Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 234 / Tuesday, December 7, 2010 / Notices 75959 

Notice of these meetings is provided 

in accordance with section 10(a)(2) of 

the Federal Advisory Committee Act, as 

amended (5 U.S.C. Appendix 2). 

Signed in Washington, DC on December 1, 

2010. 

R. T. Valentine, 

Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2010–30646 Filed 12–6–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–05–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

Notice of Intent: To Request a Revision 

of a Currently Approved Information 

Collection 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service, United States 

Department of Agriculture. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. 

L. 104–13), and the Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) 

regulations at 5 CFR 1320 (60 FR 44978, 

August 29, 1995), this notice announces 

the Natural Resources Conservation 

Service’s (NRCS) intention to revise a 

currently approved information 

collection, Long-Term Contracting, to 

clarify for the public information that is 

no longer included in the collection. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments must be received on or before 

January 6, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: You may send comments 

using any of the following methods: 

• Government-wide rulemaking Web 

site: Go to http://www.regulations.gov 

and follow the instructions for sending 

comments electronically. 

• E-mail: Jill.Atencio@wdc.usda.gov. 

• Mail: Paperwork Reduction Act 

Comments, Department of Agriculture, 

Natural Resources Conservation Service, 

P.O. Box 2890, Washington, DC 20013. 

• Hand Delivery: Department of 

Agriculture, 1400 Independence 

Avenue, SW., Room 6819 South 

Building, Washington, DC 20250, 

between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Eastern time, 

Monday through Friday, except Federal 

Holidays. Please ask the guard at the 

entrance to the South Building to call 

(202) 720–1854 in order to be escorted 

into the building. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Phyllis Watkins, Forms Manager, 

Administrative Services Division, 

Department of Agriculture, Natural 

Resources Conservation Service, 1400 

Independence Avenue, SW., Room 4235 

South Building, Washington, DC 20250; 

Telephone: (202) 720–3770; Fax: (202) 

720–4659. Persons with disabilities who 

require alternative means for 

communication (Braille, large print, 

audiotape, etc.) should contact the 

USDA Target Center at (202) 720–2600 

(voice and TDD). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

OMB Control Number: 0578–0013. 

Expiration Date of Approval: May 31, 

2012. 

Type of Request: To revise a currently 

approved information collection to 

update and clarify information that is no 

longer included in the information 

collection. 

Abstract: The primary objective of 

NRCS is to work in partnership with the 

American people and the farming and 

ranching community to conserve and 

sustain our natural resources on 

privately owned land. The purpose of 

the Long-Term Contracting information 

collection is to allow for programs to 

provide Federal technical and financial 

cost-sharing assistance through longterm contracts to eligible producers, 

landowners, and entities. These 

contracts provide for making land use 

changes and installing conservation 

measures and practices to conserve, 

develop, and use the soil, water, and 

related natural resources on private 

lands. Under the terms of the agreement, 

the participant agrees to apply, or 

arrange to apply, the conservation 

treatment specified in the conservation 

plan. In return for this agreement, 

Federal financial assistance payments 

are made to the land user, or third party, 

upon successful application of the 

conservation treatment. Additionally, 

NRCS purchases easements for the longterm protection of the property and 

provides for the protection and 

management of the property for the life 

of the easement. 

The information collected through 

this package is used by NRCS to ensure 

the proper use of program funds. 

Section 2904 of the Food, 

Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 

(2008 Act) (Pub. L. 110–246) exempts 

Conservation Programs under Title II of 

the 2008 Act from Chapter 35 of Title 

44, U.S.C. (Paperwork Reduction Act). 

The programs in this information 

collection that continue to be subject to 

the requirements to the Paperwork 

Reduction Act are listed in Table A. 

This request will clarify the programs in 

this information collection that are no 

longer subject to these requirements, 

and will identify the reduction in 

burden by removing these forms from 

the current information collection 

package. The exempted programs are 

listed in Table B. 

TABLE A—CONSERVATION PROGRAMS SUBJECT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT

Program Description 

Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) (7 CFR 

part 701).

USDA Farm Service Agency’s ECP provides emergency funding and technical assistance for farmers and ranchers to rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters 

and for carrying out emergency water conservation measures in periods of severe 

drought. Funding for ECP is appropriated by Congress. 

Emergency Watershed Program (EWP) (7 CFR part 

624).

The EWP was initiated in 1950 and is administered by NRCS. It provides technical and 

financial assistance to local institutions for the removal of storm and flood debris from 

stream channels and for the restoration of stream channels and levees to reduce the 

threat to life and property. The program also provides for establishing permanent easements in floodplains with private landowners. 

Resource Conservation and Development Program 

(RC&D).

The RC&D was initiated in 1962 and is administered by NRCS. Through this program, 

NRCS assists multi-county areas in enhancing conservation, water quality, wildlife 

habitat, recreation, and rural development. The program provides technical and limited 

financial assistance for the planning and installation of approved projects. 

