Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 36 / Monday, February 24, 1997 / Notices 8223

SUMMARY: The Director, Information

Resources Management Group, invites

comments on the proposed information

collection requests as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: An emergency review has been

requested in accordance with the Act

(44 U.S.C. Chapter 3507 (j)), since

public harm is reasonably likely to

result if normal clearance procedures

are followed. Approval by the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) has

been requested by March 12, 1997. A

regular clearance process is also

beginning. Interested persons are

invited to submit comments on or before

April 25, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments

regarding the emergency review should

be addressed to the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Attention: Wendy Taylor, Desk Officer:

Department of Education, Office of

Management and Budget, 725 17th

Street, NW., Room 10235, New

Executive Office Building, Washington,

D.C. 20503. Requests for copies of the

proposed information collection request

should be addressed to Patrick J.

Sherrill, Department of Education, 7th &

D Streets, S.W., Room 5624, Regional

Office Building 3, Washington, D.C.

20202–4651. Written comments

regarding the regular clearance and

requests for copies of the proposed

information collection requests should

be addressed to Patrick J. Sherrill,

Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, S.W., Room

5624, Regional Office Building 3,

Washington, DC 20202–4651, or should

be electronic mailed to the internet

address #FIRB@ed.gov, or should be

faxed to 202–708–9346.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patrick J. Sherrill (202) 708–8196.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

3506 (c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork

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

Chapter 3506 (c)(2)(A) requires that the

Director of OMB provide interested

Federal agencies and the public an early

opportunity to comment on information

collection requests. The Office of

Management and Budget (OMB) may

amend or waive the requirement for

public consultation to the extent that

public participation in the approval

process would defeat the purpose of the

information collection, violate State or

Federal law, or substantially interfere

with any agency’s ability to perform its

statutory obligations. The Director of the

Information Resources Management

Group, publishes this notice containing

proposed information collection

requests at the beginning of the

Departmental review of the information

collection. Each proposed information

collection, grouped by office, contains

the following: (1) Type of review

requested, e.g., new, revision, extension,

existing or reinstatement; (2) Title; (3)

Summary of the collection; (4)

Description of the need for, and

proposed use of, the information; (5)

Respondents and frequency of

collection; and (6) Reporting and/or

Recordkeeping burden. ED invites

public comment at the address specified

above. Copies of the requests are

available from Patrick J. Sherrill at the

address specified above.

The Department of Education is

especially interested in public comment

addressing the following issues: (1) Is

this collection necessary to the proper

functions of the Department, (2) will

this information be processed and used

in a timely manner, (3) is the estimate

of burden accurate, (4) how might the

Department enhance the quality, utility,

and clarity of the information to be

collected, and (5) how might the

Department minimize the burden of this

collection on the respondents, including

through the use of information

technology.

Dated: February 18, 1997.

Gloria Parker,

Director, Information Resources Management

Group.

Office of the Under Secretary

Type of Review: NEW.

Title: Study of Barriers, Benefits, and

Costs of Using Private Schools to

Alleviate Overcrowding in Public

Schools.

Abstract: This congressionallymandated study will examine the extent

to which private schools (including

religious schools) might be used to

alleviate overcrowding in urban public

schools by accepting public school

students in exchange for tuition

reimbursement. The study is examining

the extent of overcrowding in urban

public schools and the extent to which

private schools in these areas have

spaces available that might be used to

accommodate students from

overcrowded public schools. The study

will also examine the costs that would

be involved in such a program

(including tuition reimbursement,

transportation, and administration),

program design and implementation

issues that would need to be considered

in developing such a proposal, and the

constitutional issues and other legal

impediments that might be raised if

such a proposal were adopted.

Additional Information: The study

was mandated in the Conference Report

for H.R. 3610 (Report 104–863,

September 28, 1996, p. 1060) and is due

to the Appropriations Committees by

September 1, 1997. An emergency

clearance is needed in order to meet this

deadline.

Frequency: One Time.

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit; Not-for-profit institutions.

Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping

Hour Burden:

Responses: 1,035.

Burden Hours: 345.

[FR Doc. 97–4410 Filed 2–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

Notice of Proposed Information

Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Submission for OMB review;

comment request.

SUMMARY: The Director, Information

Resources Management Group, invites

comments on the proposed information

collection requests as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to

submit comments on or before March

26, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be addressed to the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Attention: Wendy Taylor, Desk Officer,

Department of Education, Office of

Management and Budget, 725 17th

Street, NW., Room 10235, New

Executive Office Building, Washington,

DC 20503. Requests for copies of the

proposed information collection

requests should be addressed to Patrick

J. Sherrill, Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, S.W., Room

5624, Regional Office Building 3,

Washington, DC 20202–4651.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patrick J. Sherrill (202) 708–8196.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires

that the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) provide interested

Federal agencies and the public an early

opportunity to comment on information

collection requests. OMB may amend or
8224 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 36 / Monday, February 24, 1997 / Notices

waive the requirement for public

consultation to the extent that public

participation in the approval process

would defeat the purpose of the

information collection, violate State or

Federal law, or substantially interfere

with any agency’s ability to perform its

statutory obligations. The Director of the

Information Resources Management

Group publishes this notice containing

proposed information collection

requests prior to submission of these

requests to OMB. Each proposed

information collection, grouped by

office, contains the following: (1) Type

of review requested, e.g., new, revision,

extension, existing or reinstatement; (2)

Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4)

Description of the need for, and

proposed use of, the information; (5)

Respondents and frequency of

collection; and (6) Reporting and/or

Recordkeeping burden. OMB invites

public comment at the address specified

above. Copies of the requests are

available from Patrick J. Sherrill at the

address specified above.

