22316 Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 72 / Friday, April 13, 2012 / Notices 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–9659–5] 

Notification of a Public Teleconference 

of the Science Advisory Board 

Ecological Processes and Effects 

Committee 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA or Agency) Science 

Advisory Board (SAB) Staff Office 

announces a public teleconference of 

the SAB Ecological Processes and 

Effects Committee (EPEC) to discuss the 

Committee’s draft advisory report on the 

EPA Risk Assessment Forum (RAF) 

document, ‘‘Integrating Ecological 

Assessment and Decision-Making at 

EPA, 2011 RAF Ecological Assessment 

Action Plan (August, 11, 2011).’’ 

DATES: The SAB Ecological Processes 

and Effects Committee will conduct a 

public teleconference on Wednesday, 

May 16, 2012. The teleconference will 

begin at 12:00 noon and end at 3 p.m. 

(Eastern Daylight Time). 

ADDRESSES: The public teleconference 

will be conducted by telephone only. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any 

member of the public wishing further 

information regarding the public 

teleconference may contact Dr. Thomas 

Armitage, Designated Federal Officer 

(DFO), SAB Staff Office, by telephone/ 

voice mail at (202) 564–2155 or via 

email at armitage.thomas@epa.gov. 

General information concerning the EPA 

Science Advisory Board can be found at 

the EPA SAB Web site at http://www.

epa.gov/sab. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: The SAB was established 

pursuant to the Environmental 

Research, Development, and 

Demonstration Authorization Act 

(ERDAA) codified at 42 U.S.C. 4365, to 

provide independent scientific and 

technical peer review, advice, 

consultation, and recommendations to 

the EPA Administrator on the technical 

basis for EPA actions. As a Federal 

Advisory Committee, the SAB conducts 

business in accordance with the Federal 

Advisory Committee Act (FACA) (5 

U.S.C. App. 2) and related regulations. 

Pursuant to FACA and EPA policy, 

notice is hereby given that the SAB 

EPEC, augmented with other experts, 

will hold a public teleconference to 

discuss its draft report on the EPA RAF 

document, ‘‘Integrating Ecological 

Assessment and Decision-Making at 

EPA, 2011 RAF Ecological Assessment 

Action Plan (August, 11, 2011).’’ The 

SAB Committee will comply with the 

provisions of FACA and all appropriate 

SAB Staff Office procedural policies. 

EPA’s Office of the Science Advisor 

has requested that the SAB EPEC review 

the Agency’s Ecological Assessment 

Action Plan and related background 

documents, and provide advice on the 

technical merit and implementation of 

proposed initiatives. The SAB EPEC 

augmented with other experts 

previously held public teleconferences 

on February 22 and 23, 2012 to discuss 

its review comments on the EPA RAF 

draft document ‘‘Integrating Ecological 

Assessment and Decision-Making at 

EPA, 2011 RAF Ecological Assessment 

Action Plan (August, 11, 2011).’’ 

Background information about this SAB 

review can be found on the SAB Web 

site at: http://yosemite.epa.gov/sab/

sabproduct.nsf/fedrgstr_activites/

RAF%20Eco%20Action%20Plan?

OpenDocument. The purpose of the 

upcoming teleconference is for the SAB 

EPEC to discuss its draft review report. 

Availability of the review materials: 

The agenda and material in support of 

this meeting will be available on the 

SAB Web site at http://www.epa.gov/

sab. For technical questions and 

information concerning the EPA 

document, ‘‘Integrating Ecological 

Assessment and Decision-Making at 

EPA, 2011 RAF Ecological Assessment 

Action Plan (August, 11, 2011),’’ please 

contact Mr. Lawrence Martin of EPA’s 

Risk Assessment Forum by phone (202) 

564–6497 or via email at martin.

lawrence@epa.gov. 

Procedures for Providing Public Input: 

Public comment for consideration by 

EPA’s federal advisory committees and 

panels has a different purpose from 

public comment provided to EPA 

program offices. Therefore, the process 

for submitting comments to a federal 

advisory committee is different from the 

process used to submit comments to an 

EPA program office. Federal advisory 

committees and panels, including 

scientific advisory committees, provide 

independent advice to EPA. Members of 

the public can submit comments for a 

federal advisory committee to consider 

as it develops advice for EPA. Input 

from the public to the SAB will have the 

most impact if it consists of comments 

that provide specific scientific or 

technical information or analysis for the 

SAB Committee to consider or if it 

relates to the clarity or accuracy of the 

technical information. 

Oral Statements: In general, 

individuals or groups requesting an oral 

presentation will be limited to three 

minutes per speaker. Interested parties 

should contact Dr. Thomas Armitage, 

DFO, in writing (preferably via email), 

at the contact information noted above, 

by May 9, 2012 to be placed on the list 

of public speakers for the May 16, 2012 

teleconference. Written Statements: 

Written statements should be received 

in the SAB Staff Office by May 9, 2012 

so that the information may be made 

available to the SAB Committee for their 

consideration. Written statements 

should be supplied to the DFO in 

electronic format via email (acceptable 

file formats: Adobe Acrobat PDF, 

WordPerfect, MS Word, MS PowerPoint, 

or Rich Text files in IBM-PC/Windows 

98/2000/XP format). It is the SAB Staff 

Office general policy to post written 

comments on the Web page for the 

advisory meeting or teleconference. 

Submitters are requested to provide an 

unsigned version of each document 

because the SAB Staff Office does not 

publish documents with signatures on 

its Web sites. Members of the public 

should be aware that their personal 

contact information, if included in any 

written comments, may be posted to the 

SAB Web site. Copyrighted material will 

not be posted without explicit 

permission of the copyright holder. 

Accessibility: For information on 

access or services for individuals with 

disabilities, please contact Dr. Thomas 

Armitage at the phone number or email 

address noted above, preferably at least 

ten days prior to the teleconference, to 

give EPA as much time as possible to 

process your request. 

Dated: April 6, 2012. 

Thomas H. Brennan, 

Deputy Director, EPA Science Advisory Board 

Staff Office. 

[FR Doc. 2012–8987 Filed 4–12–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

FEDERAL HOUSING FINANCE 

AGENCY 

[No. 2012–N–04] 

Proposed Collection; Comment 

Request 

AGENCY: Federal Housing Finance 

Agency. 

ACTION: 60-Day notice of submission of 

information collection for approval from 

Office of Management and Budget. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

requirements of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, the Federal 

Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) is 

seeking public comments concerning 

the information collection known as 

‘‘Advances to Housing Associates,’’ 

which has been assigned control 

number 2590–0001 by the Office of 


pmangrum on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 77, No. 72 / Friday, April 13, 2012 / Notices 22317 

1See 12 CFR part 1264. 

2See 12 CFR 1264.3, .4. 

3See 12 CFR 1264.5. 

4See 12 CFR 1264.6. 

5See 12 CFR 1266.17. 

Management and Budget (OMB). FHFA 

intends to submit the information 

collection to OMB for review and 

approval of a three-year extension of the 

control number, which is due to expire 

on July 31, 2012. 

DATES: Interested persons may submit 

comments on or before June 12, 2012. 

ADDRESSES: Submit comments to the 

FHFA using any one of the following 

methods: 

• Email: RegComments@fhfa.gov. 

Please include Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request: Comment Request: 

‘‘Advances to Housing Associates, (No. 

2012–N–04)’’ in the subject line of the 

message. 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments. If 

you submit your comment to the 

Federal eRulemaking Portal, please also 

send it by email to FHFA at 

RegComments@fhfa.gov to ensure 

timely receipt by the agency. 

• Mail/Hand Delivery: Federal 

Housing Finance Agency, Eighth Floor, 

400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, 

DC 20024, ATTENTION: Public 

Comments/Proposed Collection; 

Comment Request: ‘‘Advances to 

Housing Associates, (No. 2012–N–04)’’. 

The package should be logged at the 

Seventh Street entrance Guard Desk, 

First Floor, on business days between 9 

a.m. and 5 p.m. 

We will post all public comments we 

receive without change, including any 

personal information you provide, such 

as your name, phone number, and 

address, on the FHFA Web site at 

http://www.fhfa.gov. In addition, copies 

of all comments received will be 

available for examination by the public 

on business days between the hours of 

10 a.m. and 3 p.m., at the Federal 

Housing Finance Agency, Eighth Floor, 

400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, 

DC 20024. To make an appointment to 

inspect comments, please call the Office 

of General Counsel at (202) 649–3804. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Jonathan F. Curtis, Financial Analyst, by 

email at jonathan.curtis@fhfa.gov, by 

telephone at (202) 649–3321, or Eric M. 

Raudenbush, Assistant General Counsel, 

eric.raudenbush@fhfa.gov, (202) 649– 

3084, (these are not toll-free numbers), 

Federal Housing Finance Agency, 400 

Seventh Street SW., Washington DC 

20024. The Telecommunications Device 

for the Hearing Impaired is (800) 877– 

8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

A. Need For and Use of the Information 

Collection 

Section 10b of the Federal Home Loan 

Bank Act (Bank Act) (12 U.S.C. 1430b) 

authorizes the Federal Home Loan 

Banks (Banks) to make advances under 

certain circumstances to certified 

nonmember mortgagees. FHFA refers to 

nonmember mortgagees as ‘‘housing 

associates.’’ In order to be certified as a 

housing associate, an applicant must 

meet the eligibility requirements set 

forth in section 10b of the Bank Act. 

Part 1264 of FHFA’s regulations 

implements the statutory eligibility 

requirements and establishes uniform 

review criteria an applicant must meet 

in order to be certified as a housing 

associate by a Bank.1 More specifically, 

§§ 1264.3 and 1264.4 (12 CFR 1264.3– 

1264.4) implement the statutory 

eligibility requirements and provide 

guidance to an applicant on how it may 

satisfy those requirements.2 Section 

1264.5 authorizes the Banks to approve 

or deny all applications for certification 

as a housing associate, subject to the 

statutory and regulatory requirements.3

Section 1264.6 permits an applicant to 

appeal a Bank decision to deny 

certification to the FHFA.4

Section 1266.17 of FHFA’s regulations 

establishes the terms and conditions 

under which a Bank may make 

advances to an housing associate and 

also imposes a continuing obligation on 

each housing associate to provide 

information necessary to determine if it 

remains in compliance with applicable 

statutory and regulatory requirements.5

The information collection contained 

in §§ 1266.1 through 1266.6 and 

§ 1266.17 of the regulations is necessary 

to enable the Banks to determine 

whether an applicant satisfies the 

statutory and regulatory requirements to 

be certified initially and maintain its 

status as a housing associate eligible to 

receive Bank advances. The FHFA 

requires and uses the information 

collection to determine whether to 

uphold or overrule a Bank decision to 

deny housing associate certification to 

an applicant. 

The OMB control number for the 

information collection, which expires 

on July 31, 2012, is 2590–0001. The 

likely respondents include applicants 

for housing associate certification and 

current housing associates. 

B. Burden Estimate 

FHFA estimates the total annual 

average number of applicants at one, 

with one response per applicant. The 

estimate for the average hours per 

application is 15 hours. The estimate for 

the annual hour burden for applicants is 

15 hours (1 applicant × 1 response per 

applicant × 15 hours). 

FHFA estimates the total annual 

average number of maintenance 

respondents—that is, current housing 

associates—at 68, with 1 response per 

housing associate. The estimate for the 

average hours per maintenance response 

is one hour. The estimate for the annual 

hour burden for current housing 

associates is 68 hours (68 certified 

housing associates × 1 response per 

associate × 1 hour). 

The estimate for the total annual hour 

burden is 83 hours (68 housing 

associates × 1 response per associate × 

1 hour + 1 applicant × 1 response per 

applicant × 15 hours). 

C. Comment Request 

FHFA requests written comments on 

the following: (1) Whether the collection 

of information is necessary for the 

proper performance of FHFA functions, 

including whether the information has 

practical utility; (2) The accuracy of 

FHFA’s estimates of the burdens of the 

collection of information; (3) Ways to 

enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 

of the information collected; and (4) 

Ways to minimize the burden of the 

collection of information on applicants 

and housing associates, including 

through the use of automated collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology. 

Dated: April 9, 2012. 

Edward J. DeMarco, 

Acting Director, Federal Housing Finance 

Agency. 

[FR Doc. 2012–8871 Filed 4–12–12; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 8070–01–P 

FEDERAL MARITIME COMMISSION 

Notice of Sunshine Act Meeting 

AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETING: Federal 

Maritime Commission. 

TIME AND DATE: April 18, 2012—10 a.m. 

PLACE: 800 North Capitol Street NW., 

First Floor Hearing Room, Washington, 

DC. 

STATUS: A part of the meeting will be in 

Open Session and the remainder of the 

meeting will be in Closed Session. 

MATTERS TO BE CONSIDERED: 


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