Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2018 / Notices 3179 

• Families with housing vouchers, 

remaining in the current rent system 

(control group): up to 3,350. 

• Families with housing vouchers, 

enrolled in the alternative rent system 

(treatment group): up to 3,310. 

Estimated total number of hours 

needed to prepare the information 

collection including number of 

respondents, frequency of response, 

hours of response, and cost of response 

time: Based on the assumptions and 

table below, we calculate the annual 

burden hours for the study to be 

4,462.20 hours and the annual cost to be 

$40,338.29. For the study consent form 

and the 36-month follow-up survey, we 

averaged the median hourly minimum 

wage across the 4 study sites: 1,904 

enrolled participants, which is 28.59 

percent of the study sample, in 

Washington, DC at $13.50 per hour 

expected in Q3 2018 (28.59 percent x 

$13.50 = $3.86), and 4,756 enrolled 

participants, which is 71.41 percent of 

the study sample, in the remaining sites 

at $7.25 per hour in Kentucky and Texas 

(71.41 percent x $7.25 = $5.18) produces 

a weighted average of the hourly wage 

rates equal to $9.04. 

All assumptions are reflected in the 

table below. 

Information collection Number of 

respondents 

Frequency of 

response 

Burden hour 

per response Annual burden hours Hourly cost per response Total cost 

Consent Forms .......... 6,660 1 Up to 10 minutes (or 0.17 

hours).

1,132.2 hours (6,660 

*0.17).

$9.04 1 $10,235.09 (6,660* 

$9.04 * 0.17 hours) 

Baseline Information .. 6,660 1 30 minutes, on 

average (or 

0.50 hours).

3,330 hours (6,660 

*0.50).

9.04 $30,103.20 (6,660 

*$9.04 * 0.50 hours) 

Total .................... 6,660 ........................ ......................... 4,462.20 .................... ........................ $40,338,29 

1We have estimated the hourly wage at the expected prevailing minimum wage, which is $7.25 per hour in Kentucky and Texas and is the 

same as the federal minimum wage rate. (Source: U.S. Department of Labor, https://www.dol.gov/whd/minwage/america.htm). The hourly minimum wage in the District of Columbia is expected to be $13.50 by Q3 of 2018. (Source: District of Columbia Department of Employment Services, http://does.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/does/page_content/attachments/DC%20Minimum%20Wage%20Increase%20- 

%20DC%20Register%20Public%20Notice.pdf). Accordingly, we assume an hourly rate across all sites of $9.04 that represents an average of 

these two rates, weighted by the enrolled sample at each site. (1,904 enrolled participants in Washington, DC and 4,756 enrolled in the remaining sites). 

B. Solicitation of Public Comment 

This notice solicits comments from 

members of the public and affected 

parties concerning the collection of 

information described in Section A on 

the following: 

(1) 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; 

(2) The accuracy of the agency’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information; 

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, 

utility, and clarity of the information to 

be collected; and 

(4) Ways to minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on those 

who are to respond, including the use 

of appropriate automated collection 

techniques or other forms of information 

technology, e.g., permitting electronic 

submission of responses. 

HUD encourages interested parties to 

submit comment in response to these 

questions. 

Authority: Section 3507 of the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35. 

Dated: January 9, 2018. 

Todd M. Richardson, 

Acting General Deputy Assistant Secretary 

for Policy Development and Research. 

[FR Doc. 2018–01160 Filed 1–22–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–HQ–IA–2017–0079; XXXXX–XXX–0000 

FY18–XX] 

Species Proposals for Consideration at 

the Eighteenth Regular Meeting of the 

Conference of the Parties to the 

Convention on International Trade in 

Endangered Species of Wild Fauna 

and Flora 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: We (the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service) invite you to provide 

us with information and 

recommendations on animal and plant 

species to be considered as candidates 

for U.S. proposals to amend Appendices 

I and II of the Convention on 

International Trade in Endangered 

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 

(CITES, or the Convention) at the 

upcoming eighteenth meeting of the 

Conference of the Parties (CoP18). Such 

amendments may concern the addition 

of species to Appendix I or II, the 

transfer of species from one Appendix 

to another, or the removal of species 

from Appendices. We also describe the 

U.S. approach to preparations for 

CoP18. We will publish a second 

Federal Register notice specifically to 

solicit information and 

recommendations on possible 

resolutions, decisions, and agenda items 

for discussion at CoP18 and to provide 

information on how to request approved 

observer status. 

