 

‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open 

for Public Comments’’ or by using the 

search function. Please provide a copy 

of your comments to the Service 

Information Collection Clearance 

Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 

MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike, 

Falls Church, VA 22041–3803 (mail); or 

by email to Info_Coll@fws.gov. Please 

reference OMB Control Number 1018– 

0094 in the subject line of your 

comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Madonna L. Baucum, Service 

Information Collection Clearance 

Officer, by email at Info_Coll@fws.gov, 

or by telephone at (703) 358–2503. 

Individuals who are hearing or speech 

impaired may call the Federal Relay 

Service at 1–800–877–8339 for TTY 

assistance. You may also view the 

information collection request (ICR) at 

http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/ 

PRAMain. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 

3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we 

provide the general public and other 

Federal agencies with an opportunity to 

comment on new, proposed, revised, 

and continuing collections of 

information. This helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. It also helps the 

public understand our information 

collection requirements and provide the 

requested data in the desired format. 

On July 6, 2020, we published in the 

Federal Register (85 FR 40309) a notice 

of our intent to request that OMB 

approve this information collection. In 

that notice, we solicited comments for 

60 days, ending on September 4, 2020. 

We received one comment in response 

to that notice: 

Comment 1: The respondent 

commented on the Southeast 

Geographic Area Bat Reporting Form (3– 

202–55c), the Mussel Reporting Form 

(3–2523), and the Bumblebee Reporting 

Form (3–2526). They supported the 

southeast bat reporting form, stating 

their opinion that the form is useful, 

and an improvement over their State’s 

reporting form. They also recommended 

providing forms in an electronic input 

format for use in the field. 

Agency Response to Comment 1: We 

appreciate the respondent’s response on 

the utility of the Southeast Geographic 

Area Bat Reporting Form. The 

respondent is not within the geographic 

area where they would be using the 

Mussel or Bumblebee Reporting Forms, 

so their comments are not germane to 

the information collection at this time. 

We will update the form names 

accordingly to reduce confusion. At this 

time, we are not exploring creating an 

electronic input data form, but we will 

consider this as a potential streamlining 

tool for future information collection 

renewals. 

As part of our continuing effort to 

reduce paperwork and respondent 

burdens, we are again soliciting 

comments from the public and other 

Federal agencies on the proposed 

information collection request (ICR) that 

is described below. We are especially 

interested in public comment 

addressing the following: 

(1) Whether or not the collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

agency, including whether or not the 

information will have practical utility; 

(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the 

burden for this 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) How might the agency 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, e.g., permitting 

electronic submission of response. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. Before including your 

address, phone number, email address, 

or other personal identifying 

information in your comment, you 

should be aware that your entire 

comment—including your personal 

identifying information—may be made 

publicly available at any time. While 

you can ask us in your comment to 

withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Abstract: The Endangered Species Act 

(ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) provides 

a means to conserve the ecosystems 

upon which endangered and threatened 

species depend, to provide a program 

for the conservation of these endangered 

and threatened species, and to take the 

appropriate steps that are necessary to 

bring any endangered or threatened 

species to the point where measures 

provided for under the ESA are no 

longer necessary. Section 10(a)(1)(A) of 

the ESA authorizes us to issue permits 

for otherwise prohibited activities in 

order to enhance the propagation or 

survival of the affected species. Section 

10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA authorizes us to 

issue permits if the taking is incidental 

to the carrying out of an otherwise 

lawful activity. ESA section 10(d) 

requires that such permits be applied for 

in good faith and, if granted, that the 

permit not operate to the disadvantage 

of endangered species, and that the 

permit be consistent with the purposes 

of the ESA. 

