Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 25 / Tuesday, February 9, 2021 / Notices 8755 

Specialist, Rural Utilities Service, 

Tennessee State Office, 441 Donelson 

Pike, Suite 310, Nashville, TN, 37214. 

Telephone: (615) 783–1300. Fax: (855) 

776–7057 or email taylor.marable@

usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

regulation (5 CFR part 1320) 

implementing provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 

L. 104–13) requires that interested 

members of the public and affected 

agencies have an opportunity to 

comment on information collection and 

recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 

1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an 

information collection that RUS is 

submitting to OMB for revision. 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

the proposed collection of information 

is necessary for the proper performance 

of the functions of the Agency, 

including whether the information will 

have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of 

the Agency’s estimate of the burden of 

the collection of information including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (d) 

ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on 

respondents, including through the use 

of appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Comments may be sent through the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to 

http://www.regulations.gov and, in the 

‘‘Search’’ box, enter the Docket ID No 

‘‘RUS–21–WATER–0002’’ to submit or 

view public comments and to view 

supporting and related materials 

available electronically. Information on 

using Regulations.gov, including 

instructions for accessing documents, 

submitting comments, and viewing the 

docket after the close of the comment 

period, is available through the site’s 

‘‘Help’’ button at the top of the page. 

Title: Water and Waste Loan and 

Grant Program. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0121. 

Expiration date of Approval: May 21, 

2021. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Abstract: USDA Rural Development, 

through the Rural Utilities Service, is 

authorized by Section 306 of the 

Consolidated Farm and Rural 

Development Act (7 U.S.C. 1926) to 

make loans to public agencies, nonprofit 

corporations, and Indian Tribes to fund 

water and waste disposal projects 

serving the most financially needy rural 

communities through the Water and 

Waste Disposal loan and grant program. 

Financial assistance should result in 

reasonable user costs for rural residents, 

rural businesses, and other rural users. 

The program is limited to rural areas 

and small towns with a population of 

10,000 or less. The Water and Waste 

Loan and Grant Program is administered 

through 7 CFR part 1780. The items 

covered by this collection include forms 

and related documentation to support a 

loan application. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 2.64 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Not-for-profit 

institutions; State, Local or Tribal 

Government. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

896. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 

61,782. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 68. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 163,203 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Lynn Gilbert, 

Regulations Management Division, at 

(202) 690–2682 or email: lynn.gilbert@

usda.gov All responses to this notice 

will be summarized and included in the 

request for OMB approval. All 

comments will also become a matter of 

public record. 

Christopher A. McLean, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–02601 Filed 2–8–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

[Docket #: RUS–21–AGENCY–0001] 

Notice of Request for Revision of a 

Currently Approved Information 

Collection; Comments Requested 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

United States Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) 

invites comments on this information 

collection for which the RUS intends to 

request approval from the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB). 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by April 12, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Lauren Cusick, Management Analyst, 

Regulations Management Division, 

Innovation Center, U.S. Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence Ave. 

SW, STOP 1571, South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Telephone: (202) 720–1414. Email: 

Lauren.Cusick@usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

regulation (5 CFR part 1320) 

implementing provisions of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 

L. 104–13) requires that interested 

members of the public and affected 

agencies have an opportunity to 

comment on information collection and 

recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 

1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an 

information collection that RUS is 

submitting to OMB as extension to an 

existing collection with Agency 

adjustment. Comments are invited on: 

(a) Whether the proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of the functions of the 

Agency, including whether the 

information will have practical utility; 

(b) the accuracy of the Agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance 

the quality, utility, and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and (d) 

ways to 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. 

Comments may be sent by the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://

www.regulations.gov and, in the lower 

‘‘Search Regulations and Federal 

Actions’’ box, select ‘‘RUS’’ from the 

agency drop-down menu, then click on 

‘‘Submit.’’ In the Docket ID column, 

select 0572–0095 to submit or view 

public comments and to view 

supporting and related materials 

available electronically. Information on 

using Regulations.gov, including 

instructions for accessing documents, 

submitting comments, and viewing the 

docket after the close of the comment 

period, is available through the site’s 

‘‘User Tips’’ link. 

Title: 7 CFR 1773, Policy on Audits of 

RUS Borrowers. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0095. 

Expiration Date of Approval: February 

28, 2022. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Abstract: The Rural Utilities Service 

relies on the information provided by 

the borrowers in their financial 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
8756 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 25 / Tuesday, February 9, 2021 / Notices 

statements to make lending decisions as 

to borrowers’ credit worthiness and to 

assure that loan funds are approved, 

advanced and disbursed for proper RE 

Act purposes. These financial 

statements are audited by a certified 

public accountant to provide 

independent assurance that the data 

being reported are properly measured 

and fairly presented. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 8.17 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Business or other forprofit, Not-for-profit institutions. 

Estimated Number of Respondents 

and Recordkeepers: 1,300. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1.35. 

