Public Law 109-451, the Rural Water Supply Act of 2006 (Act), was enacted December 22, 2006. Title I of the Act authorizes the Secretary of the Interior (Secretary) to create the Rural Water Program to address rural water needs in the 17 Western United States, including the authority to: a) investigate opportunities to ensure safe and adequate rural water supply projects for domestic, municipal, and industrial use in small communities and rural areas of the Reclamation States; (b) plan the design and construction of rural water supply projects through the conduct of appraisal investigations and feasibility studies; and (c) oversee, as appropriate, the construction of rural water supply projects that are recommended for construction by Reclamation in a feasibility report developed under the Rural Water Program and subsequently authorized by Congress. Authority and responsibility for implementing the provisions of the Act are delegated to Reclamation. ReclamationÂs rulemaking will establish comprehensive criteria and program requirements governing the implementation of the Rural Water Program.
Under the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidelines at 5 CFR 1320.13, we request emergency processing of the enclosed information collection request (ICR) associated with the Interim Final Rule: Reclamation Rural Water Supply Program (Rural Water Program). The Rural Water Program will address rural water needs in the western United States by assisting small communities to plan the design and construction of rural water projects. Eligible entities interested in participating in the program will be requested to submit information to allow Reclamation to evaluate and prioritize requests for financial or technical assistance. According to the emergency processing procedures:
(a) We have determined that:
(1) This information collection is associated with a new Interim Final Rule (1006-AA54), which will be published in the Federal Register concurrent with this rulemaking. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the rule, including the requirements related to this information collection, when it is published in the Federal Register.
(2) Delaying the enactment of this rule would delay the implementation of a critical program to provide water to many rural communities who are currently without safe drinking water. Such delay would also conflict with the urgency recognized by Congress when they set the tight timeframes (by June 2008) for the adoption of the criteria set forth in the rule. Additionally, the information collected is general information about the water supply needs of the applicants and is, therefore, readily available to the applicants.
(b) We request that OMB make a decision on this emergency ICR during the processing of the Interim Final Rule.
(c) We have not formally consulted with potential respondents on the impact of this burden due to time constraints. Our estimate of the annual burden hours is based on ReclamationÂs experience with similar application processes for other programs.
If you have any questions or need further information, please call Jill Nagode, Bureau of Reclamation Information Collection Clearance Officer at 303-445-2055.
Title I of Public Law 109-451, enacted December 22, 2006, gives Interior the authority to provide financial and technical assistance with appraisal and feasibility studies for rural water projects. Applicants for assistance will be required to submit information to Reclamation in order to obtain funding or technical assistance with an appraisal or feasibility study. This will increase Reclamation's information collection burden.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.
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