ECR - 2023 Hawaii Agricultural Disaster Survey - Dominic Mancini - OMB Letter - Sept 2023

United States Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service

Mr. Dominic Mancini
Deputy Administrator
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Office of Management and Budget
725 17th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20503

September 27, 2023

Dear Mr. Mancini,

Pursuant to Office of Management and Budget (OMB) procedures established at 5 C.F.R.
Part 1320, Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public, I request that the proposed USDA
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) information collection entitled, 2023 Hawaii
Agricultural Disaster Survey be processed as an emergency clearance request in accordance
with 5 C.F.R. § 1320.13, Emergency Processing.
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture has requested USDA NASS to conduct a survey to
assess agricultural losses related to recent wildfires. Specifically, the survey would
collect data on: loss of crops and livestock; loss of commodity and product sales; damaged
equipment and farm structures; and other infrastructure losses (such as seeds, etc.). The
survey results are vital for affected farmers and ranchers to file claims and to recover
from the disaster as quickly as possible. Agriculture agencies and associations such as the
Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Hawaii Farmers Union United, Hawaii Cattlemen
Association, the Maui Department of Agriculture, and USDA Farm Service Agency are in
full support of this request.

Because of the nature of the emergency and the urgent need for this collection, it is
impracticable for USDA to consult in advance with interested agencies and members of
the public in order to minimize the burden of the collection of information. Therefore,
USDA NASS requests a 180-day emergency clearance to establish the data collection
covered by the 2023 Hawaii Agricultural Disaster Survey. The180-day emergency
clearance will provide sufficient time to collect all data associated with this survey. As this
request for approval concerns an urgent need, USDA is also seeking OMB’s approval to
waive the need for the standard Federal Register Notices otherwise required by 5 C.F.R.
§§ 1320.5(a)(1)(iv) and 1320.8(d)(1) prior to publication and implementation of this
disclosure. Instead, USDA NASS will issue a Federal Register Notice that will alert the public
of this data collection and provide a five-day public comment period.

We would appreciate if you could please provide a determination on this request to
collect information under an emergency clearance 5-days after the completion of
the Federal Register Notice comment period.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

Sincerely,
Kevin L. Barnes
Associate Administrator
U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service