Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 120 / Wednesday, June 22, 2011 / Notices 36513 

and a reassignment of surplus cane 

sugar allotment to imports. The OAQ 

was increased due to an increase in 

estimated sugar demand since the FY 

2011 OAQ was established in August 

2010. The beet sugar allotment is now 

5,108,900 STRV, and the cane sugar 

allotment is 3,366,100 STRV. The FY 

2011 cane sector allotment and cane 

state allotments after the OAQ increase 

were larger than could be fulfilled by 

domestically-produced cane sugar; so 

the surplus was reassigned to raw sugar 

imports, as required by law. Upon 

review of the domestic sugarcane 

processors’ sugar marketing allocations 

relative to their FY 2011 expected raw 

sugar supplies, CCC determined that all 

sugarcane processors had surplus 

allocation. Therefore, all sugarcane 

states’ sugar marketing allotments are 

reduced with this reassignment. The 

new cane state allotments are Florida, 

1,464,666 STRV; Louisiana, 1,526,050 

STRV; Texas, 147,138 STRV; and 

Hawaii, 228,246 STRV. The FY 2011 

sugar marketing allotment program will 

not prevent any domestic sugarcane 

processors from marketing all of their 

FY 2011 sugar supply. 

On August 5, 2010, USDA established 

the FY 2011 TRQ for raw cane sugar at 

1,231,497 STRV (1,117,195 metric tons 

raw value, MTRV*), the minimum to 

which the United States is committed 

under the World Trade Organization 

(WTO) Uruguay Round Agreements. On 

April 11, 2011, USDA announced a 

reassignment of surplus sugar under 

domestic cane sugar allotments of 

325,000 STRV (294,835 MTRV) to 

imports, and increased the FY 2011 raw 

sugar TRQ by the same amount. 

Pursuant to Additional U.S. Note 5 to 

Chapter 17 of the U.S. Harmonized 

Tariff Schedule (HTS) and Section 359k 

of the Agricultural Adjustment Act of 

1938, as amended, the Secretary of 

Agriculture today further increased the 

quantity of raw cane sugar imports of 

the HTS subject to the lower tier of 

duties during FY 2011 by 120,000 STRV 

(108,862 MTRV). With this increase, the 

overall FY 2011 raw sugar TRQ is now 

1,676,497 STRV (1,520,892 MTRV). Raw 

cane sugar under this quota must be 

accompanied by a certificate for quota 

eligibility and may be entered under 

subheading 1701.11.10 of the HTS until 

September 30, 2011. The Office of the 

U.S. Trade Representative will allocate 

this increase among supplying countries 

and customs areas. 

This action is being taken after a 

determination that additional supplies 

of raw cane sugar are required in the 

U.S. market. USDA will closely monitor 

stocks, consumption, imports and all 

sugar market and program variables on 

an ongoing basis, and may make further 

program adjustments during FY 2011 if 

needed. 

* Conversion factor: 1 metric ton = 

1.10231125 short tons. 

Dated: June 16, 2011. 

Michael T. Scuse, 

Acting Under Secretary, Farm and Foreign 

Agricultural Services and Acting President, 

Commodity Credit Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2011–15521 Filed 6–21–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–10–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Agricultural Research Service 

Notice of Intent To Grant Exclusive 

License 

AGENCY: Agricultural Research Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent. 

SUMMARY: Notice is hereby given that 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

Agricultural Research Service, intends 

to grant to New Varieties Development 

& Management Corporation of Lakeland, 

Florida, an exclusive license to the 

variety of citrus claimed in U.S. Plant 

Patent Application Serial No. 

12/931,765, ‘‘Mandarin Tree Named US 

Early Pride,’’ filed on February 10, 2011. 

DATES: Comments must be received on 

or before July 22, 2011. 

ADDRESSES: Send comments to: USDA, 

ARS, Office of Technology Transfer, 

5601 Sunnyside Avenue, Rm. 4–1174, 

Beltsville, Maryland 20705–5131. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: June 

Blalock of the Office of Technology 

Transfer at the Beltsville address given 

above; telephone: 301–504–5989. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

Federal Government’s rights in this 

plant variety are assigned to the United 

States of America, as represented by the 

Secretary of Agriculture. It is in the 

public interest to so license this variety 

as New Varieties Development & 

Management Corporation of Lakeland, 

Florida has submitted a complete and 

sufficient application for a license. The 

prospective exclusive license will be 

royalty-bearing and will comply with 

the terms and conditions of 35 U.S.C. 

209 and 37 CFR 404.7. The prospective 

exclusive license may be granted unless, 

within thirty (30) days from the date of 

this published Notice, the Agricultural 

Research Service receives written 

evidence and argument which 

establishes that the grant of the license 

would not be consistent with the 

requirements of 35 U.S.C. 209 and 37 

CFR 404.7. 

Richard J. Brenner, 

Assistant Administrator. 

[FR Doc. 2011–15468 Filed 6–21–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Economic Research Service 

Notice of Intent to Request New 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: Economic Research Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice invites the general public and 

other public agencies to send comments 

regarding any aspect of this proposed 

information collection. This is a new 

collection for the Rural Establishment 

Innovation Survey. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be received on or before August 

22, 2011 to be assured of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Address all comments 

concerning this notice to Tim Wojan, 

Resource and Rural Economics Division, 

Economic Research Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 1800 M St., 

NW., Room N4110, Washington, DC 

20036–5801. Comments may also be 

submitted via fax to the attention of Tim 

Wojan at 202–694–5756 or via e-mail to 

twojan@ers.usda.gov. Comments will 

also be accepted through the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal. Go to http:// 

www.regulations.gov, and follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments electronically. 

All written comments will be open for 

public inspection at the office of the 

Economic Research Service during 

regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday) at 1800 

M St., NW., Room N4110, Washington, 

DC 20036–5801. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for Office of Management and Budget 

approval. All comments and replies will 

be a matter of public record. 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 shall 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 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

36514 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 120 / Wednesday, June 22, 2011 / Notices 

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 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information contact Tim Wojan 

at the address in the preamble. Tel. 202– 

694–5419. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Rural Establishment Innovation 

Survey. 

OMB Number: 0536–XXXX. 

Expiration Date: Three years from the 

date of approval. 

Type of Request: New collection. 

Abstract: This survey of business 

establishments, funded through USDA’s 

Rural Development Mission Area, will 

be conducted over a 6-month period 

with up to 30,000 respondents to collect 

information on rural tradable business 

sectors such as manufacturing and 

professional services. This information 

will contribute to a better understanding 

of how rural businesses and their 

communities are dealing with the 

increasing competitive pressures and 

opportunities associated with the spread 

of new information technologies 

through our economy and the business 

and community characteristics 

associated with effective response to 

these pressures and opportunities. This 

information is critical to the Rural 

Development Mission Area’s aim of 

creating jobs, developing new markets 

and increasing competitiveness for rural 

businesses and communities. 

The information to be collected by the 

Rural Establishment Innovation Survey 

is necessary to understand: (1) The 

adoption of innovative practices and 

their contribution to firm productivity; 

(2) the availability and use of local and 

regional assets (such as workforce 

education, local financial institutions, 

strong local business and other 

economic associations, and 

transportation infrastructure) and the 

association of these assets with 

successful adjustment; and (3) the 

extent and importance of participation 

in Federal, State and local programs 

designed to promote rural business 

vitality and growth. This need is made 

more urgent by increased international 

competition in goods and some service 

markets, particularly from low labor 

cost countries. The traditional cost 

advantage of domestic rural 

establishments has been significantly 

eroded by these developments, 

requiring emphasis on new products, 

new processes, new marketing channels 

and improved customer service. A 

thorough understanding of the viability 

of the rural business sector requires 

collecting information on the capability 

for innovation. 

As the first collection of information 

devoted specifically to innovation in 

rural business establishments, the 

proposed survey will complement other 

Federal efforts in gauging innovative 

activity in the private sector. 

Information on formal research and 

development (R&D) activities is 

collected by the National Science 

Foundation using the Business R&D and 

Innovation Survey. While some of this 

formal research and development 

activity takes place in nonmetropolitan 

counties, it is anticipated that the great 

majority of rural innovation occurs less 

through the creation of new patentable 

products than through the adoption of 

new practices and niche marketing. The 

emphasis of the proposed collection 

will be on understanding the process of 

innovation in business establishments 

as opposed to measuring R&D inputs. 

Another difference between this and 

other Federal surveys on innovative 

activity will be the focus on constraints 

to innovation stemming from 

nonmetropolitan locations. Information 

on the availability of skilled workers 

and the ability to recruit managers and 

professionals will inform possible 

human capital impediments to 

innovation. Information on access to 

credit needed for business formation 

and development will allow for 

assessing financing impediments to 

innovation. Information on the 

availability of broadband Internet 

service and how this capability affects 

business strategy will allow assessing 

infrastructure impediments to 

innovation. Information on interaction 

with suppliers, customers, competitors, 

business associations and other local 

institutions providing real services to 

the establishment will inform the 

importance of regional clusters to 

innovation. 

The survey will collect data from 

about 30,000 business establishments in 

tradable sectors that will include 

mining, manufacturing, wholesale trade, 

transportation and warehousing, 

information, finance and insurance, 

professional/scientific/technical 

services, arts, and management of 

businesses. Only businesses with 5 or 

more employees will be included in the 

sample. While the focus of the survey 

will be on establishments in 

nonmetropolitan counties, 

establishments from metropolitan 

counties will be sampled in adequate 

numbers to allow comparative analysis. 

Businesses will be selected at random 

from strata defined by establishment 

size categories, industry and 

metropolitan or nonmetropolitan status 

of the county. The sample will be 

selected from the business 

establishment list maintained by state 

employment security departments 

where state approval is granted, and 

from a proprietary business 

establishment list frame for those states 

where approval is not granted. The 

much more comprehensive coverage of 

new and small establishments available 

in state administrative data provides a 

compelling argument for this hybrid 

sample frame approach, as these 

establishments are critical to examining 

processes of entrepreneurship and 

innovation. 

The interview protocol will include a 

screening interview to identify the most 

knowledgeable person in the 

establishment to respond to questions 

regarding innovative activities of the 

entity. Screening greatly improves the 

quality and effectiveness of the contact 

information. The most appropriate 

phone number, e-mail address and 

mailing address will be collected at this 

time to allow efficient distribution of a 

multi-modal survey instrument to the 

most appropriate respondent for the 

business. Respondents will have the 

flexibility to respond to a Web 

questionnaire, a mail questionnaire, or a 

telephone survey based on their 

personal preference. This protocol will 

reduce respondent burden by using the 

survey mode which is most efficient for 

a given respondent. Past research has 

demonstrated that multi-modal surveys 

also increase survey response rates. A 

limited number of control surveys will 

be used to assess any mode bias. 

Social exchange theory will also be 

invoked as this is seen as integral to the 

tailored design methodology (Dillman et 

al., 2009) that will be employed in this 

study to increase response rate. In 

addition to offering mixed survey 

modes, the design will integrate 

multiple and mutually supportive ways 

to appeal to the diversity of respondents 

in this business population. The 

following are some examples of these 

design elements: 

• The survey request will be 

distinguishable from other surveys and 

will emphasize how the information 

will be used and describe the benefits 

back to the population for responding to 

the survey. 

• Survey appeals in contacts will 

show positive regard and call on the 

norms of social responsibility by asking 

for respondents’ help and advice as 

some respondents feel rewarded when 

they know they have helped others. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 120 / Wednesday, June 22, 2011 / Notices 36515 

• Survey contacts will be personally 

addressed, toll free numbers will be 

provided for answering questions and 

providing help. Confidentiality of 

responses will be ensured and 

respondents will know how to contact 

the surveyor if they have questions on 

security or other issues. 

• All contacts will be personalized 

and will emphasize why the study is 

important and express appreciation for 

respondents’ help. They will be 

formally thanked for promptly 

completing questionnaires. 

• Small tangible token rewards 

provided in advance and at the time of 

the survey request will be further tested 

with small businesses to encourage 

response. Previous survey research has 

shown that small cash token incentives 

provided with the survey significantly 

increase response rates and do much 

better than promised rewards or 

nonmonetary rewards. 

A key component of tailored survey 

design is considering and balancing 

how features of questions, 

questionnaires, mailings, interviewing, 

and the context of the survey will 

influence trust, cost, and rewards 

associated with the survey 

circumstances and respondents. 

All study instruments will be kept as 

simple and respondent-friendly as 

possible. Responses are voluntary and 

confidential. Responses will be used to 

produce statistics and for no other 

purpose. Data files from the survey will 

not be released to the public. 

Affected Public: Respondents include 

business establishments with at least 5 

employees in both nonmetropolitan and 

metropolitan counties. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

The survey is cross-sectional and will be 

completed at one point in time. The 

survey will have a complex mixed 

survey administration to include 

telephone screening, pre-notification 

letter with Web access, multi-contact 

telephone interviewing, follow-up 

nonrespondent mail questionnaires, and 

simultaneous Web questionnaires 

offered during all contacts. Completion 

time for each questionnaire, based on 

comparisons with similar mixed modes 

is estimated at 30 minutes per 

completion, including time for reading 

correspondence, returning an eligibility 

postcard or responding to a screening 

call, reviewing instructions, gathering 

data needed, and responding to 

questionnaire items. It is also expected 

that those choosing not to participate 

will require 10 minutes to review the 

materials and decide not to participate. 

Full Study: The initial sample size for 

the full study is 30,000 businesses. The 

expected overall response rate is 80 

percent for firms in the main study. The 

total estimated response burden for all 

of those participating in the study is 

12,000 hours (30,000 respondents × 80 

percent response rate × 0.50 hours) and 

for the non-responding business is 1,000 

hours (6000 respondents × 10 minutes). 

Pilot Study: A pilot test of the survey 

will be done in advance of the full study 

survey. The purpose of the pilot is to 

evaluate the survey protocol, and test 

instruments and questionnaires. The 

initial sample size for this phase of the 

research is 4,000 businesses. The 

expected response rate is 80% of firms. 

The total estimated response burden for 

the pilot testing is 1,600 hours (4,000 

respondents × 80 percent × 0.5 hours). 

Non-responding businesses will 

experience 133 hours of burden (800 

respondents × 10 minutes). Total 

respondent burden is estimated at 

14,733 hours (see table below). 

Testing will be limited to a maximum 

of 9 businesses which will be consulted 

on the questionnaire and asked to 

complete the questionnaire in a 

cognitive interview test. 

ESTIMATED RESPONDENT BURDEN FOR RURAL ESTABLISHMENT INNOVATION SURVEY

Survey Sample 

Size Freq 

Responses Non-Response Total 

burden 

hours Resp. 

Count 

Freq. × 

Count 

Min./ 

Resp. 

Burden 

Hours 

Nonresp 

Count 

Freq. × 

Count 

Min./ 

Nonr. 

Burden 

Hours 

Pilot Study ............................. 4,000 1 3,200 3,200 30 1,600 800 800 10 133 1,733 

Pilot Study ............................. 30,000 1 24,000 24,000 30 12,000 6,000 6,000 10 1,000 13,000 

Total ............................... 34,000 ................ ................ ................ ................ 13,600 ................ ................ ................ 1,133 14,733 

Dated: May 9, 2011. 

Katherine R. Smith, 

Administrator, Economic Research Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–15474 Filed 6–21–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–18–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Rangeland Allotment Management 

Planning on the Fall River and Oglala 

Geographic Areas, Pine Ridge Ranger 

and Fall River Ranger Districts, 

Nebraska National Forest, Nebraska 

and South Dakota 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Request for an extension of the 

proposed environmental impact 

statement. 

SUMMARY: We are requesting an 

extension of the proposed EIS for the 

USDA Forest Service Rangeland 

Allotment Management Planning on the 

Fall River West Geographic Area of the 

Fall River Ranger District and the Oglala 

Geographic Area of the Pine Ridge 

Ranger District, Nebraska National 

Forest. Our initial Notice of Intent was 

published in Vol. 75, No. 112 Friday, 

June 11, 2010. 

The USDA, Forest Service, will 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement (EIS) analyzing the 

management of rangeland vegetation 

resources, which includes livestock 

grazing, on the National Forest System 

(NFS) lands within the Oglala 

Geographic Area (OGA) of the Oglala 

National Grassland on the Pine Ridge 

Ranger District and the West Geographic 

Area (WGA) of the Buffalo Gap National 

Grassland on the Fall River Ranger 

District of the Nebraska National Forest 

(Analysis Area) areas as mapped by the 

2001 Nebraska National Forest Revised 

Land and Resource Management Plan 

(Forest Plan). A Notice of Intent (NOI) 

for this project was published June 11, 

2010 (75 No. 112 FR 33239–33241). This 

revised NOI is being issued to update 

the project schedule. There will be a 

record of decision (ROD) for each 

geographic area. 

Proposed management actions would 

be implemented beginning in the year 

2013. The agency gives notice of the full 

environmental analysis and decisionmaking process that will occur on the 

proposal so interested and affected 

people may become aware of how they 

may participate in the process and 

contribute to the final decision. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis were received by July 30, 

2010. The initial scoping period has 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES