23878 Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 91 / Thursday, May 10, 2001 / Notices

related services currently provided by

APHIS.

We have scheduled this public

meeting, the fourth meeting in our

series, for Friday, June 8, 2001, in the

Community Meeting Room of the Twin

Falls County Office Building, Twin

Falls, ID. If you wish to speak at the

meeting, please register in advance by

calling the Regulatory Analysis and

Development voice mail at (301) 734–

4339. Leave a message with your name,

telephone number, organization, if any,

and an estimate of the time you need to

speak. You may also register at the

meeting by following the instructions

provided by an APHIS representative at

the beginning of the meeting. Starting

with the advance registrants, we will

call speakers in the order in which they

registered.

The meeting will begin at 2 p.m. and

is scheduled to end at 5 p.m. We may

end the meeting early if all the

registered speakers have had a chance to

speak and if no one else wants to speak.

We may also extend the meeting or limit

the time allowed for each speaker, if

necessary, so all interested persons have

an opportunity to participate.

An APHIS representative will preside

at the meeting. The meeting will be

recorded. We encourage speakers to

present written statements, though it is

not required. If you choose to present a

written statement, please provide the

chairperson with a copy. The complete

record, including the transcript and all

written comments, will be available to

the public.

This meeting is the fourth in our

series of public meetings. The first

public meeting was held on January 25,

2001, in Lake Buena Vista, FL. The

second public meeting was held on

February 16, 2001, in Hebron, KY, and

the third public meeting was held on

April 5, 2001, in Machias, ME. We plan

to hold additional meetings in

Washington (September 2001, in

conjunction with the Pacific Coast

Shellfish Growers Association Annual

Conference), Pennsylvania (October

2001, in conjunction with the

Pennsylvania Aquaculture Advisory

Committee and Pennsylvania

Aquaculture Association Annual

Meeting), Mississippi (October 2001, in

conjunction with a meeting of the

Catfish Farmers of America), and

Arkansas (October 2001, in conjunction

with a meeting of the Catfish Farmers of

Arkansas). We will publish a notice or

notices in the Federal Register

announcing the dates, times, and

locations of the meetings.

Done in Washington, DC, this 4th day of

May 2001.

Chester A. Gipson,

Acting Administrator, Animal and Plant

Health Inspection Service.

[FR Doc. 01–11816 Filed 5–9–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–34–D

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service

Notice of Intent To Revise and Request

an Extension of a Currently Approved

Information Collection

AGENCY: Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service,

USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for

comments.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and

Office of Management and Budget

(OMB) implementing regulations, this

notice announces the Cooperative State

Research, Education, and Extension

Service’s (CSREES) intention to revise

and extend a currently approved

information collection, Form CSREES–

667 ‘‘Proposal Cover Sheet,’’ and Form

CSREES–668, ‘‘Project Summary.’’

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received on or before July 16, 2001 to be

assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments

regarding this notice to Sally J. Rockey,

Deputy Administrator, Competitive

Research Grants and Awards

Management, CSREES, USDA, STOP

2240, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250–2240. E-mail:

OEP@reeusda.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Sally J. Rockey, (202) 401–1761.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Grant Application Forms for the

Small Business Innovation Research

Grants Program.

OMB Number: 0524–0025.

Expiration Date of Approval: July 31,

2001.

Type of Request: Intent to revise and

extend a currently approved

information collection for three years.

Abstract: In 1982, the Small Business

Innovation Research (SBIR) Program

was authorized by Pub. L. 97–219, and

in 1992 reauthorized through October 1,

2000, by Pub. L. 102–564. In 2000, the

SBIR program was reauthorized through

September 30, 2008, by Pub. L. 106–554.

This legislation requires each Federal

agency with a research and research and

development budget in excess of $100

million to establish an SBIR program.

The objectives of the SBIR Program are

to stimulate technological innovation in

the private sector, strengthen the role of

small businesses in meeting Federal

research and development needs,

increase private sector

commercialization of innovations

derived from USDA-supported research

and development efforts, and foster and

encourage participation by womenowned and socially and economically

disadvantaged small business firms in

technological innovation. The Program

is carried out in three separate phases.

The purpose of Phase I is to determine

the scientific or technical feasibility of

ideas; Phase II is the principal research

or research and development effort; and

Phase III is to stimulate technological

innovation and the national return on

investment from research through the

pursuit of commercial objectives

resulting from work carried out in

Phases I and II.

USDA conducts its SBIR program

through the use of grants awards and

these grants are administered by the

Agreements and Special Projects Branch

and the Grants Management Branch,

Office of Extramural Programs,

Competitive Research Grants and

Awards Management, CSREES. Each

year, USDA issues an SBIR program

solicitation requesting Phase I

proposals. These proposals are

evaluated by peer review panels and

awarded on a competitive basis. The

SBIR Program Solicitation requests that

applicants submit proposals following

the format outlined in the Small

Business Administration (SBA) Policy

Directive. This simplified and

standardized proposal format is used by

all of the Federal agencies participating

in the SBIR Program in order to reduce

the application burden of the small

business firms that wish to apply to

more than one agency.

Before awards can be made, certain

information is required from applicants

as part of an overall proposal package.

In addition to project summaries,

descriptions of the research or teaching

efforts, literature reviews, curricula

vitae of principal investigators, and

other, relevant technical aspects of the

proposed project, supporting

documentation of an administrative and

budgetary nature also must be provided.