DATES: We will consider all information 

and comments we receive on or before 

March 26, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments 

by one of the following methods: 

• Federal eRulemaking Portal: http:// 

www.regulations.gov. Follow the 

instructions for submitting comments 

on Docket No. FWS–HQ–IA–2017–0079. 

• Hard copy: Submit by U.S. mail or 

hand-delivery to Public Comments 

Processing; Attn: Docket No. FWS–HQ– 

IA–2017–0079; U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service Headquarters; MS: BPHC; 5275 

Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041– 

3803. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Rosemarie Gnam, Chief, Division of 

Scientific Authority, 703–358–1708 

(phone); 703–358–2276 (fax); or 

scientificauthority@fws.gov (email). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, hereby 

notify you of the convening of 18th 

meeting of the Conference of the Parties 

(CoP18) of the Convention on 

International Trade in Endangered 

Species of Wild Fauna and Flora 

(CITES, or the Convention), which is 

scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka from 

23 May to 3 June 2019. We invite you 

to provide us with information and 

recommendations on animal and plant 

species to be considered as candidates 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
3180 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2018 / Notices 

for U.S. proposals to amend Appendices 

I and II of CITES at CoP18. Such 

amendments may concern the addition 

of species to Appendix I or II, the 

transfer of species from one Appendix 

to another, or the removal of species 

from Appendices. We also describe the 

U.S. approach to preparations for 

CoP18. We will publish subsequent 

Federal Register notices to request 

information and recommendations on 

resolutions, decisions, and agenda items 

for discussion at CoP18 and to provide 

information on how to request approved 

observer status. 

Background 

The Convention on International 

Trade in Endangered Species of Wild 

Fauna and Flora (CITES, or the 

Convention) is an international treaty 

designed to regulate international trade 

in certain animal and plant species that 

are now, or potentially may become, 

threatened with extinction. These 

species are included in the Appendices 

to CITES, which are available on the 

CITES Secretariat’s website at http://

www.cites.org/eng/disc/species.php. 

Currently there are 183 Parties to 

CITES, 182 countries, including the 

United States, and one regional 

economic integration organization, the 

European Union. The Convention calls 

for regular meetings of the Conference of 

the Parties (Conference, or CoP) every 

2–3 years, unless the Conference 

decides otherwise. At these meetings, 

the Parties review the implementation 

of CITES, make provisions enabling the 

CITES Secretariat in Switzerland to 

carry out its functions, consider 

amendments to the list of species in 

Appendices I and II, consider reports 

presented by the Secretariat, and make 

recommendations for the improved 

effectiveness of CITES. Any Party to 

CITES may propose amendments to 

Appendices I and II, resolutions, 

decisions, and agenda items for 

consideration by all the Parties at the 

meeting. 

This is our first in a series of Federal 

Register notices that, together with a 

public meeting (time and place to be 

announced), provide you with an 

opportunity to participate in the 

development of the U.S. submissions to, 

and negotiating positions for, the 18th 

regular meeting of the Conference of the 

Parties to CITES (CoP18). Our 

regulations governing this public 

process are found in title 50 of the Code 

of Federal Regulations (CFR) at § 23.87. 

U.S. Approach for the Conference of the 

Parties 

What are the priorities for U.S. 

submissions to CoP18? 

Priorities for U.S. submissions to 

CoP18 continue to be consistent with 

the overall objective of U.S. 

participation in the Convention: to 

maximize the effectiveness of the 

Convention in the conservation and 

sustainable use of species subject to 

international trade. With this in mind, 

we plan to consider the following 

factors in determining issues to submit 

for inclusion in the agenda at CoP18: 

(1) Does the proposed action address 

a serious wildlife or plant trade issue 

that the United States is experiencing as 

a range country for species in trade? 

Since our primary responsibility is the 

conservation of our domestic wildlife 

resources, we will give native species 

the highest priority. We will place 

particular emphasis on terrestrial and 

freshwater species with the majority of 

their range in the United States and its 

territories that are or may be traded in 

significant numbers; marine species that 

occur in U.S. waters or for which the 

United States is a major trader; and 

threatened and endangered species for 

which we and other Federal and State 

agencies already have statutory 

responsibility for protection and 

recovery. We also consider CITES 

listings as a proactive measure to 

monitor and manage trade in native 

species in order to preclude the need for 

the application of stricter measures, 

such as listing under the Endangered 

Species Act of 1973, as amended (16 

U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), or inclusion in 

CITES Appendix I. 

(2) Does the proposed action address 

a serious wildlife or plant trade issue for 

species not native to the United States? 

As a major importer of wildlife, plants, 

and their products, the United States 

has taken responsibility, by working in 

close consultation with range countries, 

for addressing cases of potential overexploitation of foreign species in the 

wild. In some cases, the United States 

may not be a range country or a 

significant trading country for a species, 

but we will work closely with other 

countries to conserve species being 

threatened by unsustainable 

exploitation for international trade. We 

will consider CITES listings for species 

not native to the United States if these 

listings will assist in addressing cases of 

known or potential over-exploitation of 

foreign species in the wild, and in 

preventing illegal, unregulated trade, 

especially if the United States is a major 

importer. These species will be 

prioritized based on the extent of trade 

and status of the species, and also the 

role the species plays in the ecosystem, 

with emphasis on those species for 

which a CITES listing would offer the 

greatest conservation benefits to the 

species, associated species, and their 

habitats. 

(3) Does the proposed action provide 

additional conservation benefit for a 

species already covered by another 

international agreement? The United 

States will consider the inclusion of 

such a species under CITES when it 

would enhance the conservation of the 

species by ensuring that international 

trade is effectively regulated and not 

detrimental to the survival of the 

species. 

Request for Information and 

Recommendations for Amending 

Appendices I or II 

Criteria for Inclusion 

The purpose of this notice is to 

request information and 

recommendations that will help us 

identify species that the United States 

should propose for addition to, removal 

from, or reclassification in the CITES 

Appendices, or to identify issues 

warranting attention by the CITES 

specialists on zoological and botanical 

nomenclature. This request is not 

limited to species occurring in the 

United States. Any Party may submit 

proposals concerning animal or plant 

species occurring in the wild anywhere 

in the world. We encourage the 

submission of information on any 

species for possible inclusion in the 

Appendices if the species is subject to 

international trade that is, or may 

become, detrimental to the survival of 

the species. We also encourage you to 

keep in mind the U.S. approach to 

CoP18, described in this notice in the 

section U.S. Approach for the 

Conference of the Parties, when 

considering which species the United 

States should propose for inclusion in 

the Appendices. 

We are not necessarily requesting 

complete proposals, but they are always 

welcome. However, we are asking you 

to submit convincing information 

describing: (1) The status of the species, 

especially trend information; (2) 

conservation and management programs 

for the species, including the 

effectiveness of enforcement efforts; and 

(3) the level of international as well as 

domestic trade in the species, especially 

trend information. You may also 

provide any other relevant information, 

and we appreciate receiving a list of 

references. 

The term ‘‘species’’ is defined in 

CITES as ‘‘any species, subspecies, or 


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Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2018 / Notices 3181 

geographically separate population 

thereof.’’ Each species for which trade is 

controlled under CITES is included in 

one of three Appendices, either as a 

separate listing or incorporated within 

the listing of a higher taxon. The basic 

standards for inclusion of species in the 

Appendices are contained in Article II 

of CITES (text of the Convention is on 

the CITES Secretariat’s website at http:// 

www.cites.org/eng/disc/text.php). 

Appendix I includes species threatened 

with extinction that are or may be 

affected by trade. Appendix II includes 

species that, although not necessarily 

now threatened with extinction, may 

become so unless trade in them is 

strictly controlled. Appendix II also 

includes species that must be subject to 

regulation in order that trade in other 

CITES-listed species may be brought 

under effective control. Such ‘‘lookalike’’ inclusions usually are necessary 

because of difficulty inspectors have at 

ports of entry or exit in distinguishing 

one species from other species. 

CITES specifies that international 

trade in any readily recognizable parts 

or derivatives of animals included in 

Appendices I or II, or plants included in 

Appendix I, is subject to the same 

conditions that apply to trade in the 

whole organisms. With certain standard 

exclusions formally approved by the 

Parties, the same applies to the readily 

recognizable parts and derivatives of 

most plant species included in 

Appendix II. Parts and derivatives often 

not included (i.e., not regulated) for 

Appendix-II plants are seeds, spores, 

pollen (including pollinia), and 

seedlings or tissue cultures obtained in 

vitro and transported in sterile 

containers. You may refer to the CITES 

Appendices on the Secretariat’s website 

at http://www.cites.org/eng/app/ 

index.php for further exceptions and 

limitations. 

In 1994, the CITES Parties adopted 

criteria for inclusion of species in 

Appendices I and II (in Resolution Conf. 