Dated: February 18, 1997.

Gloria Parker,

Director, Information Resources Management

Group.

Office of Bilingual Education and

Minority Languages and Affairs

Type of Review: REINSTATEMENT.

Title: Biennial Report Form for the

Emergency Immigrant Education

Program.

Frequency: Biennially.

Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal

Gov’t, SEAs or LEAs.

Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden:

Responses: 944.

Burden Hours: 5,620.

Abstract: This form is used by State

educational agencies to submit a

biennial report to the Secretary

concerning expenditures of EIEP funds

by their local educational agencies as

well as national origin of immigrant

children served under the Emergency

Immigrant Education Act (Title VI of

Public Law 98–511, 20 U.S.C. 4101–

4108, as amended by Pub. L. 103–382,

20 U.S.C. 7541–7549).

[FR Doc. 97–4411 Filed 2–21–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Research

Energy Research Financial Assistance

Program Notice 97–09:

Biotechnological Investigations—

Ocean Margin Program (BI–OMP)

AGENCY: Office of Energy Research, U.S.

Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice inviting research grant

applications.

SUMMARY: The Office of Health and

Environmental Research (OHER) of the

Office of Energy Research, U.S.

Department of Energy (DOE) announces

its interest in receiving research

applications involving the use of

molecular biological and

biogeochemical techniques to

understand the linkages between coastal

carbon and nitrogen cycles (primary

production and microbial processes) in

the Northern and Temperate latitudes.

This information is crucial to the

responses of ocean margin ecosystems

to atmospheric radiative budgets and

global biogeochemical cycles.

Specifically, DOE seeks applications to:

• Apply new and innovative

techniques in marine molecular biology

and marine biotechnology to assess

fixation of carbon dioxide from the

atmosphere, determine the mechanisms

and processes that control the dynamics

of nitrogen fixation or denitrification in

coastal waters and sediments, define the

coupling and/or decoupling of carbon

and nitrogen cycles in coastal

environments, and determine the

linkages between the function and

structure of microbial communities

mediating carbon and nitrogen cycling

in coastal environments, and

• Examine the environmental factors

(including nutrient availability,

temperature, irradiance, and biopolymer

lability) that affect the linkages between

primary productivity, the utilization of

particulate and dissolved organic matter

(POM and DOM) by bacterial

populations, and nitrogen cycling in

coastal areas.

Applications must involve mutually

collaborative partnerships between

institutions with a strong tradition of

research in marine sciences and those

institutions with developing research

capabilities in marine science.

Partnerships are particularly encouraged

with institutions that traditionally have

served groups underrepresented in the

sciences. The goals of such collaborative

research projects are to enhance the

research capabilities of both

institutions, to promote significant

interactions between institutions, and to

foster long term collaboration among

investigators.

DATES: To permit timely consideration

for awards in Fiscal Year 1997 and early

Fiscal Year 1998, formal applications

submitted in response to this notice

should be received by 4:30 p.m., E.D.T.,

May 6, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Formal applications

referencing Program Notice 97–09

should be forwarded to: U.S.

Department of Energy, Office of Energy

Research, Grants and Contracts

Division, ER–64, 19901 Germantown

Road, Germantown, MD 20874–1290,

ATTN: Program Notice 97–09. This

address also must be used when

submitting applications by U.S. Postal

Service Express Mail or any commercial

mail delivery service, or when handcarried by the applicant.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr.

Anna Palmisano, Environmental

Sciences Division, ER–74, Office of

Health and Environmental Research,

Office of Energy Research, U.S.

Department of Energy, 19901

Germantown Road, Germantown, MD

20874–1290, telephone (301) 903–4183,

e-mail anna.palmisano@oer.doe.gov, fax

(301) 903–8519.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

primary research goal of the

Biotechnological Investigations—Ocean

Margin Program is to establish a more

thorough understanding of the

molecular to global scale links and

feedback mechanisms between solar

irradiance, marine microbial activity,

primary productivity, carbon and

nitrogen cycles and remotely-sensed

ocean color data. This information is

crucial to understanding the responses

of marine biological systems to changes

in atmospheric radiative budgets and

global biogeochemical cycles.

Program Relationships

The Biotechnological Investigations—

Ocean Margins Program is expected to

build on past research results and

accomplishments within the Ocean

Margins Program (OMP) component of

the Biological and Environmental

Research (BER) program. The main

objective of OMP was determining

whether primary productivity on

continental shelves is quantitatively

significant in removing carbon dioxide

(CO2.) from the atmosphere. Other

objectives of the OMP were: (1)

Quantifying the ecological and

biogeochemical processes that affect the

cycling, flux, and storage of carbon and

other biogenic elements at the land/

ocean interface; and (2) Defining ocean

margin sources and sinks in global

biogeochemical cycles.