Our regulations implementing the 

ESA are in chapter I, subchapter B of 

title 50 of the Code of Federal 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
78144 Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 233 / Thursday, December 3, 2020 / Notices 

Regulations (CFR) (50 CFR 13 and 50 

CFR 17). The regulations stipulate 

general and specific requirements that, 

when met, allow us to issue permits to 

authorize activities that are otherwise 

prohibited. Upon receipt of a complete 

application, the Director may issue a 

permit authorizing any activity 

otherwise prohibited by § 17.21, in 

accordance with the issuance criteria of 

this section, for scientific purposes, for 

enhancing the propagation or survival, 

or for the incidental taking of 

endangered wildlife. Such permits may 

authorize a single transaction, a series of 

transactions, or a number of activities 

over a specific period of time. (See 

§ 17.32 for permits for threatened 

species.) 

We collect information associated 

with application forms to determine the 

eligibility of applicants for permits 

requested in accordance with the 

criteria in section 10 of the ESA. The 

Service uses the following permit 

application forms for activities 

associated with native endangered and 

threatened species: 

• Form 3–200–54, Enhancement of 

Survival Permits Associated with Safe 

Harbor Agreement & Candidate 

Conservation Agreement with 

Assurances; 

• Form 3–200–56, Incidental Take 

Permits Associated with a Habitat 

Conservation Plan; 

• Form 3–200–59, Recovery Permit 

Application Form; and 

• Form 3–200–60, Interstate 

Commerce Application Form. 

On June 6, 2020, we requested and 

obtained approval from OMB to split the 

previously approved Form 3–200–55 to 

two separate permit applications (asking 

the applicant to select either Recovery 

Permit or Interstate Commerce) to 

reduce the overall form length and 

confusion. Based on which permits are 

issued, we also require reports to 

monitor activities associated with 

permitted activities in accordance with 

their permits issued based on 50 CFR 

17. Annual reports associated with 

permits are tailored to a specific activity 

based on the requirements for specific 

types of permits. In some cases, we 

developed specific information 

collection forms to facilitate and 

standardize the reporting and review, 

and to facilitate development of 

electronic forms and electronic 

reporting and retrieval of that 

information. 

Annual reporting of the results 

subsequent to the activity authorized by 

the permit is required in most cases 

(under the authority of section 

10(a)(1)(A) and 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA 

and its implementing regulations at 50 

CFR 17). These reports allow us to 

evaluate the success of the project, 

formulate further research, and develop 

and adjust management and recovery 

plans for the species. We currently use 

the following reports specific to 

particular species (and regions, where 

appropriate): 

• Form 3–202–55b, Region 3 

[Midwest] Bat Reporting Spreadsheet; 

• Form 3–202–55c, Region 4 

[Southeast] Bat Reporting Spreadsheet; 

• Form 3–202–55d, Region 5 

[Northeast] Bat Reporting Spreadsheet; 

• Form 3–202–55e, Region 6 

[Mountain-Prairie] Bat Reporting 

Spreadsheet; 

• Form 3–202–55f, Non-Releasable 

Sea Turtle Annual Report; and 

• Form 3–202–55g, Sea Turtle 

Rehabilitation Annual Report. 

Additionally, we require that the 

following notifications be made to the 

Service: 

• Private landowners who have an 

Enhancement of Survival Permit (and 

accompanying Safe Harbor Agreement 

or Candidate Conservation Agreement 

with Assurances) must notify us if their 

land management activities incidentally 

take a listed or candidate species 

covered under their permit. 

• We issue Enhancement of Survival 

Permits to landowners, and their name 

is printed on the permit. If ownership of 

the land changes, this permit does not 

automatically transfer to the new 

landowner. Therefore, we ask the 

permittee to notify us if there is a 

change in land ownership so that we 

may update the permit; and 

• If a recovery or interstate commerce 

permit authorizes activities that include 

keeping wildlife in captivity, we ask the 

permittee to notify us if any of the 

captive wildlife escape. 

Proposed Revisions 

Although the Service announced its 

intention to seek OMB approval of a 

new form 3–2531, General Recovery 

Permit Reporting Form, in the published 

60-day Federal Register notice (FRN), 

we no longer plan to proceed with this 

form. Should the Service decide to 

move forward with this new form at a 

later date, we will initiate a new 

revision to this collection by publishing 

the required 60-day FRN to solicit 

comments from the public in 

accordance with 5 CFR 1320. 

