[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 181 (Tuesday, September 18, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 57586-57587]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-22940]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
Agency Information Collection; Proposed Revisions to a Currently
Approved Information Collection
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of revisions.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation intends to submit a request for
renewal (with revisions) of an existing approved information collection
to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): Forms to Determine
Compliance by Certain Landholders, 43 CFR part 426, OMB Control Number:
1006-0023.
DATES: Submit written comments on the revised information collection on
or before November 19, 2012.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments to or requests for copies of the
proposed revised forms to the Bureau of Reclamation, Attention: 84-
53000, P.O. Box 25007, Denver, CO 80225-0007.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie McPhee at (303) 445-2897.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
Identification of limited recipients--Some entities that receive
Reclamation irrigation water may believe that they are under the
Reclamation Reform Act of 1982 (RRA) forms submittal threshold and,
consequently, may not submit the appropriate RRA form(s). However, some
of these entities may in fact have a different RRA forms submittal
threshold than what they believe it to be due to the number of natural
persons benefiting from each entity and the location of the land held
by each entity. In addition, some entities that are exempt from the
requirement to submit RRA forms due to the size of their landholdings
(directly and indirectly owned and leased land) may in fact be
receiving Reclamation irrigation water for which the full-cost rate
must be paid because the start of Reclamation irrigation water
deliveries occurred after October 1, 1981 [43 CFR 426.6(b)(2)]. The
information obtained through completion of the Limited Recipient
Identification Sheet (Form 7-2536) allows us to establish entities'
compliance with Federal reclamation law. The Limited Recipient
Identification Sheet is disbursed at our discretion.
Trust review--In order to administer section 214 of the RRA and 43
CFR 426.7, we are required to review and approve all trusts. Land held
in trust generally will be attributed to the beneficiaries of the trust
rather than the trustee if the criteria specified in the RRA and 43 CFR
426.7 are met. We may extend the option to complete and submit for our
review the Trust Information Sheet (Form 7-2537) instead of actual
trust documents when we become aware of trusts with a relatively small
landholding (40 acres or less in districts subject to the prior law
provisions of Federal reclamation law, 240 acres or less in districts
subject to the discretionary provisions of Federal reclamation law). If
we find nothing on the completed Trust Information Sheet that would
warrant the further investigation of a particular trust, that trustee
will not be burdened with submitting trust documents to us for in-depth
review. The Trust Information Sheet is disbursed at our discretion.
Acreage limitation provisions applicable to public entities--Land
farmed by a public entity can be considered exempt from the application
of the acreage limitation provisions provided the public entity meets
certain criteria pertaining to the revenue generated through the
entity's farming activities (43 CFR 426.10 and the Act of July 7, 1970,
Pub. L. 91-310). We are required to ascertain whether or not public
entities that receive Reclamation irrigation water meet such revenue
criteria regardless of how much land the public entities hold (directly
or indirectly own or lease) [43 CFR 426.10(a)]. In order to minimize
the burden on public entities, standard RRA forms are submitted by a
public entity only when the public entity holds more than 40 acres
subject to the acreage limitation provisions westwide, which makes it
difficult to apply the revenue criteria as required to those public
entities that hold less than 40 acres. When we become aware of such
public entities, we request those public entities complete and submit
for our review the Public Entity Information Sheet (Form 7-2565), which
allows us to establish compliance with Federal reclamation law for
those public entities that hold 40 acres or less and, thus, do not
submit a standard RRA form because they are below the RRA forms
submittal threshold. In addition, for those public entities that do not
meet the exemption criteria, we must determine the proper rate to
charge for Reclamation irrigation water deliveries. The Public Entity
Information Sheet is disbursed at our discretion.
Acreage limitation provisions applicable to religious or charitable
organizations--Some religious or charitable organizations that receive
Reclamation irrigation water may
[[Page 57587]]
believe that they are under the RRA forms submittal threshold and,
consequently, may not submit the appropriate RRA form(s). However, some
of these organizations may in fact have a different RRA forms submittal
threshold than what they believe it to be depending on whether these
organizations meet all of the required criteria for full special
application of the acreage limitations provisions to religious or
charitable organizations [43 CFR 426.9(b)]. In addition, some
organizations that (1) do not meet the criteria to be treated as a
religious or charitable organization under the acreage limitation
provisions, and (2) are exempt from the requirement to submit RRA forms
due to the size of their landholdings (directly and indirectly owned
and leased land), may in fact be receiving Reclamation irrigation water
for which the full-cost rate must be paid because the start of
Reclamation irrigation water deliveries occurred after October 1, 1981
[43 CFR 426.6(b)(2)]. The Religious or Charitable Organization
Identification Sheet (Form 7-2578) allows us to establish certain
religious or charitable organizations' compliance with Federal
reclamation law. The Religious or Charitable Organization
Identification Sheet is disbursed at our discretion.
II. Changes to the RRA Forms and Their Instructions
The changes made to the currently approved RRA forms and the
corresponding instructions are of an editorial nature, and are designed
to assist the respondents by increasing their understanding of the
forms, clarifying the instructions for completing the forms, and
clarifying the information that is required to be on the forms. The
proposed revisions to the Trust Information Sheet also include
clarification of the 40-acre and 240-acre thresholds applicable to
prior law districts and discretionary provisions districts,
respectively. The proposed revisions to the RRA forms will be effective
in the 2014 water year.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 1006-0023.
Title: Forms to Determine Compliance by Certain Landholders, 43 CFR
part 426.
Form Number: Form 7-2536, Form 7-2537, Form 7-2565, and Form 7-
2578.
Frequency: Generally, these forms will be submitted only once per
identified entity, trust, public entity, or religious or charitable
organization. Each year, we expect new responses in accordance with the
following numbers.
Respondents: Entity landholders, trusts, public entities, and
religious or charitable organizations identified by Reclamation that
are subject to the acreage limitation provisions of Federal reclamation
law.
Estimated Annual Total Number of Respondents: 500.
Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.0.
Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: 500.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 72 hours.
Estimated Completion Time per Respondent: See table below.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Burden Annual burden
estimate per Number of Annual number on
Form No. form (in respondents of responses respondents
minutes) (in hours)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Limited Recipient Identification Sheet.......... 5 175 175 15
Trust Information Sheet......................... 5 150 150 13
Public Entity Information Sheet................. 15 100 100 25
Religious or Charitable Identification Sheet.... 15 75 75 19
---------------------------------------------------------------
Totals...................................... .............. 500 500 72
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IV. Request for Comments
We invite your comments 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 information collection on
respondents, including the use of automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.
We will summarize all comments received regarding this notice. We
will publish that summary in the Federal Register when the information
collection request is submitted to OMB for review and approval.
V. Public Disclosure
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.
Dated: September 7, 2012.
Roseann Gonzales,
Director, Policy and Administration, Denver Office.
[FR Doc. 2012-22940 Filed 9-17-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P