Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Redistricting Data Program
| Published date | 22 September 2021 |
| Citation | 86 FR 52634 |
| Record Number | 2021-20512 |
| Section | Notices |
| Court | Census Bureau |
52634
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 22, 2021 / Notices
Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,
North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma,
Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island,
South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West
Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming to
include hydrology indicators for the
identification of FWs that are not
playas, pocosins, or potholes. These
indicators will be used by NRCS to
identify FWs as part of the technical
documents and procedures to conduct
wetland determinations on agricultural
land for USDA program eligibility
purposes as required by law as specified
in 16 U.S.C. 3822.
The controlling regulations for the
wetland conservation (WC) provisions
of the Food Security Act of 1985, as
amended, are provided in 7 CFR part 12,
‘‘Highly Erodible Land and Wetland
Conservation.’’ The regulations’ broad
definition of ‘‘wetland determination’’
describe an FW (in part) using two
criteria. First, an FW is a wetland that
prior to December 23, 1985, was
manipulated and used to produce an
agricultural commodity at least once
before December 23, 1985. Second, FWs
are described as wetlands that on
December 23, 1985, did not support
woody vegetation, and met the
following hydrologic criteria: If not a
playa, pocosin, or pothole, experienced
inundation for 15 consecutive days or
more during the growing season or 10
percent of the growing season,
whichever is less, in most years (50-
percent chance or more).
To decide effectively whether an area
supports the required inundation for a
FW that is not identified as a playa,
pocosin, or pothole, the regulations then
provide three options:
1. Observation of wetland hydrology
indicators as identified in the local
NRCS Field Office Technical Guide;
2. Procedures identified in State Off-
Site Methods for wetland identification
set forth in the local NRCS Field Office
Technical Guide; or
3. The use of analytic techniques,
such as the use of drainage equations or
the evaluation of monitoring data.
The proposed FW hydrology
indicators provide those NRCS will use
under option one.
On August 28, 2020, USDA published
a final rule in the Federal Register (85
FR 53137–53152) for the highly erodible
land and wetland conservation
provisions of the Food Security Act of
1985, as amended. The rule changed
how NRCS identifies hydrology criteria
for FWs that are not playas, pocosins, or
potholes, consistent with the discussion
above. Prior to that final rule, the
regulations specified that NRCS would
identify FWs by using hydrology
indicators showing evidence of recent
inundation as contained in the
applicable regional supplement to the
Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation
Manual.
The preamble to the August 28, 2020,
final rule provided that until such time
as the updates to the NRCS Field Office
Technical Guides have been published
and public notice provided, NRCS will
continue to use Group B (Evidence of
Recent Inundation) hydrology indicators
from the regional supplements to the
Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation
Manual, as specified in the interim rule,
published December 7, 2018, in the
Federal Register (83 FR 63046–63052),
to identify FWs that are not playas,
pocosins, or potholes. Those Group B
wetland hydrology indicators currently
used by NRCS can be found in the
regional supplements to the Corps of
Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual
at https://www.usace.army.mil/
Missions/Civil-Works/Regulatory-
Program-and-Permits/reg_supp/. The
Corps of Engineers hydrology indicators
will no longer be used by NRCS for the
identification of FWs that are not
playas, pocosins, or potholes once the
State-specific NRCS indicators are
considered final and published in
Section 1 of each State’s Field Office
Technical Guide.
Notification and Public Comment
Section 343 of the Federal Agriculture
Improvement and Reform Act of 1996
(16 U.S.C. 3862 note) specifies that
USDA must allow public notice and
comment for revisions to NRCS State
technical guides which are used to carry
out the Food Security Act of 1985
highly erodible land and wetland
conservation provisions (16 U.S.C.
3801–3824).
NRCS will consider all comments that
are received during the 30-day comment
period. The final version of the Field
Office Technical Guide for the States of
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
California, Caribbean Area, Colorado,
Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia,
Hawaii/Pacific Islands Area, Idaho,
Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi,
Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada,
New Hampshire, New Jersey, New
Mexico, New York, North Carolina,
Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, South Carolina,
Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont,
Virginia, Washington, West Virginia,
Wisconsin, and Wyoming as revised to
include hydrology indicators for the
identification of FWs that are not
playas, pocosins, or potholes will be
adopted after the close of the 30-day
period and after consideration of all
comments. Responses to comments will
be posted at https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
wps/portal/nrcs/detailfull/national/
programs/farmbill/
?cid=nrcseprd1542016 once each State’s
final version is adopted.
Astor Boozer, Regional Conservationist, West
Region, Natural Resources Conservation
Service.
Terrell Erickson, Regional Conservationist,
Northeast Region, Natural Resources
Conservation Service.
Noller Herbert, Acting Regional
Conservationist, Central Region, Natural
Resources Conservation Service.
James Tillman,
Regional Conservationist, Southeast Region,
Natural Resources Conservation Service.
[FR Doc. 2021–20474 Filed 9–21–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–16–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; Redistricting Data Program
The Department of Commerce will
submit the following information
collection request to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and clearance in accordance
with the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995, on or after the date of publication
of this notice. We invite the general
public and other Federal agencies to
comment on proposed, and continuing
information collections, which helps us
assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize
the public’s reporting burden. Public
comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on May 07,
2021, during a 60-day comment period.
This notice allows for an additional 30
days for public comments.
Agency: U.S. Census Bureau,
Department of Commerce.
Title: Redistricting Data Program.
OMB Control Number: 0607–0988.
Form Number(s): P4–02, P4–03, P4–
04, P4–05, and P4–06.
Type of Request: Regular submission,
Revision of a Currently Approved
Collection.
Number of Respondents: 52.
Average Hours per Response:
Phase 4: 8 hours.
Phase 5: 2 hours.
Burden Hours: 520 hours.
Phase 4: 416 hours.
Phase 5: 104 hours.
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52635
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 181 / Wednesday, September 22, 2021 / Notices
Needs and Uses: The Redistricting
Data Program (RDP) is one of many
voluntary programs that collects
boundaries to update the U.S. Census
Bureau’s geographic database of
addresses, streets, and boundaries. The
Census Bureau uses its geographic
database to link demographic data from
surveys and the decennial census to
locations and areas, such as cities,
congressional and legislative districts,
and counties. To tabulate statistics by
localities, the Census Bureau must have
accurate addresses and boundaries.
Specifically, the RDP provides states
the opportunity to delineate voting
districts and to suggest census block
boundaries for use in the 2020 Census
redistricting data tabulations (Pub. L.
94–171 Redistricting Data File). In
addition, the RDP periodically collects
state legislative and congressional
district boundaries if they are changed
by the states. After the 2020 Census,
states may use 2020 data tabulated for
census blocks, voting districts, and
possibly other geographic areas such as
cities, counties, etc., as considerations
when they draw their new congressional
and legislative district boundaries.
States are the only authority that can
choose where and how to draw their
boundaries. The boundaries collected in
the RDP and other geographic programs
will create census blocks, which are the
building blocks for all Census Bureau
geographic boundaries. While the
geographic programs differ in
requirements, time frame, and
participants, the RDP and the other
geographic programs all follow the same
basic process:
1. The Census Bureau invites eligible
participants to the program. For the
RDP, the Census Bureau invites non-
partisan state liaisons appointed by the
legislative majority and minority
leadership of each state.
2. If they elect to participate in the
program, participants receive a digital
copy of the boundaries the Census
Bureau has on file. Participants review
the boundaries and update them if
needed. RDP participants can choose to
review and provide their boundary
updates using a free customized
mapping software, or their own
mapping software.
3. Participants return their updates to
the Census Bureau.
4. The Census Bureau updates their
geographic database with boundary
updates from participants.
5. The Census Bureau uses the newly
updated boundaries and addresses to
tabulate statistics.
The Census Bureau is requesting a
clearance to continue the RDP. As the
current Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) Control Number 0607–
0988 will expire in November 2021, the
new clearance will allow the Census
Bureau to provide RDP-specific
materials, burden hours, and procedures
to the 52 state liaisons to complete
Phase 4: Collection of Post 2020 Census
Redistricting Data Plans and Phase 5:
Review of the 2020 Census RDP and
Recommendations for the 2030 RDP.
The RDP is executed under the
provisions of Title 13, Section 141(c) of
the United States Code (U.S.C.).
Under the provisions of Public Law
94–171, as amended (Title 13, United
States Code (U.S.C.), Section 141(c)), the
Secretary of Commerce, who designates
this responsibility to the Director of the
Census Bureau, is required to provide
the officers or public bodies having
initial responsibility for the legislative
apportionment or districting of each
state with the opportunity to specify
geographic areas (e.g., Voting Districts
(wards and election precincts),
congressional and state legislative
districts, and census blocks) for which
they wish to receive decennial census
population counts for the purpose of
reapportionment or redistricting and to
deliver those counts in a timely manner.
The Census Bureau issued invitation
letters by mail (U.S. Postal Service) and
follow-up emails to the officers or
public bodies having initial
responsibility for legislative
reapportionment and redistricting. The
50 states, the District of Columbia, and
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
designated non-partisan liaisons to
serve as the primary point of contact
with the Census Bureau on the 2020
Census RDP.
Phase 1: Block Boundary Suggestion
Project was conducted and completed in
fiscal years 2015 through 2017.
Phase 2: The Voting District Project
was conducted and completed in fiscal
years 2018 through 2020.
Phase 3: Delivery of the 2020
Decennial Census Redistricting Data
was originally scheduled for completion
on April 1, 2021. Due to COVID–19-
related delays and prioritizing the
delivery of the apportionment results,
the Census Bureau completed delivery
of the redistricting data to all states and
state equivalents on August 12, 2021
and again in more usable format on
September 16, 2021.
Phase 4: Collection of Post Census
Redistricting Data Plans. Between
January 2022 and July 2022, the Census
Bureau will solicit from each state the
newly drawn 118th Congressional
Districts and State Legislative Districts.
This effort will occur every two years in
advance of the 2030 Census to update
these boundaries with new or changed
plans. A verification phase will occur
with each update.
Phase 5: Review of the 2020 Census
RDP and Recommendations for the 2030
Census RDP (2020 post-data collection).
As the final phase of the 2020 Census
RDP, the Census Bureau will work with
the states to conduct a thorough review
of the RDP. The intent of this review,
and the final report that results, is to
provide guidance to the Secretary and
the Census Bureau Director in planning
the 2030 Census RDP.
No changes have been made since the
RDP 60-day notification was published
on Friday, May 07, 2021, Vol. 86, No.
87, pages 24582–24584.
Affected Public: All 50 states, the
District of Columbia, and the
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Frequency: Every 10 years.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Public Law 94–171,
as amended (Title 13, United States
Code (U.S.C.), Section 141(c)).
This information collection request
may be viewed at www.reginfo.gov.
Follow the instructions to view the
Department of Commerce collections
currently under review by OMB.
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be
submitted within 30 days of the
publication of this notice on the
following website www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain. Find this
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open
for Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function and entering either the
title of the collection or the OMB
Control Number 0607–0988.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
the Chief Information Officer, Commerce
Department.
[FR Doc. 2021–20512 Filed 9–21–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510–07–P
DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
International Trade Administration
[Docket No. ITA–2021–0004]
Healthcare Services Sector Export
Market Landscape
AGENCY
: International Trade
Administration, U.S. Department of
Commerce.
ACTION
: Notice of request for public
comments.
SUMMARY
: The U.S. Department of
Commerce (Commerce) seeks to support
U.S. private-sector businesses and
organizations engaged in export
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