Watershed Protection and Flood Prevention Program 

(WPFPP) (7 CFR part 622).

The WPFPP, otherwise known as Pub. L. 566, was initiated in 1954 and is administered 

by NRCS. It assists State and local units of government in flood prevention, watershed 

protection, and water management. Part of this effort involves the establishment of 

conservation practices on private lands to reduce erosion, sedimentation, and runoff. 


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75960 Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 234 / Tuesday, December 7, 2010 / Notices 

TABLE A—CONSERVATION PROGRAMS SUBJECT TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT— 

Continued 

Program Description 

Healthy Forests Reserve Program (HFRP) (7 CFR 

part 625).

HFRP is a voluntary program established for the purpose of restoring and enhancing forest ecosystems to: 1) Promote the recovery of threatened and endangered species; 2) 

improve biodiversity; and 3) enhance carbon sequestration. The HFRP was signed into 

law as part of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act of 2003 and amended by the 2008 

Act authorized to be carried out from 2009 through 2012. 

Wetland Conservation (WC or Swampbuster) (7 CFR 

part 12).

The Wetland Conservation provisions are part of the Food Security Act of 1985, as 

amended by the Food, Agriculture, Conservation, and Trade Act of 1990 and the Federal Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996. The WC or Swampbuster provisions condition receipt of USDA benefits on landowners and operators not converting 

wetlands for agricultural production purposes or to make possible the production of an 

agricultural commodity. All the programs in this collection except WHIP are subject to 

compliance with these provisions. Additionally, many of the programs in this collection 

condition eligibility for certain practices on the type of wetlands present on the farm or 

ranch, thereby needing a certified wetland determination completed per the regulation 

in 7 CFR part 12, subparts A and C. 

TABLE B—CONSERVATION PROGRAMS EXEMPTED FROM THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT

Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) .................... WRP is a voluntary program established to assist owners of eligible lands in restoring and 

protecting wetlands. It is the goal of WRP to maximize wetland functions and values and 

optimize wildlife habitat benefits on every acre enrolled in the program particularly for migratory birds and other wetland dependent wildlife. 

Farm and Ranch Lands Protection Program 

(FRPP).

The FRPP is a voluntary program that helps farmers and ranchers keep their land in agriculture. The program provides matching funds to State, tribal, or local governments and 

non-governmental organizations with existing FRPPs to purchase conservation easements. 

Conservation Security Program (CSP) ............... CSP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the 

conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other 

conservation purposes on tribal and private working lands. The program is available in all 

50 States, the Caribbean Area, and the Pacific Basin area. The program provides equitable 

access to benefits to all producers, regardless of size of operation, crops produced, or geographic location. 

Conservation Stewardship Program ................... The Conservation Stewardship Program is a voluntary program that provides financial and 

technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plants, and animals. It is mentioned here to clearly indicate this program as exempt 

from the Paperwork Reduction Act and has never been under its confines. 

Grassland Reserve Program (GRP) ................... GRP is a voluntary program established for the purpose of protecting grazing uses and related 

conservation values by conserving and restoring grassland resources. GRP helps landowners and operators restore and protect grassland, including rangeland and pastureland, 

and certain other lands, while maintaining the areas as grazing lands. The program emphasizes support for grazing operations, plant and animal biodiversity, and grasslands and 

shrub lands under the greatest threat of conversion. 

Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program (WHIP) ......... WHIP is a voluntary program that provides technical and financial assistance to enable eligible 

participants to protect, restore, develop, or enhance habitat for upland wildlife, wetland wildlife, threatened and endangered species, fish, and other types of wildlife in an environmentally beneficial and cost effective manner. The purpose of the program is to develop 

high quality wildlife habitats that support wildlife populations of local, State, and national significance. 

Agricultural Management Assistance (AMA) ...... AMA provides cost share assistance to agricultural producers to voluntarily address issues 

such as water management, water quality, and erosion control by incorporating conservation into their farming operations. AMA is available only in 15 States where participation in 

the Federal Crop Insurance Program is historically low. Producers may construct or improve 

water management structures or irrigation structures; plant trees for windbreaks or to improve water quality; and mitigate risk through production diversification or resource conservation practices, including soil erosion control, integrated pest management, or transition 

to organic farming. 

Environmental Quality Incentives Program 

(EQIP).

EQIP is a voluntary conservation program for farmers and ranchers that promotes agricultural 

production and environmental quality as compatible national goals. EQIP offers financial 

and technical help to assist eligible participants to install or implement structural and management practices on eligible agricultural land. 

The conservation programs exempted 

from the Paperwork Reduction Act 

requirements accounted for a majority of 

the forms submitted and completed 

annually. The removal of these 

programs from the current information 

collection will result in a significant 

reduction in burden hours. Table C 

shows only the burden for those 

programs that are subject to the 

requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act. The burden associated 

with those programs exempted from the 

Paperwork Reduction Act (as identified 

in Table B) has been removed. 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 234 / Tuesday, December 7, 2010 / Notices 75961 

TABLE C—BURDEN FOR REQUIRED PROGRAMS UNDER THE PAPERWORK REDUCTION ACT

Form Purpose Program(s) * Number submitted annually 

AD–1153 NRCS–CPA– 

1200.

Application ................................ EWP, WPFPP, HFRP ...... 750; Estimated time per participant is .69 per response. 

AD–1154 NRCS–CPA– 

1202.

Contract or Agreement ............. EWP, HFRP ..................... 150; Estimated time per participant .69 per response. 

AD–1155 NRCS–CPA– 

1155.

Schedule of Practices/Costs 

and signature sheet.

EWP, WPFPP, HFRP ...... 300; Estimated time per participant .75 per response. 

AD–1156 NRCS–CPA– 

1156.

Schedule Modification .............. EWP, WPFPP, HFRP ...... 25; Estimated time per participant .60 per response. 

NRCS–LTP–13 NRCS– 

CPA–013.

Status/Contract Review ............ EWP, WPFPP, HFRP ...... 250; Estimated time per participant .69 per response. 

NRCS–LTP–20 NRCS– 

CPA–260.

Warranty, Easement Deed 

Conservation, Easement 

Deed.

EWP, HFRP ..................... 150; Estimated time per participant .69 per response. 

AD–1157 ........................... Option to Purchase Easement EWP, HFRP ..................... 165; Estimated time per participant .69 per response. 

AD–1157A ........................ Option to Purchase, Amendment.EWP, HFRP ..................... 120; Estimated time per participant .69 per response. 

AD–1158 ........................... Subordination Agreement and 

Limited Lien Waiver.

EWP, HFRP ..................... 100; Estimated time per participant .69 per response. 

AD–1159 ........................... Notice of Intent to Continue ..... Not used by any non-exempt program.

AD–1160 ........................... Compatible Use Application ..... EWP, HFRP ..................... 200; Estimated time per participant .66 per response. 

AD–1161 ........................... Application for Payment ........... EWP, HFRP ..................... 200; Estimated time per participant .58 per response. 

NRCS–LTP–151 ............... Contract Violation Notification .. HFRP, EWP ..................... 20; Estimated time per participant .69 per response. 

NRCS–LTP–152 ............... Transfer Agreement .................. HFRP, EWP ..................... 5; Estimated time per participant 1.0 per response. 

NRCS–LTP–153 ............... Agreement Covering Non-Compliance With Provisions of 

the Contract.

HFRP, EWP ..................... 10; Estimated time per participant .69 per response. 

NRCS–CPA–38 ................ Request for Certified Wetland 

Determination or Delineation.

WC ................................... 5,000; Estimated time per participant .83 per response. 

NRCS–CPA–68 ................ Conservation Plan .................... CTA, HFRP ...................... 2,700; Estimated time per participant .69 per response. 

* The number submitted annually provides the number of forms completed by respondents and the approximate number of hours to complete 

each form. The response time is taken from the forms themselves as identified in the OMB Disclosure Statement where available. 

NRCS anticipates the total number of 

respondents will be 10,145 (previously 

37,504 hours) and that the total burden 

hours will be 7,661 (previously 25,291 

hours). The estimated burden per 

response depends upon the specific 

form. This burden amount is identified 

by form in Table C and ranges from .58 

hour to 1 hour per respondent. 

NRCS employees generally complete 

the remainder of the forms in the 

collection and review the documents 

with the program participant for 

concurrence and acceptance. The 

burden was estimated based on a 

projected average of documents to be 

filed annually based on the funding 

level for the authorized conservation 

programs. The burden hours have been 

significantly reduced from the previous 

submission due to the exemption of 

Conservation Programs under Title II of 

the 2008 Act from Chapter 35 of Title 

44, U.S.C. (Paperwork Reduction Act). 

The number of respondents was 

averaged from fiscal year (FY) 2008 

through FY 2010. The total annual cost 

to the respondents is $91,932. This 

figure is computed based on 7,661 

burden hours times a wage of $12.00 per 

hour. 

Comments: Comments are requested 

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 hours (including hours 

and cost) of the proposed collection of 

information; (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 automated collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

Comments will be summarized and 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection, 

and they will also become a matter of 

public record. 

Signed this 2nd day of December, 2010 in 

Washington, DC. 

Dave White, 

Chief, Natural Resources Conservation 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–30674 Filed 12–6–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–16–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

Notice of Implementation of the Wind 

Erosion Prediction System for Soil 

Erodibility System Calculations for the 

Natural Resources Conservation 

Service 

AGENCY: Natural Resources 

Conservation Service. 

ACTION: Notice of availability of the 

Wind Erosion Prediction System 

(WEPS) for soil erodibility system 

calculations scheduled for 

implementation for public review and 

comment. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given of the 

intention of the Natural Resources 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES