2019-18258. Agency Information Collection Activities; NPS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) General Submission, Exhibitor, Annual Review, and Amendment Forms

AGENCY:

National Park Service, Interior.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the National Park Service (NPS) are proposing to renew an information collection.

DATES:

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

ADDRESSES:

Send written comments on this information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) Desk Officer for the Department of the Interior by email at [e-mail]; or by facsimile at 202-395-5806. Please provide a copy of your comments to Phadrea Ponds, Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Fort Collins, CO 80525; or by email at [e-mail]. Please reference OMB Control Number 1024-0265 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Aaron Smith, NPS IACUC Administrator by mail at Biological Resource Division, 1201 Oakridge Drive, Suite 200, Fort Collins, CO, 80525; or by email at [e-mail]. You may also contact Tracy Thompson by email at [e-mail].

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.

On May 14, 2019, we published a Federal Register notice soliciting comments on this collection of information for 60 days, ending on July 13, 2019 (84 FR 21355). We did not receive any comments in response to that notice.

We are again soliciting comments on the proposed ICR described below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper functions of the NPS; (2) will this information be processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4) how might the NPS enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how might the NPS 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: Pursuant to the Animal Welfare Act (AWA), its Regulations (AWAR), and the Interagency Research Animal Committee (IRAC), any entity or institution that uses vertebrate animals for research, testing, or training purposes must have an oversight committee to evaluate all aspects of that institution's animal care and use. To be in compliance, the NPS is responsible for managing and maintaining an Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) that provides the experience and expertise necessary to assess and approve all research, testing, or training activities involving vertebrate animals on NPS managed lands and territories. All research, testing, or training projects involving animals taking place on NPS territories must be approved by the NPS IACUC prior to their commencement.

Principal Investigators (PI) are required to submit one of the following forms for consideration by the committee:

• IACUC General Submission (GS) Form (NPS Form 10-1301)
• IACUC Amendment Form (NPS Form 10-1301A)
• IACUC Annual Review Form (NPS Form 10-1302)
• IACUC Concurrence Form (NPS Form 10-1303)
• IACUC Field Study Form (NPS Form 10-1304)

As determined by the AWA, The NPS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (NPS IACUC), is a self-regulating entity that currently consists of a Chair, NPS Regional members, and two additional posts (a veterinarian to serve as the “Attending Veterinarian” and another individual to serve as the “Unaffiliated Member At-Large”).

Title of Collection: NPS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) General Submission, Annual Review, Concurrence, Field Study, and Amendment Forms.

OMB Control Number: 1024-0265.

Form Numbers: NPS Forms 10-1301, 10-1301A, and 10-1302 through 10-1304.

Type of Review: Extension of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: State and local governments; nonprofit organizations and private businesses.

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.

Frequency of Collection: On occasion.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

Respondent and forms	Annual number of responses	Completion time per form	Total burden (hours) *
State and Local Agencies:
General Submission Form (NPS Form 10-1301)	14	3 hours	42
Amendment Form (NPS Form 10-1301A)	10	15 mins	3
Annual Review Form (NPS Form 10-1302)	55	15 mins	14
Field Study Form (NPS Form 10-1304)	10	1 hour	10
Concurrence Form (NPS Form 10-1303)	41	15 mins	10
Subtotal	130		79
Private (non-profit):
General Submission Form (NPS Form 10-1301)	10	3 hours	30
Amendment Form (NPS Form 10-1301A)	10	15 mins	3
Annual Review Form (NPS Form 10-1302)	40	15 mins	10
Field Study Form (NPS Form 10-1304)	10	1 hour	10
Concurrence Form (NPS Form 10-1303)	30	15 mins	8
Subtotal	100		61
TOTAL	230		140

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.).

Phadrea D. Ponds,

Acting Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service.