2019-23090. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Rights-of-Way on Indian Land

AGENCY:

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), are proposing to renew an information collection with revisions.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before November 22, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Send written comments on this information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior by email at [e-mail]; or via facsimile to [phone]. Please provide a copy of your comments to Ms. Sharlene Round Face, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Division of Real Estate Services, 1001 Indian School Road, Northwest, Mailbox #44, Albuquerque, NM 87104; or by email to [e-mail]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1076-0181 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Ms. Sharlene Round Face by email at [e-mail] or by telephone at [phone]. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 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.

A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on April 24, 2019 (84 FR 17189). No comments were received.

We are soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper functions of the BIA; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the BIA enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the BIA minimize the burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use of information technology.

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: This information collection is necessary for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) to authorize rights-of-way to cross land held in trust or restricted status on behalf of individual Indians and tribes, for a specific purpose, including but not limited to building and operating a line or road. The statutory authority for this program is at 25 U.S.C. 323-328. The regulations at 25 CFR 169 implement the statutory authority. BIA uses the information it collects to determine whether or not to grant a right-of-way, the value of the right-of-way, the appropriate compensation due to landowners, the amount of administrative fees that must be levied, and the penalties, if any, that should be assessed for violations of the right-of-way provisions.

Title of Collection: Rights-of-Way on Indian Land.

OMB Control Number: 1076-0181.

Form Number: Right-of-Way Application.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Tribes, Indian landowners and the public.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 3,200.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 3,200.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 15 minutes to 35 hours (for the application).

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 39,050.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain a Benefit.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $1,100,000.

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).

Elizabeth K. Appel,

Director, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs.