[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 154 (Friday, August 9, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39362-39363]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-17057]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Fish and Wildlife Service
[FWS-HQ-ES-2018-N146; FF09E41000 190 FXES111609C0000; OMB Control
Number 1018-New]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Policy Regarding
Voluntary Prelisting Conservation Actions
AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service, we), are proposing a new
information collection in use without an OMB Control Number.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before
October 8, 2019.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the information collection request
(ICR) by mail to the Service Information Collection Clearance Officer,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, MS: BPHC, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls
Church, VA 22041-3803 (mail); or by email to Info_Coll@fws.gov. Please
reference OMB Control Number 1018-VPCA in the subject line of your
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information
about this ICR, contact Madonna L. Baucum, Service Information
Collection Clearance Officer, by email at Info_Coll@fws.gov, or by
telephone at (703) 358-2503.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, we provide the general public and other Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and
continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact
of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's
reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information
collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired
format.
We are soliciting comments on the proposed ICR that is described
below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the
following issues: (1) Is the collection necessary to the proper
functions of the Service; (2) will this information be processed and
used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate; (4)
how might the Service enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (5) how might the Service minimize the
burden of this collection on the respondents, including through the use
of information technology.
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 ICR. 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.
Abstract: The Service is charged with implementing the Endangered
Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act; 16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The goal
of the Act is to provide a means to conserve the ecosystems upon which
listed species depend and a program for listed species conservation.
Through our Candidate Conservation program, we encourage the public to
take conservation actions for species prior to them being listed under
the Act. Doing so may result in precluding the need to list a species,
may result in listing a species as threatened instead of endangered,
or, if a species becomes listed, may provide the basis for its recovery
and eventual removal from the protections of the Act.
This policy gives landowners, government agencies, and others
incentives to carry out voluntary conservation actions for unlisted
species. It allows the use of any benefits to the species from
voluntary conservation actions undertaken prior to listing under the
Act--by the person who undertook such actions or by third parties--to
mitigate or offset the detrimental effects of other actions undertaken
after listing. The policy requires participating States to track the
voluntary conservation actions and provide this information to us on an
annual basis. We require this information in order to provide the
entities that have taken the conservation actions with proper credit
that can later be used to mitigate for any detrimental actions they
take after the species is listed.
We plan to collect the following information:
Description of the prelisting conservation action being
taken.
Location of the action (does not include a specific
address).
[[Page 39363]]
Name of the entity taking the action and their contact
information (email address only).
Frequency of the action (ongoing for X years, or one-time
implementation) and an indication if the action is included in a State
Wildlife Action Plan.
Any transfer to a third party of the mitigation or
compensatory measure rights.
Each State that chooses to participate will collect this
information from landowners, businesses and organizations, and tribal
and local governments that wish to receive credit for voluntary
prelisting conservation actions. States may collect this information
via an Access database, Excel spreadsheet, or other database of their
choosing and submit the information to the Fish and Wildlife Service
(via email) annually. We will use this information to calculate the
number of credits that the entity taking the conservation action will
receive. We will keep track of the credits and notify the entity of how
much credit they have earned. The entity can then use these credits to
mitigate or offset the detrimental effects of other actions they take
after the species is listed (assuming it is listed).
Title of Collection: Policy Regarding Voluntary Prelisting
Conservation Actions.
OMB Control Number: 1018--New.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: Existing collection in use without an OMB Control
Number.
Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals; businesses and
organizations; and State, local, and Tribal governments.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
Frequency of Collection: Ongoing for recordkeeping and annually for
reporting.
Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
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Average
Annual number Average number completion Estimated
Requirement of of responses Annual number time per annual burden
respondents each of responses response hours *
(hours)
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Collect and Report Information
on Voluntary Prelisting
Conservation Actions:
Government.................. 1 1 1 20 20
Report Information on Voluntary
Prelisting Conservation Actions
to States:
Individuals................. 1 1 1 .25 .25
Private Sector.............. 1 1 1 .25 .25
Government.................. 1 1 1 .25 .25
Development of Conservation
Strategy:
Government.................. 1 1 1 200 200
States Develop a Voluntary
Conservation-Action Program:
Government.................. 1 1 1 320 320
Site Agreement:
Individuals................. 1 1 1 100 100
Private Sector.............. 1 1 1 100 100
Government.................. 1 1 1 100 100
Management Plan:
Individuals................. 1 1 1 120 120
Private Sector.............. 1 1 1 120 120
Government.................. 1 1 1 120 120
Credit Agreement:
Individuals................. 1 1 1 80 80
Private Sector.............. 1 1 1 80 80
Government.................. 1 1 1 80 80
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Total:.................. 15 .............. 15 .............. 1,361
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* Rounded
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.
The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Dated: August 6, 2019.
Madonna Baucum,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service.
[FR Doc. 2019-17057 Filed 8-8-19; 8:45 am]
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