15690 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 7, 2009 / Notices 

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; (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 

should be sent to the address in the 

preamble. 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: March 20, 2009. 

John R. Kort, 

Acting Administrator, Economic Research 

Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–7715 Filed 4–6–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–18–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 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the 

Rural Utilities Service (RUS) 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 June 8, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas P. Dickson, Deputy Director, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, USDA RUS, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., Stop 1522, 

Room 5818 South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Telephone: (202) 690–4492. Fax: (202) 

720–8435. E-mail: 

thomas.dickson@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 extension. 

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, Director, Program 

Development and Regulatory Analysis, 

USDA RUS, Stop 1522, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., Washington, 

DC 20250–1522. Fax: (202) 720–8435. 

Title: RUS Form 675, Certification of 

Authority. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0074. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved information 

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 of funds. One 

reason to control funds is so that the 

actual borrowers get their money. The 

use of RUS Form 675 allows this control 

to be achieved by providing a list of 

authorized signatures against which 

signatures requesting funds are 

compared. RUS Form 675 provides an 

effective control against the 

unauthorized release of funds by 

providing a list of authorized signatures. 

OMB Circular A–123, Management 

Accountability and Control, states that 

information should be maintained on a 

current basis and that cash should be 

protected from unauthorized use. Form 

675 allows borrowers to keep RUS upto-date of any changes in signature 

authority and controls the release of 

funds only to authorized borrower 

representatives. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

for this collection of information is 

estimated to average .10 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Business or other for 

profit; Not-for-profit institutions; and 

State, Local, or Tribal government. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

250. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 1. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 25.0 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Thomas P. 

Dickson, Program Development and 

Regulatory Analysis, at (202) 690–4492. 

Fax: (202) 720–8435. E-mail: 

thomas.dickson@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: March 31, 2009. 

James R. Newby, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–7722 Filed 4–6–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–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 (44 

U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended), the 

Rural Utilities Service (RUS) 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 June 8, 2009. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas P. Dickson, Deputy Director, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, USDA RUS, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., STOP 1522, 

Room 5158 South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. 

Telephone: (202) 690–4492. FAX: (202) 

720–8435. E-mail: 

thomas.dickson@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

regulation (5 CFR part 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 

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 65 / Tuesday, April 7, 2009 / Notices 15691 

1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an 

information collection that will be 

submitted to OMB for extension. 

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, Director, Program 

Development and Regulatory Analysis, 

USDA RUS, STOP 1522, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., Washington, 

DC 20250–1522. FAX: (202) 720–8435. 

Title: Extensions of Payments of 

Principal and Interest. 

OMB Control Number: 0572–0123. 

Type of Request: Extension of a 

currently approved information 

collection. 

Abstract: This collection of 

information consists of information on 

the procedures which borrowers must 

follow in order to request extensions of 

principal and interest. Authority for 

these is contained in section 12 of the 

Rural Electrification Act of 1936 

(REAct), as amended and in section 236 

of the ‘‘Disaster Relief Act of 1970 (Pub. 

L. 91–606), as amended by the 

Department of Agriculture 

Reorganization Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 

103–354). Eligible purposes include 

financial hardship, energy resource 

conservation (ERC) loans, renewable 

energy projects, distributed generation 

projects, and contribution-in-aid of 

construction. These procedures are 

codified at 7 CFR part 1721, subpart B. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

for this collection of information is 

estimated to average 4.71 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Not-for-profit 

institutions. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

90. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 2. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 424 hours. 

Copies of this information collection 

can be obtained from Thomas P. 

Dickson, Program Development and 

Regulatory Analysis, at (202) 690–4492. 

FAX: (202) 720–8435. E-mail: 

thomas.dickson@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: March 31, 2009. 

James R. Newby, 

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. E9–7720 Filed 4–6–09; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Willow Creek Pass Fuel Reduction 

Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA— 

Medicine Bow-Routt National Forests; 

Hahns Peak-Bears Ears Ranger District, 

Steamboat Springs, Colorado. 

PROJECT: Willow Creek Pass Fuel 

Reduction Project. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement (EIS). 

SUMMARY: The mountain pine beetle 

epidemic is continuing to cause large 

areas of mortality to lodgepole pine 

throughout the Medicine Bow-Routt 

National Forests. Adjacent private lands 

are experiencing mortality along shared 

boundaries and an increasing number of 

homeowner associations are taking 

preventive steps to provide defensible 

space around their properties and 

reduce overhead hazard trees. 

The Willow Creek Pass Village 

Homeowners Association (WCPV–HOA) 

has requested assistance with increasing 

defensible space and removal of hazard 

trees on Forest lands (east) adjacent to 

their private boundary. 

This project is an ‘‘authorized and 

covered project’’ under Title I of the 

Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA). 

We will be using expedited procedures 

authorized by this Act to complete 

project planning and decision-making. 

Use of this authority requires an 

emphasis on collaboration with local 

communities and a determination that 

an epidemic exists by consulting with 

forest health specialists. 

DATES: The draft environmental impact 

statement is expected to be filed with 

the Environmental Protection Agency 

(EPA) and available for public review 

during April 2009. At that time, the EPA 

will publish a Notice of Availability 

(NOA) of the draft EIS in the Federal 

Register. The comment period on the 

draft EIS will be for a period of not less 

than 45 days from the date the EPA 

publishes the NOA in the Federal 

Register. It is important that those 

interested in the management of this 

area comment at that time. 

The final EIS is expected to be 

available in June 2009. In the final EIS, 

the Forest Service will respond to any 

comments received during the public 

comment period that pertain to the 

environmental analysis. Those 

comments and the Forest Service 

responses will be disclosed and 

discussed in the final EIS and will be 

considered when the final decision 

about this proposal is made. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Jamie Kingsbury, District Ranger, 925 

Weiss Drive, Steamboat Springs, 

Colorado 80487. Comments may also be 

sent via e-mail or facsimile. E-mail to: 

comments-rocky-mountain-medicinebow-routt-hahns-peak-bearsears@fs.fed.us, include ‘‘Willow Creek 

Pass’’ in the subject line of the e-mail 

message, or via facsimile to 970–870– 

2284. 

Comments received in response to 

this solicitation, including names and 

addresses of those who comment, will 

be part of the public record for this 

proposed action. Comments submitted 

anonymously will be accepted and 

considered; however, anonymous 

comments will not provide the 

respondent with standing to appeal the 

subsequent decision. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Brian Waugh—Environmental 

Coordinator (970–870–2185) or Andy 

Cadenhead—Supervisory Forester (970– 

870–2220), Medicine Bow-Routt 

National Forests, 925 Weiss Drive, 

Steamboat Springs, Colorado 80487. 

Individuals who use 

telecommunication devices 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: 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The purpose of the Willow Creek Pass 

Project is to provide defensible space 

along the boundary shared with the U.S. 

Forest Service and reduce fuel and 

overhead hazards adjacent to the private 

properties in the WCPV–HOA. This 

would include reducing hazard fuels in 

close proximity to private in-holdings 

and adjacent properties of the WCPV– 

HOA, creating defensible space to 

provide increased protection from 

wildland fire events, and removing 

hazard trees that could fall on private 

residences and other improvements in 

the Willow Creek Pass Village 

Homeowners Association. 

There is a need to: 

• Reduce the development of 

continuous high hazard fuel conditions.