[Federal Register: June 20, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 118)]
[Notices]               
[Page 34034-34035]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr20jn07-123]                         

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Fish and Wildlife Service

 
Information Collection Sent to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for Approval; OMB Control Number 1018-0123; International 
Conservation Grant Programs

AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY:  We (Fish and Wildlife Service) have sent an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for review and approval. The ICR, which 
is summarized below, describes the nature of the collection and the 
estimated burden and cost. This ICR is scheduled to expire on June 30, 
2007. We 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. However, under OMB regulations, we may 
continue to conduct or sponsor this information collection while it is 
pending at OMB.

DATES: You must submit comments on or before July 20, 2007.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments and suggestions on this ICR to the Desk 
Officer for the Department of the Interior at OMB-OIRA at (202) 395-
6566 (fax) or OIRA_DOCKET@OMB.eop.gov (e-mail). Please provide a copy 
of your comments to Hope Grey, Information Collection Clearance 
Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service, MS 222-ARLSQ, 4401 North Fairfax 
Drive, Arlington, VA 22203 (mail); (703) 358-2269 (fax); or 
hope_grey@fws.gov (e-mail).


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this IC, contact Hope Grey by mail, fax, or e-mail (see 
ADDRESSES) or by telephone at (703) 358-2482.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 1018-0123.
    Title: International Conservation Grant Programs.
    Service Form Number(s): 3-2338.
    Type of Request: Revision of currently approved collection.
    Affected Public: Domestic and nondomestic Federal, State, and local 
governments; nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations; public and 
private institutions of higher education; and any other organization or 
individual with demonstrated experience deemed necessary to carry out 
the proposed project.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 605 (489 applications; 116 
reports).
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 721 (489 applications; 232 
reports).
    Estimated Time per Response: 12 hours per application; 30 hours per 
report.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 12,828 (5,868 for 
applications; 6,960 for reports).
    Abstract: The Division of International Conservation awards grants 
funded under the:
    (1) African Elephant Conservation Act (16 U.S.C. 4201-4245).
    (2) Asian Elephant Conservation Act of 1997 (16 U.S.C. 4261).
    (3) Great Ape Conservation Act of 2000 (Pub. L. 106-411).
    (4) Rhinoceros and Tiger Conservation Act of 1994 (16 U.S.C. 5306).
    (5) Marine Turtle Conservation Act (Pub. L. 108-266).
    (6) Wildlife Without Borders Programs - Mexico, Latin America and 
the Caribbean, and Russia.
    The information that we collect for grants awarded under the Marine 
Turtle Conservation Act is approved under OMB Control No. 1018-0128, 
which expires March 31, 2009. We are proposing to include that 
information collection with the others in this approval request, all 
under OMB Control Number 1018-0123.
    Applicants submit proposals for funding in response to Notices of 
Funding Availability that we publish on Grants.gov. We collect the 
following information under each Notice of Funding Availability:
    (1) Cover page with basic project details (FWS Form 3-2338). This 
is a new form that we propose to replace the six forms currently 
approved under OMB Control No. 1018-0123.
    (2) Project summary and narrative.
    (3) Letter of appropriate government endorsement.
    (4) Brief curricula vitae for key project personnel.
    (5) Complete Standard Forms 424, 424a and 424b (nondomestic 
applicants do not submit the standard forms).
    Proposals may also include, as appropriate, a copy of the 
organization's Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NIRCA) and any 
additional documentation supporting the proposed project.
    The project summary and narrative is the basis for this information 
collection request for approval. A panel of technical experts reviews 
each proposal to assess how well the project addresses the priorities 
identified by each program's authorizing legislation. As all of the on-
the-ground projects funded by these programs are conducted outside the 
United States, the letter of appropriate government endorsement ensures 
that the proposed activities will not meet with local resistance or 
work in opposition to locally identified priorities and needs. Brief 
curricula vitae for key project personnel allow the review panel to 
assess the qualifications of project staff to effectively carry out the 
project goals and objectives. As all Federal entities must honor the 
indirect cost rates an organization has negotiated with its cognizant 
agency, we require all organizations with a NICRA to submit the 
agreement paperwork with their proposals to verify how their rate is 
applied in their proposed budget. Applicants may provide any additional 
documentation that they believe best supports their proposal.
    Comments: On March 16, 2007, we published in the Federal Register 
(72 FR 12630) a notice of our intent to request that OMB renew 
authority for this information collection. We solicited comments for 60 
days, ending on May 15, 2007. We received one comment. The commenter 
did not address the information collection requirements, but did 
express a general concern as to whether appropriated funds were 
reaching the intended species. We have not made any changes to our 
information collection as a result of the comment.
    We again invite comments concerning this information collection on:
    (1) whether or not the collection of information is necessary, 
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) the accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information;
    (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
respondents.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. Before including your address, phone number, e-mail 
address,

[[Page 34035]]

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 OMB in your comment to withhold your personal identifying 
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that it will be 
done.

    Dated: June 12, 2007.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E7-11909 Filed 6-19-07; 8:45 am]

Billing Code 4310-55-S