[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 14, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10311-10312]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-3735]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service


Information Collection to be Submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for Approval Under the Paperwork Reduction 
Act

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Intent To Request Information Collection Authority.

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SUMMARY: We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, will be submitting to 
the OMB the collection of information described for approval under the 
provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Copies of specific 
information collection requirements and explanatory material may be 
obtained by contacting our Information Collection Clearance Officer at 
the address or phone number listed below.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before April 16, 2001.

ADDRESSES: Your comments and suggestions on specific requirements 
should be sent to our Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222, ARLSQ, 1849 C Street, NW, 
Washington, D.C. 20240; Telephone 703/358-1943.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeffrey L. Horwath, Division of Fish 
and Wildlife Management Assistance and Habitat Restoration, Arlington, 
Virginia, at 703/358-1718.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We propose to submit the following 
information collection clearance requirements to the OMB for review and 
approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, Pub. L. 104-13. We 
currently have OMB approval #1018-0070, which expires 10/31/01. Your 
comments are invited on: (1) Whether this collection of information is 
necessary for us to properly perform our functions, including whether 
this information will have practical utility; (2) the accuracy of our 
estimate of burden, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions we use; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information we are proposing to collect; and (4) 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. An agency may not conduct or 
sponsor, and a person is not required to a collection of information 
unless the agency displays a currently valid OMB control number.
    Section 101(a)(5)(A) of the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972 
authorizes us, acting on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior, to 
allow the incidental, unintentional take of small numbers of marine 
mammals during a specified activity (other than commercial fishing) in 
a specified geographic region. Prior to allowing these takes, however, 
we must find that the total of such taking will have a negligible 
impact on the species or stocks, and will not have an unmitigable 
adverse impact on the availability of the species or stocks for 
subsistence uses by Alaska Natives.
    The information that we propose to collect will be used to evaluate 
applications for specific incidental take regulations from the oil and 
gas industry to determine whether such regulations, and subsequent 
Letters of Authorization (LOA), should be issued; the information is 
needed to establish the scope of specific incidental take regulations. 
The information is also required to evaluate the impacts of the 
activities on the species or stocks of the marine mammals and on their 
availability for subsistence uses by Alaska Natives. It will ensure 
that all available means for minimizing the incidental take associated 
with a specific activity are considered by applicants.
    We estimate that the burden associated with the request will be a 
total of 3,140 hours for the full 3-year period of OMB authorization. 
Two hundred hours will be required to complete the request for specific 
procedural regulations. For each LOA expected to be requested and 
issued subsequent to issuance of specific procedural regulations, we 
estimate that 20 hours will be invested: 8 hours will be required to 
complete each request for

[[Page 10312]]

a LOA, 4 hours will be required for on-site monitoring activities, and 
8 hours will be required to complete each final monitoring report. We 
estimate that seven companies will be requesting LOAs and submitting 
monitoring reports annually for each of seven sites in the region 
covered by the specific regulations.
    Title: Marine Mammals: Incidental Take During Specified Activities.
    Bureau form number: None.
    Frequency of collection: Biannually.
    Description of respondents: Oil and gas industry companies.
    Number of respondents: 7 for each of 7 active sites per year (49).
    Estimated completion time: For the one time request to promulgate 
the procedural rule, a 200-hour application burden is estimated. 
Annually for three years, 8 hours per LOA, 4 hours for on-site 
monitoring, and 8 hours per final monitoring reports are estimated for 
each requesting company for seven active sites (20 hours  x  7 
companies  x  7 sites = 980 hours  x  3 years = 2,940 + 200 = 
3,140 hours burden for three years).
    Burden estimate: 3,140 hours.

    Dated: February 9, 2001.
Rebecca A. Mullin,
Information Collection Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 01-3735 Filed 2-13-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-55-M