Revised Forms 

The Service is proposing to revise 

FWS Forms 3–200–54, ‘‘Enhancement 

of Survival Permits Associated with Safe 

Harbor Agreements and Candidate 

Conservation Agreements with 

Assurances,’’ and 3–200–56, ‘‘Incidental 

Take Permits Associated with a Habitat 

Conservation Plan.’’ We propose to 

remove program contact information 

currently in both application form, and 

instead link to a permanent website. 

This website will be frequently 

maintained and will provide the public 

with the most accurate contact 

information. 

The Service is proposing to revise and 

rename the following five forms 

associated with bat surveys: 

• Form 3–202–55a, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Southwestern Bat Reporting Form; 

• Form 3–202–55b, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Midwestern Bat Reporting Form; 

• Form 3–202–55c, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Southeastern Bat Reporting Form; 

• Form 3–202–55d, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Northeastern Bat Reporting Form; and 

• Form 3–202–55e, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Plains/Rockies Bat Reporting Form. 

The Service is proposing changes to 

these forms to address comments 

received. These changes include adding 

columns to increase flexibility for user 

data entry, to increase accuracy of 

Global Positioning System data, and to 

add three fields specifically requested 

by State natural resource agencies in 

order to unify their State databases with 

that of the Service. These additions 

eliminate the need for filing a separate 

reporting form with the State and 

reduce the overall reporting burden on 

the respondents. Completion of the 

information on the forms regarding the 

activity(ies) to be authorized by the 

permit is required in most cases (under 

the authority of section 10(a)(1)(A) of 

the ESA and its implementing 

regulations at 50 CFR 17). 

Note: Form 3–202–55a, ‘‘U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Southwestern Bat Reporting Form’’ was 

added in conjunction with the realignment of 

the geographical areas covered in the 

revisions to the geographical areas covered 

by the above referenced 3–202–55 series bat 

reporting forms. 

New Forms 

The Service is proposing to revise this 

collection to request OMB approval of 

the following seven new forms: 

• Form 3–2523, Midwest Geographic 

Area: Freshwater Mussel Reporting 

Form; 

• Form 3–2526, Midwest Geographic 

Area: Bumble Bee Reporting Form; 

• Form 3–2530, California/Nevada/ 

Klamath Basin, OR Recovery Permit 

Annual Summary Report Form; 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 85, No. 233 / Thursday, December 3, 2020 / Notices 78145 

• Form 3–2532, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Alaska Bat Reporting Form; 

• Form 3–2533, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Northwestern Bat Reporting Form; and 

• Form 3–2534, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service Geographic Area: 

Western Bat Reporting Form. 

Annual reporting of the results 

subsequent to the activity authorized by 

the permit is required in most cases 

(under the authority of section 

10(a)(1)(A) and 10(a)(1)(B) of the ESA 

and its implementing regulations at 50 

CFR 17). The Service designed the forms 

to facilitate the electronic reporting 

specifically for each species. The 

Service will use the reported data to 

evaluate the success of the permitted 

project, formulate further research, and 

develop and adjust management and 

recovery plans for the species. The data 

will also inform 5-year reviews and 

Species Status Assessments conducted 

under the ESA. 

ePermits Initiative 

The Service’s new ePermits initiative 

is an automated permit application 

system that will allow the agency to 

move toward a streamlined permitting 

process to reduce public burden. Public 

burden reduction is a priority for the 

Service; the Assistant Secretary for Fish, 

Wildlife, and Parks; and senior 

leadership at the Department of the 

Interior. The intent of the ePermits 

initiative is to fully automate the 

permitting process to improve the 

customer experience and to reduce time 

burden on respondents. This new 

system will enhance the user experience 

by allowing users to enter data from any 

device that has internet access, 

including personal computers (PCs), 

tablets, and smartphones. It will also 

link the permit applicant to the Pay.gov 

system for payment of associated permit 

application fees, where applicable. 

