2024-07155. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Watercraft Inspection and Decontamination Regional Data-Sharing for Trailered Boats

AGENCY:

Department of the Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Department of the Interior (Interior) are proposing to renew an information collection with revisions.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before June 3, 2024.

ADDRESSES:

Send your comments on this information collection request (ICR) by mail to Mr. Jeffrey Parrillo, Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240; or by email to [e-mail]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1090-0013 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Heidi McMaster, Natural Resources Specialist, by email at [e-mail], or by telephone at [phone]. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay services offered within their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all information collections require approval under the PRA. We may not conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we invite the public and other Federal agencies 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 especially interested in public comment addressing the following:

(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether or not the information will have practical utility;

(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) How might the agency minimize the 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, e.g., permitting electronic submission of response.

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: Interior is authorized by the Lacey Act (18 U.S.C. 42, 16 U.S.C. 3371-3378 et seq.), the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act (U.S.C. 661 et seq., as amended by John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and Recreation Act, Title 25 U.S.C. 3701, et seq. sec. 7001(b)(2), Pub. L. 116-9) and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976, as amended, 43 U.S.C. 1701, et seq., to collect this information. Interior is requesting approval to collect information from boaters entering or exiting water areas managed by various bureaus under Interior. The data will help document the presence and evaluate any risks associated with the unintentional introduction of quagga/zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species in waters managed by the various bureaus under Interior. Collection of this information is required for all watercrafts entering and exiting waters managed by the various bureaus under Interior that have an active watercraft inspection and decontamination program.

The Regional Watercraft Inspection Decontamination Data Sharing System (Regional Database) was developed by the State of Colorado and is currently being utilized by numerous entities within the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Nuisance Species (WRP). The National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Reclamation, and Bureau of Land Management are part of the WRP and the regional network of state and federal agencies working to prevent the spread of quagga/zebra mussels and other aquatic invasive species (AIS) in the western U.S. The success of this multi-agency effort relies in part upon timely availability of accurate information related to trailered boats at watercraft inspection/decontamination (WID) stations. The Regional Database makes this information available to staff at WID stations, allowing them to assess risk associated with quagga/zebra mussels and other AIS on trailered boats. States have asked Federal partner agencies to use the Regional Database at their sites with WID programs.

Using the Regional Database requires that WID personnel ask boaters four questions and enter the responses via an app on a smartphone or tablet. Two of the four questions vary depending on whether a boater is entering or exiting the waterbody; the other two questions are the same for entering or exiting boaters:

Upon Entering:

1. Has the boat been out of the state in the last 30 days?

2. Where will the boat be launched next?

Upon Entering or Exiting:

1. What compartments or containers on the boat, including ballast tanks, hold water?

2. Does the boater have any live aquatic bait?

Proposed Revision

We would like to revise the information collection to include watercraft owner or boat hauler/transporter zip code. We are also changing the response time from 4 minutes to 3 minutes.

Title of Collection: Watercraft Inspection Decontamination Regional Data-Sharing for Trailered Boats.

OMB Control Number: 1090-0013.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Revision of already approved information collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals/household; private sector; State, local, and Tribal governments.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 416,376.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 416,376.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: 3 minutes.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 20,816 hours.

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion. (Upon entry, exit, or both).

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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.).

Jeffrey Parrillo,

Departmental Information Collection Clearance Officer.