[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 238 (Tuesday, December 10, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 65009-65010]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-31346]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Commodity Credit Corporation
Request for Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved
Information Collection
AGENCY: Commodity Credit Corporation.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the intention of the Commodity Credit Corporation
(CCC) to request an extension and revision to a currently approved
information collection relating to the Upland Cotton User Marketing
Certificate Program regulations issued under authority of the Federal
Agriculture Improvement and Reform Act of 1996 (1996 Act). Other
administrative decisions make obsolete several forms and result in a
decrease in the number of burden hours for information collection under
the
[[Page 65010]]
Upland Cotton User Marketing Certificate Program.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be received on or before February
10, 1997 to be assured of consideration.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Janise Zygmont, Farm Service Agency,
United States Department of Agriculture, Stop 0515, P.O. Box 2415,
Washington, DC 20013-2415 or call (202) 720-8841.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Cotton, 7 CFR Part 1427.
OMB Control Number: 0560-0136.
Expiration Date: April 30, 1997.
Type of Request: Extension and Revision of a Currently Approved
Information Collection.
Abstract: The information collected under Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) Number 0560-0136, as identified above, is needed to enable
the Farm Service Agency (FSA) to effectively administer the Upland
Cotton User Marketing Certificate Program.
In order to participate in the Upland Cotton User Marketing
Certificate Program, U.S. exporters and domestic mills must sign an
Upland Cotton Domestic User/Exporter Agreement (CCC-1045). CCC-1045
contains the terms and conditions for receiving payments and outlines
the responsibilities of the participant. Two changes to form CCC-1045
were made in response to the passage of the 1996 Act. First, the 1996
Act extended the authority to conduct the Upland Cotton User Marketing
Certificate Program through July 31, 2003. Previous legislation had
authorized the program only through July 31, 1998. Second, the 1996 Act
limits the total amount of payments that can be made under the program
to no more than $701 million during fiscal years 1996 through 2002.
CCC-1045 has been revised to reflect the new date and the restriction
on payments. Neither change results in a change in the annual reporting
and recordkeeping burden.
CCC determined that exporters will no longer be required to report
their shipments each week. Instead, only for weeks in which a payment
rate is in effect will exporters be required to report to CCC the
amount of cotton that has been exported. This reporting will be done on
CCC 1045-2 or a report generated by the exporters containing the same
information. This results in a 1,950-hour reduction in the annual
reporting burden for exporters. Domestic users must continue to report
to CCC on a weekly basis in a somewhat revised format. Instead of two
reports (Domestic User Application for Payment and Weekly Inventory
Summary Report), the information collection has been combined into one
report called ``Weekly Consumption Report/Application For Payment.''
The annual reporting burden increase of 25 hours connected with this
report is due not to a change in the burden, but to rounding the
Average Time to Respond associated with the Weekly Consumption Report/
Application for Payment report to 13 minutes. The net reduction in the
burden is 1,925 hours.
Respondents: U.S. cotton exporters and domestic mills.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 300.
Estimated Average Time to Respond: 14 minutes.
Estimated Total Annual Responses: 11,700.
Estimated Number of Reports Filed per Person: 39.
Estimated Total Burden Hours: 2,750.
Topics for comments include but are not limited to the following:
(a) whether the collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the
agency's estimate of burden including the validity of the methodology
and assumptions used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility and
clarity of the information to be collected: or (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond,
including through the use of appropriate automated, electronic,
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms
of information technology. Comments should be sent to the Desk Officer
for Agriculture, Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office
of Management and Budget, Washington, D.C. 20503 and to Janise Zygmont,
Farm Service Agency, United States Department of Agriculture, Stop
0515, P.O. Box 2415, Washington, DC 20013-2415; telephone (202) 720-
8841. Copies of the information collection may be obtained from Janise
Zygmont at the above address.
All responses to this notice will be summarized and included in the
request for OMB approval. All comments will also become a matter of
public record.
Signed at Washington, D.C., on November 20, 1996.
Grant Buntrock,
Executive Vice President, Commodity Credit Corporation.
[FR Doc. 96-31346 Filed 12-9-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410-05-P