Estimated Number of Responses: 

1,764. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 14,420 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Lauren Cusick, 

Regulations and Paperwork 

Management Branch, at (202) 720–1414. 

Email: Lauren.Cusick@usda.gov.) 205– 

3660, Fax: (202) 720–8435. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record. 

Christopher McLean, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–02600 Filed 2–8–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Census Bureau 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Submission to the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

Review and Approval; Comment 

Request; American Community Survey 

Methods Panel Tests 

AGENCY: Census Bureau, Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection, 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, in accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of 

1995, invites the general public and 

other Federal agencies to comment on 

proposed, and continuing information 

collections, which helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. The purpose of this 

notice is to allow for 60 days of public 

comment on the proposed revision of 

the American Community Survey 

Methods Panel Tests prior to the 

submission of the information collection 

request (ICR) to OMB for approval. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments regarding this proposed 

information collection must be received 

on or before April 12, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit written comments by 

email to acso.pra@census.gov. Please 

reference American Community Survey 

Methods Panel Tests in the subject line 

of your comments. You may also submit 

comments, identified by Docket Number 

USBC–2021–0002, to the Federal 

e-Rulemaking Portal: http://

www.regulations.gov. All comments 

received are part of the public record. 

No comments will be posted to http:// 

www.regulations.gov for public viewing 

until after the comment period has 

closed. Comments will generally be 

posted without change. All Personally 

Identifiable Information (for example, 

name and address) voluntarily 

submitted by the commenter may be 

publicly accessible. Do not submit 

Confidential Business Information or 

otherwise sensitive or protected 

information. You may submit 

attachments to electronic comments in 

Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe PDF 

file formats. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

specific questions related to collection 

activities should be directed to G. Brian 

Wilson, U.S. Census Bureau, American 

Community Survey Office, 301–763– 

2819, George.Brian.Wilson@census.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The American Community Survey 

(ACS) is an ongoing monthly survey that 

collects detailed housing and 

socioeconomic data from about 3.5 

million addresses in the United States 

and about 36,000 addresses in Puerto 

Rico each year. The ACS also collects 

detailed socioeconomic data from about 

195,000 residents living in group 

quarters (GQ) facilities in the United 

States and Puerto Rico. Resulting 

tabulations from this data collection are 

provided on a yearly basis. The ACS 

allows the Census Bureau to provide 

timely and relevant housing and 

socioeconomic statistics, even for low 

levels of geography. 

An ongoing data collection effort with 

an annual sample of this magnitude 

requires that the ACS continue research, 

testing, and evaluations aimed at 

improving data quality, reducing data 

collection costs, and improving the ACS 

questionnaire content and related data 

collection materials. The ACS Methods 

Panel is a research program designed to 

address and respond to survey issues 

and needs. As part of the Decennial 

Census Program, the ACS also provides 

an opportunity to research and test 

elements of survey data collection that 

relate to the decennial census. As such, 

the ACS Methods Panel can serve as a 

testbed for the decennial census. From 

2021 to 2024, the ACS Methods Panel 

may test ACS and decennial census 

methods for reducing survey cost, 

addressing respondent burden, and 

improving survey response, data 

quality, and survey efficiencies. The 

ACS Methods Panel may also address 

other emerging needs of the programs. 

At this time, plans are in place to 

propose several tests related to selfresponse, group quarters, and 

nonresponse follow up data collection 

operations. Tests may also be conducted 

to explore the use of administrative 

records. Because the ACS Methods 

Panel is designed to address emerging 

issues, we may propose additional 

testing as needed. Any testing would 

focus on methods for reducing data 

collection costs, improving data quality, 

improving the respondent experience, 

revising content, or testing new 

questions that have a need to be 

included in the Decennial Census 

Program. The proposed tests are 

outlined below. 

Self-Response Mail Messaging and 

Contact Strategies Testing: In response 

to declining response rates and 

increasing costs, the Census Bureau 

plans to study methods to increase selfresponse, the least expensive mode of 

data collection. The Census Bureau 

currently sends up to five mailings to a 

sampled address to inform the 

occupants that their address has been 

selected to participate in the ACS and 

to encourage them to self-respond to the 

ACS. The proposed tests would evaluate 

changes to the mailings, such as using 

plain language to improve 

communication, changing the look and 

feel of the materials, updating messages 

to motivate response, and adding or 

removing materials included in the 

mailings. Changes to the contact 

method, the number of contacts, and the 

timing of the contacts may also be 

tested. Multiple tests may be conducted. 

Respondent Feedback Pilot Test: 

Currently, ACS participants who want 

to give feedback on their survey 

experience must call, email, or send 

letters directly to the Census Bureau. 

The Census Bureau is considering 

adding a method for participants to 

provide feedback at the end of the 

survey. Because collecting respondent 

feedback of this nature is new to the 

ACS, we conducted cognitive testing to 

inform recommendations on its wording 


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