Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 173 / Thursday, September 6, 2018 / Notices 45209 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Information Collection Activity; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

United States Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) Rural Utilities Service (RUS) 

invites comments on the following 

information collections for which the 

RUS intends to request approval from 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB). 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by November 5, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michele Brooks, Team Lead, Rural 

Development Innovation Center— 

Regulatory Team, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, STOP 1522, 

Room 5162, South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Telephone: (202) 690–1078. Email 

michele.brooks@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

regulation (5 CFR 1320) implementing 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13) requires 

that interested members of the public 

and affected agencies have an 

opportunity to comment on information 

collection and recordkeeping activities 

(see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). This notice 

identifies information collections that 

USDA Rural Development is submitting 

to OMB for extension. 

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 

this 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 of the 

collection of information including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; (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 appropriate automated, electronic, 

mechanical or other technological 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. Comments may 

be sent to: Michele Brooks, Team Lead, 

Rural Development Innovation Center— 

Regulatory Team, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, STOP 1522, 

Room 5162, South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Telephone: (202) 690–1078. Email 

michele.brooks@wdc.usda.gov. 

Title: Mergers and Consolidations of 

Electric Borrowers, 7 CFR 1717, 

subpart D. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0114. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Abstract: The Rural Electrification Act 

of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.), as 

amended (RE Act) authorizes and 

empowers the administration of RUS to 

make and guarantee loans to furnish and 

improve electric service in rural areas. 

Due to deregulation and restructuring 

activities in the electric industry, RUS 

borrowers may find it advantageous to 

merge or consolidate to meet the 

challenges of industry change. This 

information collection addresses the 

requirements of RUS policies and 

procedures for mergers and 

consolidations of electric program 

borrowers. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 1.32 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Not for profit 

institutions; business or other for-profit 

entities. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

10. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 10.6. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 140 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Kimble Brown, 

Innovation Center, at (202) 692–0043, or 

email: Kimble.Brown@wdc.usda.gov. All 

responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for OMB approval. All comments will 

also become a matter of public record. 

Dated: August 29, 2018. 

Christopher A. McLean, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2018–19344 Filed 9–5–18; 8:45 am] 

P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Information Collection Activity; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 

Rural Utilities Service, an agency of the 

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) 

Rural Development mission area, invites 

comments on this information 

collection for which approval from the 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) will be requested. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by September 6, 2018. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Michele Brooks, Team Lead, Rural 

Development Innovation Center— 

Regulatory Team, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, STOP 1522, 

Room 5162, South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Telephone: (202) 690–1078. Email 

michele.brooks@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

regulation (5 CFR 1320) implementing 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13) requires 

that interested members of the public 

and affected agencies have an 

opportunity to comment on information 

collection and recordkeeping activities 

(see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). This notice 

identifies an information collection that 

will be submitted to OMB for approval. 

Comments are invited 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 of the 

proposed collection of information 

including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (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 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. Comments may be sent to: 

Michele Brooks, Team Lead, Rural 

Development Innovation Center— 

Regulatory Team, USDA, 1400 

Independence Avenue SW, STOP 1522, 

Room 5162, South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Telephone: (202) 690–1078. Email 

michele.brooks@wdc.usda.gov. 

Title: RUS Form 675, Certification of 

Authority. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0074. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Abstract: The Rural Utilities Service 

(RUS) manages loan programs in 

accordance with the Rural 

Electrification Act of 1936, as amended 

(7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.) (RE Act). A major 

factor in managing loan programs is 

controlling the advance funds, 

including assuring that actual borrowers 

receive their funds. OMB Circular A– 


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