2012-31306. Renewal of Agency Information Collection for Water Delivery for the Operation of Irrigation Projects

AGENCY:

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of submission to OMB.

SUMMARY:

In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Acting Assistant Secretary—Indian Affairs is submitting to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) a request for renewal of the collection of information for Water Request, 25 CFR 171, authorized by OMB Control Number 1076-0141. This information collection expires December 31, 2012.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before January 28, 2013.

ADDRESSES:

You may submit comments on the information collection to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at the Office of Management and Budget, by facsimile to [phone] or you may send an email to: [e-mail]. Please send a copy of your comments to Yulan Jin, Acting Chief, Division of Water and Power, Office of Trust Services, Mail Stop 4655—MIB, 1849 C Street NW., Washington, DC 20240; email: [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Yulan Jin, 202-219-0941. You may review the information collection request online at http://www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to review Department of the Interior collections under review by OMB.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) owns, operates, and maintains 15 irrigation projects that provide a service to the end user. To be able to properly bill for the services provided, the BIA must collect customer information to identify the individual responsible for repaying the government the costs of delivering the service, and billing for those costs. Additional information necessary for providing the service is the location of the service delivery. The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA) requires that certain information be collected from individuals and businesses doing business with the government. This information includes the taxpayer identification number for possible future use to recover delinquent debt. To implement the DCIA requirement to collect customer information, the BIA has included a section concerning the collection of information in its regulations governing its irrigation projects (25 CFR part 171).

II. Request for Comments

The BIA requests your comments on this collection concerning: (a) The necessity of this information collection for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (hours and cost) of the collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Ways we could enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) Ways we could minimize the burden of the collection of the information on the respondents.

Please note that an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and an individual need not respond to, a collection of information unless it has a valid OMB Control Number.

It is our policy to make all comments available to the public for review at the location listed in the ADDRESSES section. 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.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 1076-0141.

Title: Water Request, 25 CFR 171.

Brief Description of Collection: In order for irrigators to receive water deliveries, information is needed by the BIA to operate and maintain its irrigation projects and fulfill reporting requirements. Section 171.140 and other sections cited in section 171.40 of 25 CFR 171, [Irrigation] Operation and Maintenance, specifies the information collection requirement. Water users must apply for water delivery and for a number of other associated services, such as, subsidizing a farm unit, requesting leaching service, requesting water for domestic or stock purposes, building structures or fences in BIA rights-of-way, requesting payment plans on bills, establishing a carriage agreement with a third-party, negotiating irrigation incentives leases, and requesting an assessment waiver. The information to be collected includes: full legal name; correct mailing address; taxpayer identifying number; water delivery location; if subdividing a farm unit—a copy of the recorded plat or map of the subdivision where water will be delivered; the time and date of requested water delivery; duration of water delivery; amount of water delivered; rate of water flow; number of acres irrigated; crop statistics; any other agreements allowed under 25 CFR part 171; and any additional information required by the local project office that provides your service. The information water users submit is for the purpose of obtaining or retaining a benefit, namely irrigation water.

Type of Review: Extension without change of currently approved collection.

Respondents: Water users of BIA irrigation project—individual and businesses.

Number of Respondents: 6,539 per year.

Number of Responses: 27,075 per year.

Estimated Time per Response: A range of 18 minutes to 6 hours, depending on the specific service being requested.

Frequency of Response: On occasion through the irrigation season, averaging approximately 2 times per year.

Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 14,059 hours.

Dated: December 20, 2012.

John Ashley,

Acting Assistant Director for Information Resources.