82_FR_58182 82 FR 57947 - Information Collection Request; Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP)

82 FR 57947 - Information Collection Request; Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP)

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Farm Service Agency

Federal Register Volume 82, Issue 235 (December 8, 2017)

Page Range57947-57947
FR Document2017-26464

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, as amended, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all interested individuals and organizations on an extension with a revision of currently approved information collection associated with the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP). This information is collected in support of, respectively, sections 401-407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978, as amended, and section 9011 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, as amended.

Federal Register, Volume 82 Issue 235 (Friday, December 8, 2017)
[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 235 (Friday, December 8, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 57947]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2017-26464]


========================================================================
Notices
                                                Federal Register
________________________________________________________________________

This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER contains documents other than rules 
or proposed rules that are applicable to the public. Notices of hearings 
and investigations, committee meetings, agency decisions and rulings, 
delegations of authority, filing of petitions and applications and agency 
statements of organization and functions are examples of documents 
appearing in this section.

========================================================================


Federal Register / Vol. 82, No. 235 / Friday, December 8, 2017 / 
Notices

[[Page 57947]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Farm Service Agency


Information Collection Request; Emergency Conservation Program 
(ECP) and Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP)

AGENCY: Farm Service Agency, USDA.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, as 
amended, the Farm Service Agency (FSA) is requesting comments from all 
interested individuals and organizations on an extension with a 
revision of currently approved information collection associated with 
the Emergency Conservation Program (ECP) and Biomass Crop Assistance 
Program (BCAP). This information is collected in support of, 
respectively, sections 401-407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978, 
as amended, and section 9011 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment 
Act of 2002, as amended.

DATES: We will consider comments that we receive by February 6, 2018.

ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit comments on this Notice. In your 
comment, include the volume, date, and page number of this issue of the 
Federal Register. You may submit comments by any of the following 
methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to: www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
     Mail, hand delivery, or courier: Virginia Green, ECP 
Program Manager, Conservation and Environmental Programs Division, Farm 
Service Agency, United States Department of Agriculture, STOP 0513, 
1400 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC, 20250-0513.
    You may also send comments to the Desk Officer for Agriculture, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, Washington, DC 20503. Copies of the information collection may 
be requested by contacting Martin Bomar.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, Virginia Green, (202) 401-9144.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Description of Information Collection

    Title: Emergency Conservation Program and Biomass Crop Assistance 
Program.
    OMB Control Number: 0560-0082.
    Expiration Date: March 31, 2018.
    Type of Request: Extension of a Currently Approved Information 
Collection.
    Abstract: The collection of this information is necessary to allow 
FSA to:
    (1) Effectively administer the regulations under ECP, which are set 
forth at 7 CFR part 701, so as to provide funding and technical 
assistance for farmers and ranchers to restore farmland damaged by 
natural disasters, and for emergency water conservation measures in 
severe droughts; and
    (2) Effectively administer the regulations for BCAP, which are set 
forth at 7 CFR part 1450, so as to provide financial assistance to 
owners and operators of agricultural and non-industrial private forest 
land who wish to establish, produce, and deliver biomass feedstocks.
    This information is collected in support of, respectively, sections 
401-407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of 1978 (Pub. L. 95-334), as 
amended, and section 9011 of the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act 
of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-171), as amended.
    FSA will decrease the burden hours in the request because FSA will 
replace the form series AD-245 and its associated computing process, 
with the new form series FSA-848 and a web-based computing environment. 
Also, participation in BCAP has been reduced due to reduced funding. 
FSA is removing three forms for ECP, FSA-18, ACP-153, and ACP-153A, and 
one form for BCAP, CCC-36, Assignment of Payment, from the information 
collection.
    For the following estimated total annual burden on respondents, the 
formula used to calculate the total burden hours is the estimated 
average time per response multiplied by the estimated total annual of 
responses.
    Estimate of Average Time To Respond: Public reporting burden for 
collecting information under this notice is estimated to average 
0.26556 hours per response (an average of 16 minutes), including the 
time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, 
gathering and maintaining the data needed, completing and reviewing the 
collection of information for all respondents, and travel time for half 
of the respondents. The average travel time, which is included in the 
total annual burden, is estimated to be 1 hour per respondent.
    Type of Respondents: Owners, operators and other eligible 
agricultural producers on eligible farmland.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 55,680.
    Estimated Number of Responses per Respondent: 5.258.
    Estimated Total Annual Reponses: 292,820.
    Estimated Average Time per Response: 0. 26556 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 77,763 hours.
    We are requesting comments on all aspects of this information 
collection to help us to:
    (1) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of 
the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
    (3) Evaluate the quality, ability and clarity of the information 
technology; and
    (4) Minimize the burden of the information collection on those who 
respond through the use of appropriate automated, electronic, 
mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms 
of information.
    All responses to this notice, including names and addresses when 
provided, will be summarized and included in the request for OMB 
approval. All comments will also become a matter of public record.

