06-4442. Information Collection Activity; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Rural Utilities Service, USDA.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. chapter 35, as amended), the Rural Utilities Service (RUS) invites comments on the following information collections for which RUS intends to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

DATES:

Comments on this notice must be received by July 11, 2006.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Richard C. Annan, Director, Program Development and Regulatory Analysis, Rural Utilities Service, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., STOP 1522, Room 5818, South Building, Washington, DC 20250-1522. Telephone: [phone]. Fax: [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) regulation (5 CFR 1320) implementing provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13) requires that interested members of the public and affected agencies have an opportunity to comment on information collection and recordkeeping activities [see 5 CFR 1320.8(d)]. This notice identifies information collections that RUS is submitting to OMB for extension.

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether this 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 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 burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments may be sent to Richard C. Annan, Director, Program Development and Regulatory Analysis, Rural Utilities Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, STOP 1522, 1400 Independence Ave., SW., Washington, DC 20250-1522. Fax: [phone].

Title: Extensions of Payments of Principal and Interest.

OMB Control Number: 0572-0123.

Type of Request: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Abstract: This collection of information consists of information on the procedures which borrowers must follow in order to request extensions of principal and interest. Authority for these is contained in section 12 of the Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (RE Act), as amended and of section 236 of the “Disaster Relief Act of 1970 (Pub. L. 91-606), as amended by the Department of Agriculture Reorganization Act of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-354). Eligible purposes include financial hardship, energy resource conservation (ERC) loans, renewable energy project, distributed generation projects, and contributions-in-aid of construction. These procedures are codified at 7 CFR part 1721, subpart B.

Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 4.34 hours per response.

Respondents: Not-for-profit institutions.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 94.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 2.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 816 hours.

Dated: May 8, 2006.

Curtis M. Anderson,

Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.