[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 54 (Tuesday, March 19, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11227-11228]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-6509]
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NATIONAL INDIAN GAMING COMMISSION
Request for Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved
Information Collection
AGENCY: National Indian Gaming Commission.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The National Indian Gaming Commission is publishing this
notice to comply with the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act
of 1995. The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 was enacted for the
purpose of minimizing the paperwork burden on the public and, in
particular, on the regulated community. The Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 was also enacted to maximize the utility of information created,
collected, maintained, used, shared and disseminated by or for the
Federal Government. The National Indian Gaming Commission received
clearance from the Office of Management and Budget for the collection
of information necessary to implement the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
The purpose of this notice is to inform the public that the National
Indian Gaming Commission currently seeks renewal of this clearance.
DATES: Comments must be received by May 20, 1996.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Linda
Hutchinson, National Indian Gaming Commission, 1441 L Street NW, Suite
9100, Washington, DC 20005. Telephone: (202) 632-7003.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: National Environmental Policy Act Procedures.
OMB Number: 3141-0006.
Expiration Date of Approval: April 30, 1996.
Type of Request: Extension and revision of a currently approved
information collection.
Abstract: The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (25 U.S.C. 2701 et seq.,
102 Stat. 2467, Pub. L. 100-497) [the Act] governs the regulation of
gaming on Indian lands. The Act establishes the National Indian Gaming
Commission (NIGC, or the Commission) as an independent federal
regulatory agency
[[Page 11228]]
with authority to oversee Indian gaming. The National Environmental
Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq., was enacted to
encourage a national policy of protecting, enhancing, and restoring the
quality of the human environment. The Council on Environmental Policy
(CEQ), established pursuant to NEPA, promulgated implementing
regulations at 40 C.F.R. Sec. 1501 et seq., NEPA and the CEQ's
regulations require every federal agency to establish procedures and
strategies that give appropriate consideration to the environmental
consequences of federal agency actions. Under NEPA, federal agencies
are required to prepare or cause to be prepared environmental documents
relating to actions by the agency that have significant impacts on the
environment. Accordingly, when the NEPA process is triggered, it is
necessary to gather information from the regulated community regarding
the environmental impacts of a proposed action.
The Commission believes that the NEPA process will be triggered
when a tribe and management contractor seek approval of a management
contract under 25 CFR part 533. Under NEPA, an Environmental Assessment
(EA) must be prepared when the environmental consequences of a
particular action are unclear and need to be further refined. The
Commission believes it will be necessary to prepare an EA when it
approves a management agreement containing provisions for the
construction, development, or maintenance of a gaming operation or a
part thereof. When it has determined that preparation of an EA is
necessary, the Commission may permit the applicants seeking approval of
the management agreement or an environmental consultant acting on
behalf of such applicants to prepare and submit the EA. The Commission
must independently evaluate the EA, verify its content, and take full
responsibility for the accuracy of the information contained therein.
Respondents: Applicants seeking approval of a management contract
and/or third party contractor.
Number of Respondents: 11.
Estimate of Burden: An average of 1090 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 12,000 hours.
Send comments regarding the accuracy of the burden estimates, ways
to minimize the burden or any other aspect of this collection of
information to: Linda Hutchinson, 1441 L Street NW, Suite 9100,
Washington, DC 20005.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of
public record.
Harold A. Monteau,
Chairman, National Indian Gaming Commission.
[FR Doc. 96-6509 Filed 3-18-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7565-01-M