9.24 (Rev. CoP17)). These criteria apply 

to all listing proposals and are available 

from the CITES Secretariat’s website at 

http://www.cites.org/eng/res/index.php 

or upon request from the Division of 

Scientific Authority at 

scientificauthority@fws.gov, or via mail 

from CITES—Division of Scientific 

Authority; 5275 Leesburg Pike, MS: IA; 

Falls Church, VA 22041–3803. 

Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP17) also 

provides a format for proposals to 

amend the Appendices. This 

information is also available upon 

request from the Division of Scientific 

Authority or via mail (see contact 

information above). 

What information should be submitted? 

To provide us with information and 

recommendations on species subject to 

international trade for possible 

proposals to amend the Appendices, 

please include as much of the following 

information as possible in your 

submission: 

(1) Scientific name and common 

name; 

(2) Population size estimates 

(including references if available); 

(3) Population trend information; 

(4) Threats to the species (other than 

trade); 

(5) The level or trend of international 

trade (as specific as possible, but 

without a request for new searches of 

our records); 

(6) The level or trend in total take 

from the wild (as specific as reasonable); 

and 

(7) A short summary statement clearly 

presenting the rationale for inclusion in, 

or removal or transfer from, one of the 

Appendices, including which of the 

criteria in Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. 

CoP17) are met. 

If you wish to submit more complete 

proposals for us to consider, please 

consult Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. 

CoP17) for the format for proposals and 

a detailed explanation of each of the 

categories. Proposals to transfer a 

species from Appendix I to Appendix II, 

or to remove a species from Appendix 

II, must also be in accordance with the 

precautionary measures described in 

Annex 4 of Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. 

CoP17). 

What will we do with the information we 

receive? 

The information that you submit will 

help us decide if we should submit, or 

co-sponsor with other Parties, a 

proposal to amend the CITES 

Appendices. However, there may be 

qualifying species for which we may 

decide not to submit a proposal to 

CoP18. Our decision will be based on a 

number of factors, including available 

scientific and trade information; 

whether or not the species is native to 

the United States; and, for foreign 

species, whether or not a proposal is 

supported or co-sponsored by at least 

one range country for the species. These 

factors and others are included in the 

U.S. Approach for the Conference of the 

Parties section. We will carefully 

consider all factors of the U.S. approach 

when deciding which species the 

United States should propose for 

inclusion in the Appendices. 

We will consult range countries for 

foreign species, and for species we share 

with other countries, after receiving and 

analyzing the information provided by 

the public in response to this notice as 

well as other information available to 

us. 

One important function of the CITES 

Scientific Authority of each Party is 

monitoring the international trade in 

plant and animal species and ongoing 

scientific assessments of the impact of 

that trade on species. For native U.S. 

species included in Appendices I and II, 

we monitor trade and export permits 

authorized so that we can prevent 

overutilization and restrict exports if 

necessary. We also work closely with 

the States to ensure that species are 

correctly listed in the CITES 

Appendices (or not listed, if listing is 

not warranted). For these reasons, we 

actively seek information about U.S. and 

foreign species subject to international 

trade. 

Next Steps 

The next regular meeting of the 

Conference of the Parties (CoP18) is 

scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka 23 

May to 3 June 2019. The United States 

must submit any proposals to amend 

Appendix I or II, or any draft 

resolutions, decisions, or agenda items 

for discussion at CoP18, to the CITES 

Secretariat at least 150 days prior to the 

start of the meeting. In order to meet 

this deadline and to prepare for CoP18, 

we have developed a tentative U.S. 

schedule. 

We plan to publish a Federal Register 

notice approximately 16 months prior to 

CoP18; in that notice, we intend to 

request potential resolutions, decisions, 

and agenda items for discussion at 

CoP18. Approximately 12 months prior 

to CoP18, we intend to announce the 

tentative species proposals that the 

United States is considering submitting 

for CoP18 and request further 

information and comments. 

Approximately 10 months prior to 

CoP18, we plan to publish a Federal 

Register notice announcing proposed 

resolutions, decisions, and agenda items 

the United States is considering 

submitting for CoP18. Approximately 5 

months prior to CoP18, we will post on 

our website an announcement of the 

species proposals, draft resolutions, 

draft decisions, and agenda items 

submitted by the United States to the 

CITES Secretariat for consideration at 

CoP18. 

Through a series of additional notices 

and website postings in advance of 

CoP18, we will inform you about 

preliminary negotiating positions on 

resolutions, decisions, and amendments 

to the Appendices proposed by other 

Parties for consideration at CoP18, and 

about how to obtain observer status 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES
3182 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 15 / Tuesday, January 23, 2018 / Notices 

from us. We will also publish an 

announcement of a public meeting 

tentatively to be held approximately 5 

months prior to CoP18; that meeting 

will enable us to receive public input on 

our positions regarding CoP18 issues. 

