Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 237 / Wednesday, December 10, 1997 / Notices 65089

workers in other countries; (5) refines

strategies developed for the eradication

of polio and measles in the Western

Hemisphere for implementation in other

countries; (6) assists other countries in

projects to improve surveillance for

polio, measles, and other VPDs,

including development of computerized

systems for disease monitoring; (7)

assists WHO, UNICEF, and other partner

organizations in strengthening global

epidemiologic and laboratory

surveillance for polio, measles, and

other VPDs targeted for eradication; (8)

prepares articles based on findings for

publication in international professional

journals and presentation at

international conferences; (9) provides

technical training as part of divisionsponsored courses for staff of CDC,

WHO, UNICEF, Rotary International,

and other immunization partners.

Dated: November 24, 1997.

David Satcher,

Director.

[FR Doc. 97–32256 Filed 10–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4160–18–M

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND

URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR–4263–N–61]

Notice of Proposed Information,

Collection for Public Comment;

Technical Assistance for Community

Planning and Development, Programs

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant

Secretary for Community Planning and

Development, HUD.

ACTION: Notice of Proposed Information

Collection for Public Comments.

SUMMARY: The proposed information

collection requirement for technical

assistance for Community Planning and

Development (CPD) programs described

below will be submitted to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) for

review, as required by the Paperwork

Reduction Act. The Department is

soliciting public comments on the

subject proposal.

DATES: Comments due: February 9,

1998.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are

invited to submit comments regarding

this proposal. Comments should refer to

the proposal by name and/or OMB

Control Number and should be sent to:

Reports Liaison Officer, Shelia E. Jones,

Department of Housing and Urban

Development, 451 7th Street, SW, Room

7230, Washington, DC 20410.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Lyn

T. Whitcomb, Director, Technical

Assistance Division, (202) 708–3176

(this is not a toll-free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

Department will submit the proposed

information collection to OMB for

review, as required by the Paperwork

Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35 as amended).

The Notice is soliciting comments

from members of the public and affected

agencies concerning the proposed

collection of information to: (1) Evaluate

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) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency’s

estimate of the burden of the proposed

collection of information; (3) Enhance

the quality, utility, and clarity of the

information to be collected; and (4)

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.

This Notice also lists the following

information:

Title of Proposal: Technical

Assistance for Community Planning and

Development Programs.

OMB Control Number, if applicable:

Description of the need for the

information and proposed use:

Application information is needed to

determine competition winners, i.e.

those technical assistance (TA)

providers best able to offer local

jurisdictions an ability to shape their

CPD resources and other available

resources into effective, coordinated,

neighborhood and community

development strategies to revitalize and

physically, socially and economically

strengthen their communities. The

application for the competition requires

the completion of Standard Form (SF)

424, ‘‘Application for Federal

Assistance’’ and SF 424B,

‘‘Assurances—Non-Construction

Programs’’ as well as supplementary

information such as a transmittal letter,

identification of field offices to be

served and amounts of funds requested

for each field office, a statement as to

the use of pass-through funds and

qualification as a primarily single-State

provider, a Statement of Work, a

narrative statement addressing the

factors for award, a budget-by-task by

field office and a summary budget for

each program. After awards are made,

providers are required to submit a work

plan which includes a planned schedule

for accomplishing each of the planned

activities/tasks to be accomplished with

TA funds, the amount of funds budgeted

for each activity/task and the staff and

other resources allocated to each

activity/task. Narrative quarterly reports

are required so that the provider’s

performance can be evaluated and

measured against the work plan.

Quarterly reports also require

submission of the SF 269A, a financial

status report. A narrative final report

and final SF 269A are also required.

Previous information collection was

authorized under OMB Control Number

2535–0084. Changes in administrative

responsibilities for TA cooperative

agreements within the Department

necessitate a new request for approval.

However, no substantive changes in

information collection have occurred.

Agency form numbers, if applicable:

SF 269A, SF 424 and SF 424B.

Members of affected public:

Organizations or State and local

governments equipped to provide

technical assistance to recipients of CPD

programs.

Estimation of the total numbers of

hours needed to prepare the information

collection including number of

respondents, frequency of response, and

hours of response: The previous Notice

of Funding Availability (NOFA) for

technical assistance providers for CPD

programs elicited approximately 280

responses. It is anticipated that

approximately the same number will

respond to the upcoming NOFA.

Awards were made to approximately 90

providers and it is expected that the

same number will be awarded during

this round of funding. The Department

estimates that each applicant will

require an average of forty hours to

prepare an application. Winners of the

competition will be required to develop

a work plan, requiring approximately

eight hours, submit quarterly reports

needing approximately four hours each,

(including a final report) and perform

recordkeeping to include submission of

vouchers for reimbursement, estimated

at 12 hours annually. The specific

numbers are as follows:
65090 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 237 / Wednesday, December 10, 1997 / Notices

Number of

respondents

Number of

responses

per respondent

frequency

Total annual

responses

Hours per

response Total hours

Applications ............................................................................................... 280 1 280 40 11,200

Workplan Development ............................................................................ 90 1 90 8 720

Quarterly Reports (including final report) ................................................. 90 4 360 4 1,440

Recordkeeping .......................................................................................... 90 12 1080 1 1,080

Total ............................................................................................... .................... .................... .................... .................... 14,440

Status of the proposed information

collection: Publication of the Notice of

Funding Availability is anticipated in

January 1998. Awards are expected to be

made by September 1998.

Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork

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

as amended.

Dated: December 2, 1997.

Saul N. Ramirez, Jr.,

Assistant Secretary for Community Planning

and Development.

[FR Doc. 97–32248 Filed 12–9–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4210–29–M

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Geological Survey

Species at Risk Program

AGENCY: Biological Resources Division,

U.S. Geological Survey; Interior.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

SUMMARY: The Biological Resources

Division (BRD) is announcing the

availability of funds through the Species

at Risk Program (SAR). The basic

purpose of SAR is to fund short-term

research and assessment projects to

generate information that allows

development of conservation

agreements, action plans, and

management alternatives that provide

for the protection of flora and fauna and

their habitats and thereby reduce the

need for listing species as threatened or

endangered.

DATES: Information packages describing

requirements for participation in this

program will be available upon request

until December 31, 1997. Pre-proposals

are due to the address below by January

2, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Parties interested in this

program should request an information

package from: Species at Risk Program,

12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS 300,

Reston, VA 20192 ATTN: Dr. Nancy

Milton.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dr. Nancy Milton, Species at Risk

Program, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive,

MS 300, Reston, VA 20192,

nancylmlmilton@nbs.gov; or 703–

648–4074.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

A. Purpose

Species at Risk (SAR) is a program

that develops scientific information on

the status of sensitive species or group

of species, particularly with respect to

the relationship of species abundance

and distribution to habitat conditions

and stresses. The basic purpose of SAR

is to generate information that allows

the development of conservation

agreements, action plans, management

alternatives, etc., that provide for the

protection of species and their habitats

and thereby preclude the need for

listing species as threatened or

endangered.

The initiative provides an opportunity

for scientists to participate through

survey and research activities. Projects

are specifically intended to be of short

duration and should seek to optimize

partnerships with Federal agencies,

states, universities, and the private

sector. Successful SAR projects are often

conducted by investigators who have

identified key, small but critical gaps in

our biological knowledge. Projects then

fill these gaps and provide resource

managers, regulators, and private

landowners with usable information

from which prudent resource

management decisions can be made.

This initiative is designed to develop

strategies that will assure long-term,

population stability for targeted species

and reduce the likelihood they will have

to be dealt with through the regulatory

processes. Projects should fit into one of

two categories:

1. Projects should focus on species or

groups of species for which their is

concern but limited information on their

abundance, distribution, and/or status.

Projects should identify or develop new

information that will reduce the need

for a formal listing under the

Endangered Species Act. Regional

offices of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife

Service have provided a list of species

of particular concern. Projects should

focus on these species. Principal

investigators are encouraged to

communicate directly with USFWS

regional contacts before project

submission.

or

2. Projects submitted should focus on

providing critical habitat information

and should demonstrate how study

results will strongly support

management and conservation

applications. Projects that focus on

multiple species of concern within the

same critical habitat or ecosystem are

especially encouraged. Multiple species

might include both those having formal

listed status with USFWS and those not

formally listed. Research efforts should

provide information needed by Federal

agencies to meet requirements for

recovery plan implementation, multispecies conservation plans, habitat

reserve agreements, or other

conservation-oriented plans.

In addition, projects funded in the FY

1998 cycle will be expected to focus in

geographic areas of particular current

importance to the DOI and its bureaus.

Those areas of concern are: Arizona and

New Mexico (in support of the

Secretary’s Southwestern Initiative); San

Francisco Bay Delta (also a Secretarial

initiative); southeastern aquatic habitats;

California’s Majave Desert and Central

Valley; South Florida; Colorado plateau;

and Hawaii.

This program is conducted in

furtherance of the Secretary’s

obligations under the Fish and Wildlife

Act of 1956 (16 USC 742a–742j, as

amended) and the Fish and Wildlife

Coordination Act (16 U.S.C. 661–667e,

as amended).

B. Background

The Biological Resources Division

(BRD) of the U.S. Geological Survey

gathers and analyzes biological

information and services as an

information clearinghouse, providing

broad access to the widest possible

range of factual data on the status and

trends of the Nation’s biota and the

potential effects of land management

choices. This information serves public

and private landowners who are