Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 39 / Tuesday, March 2, 2021 / Notices 12199 

additional feature of RAD, allows 

residents of RAD properties to request a 

Housing Choice Voucher that they can 

use to move to a housing unit in the 

private market. 

Congress requested an evaluation of 

RAD to assess the impact of the 

demonstration on the preservation and 

improvement of public housing, the 

amount of private sector leveraging, and 

the effect on tenants. HUD contracted a 

two-phase evaluation to address these 

research areas. The Phase I results were 

published in 2016 and the Phase II 

results in 2019. The OMB Approval 

Number for that evaluation was 2528– 

0304 and expired on January 31st, 2020. 

The Fiscal Year 2018 Appropriations 

Act provided funds to conduct a followup evaluation of the RAD program, 

including its implementation and 

outcomes, the choice mobility option, 

the impact on tenants and related 

protections, and the long-term 

preservation of housing affordability. 

This Federal Register Notice provides 

an opportunity to comment on the 

information collection for this new 

phase of the RAD evaluation titled RAD 

Choice Mobility and Long-Term 

Affordability Evaluation. The current 

information collection is designed to 

support four studies included in the 

evaluation. One is the study of the 

implementation of the RAD choice 

mobility option and its effects on 

property outcomes, tenant outcomes, 

and the voucher program. The second 

study is the impact of RAD on the longterm preservation and financial viability 

of converted affordable housing 

properties. The third is the adequacy of 

asset management for PBV and PBRA 

conversions. The fourth study will 

examine the organizational and 

operational changes at PHAs that 

participated in RAD. For the first three 

studies, the evaluation includes webbased survey of all RAD PHAs, RAD 

property owners/operators, and former 

RAD residents who have exercised the 

choice mobility option; and a sample 

survey of RAD residents who have not 

elected the choice mobility option. For 

the fourth study, we plan to conduct 

qualitative interviews with senior staff 

at 25 RAD PHAs. 

Information collection Number of 

respondents 

Frequency 

of response 

Responses 

per annum 

Burden 

?hour per 

response 

Annual 

burden 

hours 

Hourly 

cost per 

response 

Annual 

cost 

Census of RAD PHA ............................... 400 1 400 0.75 300.00 $34.46 $10,338.00 

Survey of RAD non-PHA Property Owners ......................................................... 228 1 228 0.33 75.24 34.46 2,592.77 

Survey of choice mobility residents ......... 708 1 708 0.33 233.64 28.62 6,686.78 

Survey of non-choice mobility residents .. 231 1 231 0.33 76.23 28.62 2,181.70 

Interview of PHA staff on organizational 

changes ................................................ 250 1 250 1.5 375.00 34.46 12,922.50 

Total .................................................. 1,817 N/A 1,817 N/A 1,060.11 N/A 34,721.75 

B. Solicitation of Public Comment 

This notice is soliciting comments 

from members of the public and affected 

parties concerning the collection of 

information described in Section A on 

the following: 

(1) 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; 

(2) The accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information; 

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and 

(4) Ways to minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on those 

who are to respond; including through 

the use of appropriate automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology, e.g., permitting 

electronic submission of responses. 

(5) Ways to minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on those 

who are to respond, including the use 

of automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

HUD encourages interested parties to 

submit comment in response to these 

questions. 

Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35. 

Anna P. Guido, 

Department Reports Management Officer, 

Office of the Chief Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2021–04253 Filed 3–1–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[Docket No. FWS–HQ–IA–2021–0008; 

FXIA16710900000–FF09A10000–212] 

Conference of the Parties to the 

Convention on International Trade in 

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna 

and Flora (CITES); Nineteenth Regular 

Meeting: Species Proposals for 

Consideration and Request for 

Information and Recommendations on 

Resolutions, Decisions, and Agenda 

Items for Consideration 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: To implement the Convention 

on International Trade in Endangered 

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES 

or the Convention), the Parties to the 

Convention meet periodically to review 

what species in international trade 

should be regulated and other aspects of 

CITES implementation. The nineteenth 

regular meeting of the Conference of the 

Parties (CoP19) is tentatively scheduled 

to be held in Costa Rica, March 3–14, 

2022. With this notice we are soliciting 

recommendations for amending 

Appendices I and II of CITES at CoP19 

as well as recommendations for 

resolutions, decisions, and agenda items 

for discussion at CoP19. We invite you 

to provide us with information and 

recommendations on animal and plant 

species for which the United States 

should consider submitting proposals to 

amend Appendices I and II of CITES at 

CoP19. Such proposals may concern the 

addition of species to Appendix I or II, 

the transfer of species from one 

Appendix to another, or the removal of 

species from Appendices. We also invite 

you to provide us with information and 

recommendations on resolutions, 

decisions, and agenda items that the 

United States might consider submitting 

for discussion at CoP19. Finally, with 

this notice, we also describe the U.S. 

approach to preparations for CoP19. 

DATES: We will consider all information 

and comments we receive on or before 

May 3, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by one of the following methods: 


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12200 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 39 / Tuesday, March 2, 2021 / Notices 

(1) Electronically: Using the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal: http://

www.regulations.gov, search for FWS– 

HQ–IA–2021–0008, which is the docket 

number for this notice. 

(2) U.S. mail: Public Comments 

Processing, Attn: FWS–HQ–IA–2021– 

0008; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 

Headquarters, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 

Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041– 

3803. 

We will not accept email or faxes. 

Comments and materials we receive, as 

well as supporting documentation, will 

be available for public inspection on 

http://www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

information pertaining to species 

proposals, contact Rosemarie Gnam, 

Chief, Division of Scientific Authority, 

703–358–1708 (phone); 703–358–2276 

(fax); or scientificauthority@fws.gov 

(email). For information pertaining to 

resolutions, decisions, and agenda 

items, contact Pamela Scruggs, Chief, 

Division of Management Authority, at 

703–358–2493 (phone); or 

managementauthority@fws.gov (email). 

If you use a telecommunications device 

for the deaf (TDD), call the Federal 

Relay Service (FRS) at 800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background 

The Convention on International 

Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 

Fauna and Flora, hereinafter referred to 

as CITES or the Convention, is an 

international treaty aimed at ensuring 

that international trade in listed animal 

and plant species does not threaten their 

survival. Species are included in the 

Appendices to CITES, which are 

available on the CITES Secretariat’s 

website at http://www.cites.org/eng/ 

disc/species.php. 

Currently there are 183 Parties to 

CITES, 182 countries, including the 

United States, and one regional 

economic integration organization, the 

European Union. The Convention calls 

for regular meetings of the Conference of 

the Parties, and the Conference of the 

Parties has decided that these meetings 

should be held every 2–3 years. At the 

meetings, the Parties review the 

implementation of CITES, make 

decisions regarding the financing and 

function of the CITES Secretariat in 

Switzerland to enable it to carry out its 

functions, consider amendments to 

Appendices I and II, consider reports 

presented by the Secretariat, and adopt 

recommendations for the improved 

effectiveness of CITES. Any Party to 

CITES may propose amendments to 

Appendices I and II, resolutions, 

decisions, and agenda items for 

consideration by all the Parties at the 

meeting. 

This is our first in a series of Federal 

Register notices that, together with at 

least one public meeting (time and 

location to be announced), provide you 

with an opportunity to provide input 

into the development of the U.S. 

submissions to, and negotiating 

positions for, CoP19. We intend to 

announce tentative species proposals 

and tentative documents related to 

resolutions, decisions, and agenda items 

that the United States is considering 

submitting for CoP19, and solicit further 

information and comments on them, 

when we publish our next CoP19- 

related Federal Register notice. Our 

regulations guiding this public process 

can be found in title 50 of the Code of 

Federal Regulations (CFR) at § 23.87. 

Announcement of the Nineteenth 

Meeting of the Conference of the Parties 

We hereby notify all interested 

entities of the convening of CoP19, 

which is tentatively scheduled to be 

held in Costa Rica on March 3–14, 2022, 

at a location to be determined. 

U.S. Approach for CoP19 

What are the priorities for U.S. 

submissions to CoP19? 

Priorities for U.S. submissions to 

CoP19 continue to be consistent with 

the overall objective of U.S. 

participation in the Convention: To 

maximize the effectiveness of the 

Convention in the conservation and 

sustainable use of species subject to 

international trade. With this in mind, 

we plan to consider the following 

factors in determining what issues to 

submit for inclusion in the agenda at 

CoP19: 

(1) Does the proposed action address 

a serious wildlife or plant trade issue 

that the United States is experiencing as 

a range country for species in trade? 

