Published 30-day FRN (87 FR 8866)

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 16, 2022 / Notices

applicant is aware of the requirements
of the permit and his/her legal rights.
Refuge-specific special conditions may
be required for the permit. We identify
conditions as an addendum to the
permit. Most of the special conditions
pertain to how a permitted activity may
be conducted and do not require the
collection of information. However,
some special conditions, such as
activity reports, before and after site
photographs, or data sharing, would
qualify as an information collection, and
we have included the associated burden
below.
We also use FWS Form 3–1384, ‘‘Bid
Sheet—National Wildlife Refuge
System,’’ to streamline collection of the
necessary pre-award information from
applicants during bidding processes to
conduct economic uses on Service
lands, such as livestock, harvesting hay
and stock feed, or removing timber (50
CFR 29.21). This form simplifies the
pre-award selection/bidding process for
bidders and for refuge staff by enabling
them to understand what information
the refuge needs in order to select bids
for economic use, and, therefore,
reduces the time and burden for the
public and Service staff in the preaward selection bidding process. This
form is customizable to the individual
economic use being awarded. We will
use the Commercial Special Use Permit
(FWS Form 3–1383–C) as the actual
award document that will outline the
terms and conditions of the economic
use on Service lands.
Proposed Revisions to This Information
Collection
With this submission, we are
proposing the following revisions to the
existing information collection:

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Activity Reports/Associated Document
Requirements
In addition to the previously
approved activity report criteria, the
Service will also collect data associated
with client use days and their fees. The
Service has also updated the reporting
rate for permits issued for both
Commercial Use and Research to reflect
current requirements.
ePermits Initiative
The Service’s new ‘‘ePermits’’
initiative is an automated permit
application system that will allow the
agency to move towards a streamlined
permitting process to reduce public
burden. Public burden reduction is a
priority for the Service; the Assistant
Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks;
and senior leadership at the Department
of the Interior. The intent of the
ePermits initiative is to fully automate

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the permitting process to improve the
customer experience and to reduce time
burden on respondents. This new
system will enhance the user experience
by allowing users to enter data from any
device that has internet access,
including PCs, tablets, and
smartphones. It will also link the permit
applicant to the Pay.gov system for
payment of the associated permit
application fee. We anticipate including
the following Service forms in the
ePermits system: 3–1383–G, 3–1383–C,
3–1383–R, and 3–1384.
Once these forms are automated in the
new ePermits system, we anticipate a
reduction in the amount of time
necessary for an applicant to apply for
a permit and perform regular actions
related to that permit (e.g., amend,
renew, report). Through the ePermits
account registration, we will track and
be able to more accurately report the
number of small business applicants,
along with the type of business (forprofit, farm, not-for profit). This
information will allow the Service to be
more responsive in identifying the
possibility of additional burden
reduction on small businesses.
We also plan to eliminate the
necessity for physical mail-in
applications (though this will remain an
option for those who either don’t have
access to the internet or prefer to use
mail-in applications), thus further
reducing public burden. With ePermits,
an applicant will be able to establish an
account and apply for multiple permits
through a single interface. The system
allows the applicant to track all their
applications, permits and permit-related
actions, as well as all communications
between Service staff and the permittee/
applicant within the same interface,
significantly reducing the burden on the
government to process these
applications and manage permit-related
actions. The decrease in submissions of
paper-based forms is expected to reduce
the government cost of administering
and processing permit applications.
Amendments and Renewals
Through our review of the special use
permitting process in preparation for
automation in the ePermits system, we
discovered that we need to account for
amendments to and renewals of special
use permits separately from the initial
applications, because amendments/
renewals have time burdens that are
different from those of the initial
submissions. The revised burden table
below includes our initial estimates for
amendments and renewals.
Title of Collection: National Wildlife
Refuge Special Use Permit Applications

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and Reports, 50 CFR 25, 26, 27, 29, 30,
31, 32, & 36.
OMB Control Number: 1018–0102.
Form Number: FWS Forms 3–1383–G,
3–1383–C, 3–1383–R, and 3–1384.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Individuals and households; businesses
and other for-profit organizations;
nonprofit organizations; farms; and
State, local, or tribal governments.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Respondents: 13,903.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 13,903.
Estimated Completion Time per
Response: Varies from 25 minutes to 5
hours, depending on activity.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 21,446.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion
for applications; annually or on
occasion for reports.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour
Burden Cost: $337,500 for fees
associated with applications for
commercial use activities ($100.00 × an
estimated 3,375 applications
(individuals and private sector
respondents only)).
An agency 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.
The authority for this action is the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2022–03305 Filed 2–15–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS–HQ–LE–2021–N214; FF09L00000/FX/
LE18110900000/212; OMB Control Number
1018–0092]

Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget; Federal Fish
and Wildlife Applications and
Reports—Law Enforcement
Fish and Wildlife Service,
Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:

In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

SUMMARY:

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 16, 2022 / Notices
(Service), are proposing to renew an
information collection with revisions.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before March
18, 2022.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the
information collection request (ICR)
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under Review—Open for
Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function. Please provide a copy
of your comments to the Service
Information Collection Clearance
Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service,
MS: PRB (JAO/3W), 5275 Leesburg Pike,
Falls Church, VA 22041–3803 (mail); or
by email to [email protected]. Please
reference Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) Control Number 1018–
0092 in the subject line of your
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Madonna L. Baucum, Service
Information Collection Clearance
Officer, by email at [email protected],
or by telephone at (703) 358–2503.
Individuals who are hearing or speech
impaired may call the Federal Relay
Service at 1–800–877–8339 for TTY
assistance. You may also view the
information collection request (ICR) at
http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain.
In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we
provide the general public and other
Federal agencies with an opportunity to
comment on new, proposed, revised,
and continuing collections of
information. This helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
requirements and minimize the public’s
reporting burden. It also helps the
public understand our information
collection requirements and provide the
requested data in the desired format.
On September 27, 2021, we published
in the Federal Register (86 FR 53337) a
notice of our intent to request that OMB
approve this information collection. In
that notice, we solicited comments for
60 days, ending on November 26, 2021.
In an effort to increase public awareness
of, and participation in, our public
commenting processes associated with
information collection requests, the
Service also published the Federal
Register notice on Regulations.gov
(Docket FWS–HQ–LE–2021–0109) to
provide the public with an additional
method to submit comments (in
addition to the typical Info_Coll@

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SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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fws.gov email and U.S. mail submission
methods). We received the following
comments in response to that notice:
Comment 1: Comment received
electronically via Regulations.gov
(Comment ID: FWS–HQ–LE–2021–
0109–0002) from Jean Publieee on
September 26, 2021: The commenter
suggested public scrutiny as part of the
process to allow a person to trade in
wildlife, and alleged that criminals were
taking advantage of the wildlife and
profiting from the process. The
commentor referenced a 2017 case of
illegal export.
Agency Response to Comment 1: The
commenter did not address the
information collections, but rather
addresses important aspects of the
enforcement process. The public
scrutiny of applications
recommendation is not a feasible
element of the permitting regulations
process. This request is specific to the
application process for permits to allow
a person to trade in wildlife, while there
is a separate process by the Office of
Law Enforcement to document
violations.
Comment 2: Comment received
electronically via Regulations.gov
(Comment ID: FWS–HQ–LE–2021–
0109–0003) from Jean Publieee on
September 26, 2021: Commenter did not
support moving to a complete computer
(automated) process, given the
vulnerabilities of automated systems
and the fact that not everyone has
(access to) a computer.
Agency Response to Comment 2: We
note the comment and would like to
advise the public that paper
applications will still be available for
manual, mail-in submissions. However,
our efforts respond to the Service’s need
to move to a more efficient electronic
process and reduce the burden on the
public.
As part of our continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we are again soliciting
comments from the public and other
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR
that is described below. We are
especially interested in public comment
addressing the following:
(1) Whether or not the collection of
information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the
agency, including whether or not the
information will have practical utility;
(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the
burden for this collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(3) Ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and

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(4) How might the agency 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, e.g., permitting
electronic submission of response.
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record. Before including your
address, phone number, email 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.
Abstract: The Endangered Species Act
(ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) makes it
unlawful to import or export wildlife or
wildlife products for commercial
purposes without first obtaining an
import/export license (see 16 U.S.C.
1538(d)). The ESA also requires that fish
or wildlife be imported into or exported
from the United States only at a
designated port, or at a nondesignated
port under certain limited
circumstances (see 16 U.S.C. 1538(f)).
This information collection includes the
following permit/license application
forms:
FWS Form 3–200–2, ‘‘Designated Port
Exception Permit’’
Under 50 CFR 14.11, it is unlawful to
import or export wildlife or wildlife
products at ports other than those
designated in 50 CFR 14.12, unless you
qualify for an exception. The following
exceptions allow qualified individuals,
businesses, or scientific organizations to
import or export wildlife or wildlife
products at a nondesignated port:
(a) To export the wildlife or wildlife
products for scientific purposes;
(b) To minimize deterioration or loss;
or
(c) To relieve economic hardship.
To request authorization to import or
export wildlife or wildlife products at
nondesignated ports, applicants must
complete FWS Form 3–200–2.
Designated port exception permits can
be valid for up to 2 years. We may
require a permittee to file a report on
activities conducted under authority of
the permit.

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 16, 2022 / Notices

FWS Form 3–200–3a, ‘‘Federal Fish and
Wildlife Permit Application Form:
Import/Export License—U.S. Entities,’’
and 3–200–3b, ‘‘Federal Fish and
Wildlife Permit Application Form:
Import/Export License—Foreign
Entities’’
It is unlawful to import or export
wildlife or wildlife products for
commercial purposes without first
obtaining an import/export license (50
CFR 14.91). Applicants located in the
United States must complete FWS Form
3–200–3a to request this license.
Foreign applicants that reside or are
located outside the United States must
complete FWS Form 3–200–3b to
request this license.
We use the information collected on
FWS Forms 3–200–3a and 3–200–3b as
an enforcement tool and management
aid to (a) monitor the international
wildlife market and (b) detect trends
and changes in the commercial trade of
wildlife and wildlife products. Import/
export licenses are valid for up to 1
year. We may require a licensee to file
a report on activities conducted under
authority of the import/export license.
Proposed Revisions
Automation in eLicense System
With this submission, we also seek
OMB approval to automate FWS Forms
3–200–2, ‘‘Designated Port Exception
Permit’’ (50 CFR parts 13 and 14); Form
3–200–3a, ‘‘Federal Fish and Wildlife
Permit Application Form: Import/Export
License-U.S. Entities’’ (50 CFR parts 13
and 14); and Form 3–200–3b, ‘‘Federal
Fish and Wildlife Permit Application
Form: Import/Export License-Foreign

Entities’’ (50 CFR parts 13 and 14) in a
new eLicense system. This automation
is expected to reduce the burden on the
public. The eLicense system will also
simplify the application process and
give the applicant the ability to pay
online through Pay.gov via credit card
or direct bank payment. This will
reduce the number of applicants
requesting multiple licenses for the
same business and will reduce the
number of incorrect addresses and
bounced checks that we receive. In
addition, we removed the requirement
to provide the dates of birth for U.S.
agents on Forms 3–200–2 and 3–200–3b.
Automation in ePermits System
With this submission, we propose a
revision to the collection to obtain OMB
approval to automate Form 3–200–44,
‘‘Permit Application Form: Registration
of an Agent/Tannery under the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA),’’ and
Form 3–200–44a, ‘‘Registered Agent/
Tannery Bi-Annual Inventory Report,’’
in the Service’s ‘‘ePermits’’ system. The
ePermits system is an automated permit
application system that streamlines the
permitting process to reduce public
burden. Public burden reduction is a
priority for the Service; the Assistant
Secretary for Fish, Wildlife, and Parks;
and senior leadership at the Department
of the Interior. The ePermits system
fully automates the permitting process
to improve the customer experience and
to reduce time burden on respondents.
This system also enhances the user
experience by allowing users to enter
data from any device that has internet
access, including PCs, tablets, and
smartphones. Furthermore, the system
Estimated
number of
annual
respondents

Activity/requirement

Estimated
number of
annual
responses

links the permit applicant to the Pay.gov
system for payment of any associated
permit application fees.
Until we have actual usage data from
the eLicense and ePermits systems, we
are splitting the previously approved
public burden equally between hard
copy and electronic submissions (see
burden table below). After the forms are
operational in the two systems for at
least 12–18 months, the Service will
have more reliable burden data to
submit to OMB in conjunction with the
next renewal of this collection.
Title of Collection: Federal Fish and
Wildlife Applications and Reports-Law
Enforcement; 50 CFR parts 13 and 14.
OMB Control Number: 1018–0092.
Form Number: FWS Forms 3–200–2,
3–200–3a, 3–200–3b, 3–200–44, and 3–
200–44a.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Individuals, private sector, and State/
local/Tribal entities.
Respondent’s Obligation: Required to
obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion
for Forms 3–200–2, 3–200–3a, 3–200–
3b, 3–200–44, and reporting
requirements and biannually for Form
3–200–44a.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour
Burden Cost: $1,188,700. There is a
$100 fee associated with applications
(Forms 3–200–2, 3–200–3a and 3–200–
3b) and a $150 fee associated with
application (Form 3–200–44) received
from individuals and the private sector.
There is no fee for applications from
government agencies or for processing
reports.
Total
estimated
annual
responses

Completion
time per
response
(hours)

Estimated
total annual
burden
hours *

FWS Form 3–200–2, ‘‘Designated Port Exception Permit’’ (50 CFR parts 13 and 14) (Hardcopy)
Individuals ............................................................................
Private Sector ......................................................................
Government .........................................................................

289
361
7

1
1
1

289
361
7

1.25
1.25
1.25

361
451
9

1
1
1

289
361
7

FWS Form 3–200–2, ‘‘Designated Port Exception Permit’’ (50 CFR parts 13 and 14) (eLicense)

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Individuals ............................................................................
Private Sector ......................................................................
Government .........................................................................

289
361
7

1
1
1

289
361
7

FWS Form 3–200–3a, ‘‘Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit Application Form: Import/Export License-U.S. Entities’’ (50 CFR parts 13 and 14)
(Hardcopy)
Private Sector ......................................................................

5,099

1

5,099

1.25

6,374

FWS Form 3–200–3a, ‘‘Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit Application Form: Import/Export License-U.S. Entities’’ (50 CFR parts 13 and 14)
(eLicense)
Private Sector ......................................................................

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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 32 / Wednesday, February 16, 2022 / Notices
Estimated
number of
annual
respondents

Activity/requirement

Estimated
number of
annual
responses

Total
estimated
annual
responses

Completion
time per
response
(hours)

Estimated
total annual
burden
hours *

FWS Form 3–200–3b, ‘‘Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit Application Form: Import/Export License-Foreign Entities’’ (50 CFR parts 13 and
14) (Hardcopy)
Private Sector ......................................................................

190

1

190

1.25

238

FWS Form 3–200–3b, ‘‘Federal Fish and Wildlife Permit Application Form: Import/Export License-Foreign Entities’’ (50 CFR parts 13 and
14) (eLicense)
Private Sector ......................................................................

190

1

190

1

190

5

1

5

10

1

10

Designated Port Exception Permit Report (50 CFR parts 13 and 14)
Private Sector ......................................................................

5

1

Import/Export License Report (50 CFR parts 13 and 14)
Private Sector ......................................................................

10

1

FWS Forms 3–200–44, ‘‘Permit Application Form: Registration of an Agent/Tannery under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)’’
(Hardcopy)
Private Sector ......................................................................

3

1

3

.3

1

FWS Forms 3–200–44, ‘‘Permit Application Form: Registration of an Agent/Tannery under the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA)’’
(ePermits)
Private Sector ......................................................................

3

1

3

.25

1

1

20

FWS Form 3–200–44a, ‘‘Registered Agent/Tannery Bi-Annual Inventory Report’’ (Hardcopy)
Private Sector ......................................................................

10

2

20

FWS Form 3–200–44a, ‘‘Registered Agent/Tannery Bi-Annual Inventory Report’’ (ePermits)
Private Sector ......................................................................

10

2

20

.75

15

Total: .............................................................................

11,933

........................

11,953

........................

13,431

* Rounded to Match ROCIS.

An agency 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.
The authority for this action is the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2022–03313 Filed 2–15–22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4333–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

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Geological Survey
[GX21ZS00COM0000; OMB Control Number
1028–NEW]

Agency Information Collection
Activities; Assessing Community
Needs for Terrestrial Analog Studies
AGENCY:

Geological Survey, Interior.

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18:37 Feb 15, 2022

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Notice of information collection;
request for comment.

ACTION:

In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) are
proposing a new information collection.

SUMMARY:

Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before April 18,
2022.

DATES:

Send your comments on
this information collection request (ICR)
by mail to U.S. Geological Survey,
Information Collections Officer, 12201
Sunrise Valley Drive MS 159, Reston,
VA 20192; and by email to: gs-info_
[email protected]. Please reference
OMB Control Number 1028–NEW in the
subject line of your comments.

ADDRESSES:

To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Lauren Edgar by email
at [email protected], or by telephone at
928–556–7213. Individuals who are
hearing or speech impaired may call the
Federal Relay Service at 1–800–877–
8339 for TTY assistance. You may also

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

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view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain.
In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all
information collections require approval
under the PRA. We may not conduct, or
sponsor and you are not required to
respond to a collection of information
unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number.
As part of our continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent
burdens, we invite the public and other
Federal agencies to comment on new,
proposed, revised, and continuing
collections of information. This helps us
assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. It also
helps the public understand our
information collection requirements and
provide the requested data in the
desired format.
We are especially interested in public
comment addressing the following:

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

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