18544 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 82 / Friday, April 26, 1996 / Notices

(4) continued implementation of the

Forest Plan and (5) economics. In

preparing the environmental impact

statement, the Forest Service will

consider the proposal against a range of

reasonable alternatives to address issues

identified through scoping. Alternatives

may be other combinations of potential

sites, on demand sources of supply,

(direct withdrawal, wells) and the

required No Action Alternative.

Permtis and licenses to implement the

proposed action may include a

Wetlands Permit, State of New

Hampshire dam permits and Alteration

of Terrain permit. The issuing authority

will be a term special use permit under

the Term Permit Act of March 4, 1915

as amended (16 U.S.C. 497).

Donna Hepp, Forest Supervisor,

White Mountain National Forest, 719

Main Street, Laconia, New Hampshire,

is the responsible official.

Public participation will be important

at several points during the analysis.

The first point is during the scoping

process (40 CFR 1501.7). The Forest

Service will be seeking information and

comments from Federal, State, and local

agencies and other individuals or

organizations who may be interested in

or affected by the proposed action. This

input will be used in preparation of the

draft environmental impact statement

(DEIS). The scoping process includes;

1. Identifying potential issues.

2. Identifying issues to be analyzed in

depth.

3. Eliminating insignificant issues or

those which have been covered by a

relevant previous environmental

analysis.

4. Exploring additional alternatives.

5. Identifying potential environmental

effects of the proposed action and

alternatives (i.e., direct, indirect, and

cumulative effect and connected

actions).

6. Determining potential cooperating

agencies and task assignments.

The State of New Hampshire

Department of Environmental Services

has been invited to participate as a

cooperating agency. The Fish and

Wildlife Service, Department of the

Interior, the U.S. Corps of Engineers and

the Town of Waterville Valley have

been informed and will be assisting in

the analysis.

Public scoping meetings will be held

in the Spring of 1996. Meeting dates

will be advertised in the media.

The draft environmental impact

statement (DEIS) is expected to be filed

with the Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA) and to be available for

public review in Summer, 1996. At that

time EPA will publish a notice of

availability of the DEIS in the Federal

Register.

The comment period on the draft

environmental impact statement will be

45 days from the date the

Environmental Protection Agency’s

notice of availability appears in the

Federal Register.

The Forest Service believes that, at

this early stage, it is important to give

reviewers notice of several court rulings

related to public participation in the

environmental review process. First

reviewers of draft environmental impact

statements must structure their

participation in the environmental

review of the proposal so that it is

meaningful and alerts an agency to the

reviewer’s position and contentions.

Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Corp. v.

NRDC, 435 U.S. 519, 553 (1978). Also,

environmental objections that could be

raised at the draft environmental impact

stage that are not raised until after

completion of the final environmental

impact statement may be waived or

dismissed by the courts. City of Angoon

v. Hodel, 803 F. 2d 1016, 1022 (9th cir.

1986) and Wisconsin Heritages, Inc. v.

Harris, 490 F. Supp. 1334, 1338 (E.D.

Wis. 1980). Because of these court

rulings, it is very important that those

interested in this proposed action

participate by responding to the DEIS by

the close of the 45 day comment period

so that substantive comments and

objections are made available to the

Forest Service at a time when it can

meaningfully consider them and

respond to them in the final

environmental impact statement.

To assist the Forest Service in

identifying and considering issues and

concerns on the proposed action,

comments on the draft environmental

impact statement should be as specific

as possible. It is also helpful if

comments refer to specific pages or

chapters of the draft statement.

Comments may also address the

adequacy of the draft environmental

impact statement or the merits of the

alternatives formulated or discussed in

the statement. Reviewers may wish to

refer to the Council on Environmental

Quality Regulations for implementing

the procedural provisions of the

National Environmental Policy Act at 40

CFR 1503.3 in addressing these points.

After the comment period ends on the

DEIS, the comments will be analyzed

and considered by the Forest Service in

preparing the final environmental

impact statement (FEIS). The FEIS is

scheduled to be completed by the Fall

of 1996. In the FEIS the Forest Service

is required to respond to the comments

received (40 CFR 1503.4). The

responsible official will consider the

comments, responses, environmental

consequences discussed in the FEIS,

and applicable laws, regulations, and

policies in making a decision regarding

this proposal. The responsible official

will document the decision and reasons

for the decision on the Record of

Decision. The decision will be subject to

appeal under 36 CFR 217 and 36 CFR

251.

Dated: April 22, 1996.

[FR Doc. 96–10359 Filed 4–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–11–M

Rural Housing Service

Notice of Request for Extension of a

Currently Approved Information

Collection

AGENCY: Rural Housing Service, USDA.

ACTION: Proposed collection; comments

request.

SUMMARY: In accordance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this

notice announces the Rural Housing

Service (RHS) intention to request an

extension for a currently approved

information collection in support of the

program for the Housing Preservation

Grant Program.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be

received by June 25, 1996 to be assured

of consideration.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sue

M. Harris-Green, Senior Loan Specialist,

RHS, U.S. Department of Agriculture,

AG BOX 0781, Washington, D.C. 20250,

Telephone (202) 720–1606.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: RHS/Housing Preservation

Grant Program.

OMB Number: 0575–0115.

Expiration Date of Approval: July 31,

1996.

Type of Request: Extension of a

currently approved information

collection.

Abstract: The primary purpose of the

Housing Preservation Grant Program is

to repair or rehabilitate individual

housing, rental properties, or co-ops

owned or occupied by very low- and

low-income rural persons. Grantees will

provide eligible homeowners, owners of

rental properties, and owners of co-ops

with financial assistance through loans,

grants, interest reduction payments or

other comparable financial assistance

for necessary repairs and rehabilitation

of dwellings to bring them up to code

or minimum property standards.

These grants were established by

Public Law 98–181, the Housing UrbanRural Recovery Act of 1983, which

amended the Housing Act of 1979 (Pub.
Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 82 / Friday, April 26, 1996 / Notices 18545

L. 93–383) by adding section 533, 42

U.S.C. § 2490(m), Housing Preservation

Grants (HPG). In addition, the Secretary

of Agriculture has authority to prescribe

rules and regulations to implement HPG

and other programs under 42 U.S.C.

§ 1480(j).

Section 533(d) is prescriptive about

the information applicants are to submit

to RHS as part of their application and

in the assessments and criteria RHS is

to use in selecting grantees. An

applicant is to submit a ‘‘statement of

activity’’ describing its proposed

program, including the specific

activities it will undertake, and its

schedule. RHS is required in turn to

evaluate proposals on a set of prescribed

criteria, for which the applicant will

also have to provide information, such

as: (1) very low- and low-income

persons proposed to be served by the

repair and rehabilitation activities; (2)

participation by other public and

private organizations to leverage funds

and lower the cost to the HPG program;

(3) the area to be served in terms of

population size and need; (4) cost data

to assure greatest degree of assistance at

lowest cost; (5) administrative costs

projected; and (6) administrative

capacity of the applicant to carry out the

program. The information collected will

be the minimum required by law and by

the necessity for RHS to assure that it

funds responsible grantees proposing

feasible projects in areas of greatest

need. Most data are taken from a

localized area, although some are

derived from census reports of city,

county and Federal governments

showing population and housing

characteristics.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting

burden for this collection of information

is estimated to average .96 hour per

response.

Respondents: A public body or a

public or private nonprofit corporation.

Estimated number of respondents:

1,850

Estimated number of responses per

respondent: 6.5.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on

Respondents: 11,614 hours.

Copies of this information collection

can be obtained from the Director,

Regulations and Paperwork

Management Division at (202) 720–

9725.

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

Director, Regulations and Paperwork

Management Division, U.S. Department

of Agriculture, RECD, Ag Box 0743, 14th

and Independence Avenue, SW.,

Washington, DC 20250. All responses to

this notice will be summarized and

included in the request for OMB

approval. All comments will also

become a matter of public record.

Dated: April 17, 1996.

Maureen Kennedy,

Administrator, Rural Housing Service.

[FR Doc. 96–10321 Filed 4–25–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 3410–07–U

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Bureau of the Census

Current Population Survey (CPS)

Voting and Registration Supplement;

Proposed Agency Information

Collection Activity; Comment Request

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,

Public Law 104–13 (44 U.S.C.

3506(c)(2)(A)).

DATES: Submit written comments on or

before June 25, 1996.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments

to Linda Engelmeier, Acting

Departmental Forms Clearance Officer,

Department of Commerce, Room 5327,

14th and Constitution Avenue NW.,

Washington, DC 20230.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or

copies of the information collection

instrument(s) and instructions should

be directed to Julia Williams, Bureau of

the Census, FOB 3, Room 3340,

Washington, DC 20233- 8400, (301)

457–3806.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The U.S. Census Bureau is requesting

clearance for the collection of data

concerning the Voting and Registration

Supplement to be conducted in

conjunction with the November 1996

Current Population Survey (CPS). Title

13, United States Code, Section 182; and

Title 29, United States Code, Sections

1–9, authorize the collection of this

information. The Census Bureau

sponsors these questions, which have

been collected biennially in the CPS

since 1964.

This survey has provided statistical

information for tracking historical

trends of voter and nonvoter

characteristics in each Presidential and/

or Congressional election since 1964.

The data collected from the November

supplement relates demographic

characteristics (age, sex, race, education,

occupation, and income) to voting and

nonvoting behavior. The November CPS

supplement is the only source of data

that provides a comprehensive set of

voter and nonvoter characteristics

distinct from independent surveys,

media polls, or other outside agencies.

Federal, state, and local election

officials use these data to formulate

policies relating to the voting and

registration process. College

institutions, political party committees,

research groups, and other private

organizations also use the voting and

registration data.

II. Method of Collection

The voting and registration

information will be collected by both

personal visit and telephone interviews

in conjunction with the regular

November CPS interviewing. All

interviews are conducted using

computer-assisted interviewing.

III. Data

OMB Number: 0607–0466.

Form Number: There are no forms.

We conduct all interviewing on

computers.

Type of Review: Regular.

Affected Public: Individuals or

households.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

48,000.

Estimated Time Per Response: 1.2

minutes.

Estimated Total Annual Burden

Hours: 960.

Estimated Total Annual Cost:

$250,000.

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