Federal Register / Vol. 66, No. 107 / Monday, June 4, 2001 / Notices 29929

concerning the nation’s agricultural

industry. It provides the only basis of

consistent, comparable data for each

county, county equivalent, and State in

the United States and its outlying

insular areas. The census is conducted

every 5 years, the last one being for

1997. The 2002 census of agriculture

will again cover all agricultural

operations in the 50 States, Puerto Rico,

Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the

Commonwealth of Northern Mariana

Islands (CNMI) which meet the census

definition for a farm. For the States,

Guam, and CNMI, a farm is any place

that produced and sold, or normally

would produce and sell, $1,000 or more

of agricultural products during the

census year. For Puerto Rico and the

U.S. Virgin Islands it is any place with

$500 in sales.

Data collection for the censuses of

agriculture for the 50 States and Puerto

Rico will be conducted primarily by

mail-out/mail-back procedures. Data

collection for Guam, the U.S. Virgin

Islands, and CNMI will be conducted

using direct enumeration methods.

NASS conducted a census form content

test (OMB #5035–0243) during the

winter of 2000–2001 to evaluate new

content items, report form design and

format, and processing procedures.

To minimize respondent burden,

NASS limits the items asked on 75

percent of the report forms to the basic

subjects asked in the previous census,

such as land use and ownership, crop

acreage and production, grain storage,

livestock and poultry inventories,

federal farm program payments, income

from farm-related sources, and operator

characteristics. The other 25 percent of

report forms include additional

questions on hired labor, production

expenses, fertilizer and chemical usage,

machinery and equipment, and market

value of land and buildings. Report

forms are tailored to various regions of

the country to further reduce burden. A

screening survey, conducted prior to the

census, will enable NASS to eliminate

non-farm operations from the census

mail list and determine respondent

eligibility for receiving the appropriate

census mail package. The census of

agriculture is required by law under the

‘‘Census of Agriculture Act of 1997,’’

Pub. L. No. 105–113(7 U.S.C. 2204(g)).

The law guarantees farm operators that

their individual information will be

kept confidential. NASS uses the

information only for statistical purposes

and publishes only tabulated total data.

These data are used by Congress when

developing or changing farm programs.

Many national and state programs are

designed or allocated based on census

data, i.e., soil conservation projects,

funds for cooperative extension

programs, and research funding. Private

industry uses the data to provide more

effective production and distribution

systems for the agricultural community.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

will be about 24 minutes per response

from all sources.

Respondents: Farm and ranch

operators.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

3,550,000.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 1,450,000 hours.

Copies of this information collection

and related instructions can be obtained

without charge from Ginny McBride, the

Agency OMB Clearance Officer, at (202)

720–5778.

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 may be sent to:

Ginny McBride, Agency OMB Clearance

Officer, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

Room 5330B South Building, 1400

Independence Avenue SW, Washington,

DC 20250–2009 or

gmcbride@nass.usda.gov.

All responses to this notice will

become a matter of public record and be

summarized in the request for OMB

approval.

Signed at Washington, DC, May 1, 2001.

Rich Allen,

Associate Administrator.

[FR Doc. 01–13911 Filed 6–1–01; 8:45 am]

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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

[I.D. 053001A]

Submission for OMB Review;

Comment Request

The Department of Commerce has

submitted to the Office of Management

and Budget (OMB) for clearance the

following proposal for collection of

information under the provisions of the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

Chapter 35).

Agency: National Oceanic and

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Title: Coastal Impact Assistance

Program Review Checklist.

Form Number(s): None.

OMB Approval Number: None.

Type of Request: Emergency

submission.

Burden Hours: 1,875.

Number of Respondents: 154.

Average Hours Per Response: 5.

Needs and Uses: The Coastal Impact

Assistance Program (CIAP) recognizes

that impacts from Outer Continental

Shelf oil and gas activities fall

disproportionately on coastal states and

localities nearest to where the activities

occur. The program provides one-time

funds to seven states and 147 local

governments to conduct a variety of

related projects, including construction

and land acquisition. NOAA must

review the projects in accordance with

the CIAP legislation before disbursing

funds. To expedite review, NOAA

developed the CIAP Project Checklist

for the construction and land

acquisition projects. The Checklist,

whose use is voluntary, asks applicants

to provide project information to allow

NOAA to determine their eligibility

under the CIAP as well as eligibility

under other relevant statutes (NEPA,

etc.).

Affected Public: State, local, or tribal

government.

Frequency: One-time.

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.

OMB Desk Officer: David Rostker,

(202) 395–3897.

Copies of the above information

collection proposal can be obtained by

calling or writing Madeleine Clayton,

Departmental Paperwork Clearance

Officer, (202) 482–3129, Department of

Commerce, Room 6086, 14th and

Constitution Avenue, NW, Washington,

DC 20230 (or via the Internet at

MClayton@doc.gov).

Written comments and

recommendations for the proposed

information collection should be sent

within 30 days of publication of this

notice to David Rostker, OMB Desk

Officer, Room 10202, New Executive

Office Building, Washington, DC 20503.

Dated: May 25, 2001.

Madeleine Clayton,

Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer,

Office of the Chief Information Officer.

[FR Doc. 01–13970 Filed 6–1–01; 8:45 am]

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