82 FR 55631 - Agency Information Collection Activities; National Heritage Areas Program

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 224 (November 22, 2017)

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the National Park Service is proposing a new information collection for the National Heritage Areas Program. The National Park Service will ask the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection request (ICR) described below.

[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 224 (Wednesday, November 22, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55631-55632]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-25238]



[[Page 55631]]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-CR-NHAP-24544; PPWOCRADI0, PCU00RP14.R50000; OMB Control No. 
1024-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities; National Heritage Areas 
Program

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of Information Request; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
National Park Service is proposing a new information collection for the 
National Heritage Areas Program. The National Park Service will ask the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to approve the information 
collection request (ICR) described below.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
January 22, 2018.

ADDRESSES: Send your comments on the Information Collection Request 
(ICR) by mail to Tim Goddard, Information Collection Clearance Officer, 
National Park Service, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, MS-242, Reston, VA 
20192 (mail); or by email to [email protected]. Please reference OMB 
Control Number 1024-NEW in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Martha Raymond, National Coordinator, National 
Heritage Areas Program, National Park Service, by email at 
[email protected] or by telephone at 202-354-2222.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: We, the National Park Service, in accordance 
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, provide the general public 
and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on 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 National Park Service; (2) will this information be 
processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden 
accurate; (4) how might the National Park Service enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (5) how 
might the National Park 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.
    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.
    Title of Collection: National Heritage Areas Program Annual 
Reporting Forms.
    OMB Control Number: 1024-NEW.
    Form Number: NPS 10-320; NPS 10-321.
    Type of Review: New.
    Respondents/Affected Public: National Heritage Area Coordinating 
Entities: Not-for-profit entities; Federal Commissions; Institutions of 
Higher Education; State and local governments.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 98.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: ~2,500 hours.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 49 (49 total National 
Heritage Area Coordinating Entities).
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 12 hours to 40 
hours, depending on type of respondent and which form is being 
completed.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain a Benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: Annually.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    Abstract: National Heritage Areas (NHAs) are designated by Congress 
as places where natural, cultural, and historic resources combine to 
form a cohesive, nationally important landscape. Each National Heritage 
Area is governed by separate authorizing legislation and operates under 
provisions unique to its resources and desired goals. Through their 
resources, NHAs tell nationally important stories that celebrate our 
nation's diverse heritage. The NHA program, which currently includes 49 
heritage areas, is administered by National Park Service (NPS) 
coordinators in Washington, DC and six regional offices--Anchorage, San 
Francisco, Denver, Omaha, Philadelphia and Atlanta--as well as local 
park unit staff.
    The NPS intends to track the progress of each heritage area on 
implementing its management plan and meeting performance goals. In 
order to reduce paperwork burden on the public, we are proposing the 
below listed new forms to collect the information needed to assist us 
in monitoring the progress of each heritage area:
     Annual Program Report--Part I Funding Report. The 
information collected on this form is used by the NPS NHA Program 
Office for allocating funds to heritage area management or coordinating 
entities (coordinating entities) and preparing the annual NPS Budget 
Justification and responses to directives from Congress. The 
information gathered on this form relates to funding from the Heritage 
Partnership Program (HPP) fund; required non-federal match sources; 
organizational sustainability planning; and Heritage Area 
accomplishments and challenges in using the HPP funds.
     Annual Program Report--Part II Progress Report. The 
information collected through this form will be used by the NPS NHA 
Program Office and regional program offices to track each heritage area 
management or coordinating entity's (coordinating entity) progress on 
management plan implementation. The progress measures outlined on this 
form capture information about the diverse heritage area activities and 
approaches to these activities (process measures), direct products or 
services offered (output measures), and the results of the products or 
services (outcome measures). The NPS will use the responses to the 
questions reported here in annual program reports and publications and 
to inform individual heritage area evaluations.
    The authorities for this action come from the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.), the Historic Sites Act of 1935, 
as amended (54 U.S.C. Ch. 3201), and the individual pieces of 
legislation and associated amendments that enable the National Park 
Service, on behalf of the Secretary of the Interior, to provide federal 
financial, technical, and other assistance for the preservation of 
natural, cultural, historic, and scenic resources. Each

[[Page 55632]]

National Heritage Area is designated by its own authorizing 
legislation.

Tim Goddard,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2017-25238 Filed 11-21-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4312-52-P