This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER

contains documents other than rules or

proposed rules that are applicable to the

public. Notices of hearings and investigations,

committee meetings, agency decisions and

rulings, delegations of authority, filing of

petitions and applications and agency

statements of organization and functions are

examples of documents appearing in this

section.

Notices Federal Register

59596 

Vol. 73, No. 197 

Thursday, October 9, 2008 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

October 6, 2008. 

The Department of Agriculture has 

submitted the following information 

collection requirement(s) to OMB for 

review and clearance under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 

Public Law 104–13. Comments 

regarding (a) Whether the 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 burden including the validity of the 

methodology and assumptions used; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; (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 should be addressed to: Desk 

Officer for Agriculture, Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB), 

OIRA_Submission@OMB.EOP.GOV or 

fax (202) 395–5806 and to Departmental 

Clearance Office, USDA, OCIO, Mail 

Stop 7602, Washington, D.C. 20250– 

7602. Comments regarding these 

information collections are best assured 

of having their full effect if received 

within 30 days of this notification. 

Copies of the submission(s) may be 

obtained by calling (202) 720–8958. 

An agency may not conduct or 

sponsor a collection of information 

unless the collection of information 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number and the agency informs 

potential persons who are to respond to 

the collection of information that such 

persons are not required to respond to 

the collection of information unless it 

displays a currently valid OMB control 

number. 

National Agricultural Statistics Service 

Title: Farm and Ranch Irrigation 

Survey. 

OMB Control Number: 0535–0234. 

Summary of Collection: The Farm and 

Ranch Irrigation Survey (FRIS) is an 

integral part of the 2007 Census of 

Agriculture and is conducted under the 

authority of the Census of Agriculture 

Act of 1997 (Pub. L. 105–113). This law 

requires the Secretary of Agriculture to 

conduct a census of agriculture 

beginning in 2002 and every fifth year 

thereafter (prior to that the census was 

conducted by the Department of 

Commerce). The 2008 FRIS will be 

obtaining data describing the irrigation 

activities of U.S. farm operations. Some 

of these activities are of national 

concern, such as the use of chemigation, 

fertigation and water-conserving 

practices of irrigators. The 2008 FRIS 

will also incorporate a second version of 

the questionnaire that will be directed at 

horticultural producers. 

Need and Use of the Information: 

NASS will collect information from the 

FRIS on acres irrigated by land use 

category, acres and yields of irrigated 

and non-irrigated crops, quantity of 

water applied and method of 

application to selected crops, acres 

irrigated and quantity of water used by 

source, acres irrigated by type of water 

distribution systems, and number of 

irrigation wells and pumps. The 

primary purpose of FRIS is to provide 

detailed data on water management 

practices and water uses in American 

agriculture, and to on-farm irrigation 

activities for use in preparing a wide 

variety of water-related local programs, 

economic models, legislative initiatives, 

market analyses, and feasibility studies. 

The absence of FRIS data would 

certainly affect irrigation policy 

decision. 

Description of Respondents: Farms. 

Number of Respondents: 35,000. 

Frequency of Responses: Reporting: 

Other (one-time). 

Total Burden Hours: 23,933. 

Charlene Parker, 

Departmental Information Collection 

Clearance Officer. 

[FR Doc. E8–24070 Filed 10–8–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–20–P 

COMMISSION ON CIVIL RIGHTS 

Sunshine Act Notice 

AGENCY: United States Commission on 

Civil Rights. 

ACTION: Notice of meeting. 

DATE AND TIME: Friday, October 17, 2008; 

9:30 a.m. 

PLACE: U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 

624 Ninth Street, NW., Rm. 540, 

Washington, DC 20425. 

Meeting Agenda 

I. Approval of Agenda 

II. Approval of Minutes 

• September 12, 2008 Meeting 

• September 30, 2008 Meeting 

III. Announcements 

IV. Staff Director’s Report 

V. Program Planning 

• FY 2009 Statutory Report Concept 

Paper 

• Proposed Letter to the State Bar of 

California 

VI. State Advisory Committee Issues 

• Arkansas SAC 

• Minnesota SAC 

• North Carolina SAC 

VII. Future Agenda Items 

VIII. Adjourn 

CONTACT PERSON FOR FURTHER

INFORMATION: Lenore Ostrowsky, Acting 

Chief, Public Affairs Unit (202) 376– 

8582. 

Date: October 7, 2008. 

David Blackwood, 

General Counsel. 

[FR Doc. E8–24198 Filed 10–7–08; 4:15 pm] 

BILLING CODE 6335–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Submission for OMB Review; 

Comment Request 

The Department of Commerce will 

submit 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: U.S. Census Bureau. 

Title: Field Representative/Decennial 

Field Staff/Coverage Measurement Exit 

Questionnaire. 

Form Number(s): BC–1294, BC– 

1294(D), BC–1294(CM). 

OMB Control Number: 0607–0404. 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 197 / Thursday, October 9, 2008 / Notices 59597 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved collection. 

Burden Hours: 393. 

Number of Respondents: 2,500. 

Average Hours Per Response: BC– 

1294—7 minutes; BC–1294(D) and BC– 

1294(CM)—10 minutes. 

Needs and Uses: Retention of trained 

field interviewing staff is a major 

concern for the Census Bureau because 

of both the monetary costs associated 

with employee turnover, as well as the 

potential impact on data quality. 

Therefore, in a continuous effort to 

devise policies and practices aimed at 

reducing turnover among interviewers, 

the Census Bureau collects data on the 

reasons interviewers leave their Census 

Bureau jobs. 

The exit questionnaires are the 

instruments used to collect turnover 

data from a sample of former current 

survey interviewers (field 

representatives) and decennial census 

interviewers (enumerators and listers). 

The goal or purpose of the exit 

questionnaires is to determine the 

reasons for interviewer turnover and 

what the Census Bureau might have 

done, or can do, to influence 

interviewers not to leave. Thus the exit 

questionnaires seek reasons 

interviewers quit, inquires about 

motivational factors that would have 

kept interviewers from leaving, attempts 

to identify training program strengths 

and weaknesses and their impacts on 

turnover, and explores the impact of 

pay, working conditions and 

supervisory styles on employees’ 

reasons for quitting. 

As the environment in which surveys 

take place, the demographics of our 

labor force, and the way surveys are 

conducted continues to change, it is 

important that we continue to examine 

the interviewers’ concerns about their 

job. Information provided by 

respondents to the exit questionnaire 

provides insight on the measures the 

Census Bureau might take to decrease 

turnover, and is useful in helping us 

determine if the reasons for interviewer 

turnover appear to be systemic or 

localized. The exit questionnaires have 

been shown to be useful and, therefore, 

we believe it is important to continue to 

use them to effect program planning and 

management. 

Forms BC–1294 and BC–1294(D) are 

the instruments we currently use to 

collect turnover data from a sample of 

former current survey interviewers and 

decennial census interviewers, 

respectively. We are adding the BC– 

1294(CM) to this clearance to collect 

turnover data from Census Coverage 

Measurement (CCM) listers and 

interviewers. CCM operations are 

conducted to determine the number of 

people and housing units missed or 

counted more than once in the Census 

of the United States and Puerto Rico. 

In addition to the new form BC– 

1294(CM), we plan to implement 

changes to the BC–1294 and BC– 

1294(D) which reflect Census Bureau 

policy and procedural changes to 

current survey and decennial operations 

since the last request for clearance. For 

example, on the current survey side, 

field staff have reported an increased 

concern for safeguarding Personally 

Identifiable Information (PII) and 

Census Bureau confidential data on 

laptops, which has resulted in the use 

of multiple passwords and data 

encryption software. Thus, changes 

have been made to the BC–1294 to 

determine if the Census Bureau’s 

increased security concerns, for the 

accountable property (laptops) and the 

increased security requirements 

pertaining to the restricted data 

contained on the laptops, are impacting 

FR turnover. 

Recent changes in 2010 decennial 

operations have also made it necessary 

to revise the BC–1294(D). For example, 

the 2010 Nonresponse Followup 

(NRFU) operation that was originally 

going to involve computer-assisted data 

collection will revert to being a paperbased operation. That is, a paper 

instrument or questionnaire will be 

used to collect respondent data instead 

of a hand-held computer. Thus we are 

making changes to the BC–1294(D) to 

remove questions about the use and 

impact of automation on the retention of 

NRFU enumerators. In addition, the 

proposed revisions to the BC–1294(D) 

reflect the redesign of the 2010 Address 

Canvassing operation from what was 

done in the 2006 Census Test and the 

lessons learned during the 2008 Dress 

Rehearsal. 

The information collected via the 

three Exit Questionnaires will help the 

Census Bureau develop plans to reduce 

turnover in its current survey, decennial 

and coverage measurement interviewing 

staff. This, in turn, will allow for better 

informed decisions regarding the field 

workforce and implementation of more 

effective pay plans, selection 

procedures, interviewer training, and 

retention strategies for all interviewers. 

Affected Public: Individuals or 

households. 

Frequency: One-time. 

Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary. 

Legal Authority: Title 5 U.S.C. Section 

3101 and Title 13 U.S.C. Section 23. 

OMB Desk Officer: Brian HarrisKojetin, (202) 395–7314. 

Copies of the above information 

collection proposal can be obtained by 

calling or writing Diana Hynek, 

Departmental Paperwork Clearance 

Officer, (202) 482–0266, Department of 

Commerce, Room 6625, 14th and 

Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, 

DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 

dHynek@doc.gov). 

Written comments and 

recommendations for the proposed 

information collection should be sent 

within 30 days of publication of this 

notice to Brian Harris-Kojetin, OMB 

Desk Officer, either by fax (202–395– 

7245) or e-mail (bharrisk@omb.eop.gov). 

Dated: October 3, 2008. 

Gwellnar Banks, 

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief 

Information Officer. 

[FR Doc. E8–23890 Filed 10–8–08; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3510–07–P 

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE 

Foreign–Trade Zones Board 

[Docket 53–2008] 

Foreign–Trade Zone 242 Boundary 

County, Idaho, Application for 

Subzone, Hoku Materials, Inc. 

(Polysilicon Manufacturing), Pocatello, 

Idaho 

An application has been submitted to 

the Foreign–Trade Zones (FTZ) Board 

(the Board) by Boundary County, Idaho, 

grantee of FTZ 242, requesting special– 

purpose subzone status with 

manufacturing authority at the 

polysilicon manufacturing facility of 

Hoku Materials, Inc., located in 

Pocatello, Idaho. The application was 

submitted pursuant to the Foreign– 

Trade Zones Act, as amended (19 U.S.C. 

81a–81u), and the regulations of the 

Board (15 CFR part 400). It was formally 

filed on October 3, 2008. 

The Hoku facility (approximately 200 

employees, 67 acres, 200,000 sq. ft.), 

currently under construction, is located 

at One Hoku Way, Pocatello, Idaho. 

Hoku is proposing to manufacture under 

zone procedures polysilicon (3,500 

metric tons with possible expansion up 

to 8,000 metric tons) for the solar 

module market. The applicant is 

requesting to use two foreign–origin 

inputs (some 11% of finished product 

value): silicon (HTSUS 2804.69 duty 

rate 5.5%) and trichlorosilane (HTSUS 

2853.00 duty rate 2.8%) in the 

manufacturing process. 

FTZ procedures would exempt Hoku 

from customs duty payments on foreign 

materials used in export production 

(some 95% of plant shipments). On its 

domestic shipments, Hoku could defer 

duty until the product is entered for 


sroberts on PROD1PC70 with NOTICES