71466 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 228 / Tuesday, November 29, 2005 / Notices 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

Proposed Information Collection; 

Comment Request; Questionnaire To 

Support Review of Federal Assistance 

Applications 

AGENCY: National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Department of 

Commerce, as part of its continuing 

effort to reduce paperwork and 

respondent burden, invites the general 

public and other Federal agencies to 

take this opportunity to comment on 

proposed and/or continuing information 

collections, as required by the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 

DATES: Written comments must be 

submitted on or before January 30, 2006. 

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments 

to Diana Hynek, Departmental 

Paperwork Clearance Officer, 

Department of Commerce, Room 6625, 

14th and Constitution Avenue, NW., 

Washington, DC 20230 (or via the 

Internet at dHynek@doc.gov). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Requests for additional information or 

copies of the information collection 

instrument and instructions should be 

directed to Shelby L. Mendez, (301) 

713–1622 ext. 207 or 

shelby.l.mendez@noaa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract 

The National Environmental Policy 

Act (NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321 through 

4327) and the Council on 

Environmental Quality (CEQ) 

implementing regulations (40 CFR parts 

1500 through 1508) require that an 

environmental analysis be completed 

for all major Federal actions 

significantly affecting the environment. 

NEPA applies only to the actions of 

Federal agencies. While those Federal 

actions may include a Federal agency’s 

decision to fund non-Federal projects 

under grants and cooperative 

agreements, NEPA requires agencies to 

assess the environmental impacts of 

actions proposed to be taken by these 

recipients only when the Federal agency 

has sufficient discretion or control over 

the recipient’s activities to deem those 

actions as Federal actions. To determine 

whether the activities of the recipient of 

a Federal financial assistance award 

(i.e., grant or cooperative agreement) 

involve sufficient Federal discretion or 

control, and to undertake the 

appropriate environmental analysis 

when NEPA is required, NOAA must 

assess information which can only be 

provided by the Federal financial 

assistance applicant. Thus, NOAA is 

developing an environmental 

information questionnaire to provide 

grantees and Federal grant managers 

with a simple tool to ensure that project 

and environmental information is 

obtained. The questionnaire will apply 

only to those programs where actions 

are considered major Federal actions or 

to those where NOAA must determine 

if the action is a major Federal action. 

The questionnaire will include a list of 

questions that encompasses a broad 

range of subject areas. The applicants 

will not be required to answer every 

question in the questionnaire. Each 

program will draw from the final 

comprehensive list of questions to 

create a relevant subset of questions for 

applicants to answer. The information 

provided in answers to the 

questionnaire will be used by NOAA 

staff to determine compliance 

requirements for NEPA and conduct 

subsequent NEPA analysis as needed. 

The information provided in the 

questionnaire may also be used for other 

regulatory review requirements 

associated with the proposed project, 

such as permitting. 

II. Method of Collection 

Methods of submittal include paper 

forms through the mail, Internet and 

facsimile transmission. 

III. Data 

OMB Number: None. 

Form Number: None. 

Type of Review: Regular submission. 

Affected Public: Business or other forprofit organizations; individuals or 

households; not-for-profit institutions; 

state, local or tribal government; and 

Federal government. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

1,750. 

Estimated Time Per Response: 3 

hours. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden 

Hours: 5,250. 

Estimated Total Annual Cost to 

Public: $8,750. 

IV. Request for 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 shall have 

practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the 

agency’s estimate of the burden 

(including hours and cost) of the 

proposed collection of information; (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 respondents, including through the 

use of automated collection techniques 

or other forms of information 

technology. 

Comments submitted in response to 

this notice will be summarized and/or 

included in the request for OMB 

approval of this information collection; 

they also will become a matter of public 

record. 

Dated: November 22, 2005. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. 05–23408 Filed 11–28–05; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–NW–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration 

[I.D. 050905A] 

Fisheries of the Gulf of Mexico; 

Southeastern Data, Assessment, and 

Review (SEDAR); Gulf of Mexico 

Vermilion Snapper, Greater Amberjack, 

and Gray Triggerfish 

AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries 

Service (NMFS), National Oceanic and 

Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 

Commerce. 

ACTION: Notice of change in SEDAR 

Workshops for Gulf of Mexico vermilion 

snapper, greater amberjack, and gray 

triggerfish. 

SUMMARY: The SEDAR assessments of 

the Gulf of Mexico stocks of vermilion 

snapper, greater amberjack, and gray 

triggerfish will consist of a series of 

three workshops: a Data Workshop, an 

Assessment Workshop, and a Review 

Workshop. This is the ninth SEDAR. 

The Data and Assessment workshops 

are completed. An additional workshop 

to complete the assessment will be held 

in December 2005 and the review 

workshop will be delayed until March 

2006, see SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

DATES: The Second Assessment 

Workshop will take place December 19–

20, 2005; and the Review Workshop will 

take place March 27–31, 2006, see 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION. 

ADDRESSES: The Second Assessment 

Workshop will be held at the Doubletree 

Club Hotel Atlanta Airport, 3400 

Norman Berry Drive, Atlanta GA, 

telephone: (404) 763–1600. The Review 

Workshop will be held at the Hotel 

Monteleone, 214 Royal Street, New 

Orleans, LA 70130, telephone: (504) 

523–3341.