Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 167 / Wednesday, September 1, 2021 / Notices 49045 

Description of the need for the 

information and proposed use: The 

Housing and Community Development 

Act of 1974, as amended (the Act), at 

sections 102(a)(6) and 102(e) requires 

that any county seeking qualification as 

an urban county notify each unit of 

general local government within the 

county that such unit may elect to have 

its population excluded from that of the 

urban county. Section 102(d) of the Act 

specifies that the period of qualification 

will be three years. Based on these 

statutory provisions, counties seeking 

qualification or requalification as urban 

counties under the CDBG program must 

provide information to HUD every three 

years identifying the units of general 

local governments (UGLGs) within the 

county participating as a part of the 

county for purposes of receiving CDBG 

funds. The population of UGLGs for 

each eligible urban county is used in 

HUD’s allocation of CDBG funds for all 

entitlement and State CDBG grantees. 

New York Towns may qualify as 

metropolitan cities if they are able to 

secure the participation of all of the 

villages located within their boundaries. 

Any New York Town that is located in 

an urban county may choose to leave 

that urban county when that county is 

requalifying. That New York Town will 

be required to notify the urban county 

in advance of its decision to decline 

participation in the urban county’s 

CDBG program and complete the 

metropolitan city qualification process. 

Respondents: (i.e., affected public): 

Urban counties that are eligible as 

entitlement grantees of the CDBG 

program. 

Estimation Number of Respondents: 

There are currently 192 qualified urban 

counties participating in the CDBG 

program that must requalify every three 

years. 

Frequency of Response: On average, 

two new counties qualify each year. The 

burden on new counties is greater than 

for existing counties that requalify. The 

Department estimates new grantees use, 

on average, 115 hours to review 

instructions, contact communities in the 

county, prepare and review agreements, 

obtain legal opinions, have agreements 

executed at the local and county level, 

and prepare and transmit copies of 

required documents to HUD. The 

Department estimates that counties that 

are requalifying use, on average, 67 

hours to complete these actions. The 

time savings on requalification is 

primarily a result of a grantee’s ability 

to use agreements with no specified end 

date. Use of such ‘‘renewable’’ 

agreements enables the grantee to 

merely notify affected participating 

UGLGs in writing that their agreement 

will automatically be renewed unless 

the UGLG terminates the agreement in 

writing, rather than executing a new 

agreement every three years. 

Average of 2 new urban counties qualify 

per year: 2 × 115 hrs = 230 hrs. 

192 grantees requalify on triennial basis; 

average annual number of 

respondents = 63: 63 × 67 hrs. = 

4,221 hrs. 

Total combined burden hours: 4,451 

hours. 

This total number of combined 

burden hours can be expected to 

increase annually by 1,200 hours, given 

the average of two new urban counties 

becoming eligible entitlement grantees 

each year. 

B. Solicitation of Public Comment 

This notice is soliciting 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 through 

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. 

C. Authority 

Section 3507 of the Paperwork 

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

Chapter 35. 

Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary 

for Community Planning and 

Development, James Arthur Jemison II, 

having reviewed and approved this 

document, is delegating the authority to 

electronically sign this document to 

submitter, Aaron Santa Anna, who is 

the Federal Register Liaison for HUD, 

for purposes of publication in the 

Federal Register. 

Aaron Santa Anna, 

Federal Liaison for the Department of Housing 

and Urban Development. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18840 Filed 8–31–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Fish and Wildlife Service 

[FWS–R1–ES–2021–N013; 

FXES11130100000–212–FF01E00000] 

Endangered and Threatened Wildlife 

and Plants; Draft Recovery Plan for 

Umtanum Desert Buckwheat 

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice of availability; request 

for review and public comment. 

SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and 

Wildlife Service, announce the 

availability of the Draft Recovery Plan 

for Umtanum Desert buckwheat 

(Eriogonum codium), listed as 

threatened under the Endangered 

Species Act, and endemic to Benton 

County, Washington. We request review 

and comment on this draft recovery 

plan from Federal, State, and local 

agencies; Native American Tribes; and 

the public. 

DATES: To ensure consideration, 

comments on the draft recovery plan 

must be received on or before November 

1, 2021. However, we will accept 

information about any species at any 

time. 

ADDRESSES: 

Document availability: Obtain the 

recovery plan on the internet at http:// 

www.fws.gov/endangered/species/ 

recovery-plans.html or http://

www.fws.gov/pacific/ecoservices/ 

endangered/recovery/plans.html. 

Comment submission: You may 

submit written comments and materials 

by one of the following methods: 

• U.S. Mail: Jeff Krupka, Central 

Washington Fish and Wildlife Office, 

215 Melody Lane, Suite 103, 

Wenatchee, WA 98801–8122. 

• Email: WFWO_LR@fws.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Brad 

Thompson, State Supervisor, U.S. Fish 

and Wildlife Service, Washington Fish 

and Wildlife Office, 510 Desmond Drive 

SE, Suite 101, Lacey, WA 98502; 

telephone 360–753–9440. If you use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf, 

call the Federal Relay Service at 1–800– 

877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the 

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), 

announce the availability of the Draft 

Recovery Plan for Umtanum Desert 

Buckwheat (Eriogonum codium). The 

species, listed as threatened under the 

Endangered Species Act of 1973, as 

amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), 

is a plant endemic to Umtanum Ridge 

of Benton County, Washington. The 

draft recovery plan includes specific 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
49046 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 167 / Wednesday, September 1, 2021 / Notices 

goals, objectives, and criteria that 

should be met prior to our consideration 

of removing the species from the 

Federal List of Endangered and 

Threatened Plants. We request review 

and comment on this draft recovery 

plan from Federal, State, and local 

agencies; Native American Tribes; and 

the public. 

