[Federal Register: January 28, 2009 (Volume 74, Number 17)]
[Notices]
[Page 4972-4973]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28ja09-62]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-R9-ES-2009-N0012; 92210-1111-0000-B3]
Information Collection Sent to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for Approval; OMB Control Number 1018-0119; Policy for
Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making Listing Decisions (PECE)
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. This ICR is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2009.
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 send comments on or before February 27, 2009.
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) or hope_grey@fws.gov (e-mail).
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this ICR, contact Hope Grey by mail or e-mail (see ADDRESSES) or
by telephone at (703) 358-2482.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
OMB Control Number: 1018-0119.
Title: Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making
Listing Decisions (PECE).
Service Form Number(s): None.
Type of Request: Extension of currently approved collection.
Affected Public: Primarily State, local, or tribal governments.
However, individuals, businesses, and not-for-profit organizations
could develop agreements/plans or may agree to implement certain
conservation efforts identified in a State agreement/plan.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
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Number of annual Number of annual Completion time per Annual burden
Activity respondents responses response hours
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Original Agreement.............. 4 4 2,000 hours........ 8,000
Monitoring...................... 7 7 600 hours.......... 4,200
Reporting....................... 7 7 120 hours.......... 840
Totals...................... 18 18 ................... 13,040
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Abstract: Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) specifies
the process by which we can list species as threatened or endangered.
When we consider whether or not to list a species, the ESA requires us
to take into account the efforts being made by any State or any
political subdivision of a State to protect such species. We also take
into account the efforts being made by other entities. States or other
entities often formalize conservation efforts in conservation
agreements, conservation plans, management plans, or similar documents.
The conservation efforts recommended or called for in such documents
could prevent some species from becoming so imperiled that they meet
the definition of a threatened or endangered species under the ESA.
The Policy for Evaluation of Conservation Efforts When Making
Listing Decisions (PECE) encourages the development of conservation
agreements/plans and provides certainty about the standard that an
individual conservation effort must meet for us to consider whether it
contributes to forming a basis for making a decision about the listing
of a species. PECE applies to ``formalized conservation efforts'' that
have not been implemented or have been implemented but have not yet
demonstrated if they are effective at the time of a listing decision.
Under PECE, formalized conservation efforts are defined as
conservation efforts (specific actions, activities, or programs
designed to eliminate or reduce threats or otherwise improve the status
of a species) identified in a conservation agreement, conservation
plan, management plan, or similar document (68 FR 15100). The
development of such agreements/plans is voluntary. There is no
requirement that the individual conservation efforts included in such
documents be designed to meet the standard in PECE.
Comments: On November 24, 2008, we published in the Federal
Register (73 FR 71041) a notice of our intent to request that OMB renew
this ICR. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 days, ending on
January 23, 2009. We received one comment in response to this notice.
The commenter did not address the information collection requirements,
but did object to the continuation of this program. We have not made
any changes to our information collection requirements as a result of
this 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, 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
[[Page 4973]]
information from public review, we cannot guarantee that it will be
done.
Hope Grey,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. E9-1833 Filed 1-27-09; 8:45 am]
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