The procedures for developing U.S. 

documents and negotiating positions for 

a meeting of the Conference of the 

Parties to CITES are outlined in 50 CFR 

23.87. As noted, we may modify or 

suspend the procedures outlined there if 

they would interfere with the timely or 

appropriate development of documents 

for submission to the CoP and of U.S. 

negotiating positions. 

Public Availability of Comments 

Before including your address, phone 

number, email address, or other 

personal identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

If you submit a hardcopy comment that 

includes personal identifying 

information, you may request at the top 

of your document that we withhold this 

information from public review; 

however, we cannot guarantee that we 

will be able to do so. 

Author 

The primary author of this notice is 

Thomas E.J. Leuteritz, Division of 

Scientific Authority, U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service. 

Authority 

The authority for this action is the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). 

Gregory J. Sheehan, 

Principal Deputy Director. 

[FR Doc. 2018–01128 Filed 1–22–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–55–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

[189A2100DD/AAKC001030/ 

A0A501010.999900253G; OMB Control 

Number 1076–0182] 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities; Sovereignty in Indian 

Education Grant Program 

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of information collection; 

request for comment. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 

the Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) are 

proposing to renew an information 

collection. 

DATES: Interested persons are invited to 

submit comments on or before March 

26, 2018. 

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on 

this information collection request (ICR) 

by mail to the Dr. Maureen Lesky, 

Bureau of Indian Education, 1011 

Indian School Road NW, Albuquerque, 

NM 87104; or by email to 

Maureen.Lesky@bie.edu. Please 

reference OMB Control Number 1076– 

0182 in the subject line of your 

comments. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To 

request additional information about 

this ICR, contact to Dr. Maureen Lesky 

by email at Maureen.Lesky@bie.edu, or 

by telephone at (505) 563–5397. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act of 1995, we provide the 

general public and other Federal 

agencies with an opportunity to 

comment on new, proposed, revised, 

and continuing collections of 

information. This helps us assess the 

impact of our information collection 

requirements and minimize the public’s 

reporting burden. It also helps the 

public understand our information 

collection requirements and provide the 

requested data in the desired format. 

We are soliciting comments on the 

proposed ICR that is described below. 

We are especially interested in public 

comment addressing the following 

issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to 

the proper functions of the BIE; (2) will 

this information be processed and used 

in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate 

of burden accurate; (4) how might the 

BIE enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (5) how might the BIE 

minimize the burden of this collection 

on the respondents, including through 

the use of information technology. 

Comments that you submit in 

response to this notice are a matter of 

public record. We will include or 

summarize each comment in our request 

to OMB to approve this ICR. Before 

including your address, phone number, 

email address, or other personal 

identifying information in your 

comment, you should be aware that 

your entire comment—including your 

personal identifying information—may 

be made publicly available at any time. 

While you can ask us in your comment 

to withhold your personal identifying 

information from public review, we 

cannot guarantee that we will be able to 

do so. 

Abstract: Indian Tribes and Tribal 

Organizations may submit proposals to 

support their efforts to take control and 

operate BIE-funded schools located on 

the tribe’s reservation. Each proposal 

must include a project narrative, a 

budget narrative, a work plan outline, 

and a Project Director to manage the 

execution of the grant. The Project 

Directors will participate in monthly 

collaboration meetings, submit quarterly 

budget updates, ensure an annual report 

is submitted at the end of each project 

year, and ultimately ensure that the 

tribal education agency fulfills the 

obligations of the grant. 

Title of Collection: Sovereignty in 

Indian Education Grant Program. 

OMB Control Number: 1076–0182. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Extension of a 

currently approved collection. 

Respondents/Affected Public: Indian 

Tribes and/or Tribal Education 

Departments. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Respondents: 11 per year. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 55 per year. 

Estimated Completion Time per 

Response: Ranges from 1 hour to 40 

hours. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 682 hours. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Required to 

Obtain a Benefit. 

Frequency of Collection: Proposals 

and Annual reports once per year and 

Budget Reports are submitted 4 times 

per year. 

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour 

Burden Cost: $0. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor and a person is not required to 

respond to a collection of information 

unless it displays a currently valid OMB 

control number. 

The authority for this action is the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). 

Elizabeth K. Appel, 

Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs and 

Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs. 

[FR Doc. 2018–01107 Filed 1–22–18; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4337–15–P 


sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES