E9-12924. Agency Information Collection; Activities Under OMB Review; Comment Request

AGENCY:

Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of renewal of a currently approved collection (OMB No. 1006-0005).

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this notice announces the Bureau of Reclamation (we, our, or us) has forwarded the following Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Individual Landholder's and Farm Operator's Certification and Reporting Forms for Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR part 426 and 43 CFR part 428, OMB Control Number: 1006-0005. This ICR is required under the Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA), Acreage Limitation Rules and Regulations, 43 CFR part 426, and Information Requirements for Certain Farm Operations In Excess of 960 Acres and the Eligibility of Certain Formerly Excess Land, 43 CFR part 428. The ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its expected cost and burden.

DATES:

OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove this information collection, but may respond after 30 days; therefore, public comments must be received on or before July 6, 2009 to assure maximum consideration.

ADDRESSES:

You may send written comments regarding the burden estimate, or any other aspect of the information collection, including suggestions for reducing the burden, to the Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior at the Office of Management and Budget, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, via facsimile to [phone] or e-mail to [e-mail]. A copy of your comments should also be directed to the Bureau of Reclamation, Attention: 84-53000, P.O. Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225-0007.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Stephanie McPhee at: [phone].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Title: Individual Landholder's and Farm Operator's Certification and Reporting Forms for Acreage Limitation, 43 CFR part 426 and 43 CFR part 428.

Abstract: This information collection requires certain landholders (direct or indirect landowners or lessees) and farm operators to complete forms demonstrating their compliance with the acreage limitation provisions of Federal reclamation law. Responses are required to retain or obtain a benefit. These forms are submitted to districts that use the information to establish each landholder's status with respect to landownership limitations, full-cost pricing thresholds, lease requirements, and other provisions of Federal reclamation law. In addition, forms are submitted by certain farm operators to provide information concerning the services they provide and the nature of their farm operating arrangements. All landholders whose entire westwide landholdings total 40 acres or less are exempt from the requirement to submit RRA forms. Landholders who are “qualified recipients” have RRA forms submittal thresholds of 80 acres or 240 acres depending on the district's RRA forms submittal threshold category where the land is held. Only farm operators who provide multiple services to more than 960 acres held in trusts or by legal entities are required to submit forms.

Changes to the RRA Forms and the Instructions to Those Forms.

Minor editorial changes were made to the currently approved RRA forms and the instructions to those forms prior to the 60-day comment period initiated by the notice published in the Federal Register (73 FR 63509, Oct. 24, 2008). Those changes were designed to assist the respondents by increasing their understanding of the forms, clarifying the instructions for use when completing the forms, and clarifying the information that is required to be submitted to the districts with the forms. We received no public comments from the 60-day public comment period. The proposed revisions to the RRA forms will be included starting in the 2010 water year.

Frequency: Annually.

Respondents: Landholders and farm operators of certain lands in our projects, whose landholdings exceed specified RRA forms submittal thresholds.

Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 15,279.

Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.02.

Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: 15,585.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 11,522 hours.

Estimate of Burden for Each Form:

Form No.	Burden estimate per form (in minutes)	Number of respondents	Annual number of responses	Annual burden on respondents (in hours)
Form 7-2180	60	4,124	4,206	4,206
Form 7-2180EZ	45	425	434	326
Form 7-2181	78	1,205	1,229	1,598
Form 7-2184	45	32	33	25
Form 7-2190	60	1,620	1,652	1,652
Form 7-2190EZ	45	96	98	74
Form 7-2191	78	777	793	1,031
Form 7-2194	45	4	4	3
Form 7-21PE	75	146	149	186
Form 7-21PE-IND	12	4	4	1
Form 7-21TRUST	60	882	900	900
Form 7-21VERIFY	12	5,434	5,543	1,109
Form 7-21FC	30	214	218	109
Form 7-21XS	30	144	147	74
Form 7-21FARMOP	78	172	175	228
Totals		15,279	15,585	11,522

Comments.

Comments are invited on:

(a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of our functions, including whether the information will have practical use;

(b) The accuracy of our burden estimate for the proposed collection of information;

(c) Ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(d) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

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. Reclamation will display a valid OMB control number on the RRA forms. A Federal Register notice with a 60-day comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published in the Federal Register (73 FR 63509, Oct. 24, 2008). No public comments were received.

OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove this information collection, but may respond after 30 days; therefore, public comment should be submitted to OMB within 30 days in order to assure maximum consideration.

Before including your address, telephone number, e-mail 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.

Dated: April 21, 2009.

Richard W. Rizzi,

Acting Director, Program and Policy Services, Denver Office.