[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 130 (Monday, July 12, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 36572-36574]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-14675]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

[FWS-HQ-WSFR-2021-N161; FF09W25000-212-FXGO166409WSFR0; OMB Control 
Number 1018-0100]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Administrative 
Procedures for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Financial Assistance 
Programs

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, are proposing to renew an 
information collection with revisions.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
August 11, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Please provide a 
copy of your comments to the Service Information Collection Clearance 
Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to 
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#b6ffd8d0d9e9f5d9dadaf6d0c1c598d1d9c0"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7d34131b12223e1211113d1b0a0e531a120b">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference OMB Control Number 1018-0100 in the 
subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Madonna L. Baucum, Service Information 
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#40092e262f1f032f2c2c002637336e272f36"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fcb5929a93a3bf939090bc9a8b8fd29b938a">[email protected]</span></a>, or by 
telephone at (703) 358-2503. Individuals who are hearing or speech 
impaired may call the Federal Relay Service at 1-800-877-8339 for TTY 
assistance. You may also view the information collection request (ICR) 
at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), 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.
    On October 9, 2020, we published in the Federal Register (85 FR 
64158) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this 
information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 
days, ending on December 8, 2020. We received one comment in response 
to the notice that did not address the information collection 
requirements. The commenter expressed general concerns about lack of 
transparency in Federal financial assistance funding, specifically 
funding awarded to a State fish and game agency and foreign assistance. 
The Service complies with all Federal financial assistance public 
transparency requirements. Data on all Service financial assistance 
programs are available at https://beta.sam.gov/. Data on all Service 
award actions are available at https://www.usaspending.gov/. Data on 
the Service's foreign assistance authorities and activities are 
available at https://www.foreignassistance.gov/. The Service also 
issues press releases for a wide variety of financial assistance 
programs. The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program routinely 
issues press releases for the mandatory formula grants to States 
awarded under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act and the 
Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act. The public can access 
Service press release archives at https://www.fws.gov/news/.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other 
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are 
especially interested in public comment addressing the following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How might the agency 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, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. 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: We issue financial assistance through grants and 
cooperative agreement awards to individuals; commercial organizations; 
institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations; foreign 
entities; and State, local, and Tribal governments. The Service 
administers a

[[Page 36573]]

wide variety of financial assistance programs, authorized by Congress 
to address the Service's mission, as listed in the System for Award 
Management (SAM) Assistance Listings, previously referred to as the 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. SAM provides public 
descriptions of assistance listings of Federal programs, projects, 
services, and activities that provide assistance or benefits to the 
American public. It contains financial and non-financial assistance 
programs administered by departments and establishments of the Federal 
government. The Assistance Listings are assigned unique numbers and 
provide information on program types, the specific type of assistance 
for each program, and the applicable financial assistance authorities 
for each program. See the Service's active Assistance Listings on 
SAM.gov.
    The Service currently manages the following types of assistance 
programs:

<bullet> Formula Grants
<bullet> Project Grants
<bullet> Project Grants (Discretionary)
<bullet> Cooperative Agreements (Discretionary Grants)
<bullet> Direct Payments with Unrestricted Use
<bullet> Use of Property, Facilities, and Equipment

    Some assistance programs are mandatory and award funds to eligible 
recipients according to a formula prescribed in law or regulation. 
Other programs are discretionary and award funds based on competitive 
selection and merit review processes. Mandatory award recipients must 
give us specific, detailed project information during the application 
process so that we may ensure that projects are eligible for the 
mandatory funding, are substantial in character and design, and comply 
with all applicable Federal laws. Applicants to discretionary programs 
must give us information as dictated by the program requirements and as 
requested in the program's public notice of funding opportunity, 
including that information that addresses ranking criteria. All 
recipients must submit financial and performance reports that contain 
information necessary for us to track costs and accomplishments. The 
recipients' reports must adhere to schedules and rules in 2 CFR part 
200, ``Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit 
Requirements for Federal Awards'' and the award terms and conditions. 
Part 200 prescribes the information that Federal agencies must collect, 
and financial assistance applicants and recipients must provide to 
receive benefits under Federal financial assistance programs, and 
supports this information collection.
    The Service provides technical and financial assistance to other 
Federal agencies, States, local governments, Native American tribes, 
nongovernmental organizations, citizen groups, and private landowners 
for the conservation and management of fish and wildlife resources. The 
process begins with the submission of an application. The respective 
program reviews and prioritizes proposed projects based on their 
respective project selection criteria. Pending availability of funding, 
applicants submit their application documents to the Service through 
the Federal Grants.gov website or through the Department's grants 
management system (currently the U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services' GrantSolutions), when solicited by the Service through a 
Funding Opportunity.
    As part of this collection of information, the Service collects the 
following types of information requiring approval under the PRA:
    A. Application Package: We use the information provided in 
applications to: (1) Determine eligibility under the authorizing 
legislation and applicable program regulations; (2) determine 
allowability of major cost items under the Cost Principles at 2 CFR 
part 200; (3) select those projects that will provide the highest 
return on the Federal investment; and (4) assist in compliance with 
laws, as applicable, such as the National Environmental Policy Act, the 
National Historic Preservation Act, and the Uniform Relocation 
Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. The full 
application package (submitted by the applicant) generally includes the 
following:
    <bullet> Required Federal financial assistance application forms 
(SF-424 suite of forms, as applicable to specified project).
    <bullet> Project Narrative--generally includes items such as:
    [cir] Statement of need,
    [cir] Project goals and objectives,
    [cir] Methods used and timetable,
    [cir] Description of key personnel qualifications,
    [cir] Description of stakeholders or other relevant organizations/
individuals involved and level of involvement,
    [cir] Project monitoring and evaluation plan, and/or
    [cir] Other pertinent project specific information.
    <bullet> Pertinent project budget-related information--generally 
includes items such as:
    [cir] Budget justification,
    [cir] Detail on costs requiring prior approval,
    [cir] Indirect cost statement,
    [cir] Federally funded equipment list, and/or
    [cir] Certifications and disclosures.
    B. Amendments: Recipients must provide written explanation and 
submit prior approval requests for budget or project plan revisions, 
reporting due date extensions, or other changes to approved award terms 
and conditions. The information provided by the recipient is used by 
the Service to determine the eligibility and allowability of activities 
and to comply with the requirements of 2 CFR part 200.
    C. Reporting Requirements: Reporting requirements associated with 
financial assistance awards generally include the following types of 
reports:
    <bullet> Federal Financial Reports (using the required SF-425),
    <bullet> Performance Reports, and
    <bullet> Real Property Status Reports, when applicable (using the 
required SF-429 forms series).
    D. Recordkeeping Requirements: In accordance with 2 CFR 200.334, 
financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all 
other non-Federal entity records pertinent to a Federal award must be 
retained for a period of 3 years after the date of submission of the 
final expenditure report or, for Federal awards that are renewed 
quarterly or annually, from the date of the submission of the quarterly 
or annual financial report, respectively, as reported to the Federal 
awarding agency or pass-through entity (in the case of a subrecipient) 
(unless an exemption as described in 2 CFR 200.334 applies that 
requires retention of records longer than 3 years).

Proposed Revisions

Consolidation of OMB Control No. 1018-0007 Into 1018-0100

    The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 669 et 
seq.) and the Dingell-Johnson Sport Fish Restoration Act (16 U.S.C. 777 
et seq., except 777e-1) provide authority for Federal assistance to the 
States for management and restoration of fish and wildlife. These Acts 
and the regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) at 50 CFR 
part 80, subpart D, require that States, territories, and the District 
of Columbia annually certify their hunting and fishing license sales. 
The Service's Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration (WSFR) program 
currently collects those certifications under OMB Control No. 1018-
0007, ``Annual

[[Page 36574]]

Certification of Hunting and Sport Fishing Licenses Issued, 50 CFR part 
80, subpart D.'' The WSFR program continues to enhance use of their 
``Wildlife Tracking and Reporting Actions for the Conservation of 
Species (TRACS)'' system to collect information electronically from 
financial assistance applicants and recipients. As of Federal fiscal 
year 2021, WSFR will begin using TRACS to collect State license data 
and certifications electronically. As this control number includes the 
Wildlife TRACS system collection, in this revision we are consolidating 
the OMB Control No. 1018-0007 information collection requirements into 
this collection. If OMB approves this request, we will discontinue OMB 
Control Number 1018-0007. Consolidation of OMB approvals for Service 
financial assistance-related collections into a single collection 
reduces burden on the public by ensuring consistency in the application 
and award administration processes across all Service financial 
assistance programs.

Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act Compliance

    We are implementing the enhanced results-oriented accountability 
requirements in the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act 
(Pub. L. 114-191), OMB guidance memorandum M-18-04, ``Monitoring and 
Evaluation Guidelines for Federal Departments and Agencies that 
Administer United States Foreign Assistance,'' and OMB revisions to 2 
CFR part 200 published August 13, 2020 (85 FR 49506). To meet the 
enhanced requirements, some programs may collect more performance 
information than previously collected.
    Title of Collection: Administrative Procedures for U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife Service Financial Assistance Programs.
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0100.
    Form Number: 3-154.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals; commercial organizations; 
institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations; foreign 
entities; and State, local, and Tribal governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 14,711.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 16,024.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 3 hours to 100 
hours, depending on the activity.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 391,670.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain a Benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    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.).

Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 
Service.
[FR Doc. 2021-14675 Filed 7-9-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333-15-P


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