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

67344 

Vol. 75, No. 211 

Tuesday, November 2, 2010 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Rural Utilities Service 

Information Collection Activity; 

Comment Request 

AGENCY: Rural Utilities Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 

U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended), the 

Rural Utilities Service (RUS) an agency 

delivering the U.S. Department of 

Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development 

Utilities Programs invites comments on 

this information collection for which 

approval from the Office of Management 

and Budget (OMB) will be requested. 

DATES: Comments on this notice must be 

received by January 3, 2011. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Thomas P. Dickson, Deputy Director, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, Rural Utilities Service, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., STOP 1522, 

Room 5159 South Building, 

Washington, DC 20250–1522. FAX: 

(202) 720–8435. Telephone: (202) 690– 

4492. Fax: (202) 720–8435. E-mail: 

thomas.dickson@wdc.usda.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Office 

of Management and Budget’s (OMB) 

regulation (5 CFR 1320) implementing 

provisions of the Paperwork Reduction 

Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104–13) requires 

that interested members of the public 

and affected agencies have an 

opportunity to comment on information 

collection and recordkeeping activities 

(see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)). This notice 

identifies an information collection that 

RUS is submitting to OMB for 

extension. 

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: 

Michele L. Brooks, Program 

Development and Regulatory Analysis, 

Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department 

of Agriculture, STOP 1522, 1400 

Independence Ave., SW., Washington, 

DC 20250–1522. FAX: (202) 720–8435. 

Title: Electric Loan Application and 

Related Reporting Burdens. 

OMB Number: 0572–0032. 

Type of Request: Revision of a 

currently approved information 

collection. 

Abstract: The Rural Electrification Act 

of 1936 (7 U.S.C. 901 et seq.), as 

amended (RE Act) authorizes and 

empowers the Administrator of RUS to 

make and guarantee loans to furnish and 

improve electric service in rural areas. 

These loans are amortized over a period 

of up to 35 years and secured by the 

borrower’s electric assets. The 

information collection covered by OMB 

Control Number 0572–0032 consists of 

written materials, reports, forms, and 

certifications to support an application 

for a Distribution loan from RUS. In 

addition, the collection covers an 

annual submission by Distribution 

borrowers and Generation and 

Transmission Borrowers (G&Ts) of 

operation report data. Entities applying 

for a loan follow the procedures 

outlined in 7 CFR 1710, subpart I, to 

determine the required documentation 

for a loan application. 

At this time, RUS is revising the 

information collection to require 

additional data to be submitted by 

Distribution and G&T borrowers related 

to Renewable Energy and Energy 

Efficiency. 

Data Pertaining to Renewable Energy 

Generation 

The current standard form of loan 

contract has annual reporting 

requirements and these reporting 

requirements capture all generation 

investment as a generic matter today. 

The revised data collection related to 

the RUS Form 12 will break out 

renewable investments as a separate line 

item. Accordingly, the total burden 

hours total associated with reporting 

these data elements is not materially 

different from before but we will now 

see investment and project size data 

itemized by type of renewable fuel. 

Data Pertaining to Energy Efficiency 

The Agency is implementing an effort 

to make loans to our utility borrowers 

who will in turn make retail loans to 

their electric consumers to finance 

energy efficiency improvements on the 

consumer premises. The utilities will 

design their own energy efficiency 

programs depending on the needs and 

profile of their service territory. The 

revised data collection related to the 

RUS Form 7 will capture the type of 

energy efficiency program, the number 

of customers involved, the amount 

invested and estimated Million British 

Thermal Unit savings. 

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting 

burden for this collection of information 

is estimated to average 15.51 hours per 

response. 

Respondents: Businesses or other for 

profits; not-for-profit institutions. 

Estimated Number of Respondents: 

650. 

Estimated Number of Responses per 

Respondent: 6.60. 

Estimated Total Annual Burden on 

Respondents: 66,548. 

Copies of this information collection, 

and related form and instructions, can 

be obtained from Thomas P. Dickson, 

Program Development and Regulatory 

Analysis, at (202) 690–4492. FAX: (202) 

720–8435. E-mail: 

thomas.dickson@wdc.usda.gov. 

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: October 27, 2010. 

Jonathan Adelstein, 

Administrator, Rural Utilities Service. 

[FR Doc. 2010–27565 Filed 11–1–10; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–15–P 


hsrobinson on DSK69SOYB1PROD with NOTICES