Because of the nature of the

competitive, peer-reviewed process, it is

important that information from

applicants be available in a

standardized format to ensure equitable

treatment.

This program also uses forms

approved in the OMB-approved

collection of information package 0524–

0039. These forms include Form

Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 91 / Thursday, May 10, 2001 / Notices 23879

CSREES–2004, ‘‘Budget;’’ Form

CSREES–2006, ‘‘National

Environmental Policy Act Exclusions

Form;’’ and Form CSREES–2008,

‘‘Assurance Statement(s)—For Research

Projects.’’

Forms CSREES–667, ‘‘Phase I and

Phase II Proposal Cover Sheet;’’ and

CSREES–668, ‘‘Phase I and Phase II

Project Summary’’ are used to obtain

USDA recordkeeping data, required

certifications, and information used to

respond to inquiries from Congress,

other Government agencies, and the

grantee community concerning grant

projects supported by the USDA SBIR

Program.

The following information has been

collected and will continue to be

collected:

Forms CSREES–667— Identification:

designates the research topic area under

which a proposal is submitted for

consideration; USDA recordkeeping

data: provides names and addresses of

principal investigators and authorized

agents of small business firms; and

Certifications: Provides required

certifications; for example, the applicant

qualifies as a small business for

purposes of the SBIR Program; the

applicant qualifies as a minority and

disadvantaged and/or women-owned

small business.

Form CSREES–668—Project

summary: Provides a Technical Abstract

used when releasing information about

grant projects supported and keywords

to identify the technology/research

thrust/commercial application of the

projects.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average 5.15 hours per

response.

Respondents: Businesses or other forprofits.

Estimated Number of Responses Per

Form: 480 for Form CSREES–667 and

480 for Form CSREES–668.

Estimated Number of Responses Per

Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 2,472 hours, broken down

by: 672 hours for Form CSREES–667

(1.4 hours per 480 respondents) and

1,800 hours for Form CSREES–668 (3.75

hours per 480 respondents).

Copies of this information collection

can be obtained from Duane Alphs,

Policy and Program Liaison Staff,

CSREES, (202) 401–3319. E-mail:

OEP@reeusda.gov.

Comments: 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 should be sent to

the address stated in the preamble.

Comments also may be submitted

directly to OMB and should be

addressed to: Desk Officer for

Agriculture, Office of Information and

Regulatory Affairs, Office of

Management and Budget, Washington,

DC 20502.

All responses to this notice will be

summarized and included in the request

for OMB approval. All comments also

will become a matter of public record.

Done at Washington, DC, this 2d day of

May, 2001.

Colien Hefferan,

Administrator, Cooperative State Research,

Education, and Extension Service.

[FR Doc. 01–11817 Filed 5–9–01; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–22–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Forest Service

Fox and Crescent Reservoir

Maintenance, High Uintas Wilderness,

Ashley National Forest, Duchesne

County, UT

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an

environmental impact statement.

SUMMARY: Dry Gulch Irrigation Company

(DGIC), holder of special use permits to

operate Fox and Crescent reservoir dams

in the High Uintas Wilderness on the

Ashley National Forest, has requested

permission to maintain the dam

structures to correct deficiencies that

may result in failure of the dams in the

near future. This maintenance work will

require an assessment of environmental

consequences, including those

associated with proposals to use

motorized and mechanical tools and

equipment within the boundaries of the

High Uintas Wilderness.

DATES: To be most useful for early

identification of issues, comments

concerning the scope of the analysis

should be received in writing by May

29, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and

questions should be send to: Dave Frew,

Interdisciplinary Team Leader, Attn:

Fox Lake Project, Roosevelt/Duchesne

Ranger Districts, Ashley National Forest,

244 West Highway 40, Roosevelt, Utah

84066.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Specific questions about the proposed

project and analysis should be directed

to Dave Frew, Interdisciplinary Team

Leader, 244 West Highway 40,

Roosevelt, Utah 84066.

Responsible Official: Jack Blackwell,

Regional Forester, Intermountain

Region, is the responsible official for

this EIS and the Record of Decision.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This

proposal arose due to concerns found in

various state and federal inspections of

these dams over the past couple of

years. Both of these dams are over 70

years old, and like all human made

structures require periodic maintenance

to insure their safe continued operation.

These reservoirs are accessible only by

primitive trail—there are not roads

accessing these facilities. In the past,

these reservoirs have been accessed

from time to time by helicopter. The

reservoirs must be maintained if storage

is to continue to be allowed.

In 1984, Congress designated the area

encompassing these reservoir sites at the

High Uintas Wilderness, further

complicating access by the wilderness

provision against motorized or

mechanical access or the use of

motorized or mechanical tools and

equipment. The 1964 Wilderness Act

provides that motorized transport, tools

and equipment and/or mechanical

access may be authorized in specific

circumstances, that being when it is

determined they are the minimum

requirement necessary for the proper

administration of the area, and when

authorized by the proper authority.

Proposed Action

DGIC proposes the following activities

to insure the proper maintenance of the

dams. Both the State of Utah

Department of Natural Resources,

Division of Water Rights, and the Forest

Service agree that the maintenance

activities proposed meet the technical

requirements, and are necessary to

accomplish if the dams are to continue

to be used for their intended purpose.

The proposed action involves helicopter

transport to the reservoir sites for

materials and equipment, and also

proposes on-site motorized equipment

to complete the work.

Fox Lake

Repairs to the outlet pipe with consist

of slip lining the existing 36 inch