Since our primary responsibility is the 

conservation of our domestic wildlife 

resources, we will give native species 

the highest priority. We will place 

particular emphasis on terrestrial and 

freshwater species with the majority of 

their range in the United States and its 

territories that are or may be traded in 

significant numbers; marine species that 

occur in U.S. waters or for which the 

United States is a major trader; and 

threatened and endangered species for 

which we and other Federal and State 

agencies already have statutory 

responsibility for protection and 

recovery. We also consider CITES 

listings as a proactive measure to 

monitor and manage trade in native 

species to preclude the need for the 

application of stricter measures, such as 

listing under the Endangered Species 

Act of 1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 

et seq.), or inclusion in CITES Appendix 

I. 

(2) Does the proposed action address 

a serious wildlife or plant trade issue for 

species not native to the United States? 

As a major importer of wildlife, plants, 

and their products, the United States 

has taken responsibility, by working in 

close consultation with range countries, 

for addressing cases of potential overexploitation of foreign species in the 

wild. In some cases, the United States 

may not be a range country or a 

significant trading country for a species, 

but we will work closely with other 

countries to conserve species being 

threatened by unsustainable 

exploitation for international trade. We 

will consider CITES listings for species 

not native to the United States if they 

will assist in addressing cases of known 

or potential over-exploitation of foreign 

species in the wild, and in preventing 

illegal, unregulated trade, especially if 

the United States is a major importer. 

These species will be prioritized based 

on the extent of trade and status of the 

species, and also the role the species 

play in the ecosystem, with emphasis on 

those species for which a CITES listing 

would provide the greatest conservation 

benefits to the species, associated 

species, and their habitats. 

(3) Does the proposed action provide 

additional conservation benefit for a 

species already covered by another 

international agreement? The United 

States will consider the inclusion of 

such a species under CITES when it 

would enhance the conservation of the 

species by ensuring that international 

trade is effectively regulated and not 

detrimental to the survival of the 

species. 

Request for Information and 

Recommendations for Amending 

Appendices I or II 

Through this notice, we solicit 

information and recommendations that 

will help us identify species that the 

United States could propose for 

addition to, removal from, or 

reclassification in the CITES 

Appendices, or to identify issues 

warranting attention by the CITES 

specialists on zoological and botanical 

nomenclature. This request is not 

limited to species occurring in the 

United States. We encourage the 

submission of information on any 

species for possible inclusion in, 

transfer between, or removal from the 

Appendices, including if these species 

are subject to international trade that is, 

or may become, detrimental to the 


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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 39 / Tuesday, March 2, 2021 / Notices 12201 

survival of the species. We also 

encourage you to keep in mind the U.S. 

approach to CoP19, described above in 

this notice, when considering what 

proposals to amend the Appendices the 

United States should submit. 

We ask that you submit convincing 

information describing: (1) The status of 

the species, especially trend 

information; (2) conservation and 

management programs for the species, 

including the effectiveness of 

enforcement efforts; and (3) the level of 

international as well as domestic trade 

in the species, especially trend 

information. You may also provide any 

other relevant information, and we 

appreciate receiving a list of references. 

Although we are not requesting 

complete proposals, they are always 

welcome. 

The term ‘‘species’’ is defined in 

CITES as ‘‘any species, subspecies, or 

geographically separate population 

thereof.’’ Each species for which trade is 

controlled under CITES is included in 

one of three Appendices, either as a 

separate listing or incorporated within 

the listing of a higher taxon. The basic 

standards for inclusion of species in the 

Appendices are contained in Article II 

of CITES (text of the Convention is on 

the CITES Secretariat’s website at http:// 

www.cites.org/eng/disc/text.php). 

Appendix I includes species threatened 

with extinction that are or may be 

affected by trade. Appendix II includes 

species that, although not necessarily 

now threatened with extinction, may 

become so unless trade in them is 

strictly controlled. Appendix II also 

includes species that must be subject to 

regulation in order that trade in other 

CITES-listed species may be brought 

under effective control. Such ‘‘look 

alike’’ inclusions usually are necessary 

because of the difficulty inspectors have 

at ports of entry or exit in distinguishing 

one species from other species. Because 

Appendix III includes species that have 

been included in the Appendix 

unilaterally by a Party, we are not 

seeking input on possible U.S. 

Appendix-III listings with this notice, 

and we will not consider or respond to 

comments received concerning 

Appendix-III listings. 

CITES specifies that international 

trade in any readily recognizable parts 

or derivatives of animals included in 

Appendices I or II, or plants included in 

Appendix I, is subject to the same 

conditions that apply to trade in the 

whole organisms. With certain standard 

exclusions formally approved by the 

Parties, the same applies to the readily 

recognizable parts and derivatives of 

most plant species included in 

Appendix II. Parts and derivatives often 

not included (i.e., not regulated) for 

Appendix-II plants are: seeds, spores, 

pollen (including pollinia), and 

seedlings or tissue cultures obtained in 

vitro and transported in sterile 

containers. You may refer to the CITES 

Appendices on the Secretariat’s website 

at http://www.cites.org/eng/app/ 

index.php for further exceptions and 

limitations. 

In 1994, the CITES Parties adopted 

criteria for inclusion of species in 

Appendices I and II (in Resolution Conf. 

9.24 (Rev. CoP17) https://cites.org/sites/ 

default/files/document/E-Res-09-24- 

R17.pdf). These criteria apply to all 

proposals to amend the CITES 

Appendices and are available from the 

CITES Secretariat’s website at http://

www.cites.org/eng/res/index.php or 

upon request from the Division of 

Scientific Authority at the address 

provided above in ADDRESSES. 

Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17) also 

provides a format for proposals to 

amend the Appendices. This 

information is also available upon 

request from the Division of Scientific 

Authority or via mail (at the address 

provided above in ADDRESSES). 

What information should be submitted? 

In any recommendations you submit 

for possible proposals to amend the 

Appendices, please include as much of 

the following information as possible in 

your submission: 

(1) Scientific name and common 

name; 

(2) Population size estimates 

(including references if available); 

(3) Population trend information; 

(4) Threats to the species (other than 

trade); 

(5) The level or trend of international 

trade (as specific as possible, but 

without a request for new searches of 

our records); 

(6) The level or trend in total take 

from the wild (as specific as reasonable); 

and 

(7) A short summary statement clearly 

presenting the rationale for inclusion in, 

or removal or transfer from, one of the 

Appendices, including which of the 

criteria in Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. 

CoP17) are met. 

If you wish to submit more complete 

proposals for us to consider, please 

consult Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. 

CoP17) (https://cites.org/sites/default/ 

files/document/E-Res-09-24-R17.pdf) for 

the format for proposals and a detailed 

explanation of each of the categories. 

Proposals to transfer a species from 

Appendix I to Appendix II, or to remove 

a species from Appendix II, must also be 

in accordance with the precautionary 

measures described in Annex 4 of 

Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17). 

What will we do with information we 

receive? 

The information that you submit will 

help us decide if we should submit, or 

co-sponsor with one or more other 

Parties, a proposal to amend the CITES 

Appendices. However, there may be 

species that qualify for inclusion in the 

CITES Appendices for which we decide 

not to submit a proposal to CoP19. Our 

decision will be based on a number of 

factors, including the priorities we 

outlined above in the U.S. approach to 

CoP19. We will consult range countries 

for foreign species, and for species 

whose range the United States shares 

with other countries. 

One important function of the CITES 

Scientific Authority of each Party 

country is monitoring the international 

trade in plant and animal species, and 

ongoing scientific assessments of the 

impact of that trade on species. For 

native U.S. species included in 

Appendices I and II, we monitor trade 

export permits authorized so that we 

can prevent over-utilization and restrict 

exports if necessary. We also work 

closely with the States to ensure that 

species are appropriately listed in the 

CITES Appendices. For these reasons, 

we actively seek information about U.S. 

and foreign species subject to 

international trade. 

Request for Information and 

Recommendations on Resolutions, 

Decisions, and Agenda Items 

Although we have not yet received 

formal notice of the provisional agenda 

for CoP19, we invite your input on 

possible agenda items that the United 

States could recommend for inclusion, 

or on possible resolutions and decisions 

of the Conference of the Parties that the 

United States could submit for 

consideration. Copies of the agenda and 

the results of the last meeting of the 

Conference of the Parties (CoP18), as 

well as copies of all Resolutions and 

Decisions of the Conference of the 

Parties currently in effect, are available 

on the CITES Secretariat’s website 

(http://www.cites.org/) or from the 

Division of Management Authority at 

the address provided above in 

ADDRESSES. 

Future Actions 

As stated above, CoP19 is tentatively 

scheduled to be held in Costa Rica, in 

2022. The United States must submit all 

proposals to amend Appendix I or II, 

and draft resolutions, decisions, or 

agenda items for discussion at CoP19, to 

the CITES Secretariat 150 days prior to 


jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
12202 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 39 / Tuesday, March 2, 2021 / Notices 

the start of the meeting (tentatively 

October 4, 2021). In order to meet this 

deadline and to prepare for CoP19, we 

plan to keep the public informed about 

the CoP through a series of additional 

Federal Register notices and website 

postings in advance of CoP19. We will 

announce the tentative species 

proposals and proposed resolutions, 

decisions, and agenda items that the 

United States is considering submitting 

for CoP19 and solicit further 

information and comments on them. We 

will post on our website an 

announcement of the species proposals, 

draft resolutions, draft decisions, and 

agenda items submitted by the United 

States to the CITES Secretariat for 

consideration at CoP19. Finally, we will 

inform you about preliminary 

negotiating positions on resolutions, 

decisions, and amendments to the 

Appendices proposed by other Parties 

for consideration at CoP19, and about 

how to obtain observer status from us. 

We will also publish an announcement 

of a public meeting tentatively to be 

held approximately 4 months prior to 

CoP19, which will provide an 

opportunity to receive public input on 

our positions regarding CoP19 issues. 

The procedures for developing U.S. 

documents and negotiating positions for 

a meeting of the Conference of the 

Parties to CITES are outlined in 50 CFR 

23.87. As noted, we may modify or 

suspend the procedures outlined there if 

they would interfere with the timely or 

appropriate development of documents 

for submission to the CoP and of U.S. 

negotiating positions. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, please be aware that your 

entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available. If you 

submit a hardcopy comment that 

includes personal identifying 

information, you may request at the top 

of your document that we withhold this 

information from public review; 

however, we cannot guarantee that we 

will be able to do so. 

Author 

The primary authors of this notice are 

Thomas Leuteritz, Division of Scientific 

Authority, and Anne St. John, Division 

of Management Authority, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service. 

Authority 

The authority for this action is the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

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

Martha Williams, 

Senior Advisor to the Secretary, Exercising 

the Delegated Authority of the Director, U.S. 

Fish and Wildlife Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–04295 Filed 3–1–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Geological Survey 

[GX20DJ73GY140.00; OMB Control Number 

1028–NEW] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Local & Indigenous 

Knowledge of Permafrost Dynamics 

Across the Yukon River Basin 

AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 

the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are 

proposing a new information collection. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before May 3, 

2021. 

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on 

this information collection request (ICR) 

by mail to U.S. Geological Survey, 

Information Collections Officer, 12201 

Sunrise Valley Drive MS 159, Reston, 

VA 20192; or by email to gs-info_

collections@usgs.gov. Please reference 

OMB Control Number 1028–xxxx in the 

subject line of your comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

request additional information about 

this ICR, contact Nicole Herman-Mercer 

by email at nhmercer@usgs.gov or by 

telephone at 303–236–5031. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, 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. 

We are soliciting comments on the 

proposed ICR that is described below. 

We are especially interested in public 

comment addressing the following 

issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to 

the proper functions of the USGS; (2) 

will this information be processed and 

used in a timely manner; (3) is the 

estimate of burden accurate; (4) how 

might the USGS enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and (5) how might the 

USGS minimize the burden of this 

collection on the respondents, including 

through the use of information 

technology. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. We will include or 

summarize each comment in our request 

to OMB to approve this ICR. 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: We will collect narrative 

information regarding knowledge and 

observations of permafrost dynamics in 

communities in the Yukon River Basin 

in Alaska. Narrative information will be 

collected via semi-structured interviews 

with active land users in specific 

communities as well as relevant city, 

tribal council, and village corporation 

staff. Questions will focus on 

observations of landscape change and 

infrastructure damage indicative of 

permafrost thaw. This information will 

allow for a greater understanding of 

permafrost dynamics in the region as 

well as the impacts thaw has on 

communities. This information will be 

used to inform future permafrost 

monitoring efforts in the region and 

provided to communities for adaptation 

planning. 

Title of Collection: Local & Indigenous 

Knowledge of Permafrost Dynamics 

across the Yukon River Basin. 

OMB Control Number: 1028–NEW. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: New. 

Respondents/Affected Public: 

Individuals. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Respondents: 150. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 150. 

Estimated Completion Time per 

Response: 60 minutes. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 150. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

Frequency of Collection: One time. 


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