This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

63067

Vol. 62, No. 228

Wednesday, November 26, 1997

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

November 21, 1997.

The Department of Agriculture has

submitted the following information

collection requirement(s) to OMB for

review and clearance under the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995,

Public Law 104–13. Comments

regarding (a) whether the 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 burden including the validity of the

methodology and assumptions used; (c)

ways to enhance the quality, utility and

clarity of the information to be

collected; (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 should be addressed to: Desk

Officer for Agriculture, Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB), Washington, D.C. 20503 and to

Department Clearance Office, USDA,

OCIO, Mail Stop 7602, Washington, D.C.

20250–7602. Comments regarding these

information collections are best assured

of having their full effect if received

within 30 days of this notification.

Copies of the submission(s) May be

obtained by calling (202) 720–6746.

An agency may not conduct or

sponsor a collection of information

unless the collection of information

displays a currently valid OMB control

number and the agency informs

potential persons who are to respond to

the collection of information that such

persons are not required to respond to

the collection of information unless it

displays a currently valid OMB control

number.

• Food and Consumer Service

Title: Food Coupon Deposit

Document.

OMB Control Number: 0584–0314.

Summary of Collection: The Food

Coupon Deposit Document is used by

all financial institutions when remitting

food coupons to the Federal Reserve.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information allows financial

institutions, the Federal Reserve and the

Food and Consumer Service to track

food coupon deposits.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 10,000.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 3,675.

• Rural Utilities Service

Title: 7 CFR 1794, Environmental

Policies and Procedures.

OMB Control Number: 0572–New.

Summary of Collection: Information

collected includes a proposal for the

project and an environmental analysis.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information will be used to evaluate the

cost and feasibility of the project and

the environmental impact.

Description of Respondents: Not-forprofit institutions; Business or other forprofit.

Number of Respondents: 600.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 415,000.

• Food and Consumer Service

Title: FSP Store Application.

OMB Control Number: 0584–0008.

Summary of Collection: The Food

Stamp Act of 1977, as amended,

requires that the Agency determine the

eligibility of firms and specified

programs to accept and redeem food

stamp benefits and to monitor them for

compliance and continued eligibility.

Need and Use of the Information:

This information is used for

determining a firm’s eligibility for

participation in the program, program

administration, compliance monitoring

and investigations, and for sanctioning

stores found to be violating the program.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 80,613.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 18,396.

• Foreign Agricultural Service

Title: Regulations Covering CCC’s

Facility Guarantee Program (FGP).

OMB Control Number: 0551–0032.

Summary of Collection: The

Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC)

requires that an application be

submitted to participate in the Facility

Guarantee Program (FGP). A request to

become an eligible participant in the

FGP is included in the application. This

information ensures CCC that all

participants have a business office in

the United States.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is necessary in order to

determine eligibility for participation in

the Facility Guarantee Program.

Description of Respondents: Business

or other for-profit.

Number of Respondents: 25.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 647.

• Natural Resources Conservation

Service

Title: Rural Abandoned Mine

Program.

OMB Control Number: 0578–0019.

Summary of Collection: Information is

collected regarding progress in applying

the conservation plan and a contract to

receive Federal cost-share assistance is

completed.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is used to ensure proper

utilization of program funds.

Description of Respondents: Farms;

Individuals or households; State, Local

or Tribal Government.

Number of Respondents: 400.

Frequency of Responses: Reporting:

On occasion.

Total Burden Hours: 223.

Emergency processing of this

submission has been requested by

December 12, 1997.

• Rural Business—Cooperative Service

Title: 7 CFR Part 4284–G, Rural

Business Opportunity Grants.

OMB Control Number: 0570–New.

Summary of Collection: Information

collected includes a scope of work,

organizational documents, a narrative

description of the project, financial

statements, and an evaluation method of

the project’s success.

Need and Use of the Information: The

information is used to make decisions
63068 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 228 / Wednesday, November 26, 1997 / Notices

regarding eligibility of applicants and

selection priority, to ensure compliance

with applicable laws and regulations,

and to evaluate the program.

Description of Respondents: Not forprofit institutions; State, Local or Tribal

Government.

Number of Respondents: 100.

Frequency of Responses:

Recordkeeping; Reporting: On occasion;

Monthly; Quarterly.

Total Burden Hours: 8704.

Donald Hulcher,

Departmental Clearance Officer.

[FR Doc. 97–31015 Filed 11–25–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–01–M

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Economic Research Service

Notice of Intent To Seek Approval to

Collect Information

AGENCY: Economic Research Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995

(Pub.L. No. 104–13) and Office of

Management and Budget (OMB)

regulations at 5 CFR part 1320 (60 FR

44978, August 29, 1995), this notice

announces the Economic Research

Service’s (ERS) intention to request

approval for a new information

collection on the demographic and

economic characteristics of participants

in USDA’s Single Family Direct Loan

Rural Housing Program in order to

better understand how this program

helps provide adequate and affordable

housing for rural residents.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by January 30, 1998 to be

assured of consideration.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR COMMENTS:

Contact Linda Ghelfi or Leslie Whitener,

Food Assistance, Poverty, and WellBeing Branch, Food and Rural

Economics Division, Economic Research

Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

1800 M. St., NW, Washington, D.C.

20036–5801, 202–694–5420.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Application for ERS collection

of information on participants in

USDA’s Single Family Direct Loan Rural

Housing Program.

Type of Request: Approval to collect

information on participants in USDA’s

Single Family Direct Loan Rural

Housing Program.

Abstract: The Economic Research

Service has the responsibility to provide

social and economic intelligence on

changing rural housing needs in the

United States to help assess the

relationship between Federal housing

assistance policies and rural

development. Research activities focus

on three major objectives: (1)

Identification of trends in rural housing

availability, affordability, and adequacy

which underlie an understanding of

rural housing needs; (2) assessment of

the use and effectiveness of Federal

housing assistance programs in rural

areas; and (3) investigation of the

potential effects of Federal policy

changes on rural housing programs and

the residents they serve. Housing has an

enormous influence on the quality of

life of rural residents, and rural housing

is an important focus of the

Department’s rural development efforts.

Research findings are provided to public

and private decision-makers for use in

developing and evaluating policies and

programs to insure that adequate and

affordable housing is available to rural

residents.

The USDA, through its Rural

Development Single Family Direct Loan

Housing Program, has provided billions

of dollars to over 600,000 low-income

rural borrowers nationwide. The

Department has only sporadic and

incomplete information on the residents

that benefit from these program outlays

and what this program means for the

stock of available, affordable, and

adequate single family housing in rural

areas. The data collection effort

proposed here will provide a unique

and detailed information base on the

characteristics of USDA’s Section 502

Direct Loan Program participants to

help (1) assess the impact of this

housing-assistance program on rural

residents and their communities and (2)

provide a better understanding of the

effects of changing Federal policies,

such as welfare reform, on rural

borrowers’s participation in the direct

loan program. The survey will collect

information from USDA-assisted

borrowers to determine their

demographic, employment, income, and

housing characteristics; reliance on

other public assistance programs; and

dependence on rural housing program

funds. This information will help to fill

a serious gap in our understanding of

the nature of housing needs in rural

areas and will provide USDA and other

policy makers with sound information

to help evaluate current programs and

develop more effective rural housing

policies. ERS, working with Washington

State University’s Social and Economic

Sciences Research Center, will conduct

a telephone survey of borrowers

participating in USDA’s Section 502

Single Family Direct Loan Housing

Program. Borrowers to be interviewed

will be selected from a simple random

national sample of recent borrowers

who obtained loans during 1995, 1996,

or 1997, taken from USDA’s Rural

Development administrative records.

Survey data will be collected using

Computer-Assisted Telephone

Interviewing (CATI) techniques, which

are more efficient and less time

consuming than traditional written

interview techniques. Responses are

voluntary and confidential. Survey data

will be used with other data for

statistical purposes and reported only in

aggregate or statistical form.

Information to be obtained from

borrowers includes: characteristics of

current and past housing; housing

problems; satisfaction with current

residence, neighborhood, and the USDA

financing experience; demographic

characteristics of household members;

education and employment

characteristics of borrowers; public

assistance program participation; and

sources and amounts of household

income. No existing data sources,

including USDA administrative data or

the biennial American Housing Survey,

are sufficiently detailed to allow an indepth analysis of the relationships

among these variables for participants in

the Section 502 program. These data

and the research they will support are

vital to the Department’s ability to

assess the impact of its rural housing

programs on rural residents and rural

community development.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this data collection is

estimated to average 20 minutes per

completed interview, including time for

listening to instructions, gathering data

needed, and responding to

questionnaire items.

Respondents: Homeowners who

obtained a loan during 1995, 1996, and

1997 through USDA’s Section 502

Single Family Direct Loan Program.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

3,000.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 1,000 hours. Copies of

information concerning the data

collection can be obtained from Linda

Ghelfi or Leslie Whitener, Food

Assistance, Poverty and Well-Being

Branch, Food and Rural Economics

Division, Economic Research Service,

U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1800 M.

St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20036–5801,

202–694–5420.

Comments: Comments are invited on:

(a) Whether the proposed collection of

information is necessary for the proper

functions of the agency, including