Background 

The Umtanum desert buckwheat is a 

long-lived perennial that occurs in a 

narrow, discontinuous band on 

Umtanum Ridge at least 1.6 kilometers 

(1 mile) long. This plant is closely 

associated with Lolo Flow lithosol soils 

in the Lower Columbia River Basin in 

the State of Washington. In April 2013 

and as reaffirmed in December 2013, the 

Umtanum desert buckwheat found 

along sparsely vegetated, north-facing 

basalt cliff of Umtanum Ridge in central 

Washington State, was listed as a 

threatened species pursuant to the Act 

(78 FR 23983; April 23, 2013; 78 FR 

76995; December 20, 2013). 

Recovery Planning Process 

Recovery of endangered and 

threatened animals and plants is a 

primary goal of our endangered species 

program. To help guide the recovery 

effort, we prepare recovery plans for 

most listed species. Recovery plans 

describe actions considered necessary 

for conservation of the species, establish 

criteria for downlisting or delisting, and 

estimate time and cost for implementing 

recovery measures. 

Recovery Planning and Implementation 

The Service has recently revised its 

approach to recovery planning and is 

now using a new process termed 

recovery planning and implementation 

(RPI) (see https://www.fws.gov/ 

endangered/esa-library/pdf/RPI.pdf). 

The RPI approach is intended to reduce 

the time needed to develop and 

implement recovery plans, increase 

recovery plan relevancy over a longer 

timeframe, and add flexibility to 

recovery plans so they can be adjusted 

to address new information or 

circumstances. Under RPI, a recovery 

plan includes the statutorily required 

elements under section 4(f) of the Act 

(i.e., objective and measurable recovery 

criteria, site-specific management 

actions, and estimates of time and 

costs), along with a concise introduction 

and our strategy for how we plan to 

achieve species recovery. The RPI 

recovery plan is supported by two 

supplementary documents: A species 

status assessment or biological species 

report, which describes the best 

available scientific information related 

to the biological needs of the species 

and assessment of threats; and the 

recovery implementation strategy, 

which details the particular near-term 

activities needed to implement the 

recovery actions identified in the 

recovery plan. Under this approach, we 

can incorporate new information on 

species biology or details of recovery 

implementation by updating these 

supplementary documents without 

concurrent revision of the entire 

recovery plan, unless changes to 

statutorily required elements are 

necessary. 

Recovery Plan Components 

The primary recovery strategy for the 

Umtanum desert buckwheat is to 

increase the capability of the single 

population to withstand stochastic 

events, establish new populations to 

provide a safety margin against 

catastrophic events, and to increase the 

ecological and/or genetic diversity of 

the species. Recovery will hinge on 

establishing self-sustaining populations, 

improving habitat, reducing threats, and 

preserving or enhancing the ability of 

individuals to survive and reproduce in 

the range of conditions they are likely 

to experience. 

We may initiate an assessment of 

whether recovery has been achieved and 

delisting is warranted when the 

recovery criteria have been met, 

including once a sixth population has 

been discovered or established on 

conserved lands and is managed in a 

way that is compatible with Umtanum 

desert buckwheat conservation. 

Request for Public Comments 

Section 4(f) of the Act requires us to 

provide public notice and an 

opportunity for public review and 

comment during recovery plan 

development. It is also our policy to 

request peer review of recovery plans 

(59 FR 34270; July 1, 1994). In an 

appendix to the approved final recovery 

plan, we will summarize and respond to 

the substantive comments raised during 

public comment and peer review. 

Substantive comments may or may not 

result in changes to the recovery plan. 

Comments regarding recovery plan 

implementation will be forwarded as 

appropriate to Federal or other entities 

so that they can be taken into account 

during the course of implementing 

recovery actions. 

We will consider all comments we 

receive by the date specified in DATES

prior to final approval of the plan. 

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. 

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. 

Authority 

The authority for this action is section 

4(f) of the Endangered Species Act of 

1973, as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et 

seq.). 

Robyn Thorson, 

Regional Director, U.S. Fish and Wildlife 

Service. 

[FR Doc. 2021–18806 Filed 8–31–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4333–15–P 

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR 

Bureau of Indian Affairs 

[212A2100DD/AAKC001030/ 

A0A501010.999900253G] 

Indian Gaming; Approval of TribalState Class III Gaming Compact in the 

State of Washington 

AGENCY: Bureau of Indian Affairs, 

Interior. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: This notice publishes the 

approval of Third Amendment to the 

Tribal-State Compact (Amendment) for 

Class III Gaming between the Spokane 

Tribe (Tribe) and the State of 

Washington (State). 

DATES: The amendment takes effect on 

September 1, 2021. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Ms. 

Paula L. Hart, Director, Office of Indian 

Gaming, Office of the Deputy Assistant 

Secretary—Policy and Economic 

Development, Washington, DC 20240, 

paula.hart@bia.gov, (202) 219–4066. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Under 

section 11 of the Indian Gaming 

Regulatory Act (IGRA), Public Law 100– 

497, 25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq., the 

Secretary of the Interior shall publish in 

the Federal Register notice of approved 

Tribal-State compacts for the purpose of 

engaging in Class III gaming activities 

on Indian lands. As required by 25 CFR 

293.4, all compacts and amendments are 

subject to review and approval by the 

Secretary. The Amendment authorizes 

the Tribe to engage in sports wagering 

at the Tribe’s class III gaming facility, 

updates the Compact to reflect this 

change in various sections, and 


khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES