2012-102. Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Application Forms for Membership on a National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council

AGENCY:

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted on or before March 9, 2012.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Becky Shortland, [phone] or [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

This request is for a revision and extension of a currently approved information collection.

Section 315 of the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (16 U.S.C. 1445a) allows the Secretary of Commerce to establish one or more advisory councils to provide advice to the Secretary regarding the designation and management of national marine sanctuaries. Advisory councils are individually chartered for each sanctuary to meet the needs of that sanctuary. Once an advisory council has been chartered, the sanctuary superintendent starts a process to recruit members for that council by providing notice to the public and requesting interested parties to apply for the available seat(s) (e.g., Research, Education) and position(s) (i.e., council member or alternate). The information obtained through this application process will be used to determine the qualifications of the applicant for membership on the sanctuary advisory council.

Two application forms are currently associated with this information collection: (a) National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Application form; and (b) National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Youth Seat Application form. These application forms are currently being revised to ensure consistency between the forms, as well as clarify the information and supplemental materials to be submitted by applicants. Application form instructions will specify requirements imposed upon the agency when reviewing applicants as potential council members or alternates, including the need to assess potential conflicts of interest (or other issues) and the applicant's status as a federally-registered lobbyist. Specific questions posed to applicants will be reordered, reworded and, at times, condensed to improve the organization of applicant responses and, thereby, simplify the applicant review process.

II. Method of Collection

Complete applications may be submitted electronically via email (with attachments), by mail, or by facsimile transmission.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0648-0397.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Regular submission (revision and extension of a currently approved collection).

Affected Public: Individuals or households; business or other for-profit organizations; not-for-profit institutions.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 520.

Estimated Time per Response: 1 hour.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 520.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $1,040.

IV. Request for Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) 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 technology.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

Dated: January 3, 2012.

Gwellnar Banks,

Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.