2019-13398. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Water Request

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 with revisions.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before July 25, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Send written comments on this information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior by email at [e-mail]; or via facsimile to [phone]. Please provide a copy of your comments to Yulan Jin, Chief, Division of Water and Power, Office of Trust Services, Mail Stop 4655—MIB, 1849 C Street NW, Washington, DC 20240; telephone: [phone]; or by email to [e-mail]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1076-0141 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Yulan Jin by email at [e-mail], or by telephone at [phone]. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain.

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.

A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on April 4, 2019 (84 FR 13311). No comments were received.

We are again 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. 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: The BIA owns, operates, and maintains 17 irrigation projects that provide a service to the end user. To properly bill for the services provided, the BIA must collect customer information to identify the individual responsible for repaying the government the costs of delivering the service; determine eligibility for waiver of fees; and determine designation of irrigable lands as assessable or non-assessable. Additional information necessary for providing the service is the location of the service delivery and the number of serviced acres. The Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996 (DCIA) requires that certain information be collected from individuals and businesses doing business with the government. This information includes the taxpayer identification number for possible future use to recover delinquent debt. To implement the DCIA requirement to collect customer information, the BIA has included a section concerning the collection of information in its regulations governing its irrigation projects (25 CFR 171).

Title of Collection: Water Request.

OMB Control Number: 1076-0141.

Form Number: BIA-DWP-Irr-101; BIA-DWP-Irr-102; BIA-DWP-Irr-103; BIA-DWP-Irr-104; BIA-DWP-Irr-105.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 13,438.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 35,941.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from .2 to 6 hours.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 17,981.

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

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $0.

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.