2019-07906. Agency Information Collection Activities; Leases and Permits

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.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 18, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments on this information collection request (ICR) by mail 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 1076-0155 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].

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.

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. We will include or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to approve this ICR. 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: Generally trust and restricted land may be leased by Indian land owners, with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, except when specified by statute. Submission of this information allows BIA to review applications for obtaining, modifying, and assigning leases and permits of land that the United States holds in trust or restricted status for individual Indians and Indian Tribes. The information is used to determine approval of a lease, amendment, assignment, sublease, mortgage, or related document. A response is required to obtain or retain a benefit.

Title of Collection: Leases and Permits.

OMB Control Number: 1076-0155.

Form Number: Leasing Application (no permits).

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

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

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 5,878.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 5,878.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 1 to 80 hours, with an average of 40 hours.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 235,120.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain a Benefit.

Frequency of Collection: In general, once per approval per lease. Some collections occur upon request for modification or assignment or upon a trespass violation, which occur, on average, fewer than once per lease. Additionally, rent payments occur, on average, once per month.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $1,813,000.

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.