Correspondence-Deputy Secretary Censky

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USDA

United States Department of Agriculture
Office of the Secretary
Washington, D.C. 20250

APR 2 4 2018
The Honorable Mick Mulvaney
Office of Management and Budget
Director
725 17th Street, NW.
Washington, D.C. 20503
Dear Director Mulvaney:
The U.S. Department of Agriculture ' s (USDA) Forest Service is planning to collect information from
farmers and rural residents in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to understand the impacts of
Hurricanes Irma and Maria on agriculture, forestry, and rural communities in the U.S. Caribbean.
We plan to use this information to assess the effectiveness of conservation practices and strategies to
mitigate hurricane risks. The information we intend to collect will be used in near-real time to help
ensure the effectiveness of USDA investments in restoration, recovery, and resilience efforts in
Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. We are committed to supporting agricultural and forest
products producers, rural landowners, and the many others affected by these catastrophic storms.
In March 2018, the Forest Service submitted to the Office of Management and Budget - Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs (OMB-OIRA) a request for emergency processing of an
information collection request, "Understanding the Effects of Hurricanes Irma and Maria on
Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Communities in the U.S. Caribbean," consistent with requirements
of the Paperwork Reduction Act (Public Law 10- 13). On April 17, 2018, OMB-OIRA concluded
that the request was improperly submitted, and we have revised and are resubmitting our request.
I am affirming USDA's need for emergency processing. The emergency request reflects the
time-sensitive nature of gathering this information and its critical role in informing effective
recovery programs. Given the urgent need to collect this information and the rapidly
approaching 2018 hurricane season, the timeframe for processing routine information collection
requests would not allow the research to commence when necessary. Further, the Agency has
not identified an existing approved collection that could be used. We request 0MB to take
action within 5 days of the closure of the 30-day comment period in the Federal Register notice.
The results of this work are very important to USDA and others in improving the resilience of
farms , forests, and rural communities in the U .S. Caribbean and in other areas affected by
hurricanes and other major disturbances. It is important to complete the initial research prior to
the next hurricane season, and I appreciate emergency processing of this information collection
request.

Stephen L. C ~
Deputy Secretary

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