[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 90 (Monday, May 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26946-26948]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-11259]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FW-HQ-WSFR-2015-N087; FVWF941009000007B-XXX-FF09W11000;
FVWF51100900000-XXX-FF09W11000]
Proposed Information Collection; Wildlife and Sport Fish Grants
and Cooperative Agreements
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) will ask the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC)
described below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and
as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent
burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take
this opportunity to comment on this IC. This IC is scheduled to expire
on September 30, 2015. 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.
DATES: To ensure that we are able to consider your comments on this IC,
we must receive them by July 10, 2015.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this IC to the Information Collection
Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS BPHC, 5275
Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or hope_grey@fws.gov
(email). Please include ``1018-0109'' in the subject line of your
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this IC, contact Hope Grey at hope_grey@fws.gov (email) or 703-
358-2482 (telephone).
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
The Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR), U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service, administers the following financial assistance
programs in whole or in part. We award most financial assistance as
grants, but cooperative agreements are possible if the Federal
Government will be substantially involved in carrying out the project.
You can find a description of most programs in the Catalog of Federal
Domestic Assistance (CFDA).
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Program CFDA No. Authority Implementing regulations
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Clean Vessel Act........................ 15.616 16 U.S.C. 777g(c)......... 50 CFR 85.
[[Page 26947]]
Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection, 15.614 16 U.S.C. 3951-3956....... 50 CFR 84.
and Restoration Act.
Cooperative Endangered Species 15.615 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq..... 50 CFR 81.
Conservation Fund.
Everglades Restoration *................ None Public Law 104-127; 16 None.
U.S.C. 460 l-4 thru l-11.
Fish and Wildlife Coordination and 15.664 .......................... None.
Assistance Programs (Generic).
Fisheries Restoration and Irrigation None 16 U.S.C. 777............. None.
Mitigation *.
Highlands Conservation Program.......... 15.667 .......................... None.
Hunter Education and Safety............. 15.626 16 U.S.C. 669h-1.......... 50 CFR 80.
Landowner Incentive *................... 15.633 Public Law 110-5.......... None.
Multistate Conservation Grants.......... 15.628 16 U.S.C. 669h-2; 16 None.
U.S.C. 777m.
National Outreach and Communication..... 15.653 16 U.S.C. 777g(d)......... None.
Research Grants (Generic)............... 15.650 16 U.S.C. 753a; 16 U.S.C. None.
460 (l-4 thru l-11); 16
U.S.C. 1531-1543.
Service Training and Technical 15.649 16 U.S.C. 661 and 16 None.
Assistance (Generic Training). U.S.C. 742f.
Sport Fish Restoration.................. 15.605 16 U.S.C. 777-777n (except 50 CFR 80.
777e-1).
Sport Fishing and Boating Safety Act 15.622 16 U.S.C. 777g and g-1.... 50 CFR 86.
(Boating Infrastructure Grants).
State Wildlife Grants................... 15.634 Public Law 110-329........ None.
Tribal Landowner Incentive *............ 15.638 Public Law 110-5.......... None.
Tribal Wildlife Grants.................. 15.639 Public Law 110-329........ None.
Wildlife Conservation and Restoration *. 15.625 16 U.S.C. 669b and 669c... None.
Wildlife Restoration.................... 15.611 16 U.S.C. 669-669k........ 50 CFR 80.
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* Program has open grants, but no new funding.
Authorities and implementing regulations establish the purposes of
the grant programs and the types of projects to be funded. Some list
eligibility criteria as well as activities ineligible for funding. The
authorities and implementing regulations for the competitive programs
establish preferences or ranking factors for the selection of projects
to be funded. These legal requirements make it essential for an
awarding agency to have certain information so that it funds only
eligible projects, and, in the case of competitive programs, to select
those projects that will result in the greatest return on the Federal
investment.
Some grants are mandatory and receive funds according to a formula
set by law or policy. Other grants are discretionary, and we award them
based on a competitive process. Mandatory grant recipients must give us
specific, detailed project information during the application process
so that we can ensure that projects are eligible for the mandatory
funding, are substantial in character and design, and comply with all
applicable Federal laws. All grantees must submit financial and
performance reports that contain information necessary for us to track
costs and accomplishments.
In February 2014, OMB approved our request to use a new electronic
system (Wildlife Tracking and Reporting Actions for the Conservation of
Species (Wildlife TRACS)) to collect application and performance
reporting information on our grant programs. OMB assigned OMB Control
No. 1018-0156, which expires February 28, 2017. Wildlife TRACS allows
us to take advantage of newer technology and gives applicants direct
access to enter project information that can be used to submit an
application through http://www.grants.gov. Grantees can also report
performance accomplishments in Wildlife TRACS. We are including the use
of Wildlife TRACS and the collection of additional information in this
revision to OMB Control No. 1018-0109. If OMB approves this revision,
we will discontinue OMB Control No. 1018-0156.
To apply for financial assistance funds, you must submit an
application that describes in substantial detail project locations,
benefits, funding, and other characteristics. Materials to assist
applicants in formulating project proposals are available on
Grants.gov. We use the application to determine:
Eligibility.
Scale of resource values or relative worth of the project.
If associated costs are reasonable and allowable.
Potential effect of the project on environmental and
cultural resources.
How well the proposed project will meet the purposes of
the program's establishing legislation.
If the proposed project is substantial in character and
design.
For competitive programs, how the proposed project
addresses ranking criteria.
Persons or entities receiving grants must submit periodic
performance reports that contain information necessary for us to track
costs and accomplishments.
In addition to the information currently collected under OMB
Control No. 1018-0109, we will collect the following additional
information currently approved under OMB Control No. 1018-0156:
For mandatory grant program applications and amendments:
Geospatial entry of project location.
Project status (active, completed, etc.).
Project leader contact information.
Partner information.
Objectives, including output measures and desired future
values.
Plan information (for projects connected to plans).
For all WSFR grant program projects and reports:
The information above, as applicable to the approved
grant.
Public description.
Action status (active, completed, etc.).
Summary trend information, as applicable.
Estimated costs, by action. (non-auditable).
Effectiveness measures (initially for State Wildlife
Grants).
For real property acquisition projects, information related to:
Transactions, such as dates, method of transfer, title
holder, and seller.
Identifiers, such as State and Federal Record ID, parcel
number, and property name.
Values such as appraised value, purchase price and other
cost information, and acres or acre feet.
Encumbrances.
Partners.
[[Page 26948]]
II. Data
OMB Control Number: 1018-0109.
Title: Wildlife and Sport Fish Grants and Cooperative Agreements,
50 CFR 80, 81, 84, 85, and 86.
Service Form Number: None.
Type of Request: Revision of a currently approved collection.
Description of Respondents: States; the Commonwealths of Puerto
Rico and the Northern Mariana Islands; the District of Columbia; the
territories of Guam, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa; federally
recognized tribal governments; institutions of higher education; and
nongovernmental organizations.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: We require applications annually for new
grants. We require amendments on occasion when key elements of a
project change. We require quarterly and final performance reports in
the National Outreach and Communication Program and annual and final
performance reports in the other programs. We may require more frequent
reports under the conditions stated at 2 CFR 200.205 and 2 CFR 200.207.
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Completion
Activity Number of Number of time per Total annual
respondents responses response burden hours
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Initial Application (project narrative)......... 200 2,500 44 110,000
Revision of Award Terms (Amendment)............. 150 1,500 6 9,000
Performance Reports............................. 200 3,500 12 42,000
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Totals...................................... 550 7,500 .............. 161,000
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III. Comments
We invite comments concerning this information collection on:
Whether or not the collection of information is necessary,
including whether or not the information will have practical utility;
The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this
collection of information;
Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
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. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this IC. 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: May 5, 2015.
Tina A. Campbell,
Chief, Division of Policy, Performance, and Management Programs, U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-11259 Filed 5-8-15; 8:45 am]
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