37406 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 115 / Wednesday, June 14, 2000 / Notices

Agreement and Consent Decree entered

into by the United States of America

and the State of Alaska on August 27,

1991, and approved by the United States

District Court for the District of Alaska

in settlement of United States of

America v. State of Alaska, Civil Action

No. A91–081 CV. The agenda for the

public hearing is the proposed Fiscal

Year 2001 Work Plan for the restoration

of resources and services injured by the

T/V Exxon Valdez oil spill of 1989. The

public meeting agenda will feature a

discussion of the Work Plan, as well as

the status of habitat protection measures

in the spill impact area, and plans for

the long-term Gulf Ecosystem

Monitoring Program.

Willie R. Taylor,

Director, Office of Environmental Policy and

Compliance.

[FR Doc. 00–14920 Filed 6–13–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–RG–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

North American Wetlands

Conservation Act: Request for Small

Grants Proposals for Year 2001

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of request for proposals.

SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is

to advise the public that we, the U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) and

the North American Wetlands

Conservation Council (Council), are

currently entertaining proposals that

request match funding for wetland and

wetland-associated upland conservation

projects under the Small Grants

program. Projects must meet the

purposes of the North American

Wetlands Conservation Act of 1989, as

amended. We will give funding priority

to projects from new grant applicants

with new partners, where the project

ensures long-term conservation benefits.

However, previous Act grantees are

eligible to receive funding and can

compete successfully on the basis of

strong project resource values.

DATES: Proposals must bear postmarks

no later than Friday, December 1, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Address proposals to: North

American Waterfowl and Wetlands

Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,

4401 North Fairfax Drive, Suite 110,

Arlington, Virginia 22203, Attn: Small

Grants Coordinator.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Keith A. Morehouse, Small Grants

Coordinator, or Ms. Heather Poindexter,

Office Secretary, North American

Waterfowl and Wetlands Office,

703.358.1784; facsimile 703.358.2282.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The purpose of the 1989 North

American Wetlands Conservation Act

(NAWCA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 4401

et seq.) is, through partnerships, to

promote long-term conservation of

North American wetland ecosystems

and the waterfowl and other migratory

birds, fish and wildlife that depend

upon such habitats. Principal

conservation actions supported by

NAWCA are acquisition, enhancement

and restoration of wetlands and

wetlands-associated uplands habitat.

Initiated in 1996, the underlying

objective of the Small Grants program is

to promote long-term wetlands

conservation activities through

encouraging participation by new

grantees and partners who may not

otherwise be able to compete in the

regular grants program. We also hope

that successful participants in the Small

Grants program will be encouraged to

participate in the NAWCA-based

Standard Grants program. Over the first

five years of the program, about 386

proposals requesting a total of

approximately $12.6 million competed

for funding. Ultimately, 77 projects were

funded over this period. For 2001, with

the approval of the Migratory Bird

Conservation Commission, we have

again made the Small Grants program

operational at a base level of $1.0

million. Up to $1.0 million in quality

Small Grants projects may be funded.

To be considered for funding in the

2001 cycle, proposals must have a grant

request no greater than $50,000. We will

accept all wetland conservation

proposals that meet the requirements of

the Act. However, considering

appropriate proposal resource values,

we will give funding priority to projects

from new grant applicants (individuals

or organizations who have never

received a NAWCA grant) with new

partners, where the project ensures

long-term conservation benefits. This

priority system does not preclude

former NAWCA grant recipients from

receiving Small Grants funding;

ultimately, project resource value is the

critical factor in deciding which projects

receive funding. Too, projects are likely

to receive a greater level of attention if

they are part of a broader related or

unrelated effort to bring or restore

wetland or wetland-associated upland

conservation values to a particular area

or region.

In addition, proposals must represent

on-the-ground projects, and any

overhead in the project budget must

constitute 10 percent or less of the grant

amount. The anticipated magnitude of

wetlands and wildlife resources benefits

that will result from project execution is

an important factor in proposal

evaluation, and there should be a

reasonable balance between acreages of

wetlands and wetland-associated

uplands. Mitigation-related projects may

be precluded from consideration,

depending upon the nature of the

mitigation application.

Please keep in mind that NAWCA and

matching funds may be applied only to

wetlands acquisition, creation,

enhancement, and/or restoration; they

may not be applied to signage, displays,

trails or other educational features,

materials and equipment, even though

the goal of the project may ultimately be

to support wetland conservation

education curricula. Projects oriented

toward education are not ordinarily

eligible for NAWCA funding because

education is not a primary purpose of

the Act. However, useful project

outcomes can include educational

benefits resulting from conservation

actions. Research is also not a primary

purpose of the Act, and research

proposals are not considered for

funding.

Even though we require less total

information for Small Grants than we do

for the Standard Grants program, Small

Grant proposals must have clear

explanations and meet the basic

purposes given above and the 1:1 or

greater non-Federal matching

requirements of the NAWCA. Small

Grants projects must also be consistent

with Council-established guidelines,

objectives and policies. All non-Federal

matching funds and proposed

expenditures of grant funds must be

consistent with Appendix A of the

Small Grants instructions, ‘‘Eligibility

Requirements for Match of NAWCA

Grant and Non-Federal Funds.’’

Applicants must submit a completed

Standard Form 424, Application For

Federal Assistance. Small Grants

instructional booklets contain forms and

instructions for the Standard Form 424;

booklets are available at the address

provided under ADDRESSES.

Small Grants proposals may be

submitted prior to the due date but must

bear postmarks no later than Friday,

December 1, 2000. Address submitted

proposals as follows: North American

Waterfowl and Wetlands Office, U.S.

Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 North

Fairfax Drive, Suite 110, Arlington, VA

22203, Attn: Small Grants Coordinator.

Applicants must submit complete

grant request packages to the North

American Waterfowl and Wetlands

Office (NAWWO), including all of the

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 115 / Wednesday, June 14, 2000 / Notices 37407

documentation of partners (partner

letters) with funding pledge amounts.

Information on funding in partner

letters, i.e., amounts and description

regarding use, must correspond with

budget amounts in the budget table and

any figures provided in the narrative.

With the volume of proposals

received, we are not usually able to

contact proposal sources to verify and/

or request supplemental data and/or

materials. Thus, those proposals lacking

required information or containing

conflicting information are subject to

being declared ineligible and not further

considered for funding.

For more information, and/or to

request the Small Grants instructional

booklet, call the NAWWO office

secretary at 703.358.1784, facsimile

703.358.2282, or send E-mail to

R9ARW_NAWWO@FWS.GOV. Small

Grant application instructions may be

available by E-mail as a WordPerfect

file, upon request.

In conclusion, we require that, upon

arrival in the NAWWO, proposal

packages must be complete with regard

to the information requested, in the

format requested, and on time.

The Service has submitted

information collection requirements to

the Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) for review and approval under

the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. On May 26, 1999,

OMB gave its approval for this

information collection and confirmed

the approval number as 1018–0100. 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 information collection

solicited: is necessary to gain a benefit

in the form of a grant, as determined by

the North American Wetlands

Conservation Council and the Migratory

Bird Conservation Commission; is

necessary to determine the eligibility

and relative value of wetland projects;

results in an approximate paperwork

burden of 80 hours per application; and

does not carry a premise of

confidentiality. The information

collections in this program will not be

part of a system of records covered by

the Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552(a)).

Dated: April 12, 2000.

Paul R. Schmidt,

Assistant Director—Refuges and Wildlife,

Fish and Wildlife Service.

[FR Doc. 00–15010 Filed 6–13–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–55–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

Request for Public Comments on

Information Collection To Be

Submitted to the Office of Management

and Budget for Review Under the

Paperwork Reduction Act

A request revising and extending the

collection of information listed below

will be submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget for approval

under the provisions of the Paperwork

Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

Copies of the proposed collection of

information and related forms may be

obtained by contacting the USGS

Clearance Officer at the phone number

listed below. Comments and suggestions

on the requirement should be made

within 60 days directly to the USGS

Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological

Survey, 807 National Center, Reston, VA

20192.

As required by OMB regulations at

CFR 1320.8(d)(1), the U.S. Geological

Survey solicits specific public

comments regarding the proposed

information collectoin as to:

1. Whether the collection of

information is necessary for the proper

performance of the functions of the

USGS, including whether the

information will have practical utility;

2. The accuracy of the USGS estimate

of the burden of the collection of

information, including the validity of

the methbodology and assumptions

used;

3. The utility, quality, and clarity of

the information to be collected; and,

4. How to minimize the burden of the

collection of information on those who

are to respond, including the use of

appropriate automated, electronic,

mechanical, or other forms of

information technology.

Title: Production Estimate,

Construction Sand and Gravel and

Crushed and Broken Stone.

Current OMB approval number: 1028–

0065.

Abstract: This collection is needed to

provide data on mineral production for

annual reports published by commodity

for use by Government agencies,

industry, education programs, and the

general public. One publication is the

‘‘Mineral Commodity Summaries,’’ the

first preliminary publication to furnish

estimates covering the previous year’s

nonfuel mineral industry.

Bureau form numbers: 9–4042–A and

9–4124–A.

Frequency: Quarterly and Annually.

Description of respondents: Producers

of industrial minerals and metals.

Annual Responses: 3,450.

Annual burden hours: 742.

Bureau clearance officer: John

Cordyack, 703–648–7313.

John H. DeYoung, Jr.,

Chief Scientist, Minerals Information Team.

[FR Doc. 00–14997 Filed 6–13–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–Y7–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Land Management

[NV–030–00–1020–24]

Sierra Front/Northwestern Great Basin

Resource Advisory Council; Notice of

Cancellation of Scheduled Meeting

AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management,

Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Cancellation of

Scheduled Meeting for the Sierra Front/

Northwestern Great Basin Resource

Advisory Council, Nevada.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Federal Land Policy and Management

Act and the Federal Advisory

Committee Act of 1972 (FACA), notice

is hereby given of cancellation of a

previously scheduled June 14, 2000,

meeting of the U.S. Department of the

Interior, Bureau of Land Management

(BLM) Sierra Front/Northwestern Great

Basin Resource Advisory Council

(RAC), Nevada. The topic of discussion

was to be a review of the Black Rock

Management Plan being prepared by the

Winnemucca Field Office; the meeting

will be rescheduled at a future date.

DATE AND TIME: The council was

scheduled to meet on Wednesday, June

14, 2000, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at

the Best Western Inn-Fernley, 1405 East

Newlands Drive, Fernley, Nevada. The

meeting has been cancelled due to BLM

staffing changes and associated time

delays related to completing the Black

Rock Management Plan. A review of the

plan will be rescheduled at a future

RAC meeting.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Mike Holbert, Associate Field Manager,

Winnemucca Field Office, 5100 East

Winnemucca Blvd., Winnemucca, NV

89445. Telephone (775) 623–1500.

Dated: June 5, 2000.

Mark Struble,

Public Affairs Officer/RAC Coordinator,

Carson City Field Office.

[FR Doc. 00–14998 Filed 6–13–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4310–HC–P