[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 85 (Thursday, May 2, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25764-25766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10357]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Reclamation
[A10-1412-0001-009-01-0-4, 8453000; OMB Control Number 1006-0023]
Agency Information Collection Activities Under OMB Review;
Renewal of a Currently Approved Information Collection
AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of renewal and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Bureau of Reclamation has forwarded the following
Information Collection Request to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and approval: Forms to Determine Compliance by Certain
Landholders, 43 CFR part 426 (OMB Control Number 1006-0023).
DATES: OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove this information
collection request, but may respond after 30 days; therefore, public
comments must be received on or before June 3, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Send written comments 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 (202) 395-5806, or
email to [email protected]. 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. Please reference OMB Control
Number 1006-0023 in your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Stephanie McPhee, Bureau of
Reclamation, at (303) 445-2897. You may also view the Information
Collection Request at www.reginfo.gov.
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 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 public
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
[[Page 25765]]
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 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 in the form's subtitle of the 40-acre and 240-acre RRA
forms submittal 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
estimate per Number of Annual number Annual burden
Form No. form (in respondents of responses on 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.
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 (77 FR 57586, September 18, 2012). No 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.
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.
[[Page 25766]]
Dated: April 26, 2013.
Roseann Gonzales,
Director, Policy and Administration, Denver Office.
[FR Doc. 2013-10357 Filed 5-1-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MN-P