30 Day FR Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 66 / Wednesday, April 8, 2009 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S. Geological Survey
Agency Information Collection
Activity; Mineral Resources External
Research Program (MRERP)

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AGENCY: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS),
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of a new information
collection.
SUMMARY: To comply with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), we are notifying the public that
we have submitted to OMB a new
information collection request (ICR) for
approval of the paperwork requirements
for the Mineral Resources Program’s
(MRP) Mineral Resources External
Research Program (MRERP). To submit
a proposal for the MRERP, a project
narrative must be completed and
submitted via http://Grants.gov. For
multi-year projects, an annual progress
report must be completed for all
projects; a final technical report is
required at the end of the project period.
This notice provides the public an
opportunity to comment on the
paperwork burden of these project
narrative and report requirements. The
narrative and report guidance is
available at http://www.usgs.gov/
contracts/Minerals/index.html.
DATES: You must submit comments on
or before May 8, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Please submit comments on
this information collection directly to
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Desk
Officer for the Department of the
Interior via e-mail
[email protected]; or fax
(202) 395–5806; and identify your
submission as 1028–NEW. Please also
submit a copy of your comments to
Phadrea Ponds, USGS Information
Collection Clearance Officer, 2150–C
Center Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525
(mail); (970) 226–9230 (fax); or
[email protected] (e-mail). Please
reference Information Collection 1028–
NEW, MRERP in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Jeff L. Doebrich by mail
at U.S. Geological Survey, 913 National
Center, Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston,
VA 20192 or by telephone at 703–648–
6103.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract
Through the MRERP, the MRP of the
USGS offers an annual competitive
grant and/or cooperative agreement

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opportunity to individuals, universities,
State agencies, Tribal governments or
organizations, and industry or other
private sector organizations. Applicants
must have the ability to conduct
research in topics related to non-fuel
mineral resources that meet the goals of
the MRP. We will consider all researchbased proposals that address one of the
MRP’s long-term goals. The long-term
goals of the MRP, as described in its
Five-Year Plan for FY 2006–2010
(http://minerals.usgs.gov/plan/20062010/2006-2010_plan.html), are to
ensure availability of: (1) Up-to-date
quantitative assessments of potential for
undiscovered mineral deposits, (2) upto-date geoenvironmental assessments
of priority Federal lands, (3) reliable
geologic, geochemical, geophysical, and
mineral locality data for the United
States, and (4) long-term data sets
describing mineral production and
consumption. Annual research priorities
are provided as guidance for applicants
to consider when submitting proposals.
Annual research priorities are
determined by USGS MRP management.
Since the initiation of MRERP 2004, we
have awarded more than $1.8 million to
30 different research projects across the
country.
II. Data
OMB Control Number: None: This is
an existing collection without an OMB
control number.
Title: Mineral Resources External
Research Program (MRERP).
Respondent Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain benefits.
Frequency of Collection: Annually.
Estimated Number and Description of
Respondents: 35. Individuals,
universities, State agencies, Tribal
governments or organizations, and
industry or other private sector
organizations.
Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 40 (35 applications and 5
reports per year).
Estimated Annual Reporting and
Recordkeeping ‘‘Hour’’ Burden: 3,060.
We expect to receive approximately 35
applications, each taking 81 hours to
complete. This includes the time for
project conception and development,
proposal writing and reviewing, and
submitting project narrative through
Grants.gov, (2,835 burden hours). We
anticipate awarding an average of 5
grants per year. Each grant recipient
must complete and submit a final
report. We estimate 45 hours to
complete a report (totaling 225 hours).
Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping ‘‘Non-Hour Cost’’
Burden: There are no ‘‘non-hour cost’’

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burdens associated with this collection
of information.
III. Request for Comments
We invite comments concerning this
ICR on: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the agency to perform its duties,
including whether the information is
useful; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, usefulness, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden on the respondents, including
the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before
including your address, phone number,
e-mail address or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment including your
personal identifying information, may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
Dated: April 2, 2009.
Kathleen Johnson,
Program Coordinator, Mineral Resources
External Research Program.
[FR Doc. E9–7924 Filed 4–7–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4311–AM–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
U.S. Geological Survey
Agency Information Collection
Activities: National Geological and
Geophysical Data Preservation
Program (NGGDPP)
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Notice of a new information
collection.
AGENCY:
ACTION:

SUMMARY: To comply with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), we are notifying the public that
we have submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) a new
information collection request (ICR) for
approval of the paperwork requirements
for the National Geological and
Geophysical Data Preservation Program
(NGGDPP). This notice provides the
public an opportunity to comment on
the paperwork burden of the project

