60 day notice

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 152 / Wednesday, August 7, 2024 / Notices

form of business as a viable option for
enhancing the income of agricultural
producers and other rural residents.
RBCS’ direct role is providing
knowledge to improve the effectiveness
and performance of farmer cooperative
businesses through technical assistance,
research, information, and education.
The Annual Survey of Farmer
Cooperatives collects basic statistics on
cooperative business volume, net
income, members, financial status,
employees, and other selected
information to support RBCS’ objective
and role. Cooperative statistics are
published in an annual report and other
formats for use by the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, cooperative management
and members, educators and
researchers, other Federal agencies,
cooperative trade associations, general
agribusiness, cooperative development
practitioners, students, teachers,
consultants, and many others.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting
burden for this collection of information
is estimated to average 0.78 hours per
response.
Respondents: Cooperatives.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
1,035.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 1.
Estimated Number of Responses:
1,035.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 806 hours.
Copies of this information collection
can be obtained from Adyam Negasi, RD
Innovation Center—Regulations
Management Division, at 202–221–9298
or Adyam.negasi@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.
Kathryn E. Dirksen Londrigan,
Administrator, Rural Business-Cooperative
Service, USDA Rural Development.
[FR Doc. 2024–17405 Filed 8–6–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–XY–P

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Rural Utilities Service

khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES

[Docket No.: RUS–24–ELECTRIC–0024]

Notice of a Revision 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

SUMMARY:

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Service’s (RUS or the Agency), an
agency with the United States
Department of Agriculture, Rural
Development, intention to request a
revision to a currently approved
information collection package for the
RUS Electric Loan Application and
Related Reporting Burdens. The Agency
invites comments on this information
collection for which the Agency intends
to request approval from the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB).
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
received by October 7, 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 the Agency
is submitting to OMB for revision.
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
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.
located at the beginning of this notice.
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.

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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: RUS Electric Loan Application
and Related Reporting Burdens.
OMB Control Number: 0572–0032.
Type of Request: Revision of a
currently approved information
collection.
Abstract: RUS was established in
1994 by the Federal Crop Insurance
Reform and Department of Agriculture
Reorganization Act of 1994 (Pub. L.
103–354, 108 Stat. 3178, 7 U.S.C. 6941
et seq.) as successor to the Rural
Electrification Administration (REA)
with respect to certain programs,
including the electric loan and loan
guarantee program authorized under the
Rural Electrification Act of 1936 (7
U.S.C. 901 et seq., as amended) (RE
Act). The RE Act authorizes and
empowers the Administrator of RUS to
make and guarantee loans to furnish and
improve electric service in rural areas.
These loans are amortized over a period
of up to 35 years and secured by the
borrower’s electric assets and/or
revenue. In the interest of protecting
loan security, monitoring compliance
with debt covenants, and ensuring that
RUS loan funds are used for purposes
authorized by law, RUS requires that
borrowers prepare and submit for RUS
evaluation certain studies and reports.
Some of these studies and reports are
required only once for each loan
application; others must be submitted
periodically until the loan is completely
repaid. These forms and documents
serve as support for electric loan
applications and summarizes the types
and estimated costs of facilities and
equipment for which RUS financing is
being requested.

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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 152 / Wednesday, August 7, 2024 / Notices
The RE Act also authorizes and
empowers the Administrator of RUS to
make or cause to be made, studies,
investigations, and reports concerning
the condition and progress of the
electrification of the several States and
Territories; and to publish and
disseminate information with respect
thereto. Information supplied by
borrowers forms the basis of many of
these reports.
RUS uses an online application intake
system called RDApply that allows
applicants to create an online
application for RUS loans and grants as
well as upload attachments, sign
certifications, and draw service areas, to
name a few features. RDApply
streamlines the application process, as
well as provides identity security,
reduces paper consumption and is
expected to reduce the burden
associated with this information
collection package over time.
Estimate of Burden: Public reporting
burden for this collection of information
is estimated to average 19.07 hours per
response.
Respondents: Non-profit
organizations, business or other for
profit.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
608.
Estimated Total Annual Responses:
1,967.
Estimated Number of Responses per
Respondent: 3.24.
Estimated Total Annual Burden on
Respondents: 37,514 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. 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.
Christopher A. McLean,
Acting Administrator, Rural Utilities Service.
[FR Doc. 2024–17478 Filed 8–6–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3410–15–P

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES

Office of the Secretary
[Docket Number 240729–0207]
RIN 0605–XZ001

Department of Commerce Open
Government Plan
Office of the Secretary,
Department of Commerce.

AGENCY:

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Notice and request for
comments (RFC).

ACTION:

The U.S. Department of
Commerce’s Office of Privacy and Open
Government requests public comment
on improvements for the presentation of
the Department’s eighth Open
Government Plan. We are committed to
creating opportunities for meaningful
civic engagement and public
participation and welcome public input
on how to improve upon the
organization, scope, form, and format of
the Department’s seventh Open
Government Plan document, how to
enhance readability and reach a broader
audience, and how best to convey in the
document how the Department’s eighth
Open Government Plan incorporates
themes from the fifth U.S. Open
Government National Action Plan that
was issued on December 28, 2022.
DATES: Comments on this notice must be
submitted on or before September 6,
2024.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
via the Federal eRulemaking Portal at
https://www.regulations.gov/. Follow
the instructions for submitting
comments. All public comments
received are subject to the Freedom of
Information Act and will be posted in
their entirety at https://
www.regulations.gov/, including any
personal and business confidential
information provided. Do not include
any information you would not like to
be made publicly available.
Instructions: Response to this RFC is
voluntary. Responses should include
the name of the person(s) or
organization(s) filing the response.
Responses containing references,
studies, research, and other empirical
data that are not widely published
should include copies of or electronic
links to the referenced materials. Please
do not submit copyrighted material.
Responses containing profanity,
vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate
language or content will not be
considered. Any information obtained
from this RFC is intended to be used by
the Government on a non-attribution
basis. The Department of Commerce
will not respond to individual
submissions.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information
should be directed to open@doc.gov
with ‘‘Open Government Plan RFC’’ in
the subject line, or by mail to Office of
Privacy and Open Government, U.S.
Department of Commerce, Attn: Jennifer
Goode, Ph.D., Deputy Director for Open
Government and Departmental Privacy
Act Officer, 1401 Constitution Ave. NW,
SUMMARY:

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64405

Mail Stop 61013, Washington, DC
20230, (202) 482–1190.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with OMB Memorandum
M–09–12, President’s Memorandum on
Transparency and Open Government—
Interagency Collaboration, OMB
Memorandum M–10–06, Open
Government Directive, and OMB
Memorandum M–16–16, 2016 Agency
Open Government Plans, the
Department continues to develop,
publish, and update its Open
Government Plan every two years. The
Plan describes how the Department
continuously strives to improve
transparency and integrate public
participation and collaboration into its
activities. In September 2022, the
Department published the seventh
version of its Open Government Plan,
building on the Department’s long
history of innovative approaches to data
dissemination and highlighting the
adoption of new tools and technology to
facilitate the principles of open
government.
Now, as the Department develops the
eighth version of its Open Government
Plan, we welcome public input on how
to improve upon the approach we took
for the presentation of the seventh
version of the Open Government Plan,
including how to improve the
organization, scope, form and format of
the plan; enhance readability; and reach
a broader audience. We also welcome
public input on how best to convey how
the Department will incorporate the
following themes from the fifth U.S.
Open Government National Action Plan,
issued on December 28, 2022:
• improving access to government
data, research, and information;
• increasing civic space within which
to engage with the public;
• transforming government service
delivery;
• countering corruption and ensuring
government integrity and accountability
to the public; and
• ensuring equal justice under the
law.
Please note: The focus of this request
for information is the presentation of the
Department’s Open Government Plan
document. Comments or suggestions for
improvements to the Department’s
programs or activities in furtherance of
open government will not be considered
in connection with this request for
information.
To learn more about the Department’s
commitment to open government and to
access the seventh or previous versions
of the Department’s Open Government
Plan, visit www.commerce.gov/open. To
learn more about the fifth U.S. Open

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