60-day Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 52 / Friday, March 15, 2024 / Notices
monitor market conditions to determine
if additional relief measures may be
needed in the future.

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deficit will not be offset with positive
value species and the rates for
pulpwood will be base rates with no
change to rates for positive value
species.
Chief’s Determination of Substantial
Overriding Public Interest
The Government benefits if timber
contract defaults, mill closures, and
bankruptcies can be avoided by granting
rate redeterminations and extensions.
The forest products industry is critical
to addressing the wildfire crisis and
meeting forest management and climate
change objectives nationally, while
supporting hundreds of thousands of
meaningful jobs throughout the country.
Having numerous economically viable
timber purchasers increases competition
for National Forest System timber
contracts, results in higher prices paid
for such timber, and allows the Forest
Service to provide a continuous supply
of timber to the public in accordance
with the Organic Administration Act. In
addition, by extending contracts and
avoiding defaults, closures, and
bankruptcies, the Government avoids
the difficult, lengthy, expensive, and
sometimes impossible process of
collecting default damages.
By preventing defaults, better
utilization of various forest resources
(consistent with the provisions of the
Multiple-Use Sustained-Yield Act of
1960) will result if contracts can be
extended beyond 10 years because of
this finding. Therefore, pursuant to 16
U.S.C. 472a(c), and subject to specific
conditions and exceptions, I have
determined that it is in the substantial
overriding public interest to
redetermine pulpwood rates and extend,
up to two years, certain National Forest
System timber sale and sale of property
stewardship contracts that were
awarded before March 13, 2024, or had
a bid opening date prior to March 13,
2024, but have not yet been awarded.
Total contract length may exceed 10
years because of an extension under this
SOPI determination. Downpayment
amounts will be recalculated and any
periodic payment due dates that have
not been reached, as of the date the
Contracting Officer receives a written
request for a SOPI extension, shall be
adjusted one day for each day of
additional contract time granted.
To receive an extension and periodic
payment deferral pursuant to this SOPI,
purchasers must make a written request
and agree to release the Forest Service
from all claims and liability during the
extension period if a contract extended
pursuant to this finding is suspended,
modified, or terminated in the future.
The Forest Service shall continue to

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Dated: March 8, 2024.
Randy Moore,
Chief, Forest Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–05286 Filed 3–14–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3411–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service
[Docket No. RUS–24–ELECTRIC–0005]

Notice of an Extension to a Currently
Approved Information Collection
Rural Utilities Service, USDA.
Notice and request for
comments.

AGENCY:
ACTION:

In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces the Rural Utilities
Service’s (RUS or Agency), an agency
within the United States Department of
Agriculture, Rural Development,
intention to request an extension to a
currently approved information
collection package for the High Energy
Costs Grants Rural Communities
Program (HECG). In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Agency invites comments on this
information collection for which it
intends to request approval from the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB).
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by May 14, 2024 to be assured
of consideration.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Pamela Bennett, Rural Development
Innovation Center—Regulations
Management Division, USDA, 1400
Independence Avenue SW, STOP 1522,
South Building, Washington, DC 20250–
1522. Telephone: (202) 720–9639. Email
pamela.bennett@usda.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The OMB
regulation (5 CFR part 1320)
implementing provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub.
L. 104–13) requires that interested
members of the public and affected
agencies have an opportunity to
comment on information collection and
recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR
1320.8(d)). This notice identifies an
information collection that RUS is
submitting to OMB for extension of an
existing collection.
Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information
is necessary for the proper performance
of the functions of the Agency,
including whether the information will
SUMMARY:

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have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of
the Agency’s estimate of the burden of
the proposed collection of information
including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used; (c)
ways to enhance the quality, utility and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) ways to minimize the
burden of the collection of information
on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate
automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Comments may be sent by the Federal
eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://
www.regulations.gov and, in the
‘‘Search’’ box, type in the Docket No.
RUS–24–ELECTRIC–0005. A link to the
Notice will appear. You may submit a
comment here by selecting the
‘‘Comment’’ button or you can access
the ‘‘Docket’’ tab, select the ‘‘Notice,’’
and go to the ‘‘Browse & Comment on
Documents’’ Tab. Here you may view
comments that have been submitted as
well as submit a comment. To submit a
comment, select the ‘‘Comment’’ button,
complete the required information, and
select the ‘‘Submit Comment’’ button at
the bottom. Information on using
Regulations.gov, including instructions
for accessing documents, submitting
comments, and viewing the docket after
the close of the comment period, is
available through the site’s ‘‘FAQ’’ link
at the bottom.
A Federal agency may not conduct or
sponsor, and a person is not required to
respond to, nor shall a person be subject
to a penalty for failure to comply with
a collection of information subject to the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act unless that collection of
information displays a currently valid
OMB Control Number. Data furnished
by the applicants will be used to
determine eligibility for program
benefits. Furnishing the data is
voluntary; however, failure to provide
data could result in program benefits
being withheld or denied.
Title: High Energy Costs Grants Rural
Communities.
OMB Control Number: 0572–0136.
Type of Request: Extension of a
currently approved information
collection.
Abstract: The HECG Program is
authorized under section 19 of the Rural
Electrification Act of 1936, as amended
(the RE Act) (7 U.S.C. 918a), and
implemented by 7 CFR part 1709. The
Agency, through the HECG program,
provides grant funds to qualified types
of applicants to acquire, construct,
extend, upgrade, or otherwise improve
energy generation, transmission, or