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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 66 / Wednesday, April 8, 2009 / Notices

narrative and report requirements
discussed below.
DATES: You must submit comments on
or before May 8, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Please submit comments on
this information collection directly to
the Office of Management and Budget
Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Attention: Desk Officer for the
Department of the Interior, via e-mail
[[email protected]] or fax
202–395–5806; and identify your
submission as 1028–NEW. Please also
submit a copy of your comments to
Phadrea Ponds, USGS Information
Collection Clearance Officer, 2150–C
Center Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525
(mail); (970)226–9230 (fax); or
[email protected] (e-mail). Please
reference Information Collection 1028–
NEW, NGGDPP in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Frances W. Pierce at (703) 648–6636 or
by mail at U.S. Geological Survey, 912
National Center, Sunrise Valley Drive,
Reston, VA 20192.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This notice concerns the collection of
information that is sufficient and
relevant to evaluate and select proposals
for funding under the NGGDPP. We will
accept proposals from State geological
surveys requesting funds to inventory
and assess the condition of current
collections and data preservation needs.
Financial assistance will be awarded
annually on a competitive basis
following the evaluation and ranking of
State proposals by a review panel
composed of representatives from the
Department of the Interior, State
geological surveys, academic
institutions, and the private sector. To
submit a proposal, you must complete a
project narrative and submit the
application via Grants.gov. Grant
recipients must complete a final
technical report at the end of the project
period. Narrative and report guidance is
available through http://
datapreservation.usgs.gov/ and at
http://www.Grants.gov.

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II. Data
OMB Control Number: None. This is
a new collection.
Title: National Geological and
Geophysical Data Preservation Program
(NGGDPP).
Respondent Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: Annually.
Estimated Number and Description of
Respondents: 62 State Geological
Surveys.

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Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 62 (34 applications and 28
reports).
Estimated Annual Reporting and
Recordkeeping ‘‘Hour’’ Burden: 1,232
hours. We expect to receive
approximately 34 applications. It takes
each applicant approximately 35 hours
to complete the narrative and to present
supporting documents. This includes
the time for project conception and
development, proposal writing and
reviewing, and submitting the proposal
application through Grants.gov (totaling
1,190 burden hours). We anticipate
awarding 28 grants per year. The award
recipients must submit a final report.
We estimate that it will take
approximately 1.5 hours to complete the
requirement for the reports (totaling 42
hours).
Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping ‘‘Non-Hour Cost’’
Burden: There are no ‘‘non-hour cost’’
burdens associated with this collection
of information.
III. Request for Comments
On September 15, 2008, we published
a Federal Register notice (73 FR 53265)
announcing that we would submit this
information collection to OMB for
approval. The notice provided a 60-day
public comment period ending on
November 14, 2008. We did not receive
any comments in response to that
notice.
We again invite comments concerning
this ICR on: (a) Whether the proposed
collection of information is necessary
for the agency to perform its duties,
including whether the information is
useful; (b) the accuracy of the agency’s
estimate of the burden of the proposed
collection of information; (c) ways to
enhance the quality, usefulness, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden on the respondents, including
the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or
summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before
including your address, phone number,
e-mail address or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment including your
personal identifying information, may
be made publicly available at anytime.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.

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Dated: April 2, 2009.
Frances Pierce,
Acting Program Coordinator, National
Geological and Geophysical Data
Preservation.
[FR Doc. E9–7928 Filed 4–7–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4311–AM–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Geological Survey
Agency Information Collection
Activity; Evaluation of USGS
Southwest Biological Science Center
Biennial Conferences
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Notice; request for comments.

AGENCY:
ACTION:

SUMMARY: We (U.S. Geological Survey)
will ask the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) to approve the
information collection (IC) described
below. As required by the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 and as part of our
continuing efforts to reduce paperwork
and respondent burden, we invite the
general public and other Federal
agencies to take this opportunity to
comment on this IC. We may not
conduct or sponsor and a person is not
required to respond to a collection of
information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
DATES: You must submit comments on
or before June 8, 2009.
ADDRESSES: Please submit your
comments on the IC to Phadrea Ponds,
USGS Information Collection Clearance
Officer, 2150–C Center Avenue, Fort
Collins, CO 80525 (mail); (970) 226–
9230 (fax); or [email protected]
(e-mail). Please reference Information
Collection 1028–NEW, Conference
Evaluation in the subject line.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION PLEASE
CONTACT: To request additional

information about this IC, contact Dr.
Marty Lee by e-mail at
[email protected] or by telephone at
(928) 523–6644.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
Natural area conferences aim to
promote discussion and productive
communication between researchers
and land resource managers. This
research is designed to measure the
effectiveness of these conferences using
importance/performance analysis to
identify a set of standards that define an
effective conference. An on-line survey
will be sent to approximately 550
attendees of two USGS-sponsored
conferences. Results will provide
quantitative knowledge that will

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