Upon completion of the new ePermits 

system, applicants applying for 

Recovery, Interstate Commerce, Habitat 

Conservation Plan Incidental Take 

Permits, Candidate Conservation 

Agreements with Assurances, and Safe 

Harbor Agreements Enhancement of 

Survival Permits will have the 

opportunity to apply directly online 

through a secure, web-based platform. 

Title of Collection: Federal Fish and 

Wildlife Permit Applications and 

Reports—Native Endangered and 

Threatened Species; 50 CFR 10, 13, and 

17. 

OMB Control Number: 1018–0094. 

Form Numbers: FWS Forms 3–200– 

54, 3–200–56, 3–200–59, 3–200–60, 3– 

202–55a through 3–202–55g, 3–2523 

(new), 3–2526 (new), 3–2530 (new), and 

3–2532 through 3–2534 (new). 

Type of Review: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: 

Individuals; private sector; and State/ 

local/Tribal governments. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Respondents: 4,258. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 4,258. 

Estimated Completion Time per 

Response: Varies from 30 minutes to 

2,080 hours, depending on activity. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 119,949. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

Frequency of Collection: On occasion, 

annually, one time. 

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour 

Burden Cost: $54,910 for fees associated 

with permit applications and 

amendments. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor and a person is not required to 

respond to a collection of information 

unless it displays a currently valid OMB 

control number. 

The authority for this action is the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

Dated: November 30, 2020. 

Madonna Baucum, 

Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2020–26614 Filed 12–2–20; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R6–ES–2020–N138; 

FXES11130600000–201–FF06E00000] 

Endangered and Threatened Species; 

Receipt of Recovery Permit 

Applications 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of receipt of permit 

applications; request for comments. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, have received 

applications for permits to conduct 

activities intended to enhance the 

propagation or survival of endangered 

species under the Endangered Species 

Act. We invite the public and local, 

State, Tribal, and Federal agencies to 

comment on these applications. Before 

issuing any of the requested permits, we 

will take into consideration any 

information that we receive during the 

public comment period. 

DATES: We must receive your written 

comments by January 4, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Document availability and 

comment submission: Use one of the 

following methods to request 

documents or submit comments. 

Requests and comments should specify 

the applicant name(s) and application 

number(s) (e.g., TE123456): 

• Email: permitsR6ES@fws.gov. 

• U.S. Mail: Marjorie Nelson, Chief, 

Division of Ecological Services, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service, 134 Union 

Blvd., Suite 670, Lakewood, CO 80228. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kathy Konishi, Recovery Permits 

Coordinator, Ecological Services, 303– 

236–4224 (phone), or permitsR6ES@

fws.gov (email). Individuals who are 

hearing or speech impaired may call the 

Federal Relay Service at 1–800–877– 

8339 for TTY assistance. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, invite 

the public to comment on applications 

for permits under section 10(a)(1)(A) of 

the Endangered Species Act, as 

amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

The requested permits would allow the 

applicants to conduct activities 

intended to promote recovery of species 

that are listed as endangered or 

threatened under the ESA. 

Background 

The Endangered Species Act of 1973, 

as amended (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.), prohibits certain activities with 

endangered and threatened species 

unless authorized by a Federal permit. 

The ESA and our implementing 

regulations in part 17 of title 50 of the 

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 

provide for the issuance of such permits 

and require that we invite public 

comment before issuing permits for 

activities involving endangered species. 

A recovery permit issued by us under 

section 10(a)(1)(A) of the ESA 

authorizes the permittee to conduct 

activities with endangered species for 

scientific purposes that promote 

recovery or for enhancement of 

propagation or survival of the species. 

Our regulations implementing section 

10(a)(1)(A) for these permits are found 

at 50 CFR 17.22 for endangered wildlife 

species, 50 CFR 17.32 for threatened 

wildlife species, 50 CFR 17.62 for 

endangered plant species, and 50 CFR 

17.72 for threatened plant species. 

Permit Applications Available for 

Review and Comment 

Proposed activities in the following 

permit requests are for the recovery and 

enhancement of propagation or survival 

of the species in the wild. The ESA 

requires that we invite public comment 

before issuing these permits. 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES