[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 186 (Friday, September 25, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 51333-51334]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-25721]
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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Federal Crop Insurance Corporation
Notice of Request for Revision of a Currently Approved
Information Collection; Common Crop Insurance Regulations; Cotton and
ELS Cotton Crop Insurance Provisions
AGENCY: Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, USDA.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C., chapter 35), this notice announces Federal Crop Insurance
Corporation's (FCIC) intent to request a revision to a currently
approved information collection for its Cotton Crop Insurance
Provisions and the Extra Long Staple (ELS) Cotton Crop
[[Page 51334]]
Insurance Provisions for the 1999 and succeeding crop years.
DATES: Written comments and opinions on this notice must be received by
October 26, 1998.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Nancy Conway, Insurance Management Specialist, Research and
Development, Product Development Division, Federal Crop Insurance
Corporation, at the Kansas City, MO, address listed above, telephone
(816) 926-7730.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
This notice announces FCIC's intent to revise the information
collection requirements previously approved by OMB under OMB control
number 0563-0053 through October 31, 2000. The program changes provide
a replant payment if the insured crop is damaged by excess moisture,
hail, or blowing sand or soil and is replanted. Information will need
to be collected with respect to the number of acres replanted in order
to calculate a replant payment. In addition, the program changes revise
the provision used to determine the amount of production to count for
cotton and ELS cotton that is eligible for quality adjustment, and
proposed a prevented planting coverage of 50 percent for cotton and ELS
cotton for 1999 and subsequent crop years. All of the forms cleared
under OMB control number 0563-0053 present the minimum information
necessary to a determine eligibility and losses qualifying for a
payment due to cotton and ELS cotton coverage.
Revised reporting estimates and requirements for usage of OMB
control number 0563-0053 have been submitted to OMB for approval under
the provisions of 44 U.S.C., chapter 35. The comment period for
information collections under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
continues through November 24, 1998.
The FCIC is seeking comments on the following information
collection request (ICR). Title: Multiple Peril Crop Insurance.
Respondents/Affected Entities: Parties affected by the information
collection requirements included in this notice are cotton and ELS
cotton producers.
Abstract: This program changes improve the existing cotton and ELS
cotton policy by adding coverage for replanting of the insured crop if
damaged by excess moisture, hail, or blowing sand or soil; increasing
the price used to calculate quality adjustment from 75 percent of the
price quotation for the applicable growth area, adjusted according to
the specifications in the Special Provisions, for cotton or ELS cotton
in the area to 100 percent of the price quotation for such cotton; and
increasing the amount of prevented planting coverage for cotton and ELS
cotton to 50 percent. FCIC believes the program changes will provide
better crop insurance coverage to cotton and ELS cotton producers.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for the collection of
information on all forms for the insurance of cotton and ELS cotton is
estimated at 55.8 minutes per participant because of the high degree of
automation associated with the data collection.
Respondents: Cotton and ELS cotton producers.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 60,795.
Estimated Number of Responses Per Respondent: 2.8.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 56,496 hours.
FCIC is requesting comments on the following: (a) whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
information has practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's
estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (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 automated
collection techniques or other forms of information gathering
technology.
Comments regarding paperwork reduction should be submitted to the
Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Washington, DC 20503.
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) is required to make a
decision concerning the collections of information contained in this
rule between 30 and 60 days after submission to OMB. Therefore, a
comment to OMB is best assured of having full effect if OMB receives it
within 30 days of publication.
Signed in Washington, D.C., on September 21, 1998.
John Zirschky,
Acting Manager, Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.
[FR Doc. 98-25721 Filed 9-24-98; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-8-M
