[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 59 (Tuesday, March 26, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13210-13211]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-7209]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
[WO-330-1030-02-24 1A]
Extension of Approved Information Collection, OMB Number 1004-
0113
AGENCY: Bureau of Land Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is announcing its intention to request
renewal of existing approval to collect certain information from
prospective Federal timber purchasers to allow the BLM to determine the
qualification of the purchaser to bid on a timber sale contract and to
document written and sealed bids and bid deposits. BLM uses this
information to administer the timber sale contracting process by
ensuring only qualified bidders are participating and that the bidding
process is not compromised.
DATES: Comments on the proposed information collection must be received
by May 28, 1996 to be assured of consideration.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be mailed to: Regulatory Management Team (420),
Bureau of Land Management, 1849 C Street NW, Room 401LS, Washington,
D.C. 20240.
Comments may be sent via Internet to: !WO140@attmail.com. Please
include ``ATTN: 1004-0113'' and your name and return address in your
Internet message.
Comments may be hand-delivered to the Bureau of Land Management
Administrative Record, Room 401, 1620 L Street, NW, Washington, DC.
Comments will be available for public review at the L Street
address during regular business hours (7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m.), Monday
through Friday.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dwight Fielder, (202) 452-7758.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with 5 CFR 1320.12(a), BLM is
required to provide 60-day notice in the Federal Register concerning a
collection of information contained in a published current rule to
solicit comments on (a) whether the proposed collection of information
is necessary 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 of the proposed
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology
and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize
the
[[Page 13211]]
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. BLM will receive and analyze any comments
sent in response to this notice and include them with its request for
approval from the Office of Management and Budget under 44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.
BLM manages and sells timber located on the revested Oregon and
California Railroad and the reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road Grant Lands
pursuant to authority of the Act of August 28, 1937, (50 Stat. 875, 43
U.S.C. 1181e). BLM manages and sells timber located on other lands
under the jurisdiction of the BLM pursuant to the Act of July 31, 1947,
as amended (61 Stat. 681, 30 U.S.C. 601 et seq.). The implementing
regulations are found at 43 CFR 5400, Sales of Forest Products;
General. The regulations were issued on June 13, 1970 (35 FR 9785),
amended on March 8, 1973 (38 FR 6280), September 2, 1982 (47 FR 38696),
and last amended on July 17, 1987 (52 FR 26983). A bidder or purchaser
for the sale of timber must be (1) an individual who is a citizen of
the United States, (2) a partnership composed wholly of such citizens,
(3) an unincorporated association composed wholly of such citizens, or
(4) a corporation authorized to transact business in the States in
which the timber is located (43 CFR 5441.1). BLM collects the
purchaser's name and address, tract number, sale name, sale notice
date, BLM District, evidence of qualification, bid deposit type and
amount, product type or timber species, unit, estimated volume or
quantity, unit price and total value using BLM Form 5440-9, Deposit and
Bid for Timber.
BLM uses the information to determine that a prospective purchaser
has met the regulatory requirements to qualify for bidding and that the
bid offered meets the minimum acceptable amount. If BLM did not collect
this information, unqualified prospective purchasers might enter into
the timber sale contracting process and the bidding process may be
compromised.
Based on BLM's experience administering timber sales, the public
reporting burden for the information collected is estimated to average
one and one quarter hours per response. This includes time to read and
understand the instructions, consult the timber sale prospectus, make a
determination of the value of the products and fill out the form. The
respondents are prospective timber purchasers. The frequency of
response is controlled by the number of advertised sales conducted. The
number of responses is estimated to be 500 from experience with the
number of bidders qualifying for timber sales over the past 3 years.
The estimated total annual burden on respondents is about 625 hours.
Any interested member of the public may request and obtain, without
charge, a copy of Form 5440-9 by contacting the person identified under
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for Office of Management and Budget approval. All comments will
also become a matter of public record.
Dated: March 20, 1996.
Dr. Annetta L. Cheek,
Chief, Regulatory Management Team.
[FR Doc. 96-7209 Filed 3-25-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-84-P
