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

14040 

Vol. 89, No. 38 

Monday, February 26, 2024 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Agriculture has 

submitted the following information 

collection requirement(s) to Office of 

Management and Budget (OMB) for 

review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Comments are 

requested regarding: 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; the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; ways to enhance the 

quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; 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 regarding this information 

collection received by March 27, 2024 

will be considered. Written comments 

and recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function. 

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. 

Rural Utilities Service 

Title: RUS Specification for Quality 

Control and Inspection of Timber 

Products. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0076. 

Summary of Collection: The Rural 

Utilities Service (RUS) is a credit agency 

of the U.S. Department of Agriculture 

(USDA) and is authorized to manage 

loan programs in accordance with the 

Rural Electrification Act (RE Act) of 

1936, 7 U.S.C. 901 et seq., as amended. 

It makes mortgage loans and loan 

guarantees to finance 

telecommunications, electric, and water 

and waste facilities in rural areas. To 

ensure the security of loan funds, 

adequate quality control of timber 

products is vital to loan security on 

electric power systems where hundreds 

of thousands of wood-poles and crossarms are used. Prior to receiving loan 

funds, a RUS borrower must enter into 

a loan contract with RUS. In accordance 

with article V, section 5.14 of the loan 

contract, ‘‘the borrower shall use design 

standards, construction standards and 

lists of acceptable materials in 

conformance with RUS regulations. 

Need and Use of the Information: The 

purchaser or treating company may 

obtain the services of an inspection 

agency or third-party oversight 

organization to perform certain 

inspection services to insure that the 

specifications for wood poles and crossarms are being met. As required by 7 

CFR 1728.202(i) copies of test reports on 

various preservatives must accompany 

each charge (a charge being a load of 

poles treated at the same time in a 

pressure cylinder). Test reports are 

needed so that the purchaser, the 

inspectors, and RUS will be able to spotcheck the general accuracy of the tests. 

RUS will use the information in 

verifying acceptability of poles and 

cross-arms purchased by RUS 

borrowers. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit; Not-for-profit 

institutions. 

Number of Respondents: 25. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 20,333. 

Rural Utilities Service 

Title: 7 CFR part 1744, subpart B, Lien 

Accommodations and Subordination 

Policy. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0126. 

Summary of Collection: The 

information collected in this 

information collection package is 

received from RUS telecommunications 

borrowers. The policy of considering 

Lien Accommodations will continue to 

facilitate funding from non-agency 

sources in order to meet the growing 

capital needs of rural Local Exchange 

Carriers (LECs). Depending on the 

purposes for which a lien 

accommodation is sought, RUS will 

utilize the information to provide an 

expedited approval for borrowers that 

meet the financial tests described in this 

rule. RUS believes that borrowers that 

are financially sound should be afforded 

more flexibility with regard to financial 

arrangements with outside lenders for 

the purpose of promoting rural 

telecommunications. The tests are 

designed to ensure that the financial 

strength of the borrower is more than 

sufficient to protect the government’s 

loan security interests; hence, the lien 

accommodations will not adversely 

affect the government’s financial 

interests. 

Need and Use of the Information: In 

order to facilitate supplemental 

financing for telecommunications 

services projects, RUS provides fast 

track lien accommodations to private 

lenders who propose to lend to RUS 

borrowers who meet certain financial 

strength evaluations. Depending on the 

purposes for which a lien 

accommodation is sought, RUS will use 

the information to provide expedited 

approval for borrowers that meet the 

financial tests. The tests are designed to 

ensure that the financial strength of the 

borrower is more than sufficient to 

protect the government’s loan security 

interests; hence, the lien 

accommodations will not adversely 

affect the government’s financial 

interests. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for-profit. 

Number of Respondents: 12. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

On occasion. 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 38 / Monday, February 26, 2024 / Notices 14041 

Total Burden Hours: 18. 

Levi S. Harrell, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03839 Filed 2–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

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 are 

requested regarding; 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; the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; ways to enhance the 

quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and 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 regarding this information 

collection received by March 27, 2024 

will be considered. Written comments 

and recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function. 

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. 

Animal Plant and Health Inspection 

Service 

Title: Black Stem Rust; Identification 

Requirements and Addition of RustResistant Varieties. 

OMB Control Number: 0579–0186. 

Summary of Collection: Under the 

Plant Protection Act (7 U.S.C. 7701—et 

seq.), the Secretary of Agriculture is 

authorized to prohibit or restrict the 

importation, entry, or movement of 

plants and plant products to prevent the 

introduction of plant pests into the 

United States or their dissemination 

within the United States. Black stem 

rust is one of the most destructive plant 

diseases of small grains that are known 

to exist in the United States. The disease 

is caused by a fungus that reduces the 

quality and yield of infected wheat, oat, 

barley, and rye crops by robbing host 

plants of food and water. The fungus is 

spread from host to host by windborne 

spores. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

APHIS will collect information to 

prevent the spread of black stem rust by 

providing for and requiring the accurate 

identification of rust-resistant varieties 

by inspectors. When a business request 

APHIS to add a variety to the list of rustresistant barberries, it need to provide 

APHIS with a written description and 

color pictures that can be used by the 

State nursery inspectors to clearly 

identify the variety and distinguish it 

from other varieties. This action enables 

nurseries to move the species into and 

through protected areas and to 

propagate and sell the species in States 

or parts of States designated as 

protected areas. 

Description of Respondents: Business 

or other for profit; State, Local, and 

Tribal Government. 

Number of Respondents: 2. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

On occasion. 

Total Burden Hours: 17. 

Rachelle Ragland-Greene, 

Acting Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2024–03868 Filed 2–23–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–34–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Agriculture has 

submitted the following information 

collection requirement(s) to OMB for 

review and approval under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Comments are 

requested regarding: 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; the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of burden including 

the validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used; ways to enhance the 

quality, utility and clarity of the 

information to be collected; and 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 

regarding these information collections 

are best assured of having their full 

effect if received by March 27, 2024. 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be 

submitted within 30 days of the 

publication of this notice on the 

following website www.reginfo.gov/ 

public/do/PRAMain. Find this 

particular information collection by 

selecting ‘‘Currently under 30-day 

Review—Open for Public Comments’’ or 

by using the search function. 

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. 

Agricultural Marketing Service 

Title: Cotton Classification and 

Market News Service. 

OMB Control Number: 0581–0009. 

Summary of Collection: The Cotton 

Statistics and Estimates Act, 7 U.S. Code 

471–476, authorizes the Secretary of 

Agriculture to collect and publish 

annually statistics or estimates 

concerning the grades and staple lengths 

of stocks of cotton. In addition, 

Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) 

collects, authenticates, publishes, and 

distributes timely information of the 

market supply, demand, location, and 

market prices for cotton (7 U.S.C. 473B). 

This information is needed and used by 

all segments of the cotton industry. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

AMS will collect information on the 

quality of cotton in the carryover stocks 

along with the size or volume of the 

carryover. Growers use this information 

in making decisions relative to 

marketing their present crop and 

planning for the next one; cotton 

merchants use the information in 

marketing decisions; and the mills that 

provide the data also use the combined 

data in planning their future purchase to 

cover their needs. Importers of U.S. 

cotton use the data in making their 

plans for purchases of U.S. cotton. AMS 


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