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 52 / Friday, March 15, 2024 / Notices

distribution facilities serving
communities in which the average
residential expenditure for home energy
is at least 275 percent of the national
average. Grants may also be used for
programs that install on-grid and offgrid renewable energy systems and
energy efficiency improvements in
eligible communities.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting
burden for this collection of information
is estimated to average 3.41 hours per
response.
Respondents: For profit and nonprofit entities, State and local
governments, Indian Tribes, other Tribal
entities, Alaskan Native Corporations
and Individuals. See 7 CFR 1709.106.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
60.
Estimated Total Annual Responses:
344.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 5.73.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 1,172 hours.
Copies of this information collection
can be obtained from Pamela Bennett,
Rural Development Innovation Center—
Regulations Management Division,
USDA, 1400 Independence Avenue SW,
South Building, Washington, DC 20250–
1522. Telephone: (202) 720–9639.
Email: pamela.bennett@usda.gov.
All responses to this notice will be
summarized and included in the request
for OMB approval. All comments will
also become a matter of public record.
Andrew Berke,
Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–05471 Filed 3–14–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Census Bureau

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Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
Review and Approval; Comment
Request; National Survey of Children’s
Health.
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

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the public’s reporting burden. Public
comments were previously requested
via the Federal Register on November
14, 2023 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: National Survey of Children’s
Health.
OMB Control Number: 0607–0990
Form Number(s): NSCH–S1 (English
Screener), NSCH–T1 (English Topical
for 0- to 5-year-old children), NSCH–T2
(English Topical for 6- to 11-year-old
children), NSCH–T3 (English Topical
for 12- to 17-year-old children), NSCH–
S–S1 (Spanish Screener), NSCH–S–T1
(Spanish Topical for 0- to 5-year-old
children), NSCH–S–T2 (Spanish Topical
for 6- to 11-year-old children), and
NSCH–S–T3 (Spanish Topical for 12- to
17-year-old children).
Type of Request: Regular submission,
Request for a Revision of a Currently
Approved Collection.
Number of Respondents: 73,641 for
the screener only and 56,649 for the
combined screener and topical, for a
total of 130,290 respondents.
Average Hours per Response: 5
minutes per screener response and 35–
36 minutes per topical response, which
in total is approximately 40–41 minutes
for households with eligible children.
Burden Hours: 44,270.
Needs and Uses: The National Survey
of Children’s Health (NSCH) enables the
Maternal and Child Health Bureau
(MCHB) of the Health Resources and
Services Administration (HRSA) of the
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) along with supplemental
sponsoring agencies, states, and other
data users to produce national and statebased estimates on the health and wellbeing of children, their families, and
their communities as well as estimates
of the prevalence and impact of children
with special health care needs.
Data will be collected using one of
two modes. The first mode is a web
instrument (Centurion) survey that
contains the screener and topical
instruments. The web instrument first
will take the respondent through the
screener questions. If the household
screens into the study, the respondent
will be taken directly into one of the
three age-based topical sets of questions.
The second mode is a mailout/mailback
of a self-administered paper-and-pencil
interviewing (PAPI) screener instrument
followed by a separate mailout/mailback
of a PAPI age-based topical instrument.
The National Survey of Children’s
Health (NSCH) is a large-scale (sample
size is approximately 375,000
addresses) national survey with

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approximately 292,500 addresses
included in the base production survey
and approximately 82,500 addresses
included as part of fourteen separate
state-based or region-based oversamples.
As in prior cycles of the NSCH, there
remain two key, non-experimental
design elements. The first nonexperimental design element is the use
of an unconditional incentive ($5) in the
initial screener and topical invitations.
For the initial screener invitation, 90%
of sampled addresses receive the cash
incentive; the remaining 10% (the
control) do not receive an incentive.
This approach is used to consistently
monitor the effectiveness of the cash
incentive each cycle. The second nonexperimental design element is a data
collection procedure based on the block
group-level paper-only response
probability used to identify households
(30% of the sample) that would be more
likely to respond by paper and send
them a paper questionnaire in the initial
mailing and every nonresponse followup mailing.
The 2024 NSCH will also include a
targeted secondary unconditional
incentive test to encourage response
from a subset of the sample that started
the web questionnaire but did not
finish. Prior cycles of the survey have
included a $5 unconditional cash
incentive with both the initial screener
mailing as well as the initial paper
topical mailing as outlined in the
paragraph above. The incentive has
proven to be a cost-effective
intervention for increasing survey
response and reducing nonresponse
bias.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households.
Frequency: The 2024 collection is the
ninth administration of the NSCH. It is
an annual survey, with a new sample
drawn for each administration.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Legal Authority: Census Authority:
Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.),
section 8(b) (13 U.S.C. 8(b)).
HRSA MCHB Authority: Section
501(a)(2) of the Social Security Act (42
U.S.C. 701).
United States Department of
Agriculture Authority: Agriculture
Improvement Act of 2018, Public Law
115–334.
United States Department of Health
and Human Services’ Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention,
National Center on Birth Defects and
Developmental Disabilities Authority:
Public Health Service Act, Section 301,
42 U.S.C. 241.
United States Department of Health
and Human Services’ Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention,

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