Steven J. Peterson,
Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
[FR Doc. 2017-26464 Filed 12-7-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3410-05-P



                                                                                                                                                                                                      57947

                                                Notices                                                                                                       Federal Register
                                                                                                                                                              Vol. 82, No. 235

                                                                                                                                                              Friday, December 8, 2017



                                                This section of the FEDERAL REGISTER                    information collection may be requested                  Estimate of Average Time To
                                                contains documents other than rules or                  by contacting Martin Bomar.                           Respond: Public reporting burden for
                                                proposed rules that are applicable to the               FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For                  collecting information under this notice
                                                public. Notices of hearings and investigations,                                                               is estimated to average 0.26556 hours
                                                                                                        specific questions related to collection
                                                committee meetings, agency decisions and                                                                      per response (an average of 16 minutes),
                                                rulings, delegations of authority, filing of            activities, Virginia Green, (202) 401–
                                                petitions and applications and agency                   9144.                                                 including the time for reviewing
                                                statements of organization and functions are                                                                  instructions, searching existing data
                                                                                                        SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
                                                examples of documents appearing in this                                                                       sources, gathering and maintaining the
                                                section.                                                Description of Information Collection                 data needed, completing and reviewing
                                                                                                          Title: Emergency Conservation                       the collection of information for all
                                                                                                        Program and Biomass Crop Assistance                   respondents, and travel time for half of
                                                DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE                               Program.                                              the respondents. The average travel
                                                                                                          OMB Control Number: 0560–0082.                      time, which is included in the total
                                                Farm Service Agency                                                                                           annual burden, is estimated to be 1 hour
                                                                                                          Expiration Date: March 31, 2018.
                                                                                                          Type of Request: Extension of a                     per respondent.
                                                Information Collection Request;                                                                                  Type of Respondents: Owners,
                                                Emergency Conservation Program                          Currently Approved Information
                                                                                                        Collection.                                           operators and other eligible agricultural
                                                (ECP) and Biomass Crop Assistance                                                                             producers on eligible farmland.
                                                Program (BCAP)                                            Abstract: The collection of this
                                                                                                        information is necessary to allow FSA                    Estimated Number of Respondents:
                                                AGENCY:   Farm Service Agency, USDA.                    to:                                                   55,680.
                                                                                                          (1) Effectively administer the                         Estimated Number of Responses per
                                                ACTION:   Notice; request for comments.
                                                                                                        regulations under ECP, which are set                  Respondent: 5.258.
                                                SUMMARY:   In accordance with the                       forth at 7 CFR part 701, so as to provide                Estimated Total Annual Reponses:
                                                Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, as                     funding and technical assistance for                  292,820.
                                                amended, the Farm Service Agency                                                                                 Estimated Average Time per
                                                                                                        farmers and ranchers to restore farmland
                                                (FSA) is requesting comments from all                                                                         Response: 0. 26556 hours.
                                                                                                        damaged by natural disasters, and for                    Estimated Total Annual Burden on
                                                interested individuals and organizations                emergency water conservation measures
                                                on an extension with a revision of                                                                            Respondents: 77,763 hours.
                                                                                                        in severe droughts; and                                  We are requesting comments on all
                                                currently approved information                            (2) Effectively administer the
                                                collection associated with the                                                                                aspects of this information collection to
                                                                                                        regulations for BCAP, which are set                   help us to:
                                                Emergency Conservation Program (ECP)                    forth at 7 CFR part 1450, so as to                       (1) Evaluate whether the proposed
                                                and Biomass Crop Assistance Program                     provide financial assistance to owners                collection of information is necessary
                                                (BCAP). This information is collected in                and operators of agricultural and non-                for the proper performance of the
                                                support of, respectively, sections 401–                 industrial private forest land who wish               functions of the agency, including
                                                407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of                   to establish, produce, and deliver                    whether the information will have
                                                1978, as amended, and section 9011 of                   biomass feedstocks.                                   practical utility;
                                                the Farm Security and Rural Investment                    This information is collected in                       (2) Evaluate the accuracy of the
                                                Act of 2002, as amended.                                support of, respectively, sections 401–               agency’s estimate of the burden of the
                                                DATES: We will consider comments that                   407 of the Agricultural Credit Act of                 collection of information, including the
                                                we receive by February 6, 2018.                         1978 (Pub. L. 95–334), as amended, and                validity of the methodology and
                                                ADDRESSES: We invite you to submit                      section 9011 of the Farm Security and                 assumptions used;
                                                comments on this Notice. In your                        Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Pub. L.                    (3) Evaluate the quality, ability and
                                                comment, include the volume, date, and                  107–171), as amended.                                 clarity of the information technology;
                                                page number of this issue of the Federal                  FSA will decrease the burden hours                  and
                                                Register. You may submit comments by                    in the request because FSA will replace                  (4) Minimize the burden of the
                                                any of the following methods:                           the form series AD–245 and its                        information collection on those who
                                                  • Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to:                  associated computing process, with the                respond through the use of appropriate
                                                www.regulations.gov. Follow the online                  new form series FSA–848 and a web-                    automated, electronic, mechanical, or
                                                instructions for submitting comments.                   based computing environment. Also,                    other technological collection
                                                  • Mail, hand delivery, or courier:                    participation in BCAP has been reduced                techniques or other forms of
                                                Virginia Green, ECP Program Manager,                    due to reduced funding. FSA is                        information.
                                                Conservation and Environmental                          removing three forms for ECP, FSA–18,                    All responses to this notice, including
                                                Programs Division, Farm Service                         ACP–153, and ACP–153A, and one form                   names and addresses when provided,
                                                Agency, United States Department of                     for BCAP, CCC–36, Assignment of                       will be summarized and included in the
sradovich on DSK3GMQ082PROD with NOTICES




                                                Agriculture, STOP 0513, 1400                            Payment, from the information                         request for OMB approval. All
                                                Independence Avenue SW.,                                collection.                                           comments will also become a matter of
                                                Washington, DC, 20250–0513.                               For the following estimated total                   public record.
                                                  You may also send comments to the                     annual burden on respondents, the
                                                Desk Officer for Agriculture, Office of                 formula used to calculate the total                   Steven J. Peterson,
                                                Information and Regulatory Affairs,                     burden hours is the estimated average                 Acting Administrator, Farm Service Agency.
                                                Office of Management and Budget,                        time per response multiplied by the                   [FR Doc. 2017–26464 Filed 12–7–17; 8:45 am]
                                                Washington, DC 20503. Copies of the                     estimated total annual of responses.                  BILLING CODE 3410–05–P




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Document Created: 2017-12-08 01:43:23
Document Modified: 2017-12-08 01:43:23
CategoryRegulatory Information
CollectionFederal Register
sudoc ClassAE 2.7:
GS 4.107:
AE 2.106:
PublisherOffice of the Federal Register, National Archives and Records Administration
SectionNotices
ActionNotice; request for comments.
DatesWe will consider comments that we receive by February 6, 2018.
ContactFor specific questions related to collection activities, Virginia Green, (202) 401-9144.
FR Citation82 FR 57947 

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