Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY:

U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC).

ACTION:

Notice of pending NRC action to submit an information collection request to OMB and solicitation of public comment.

SUMMARY:

The NRC is preparing a submittal to OMB for review of continued approval of information collections under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).

Information pertaining to the requirement to be submitted:

1. The title of the information collection: State Agreements Program, as authorized by Section 274(b) of the Atomic Energy Act.

2. Current OMB approval number: 3150-0029.

3. How often the collection is required: One time or as needed.

4. Who is required or asked to report: Thirty-three Agreement States whose governors have signed Section 274(b) Agreements with NRC.

5. The number of annual respondents: 33.

6. The number of hours needed annually to complete the requirement or request: 1,035 (7.5 hours per response).

7. Abstract: Agreement States are asked on a one-time or as-needed basis, e.g., to respond to a specific incident, to gather information on licensing and inspection practices and other technical statistical information. The results of such information requests, which are authorized under Section 274(b) of the Atomic Energy Act, are utilized in part by NRC in preparing responses to Congressional inquiries. Agreement State comments are also solicited in the areas of proposed procedure and policy development.

Submit, by March 15, 2004, comments that address the following questions:

1. Is the proposed collection of information necessary for the NRC to properly perform its functions? Does the information have practical utility?

2. Is the burden estimate accurate?

3. Is there a way to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected?

4. How can the burden of the information collection be minimized, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology?

A copy of the draft supporting statement may be viewed free of charge at the NRC Public Document Room, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Room O-1 F21, Rockville, Maryland 20852. OMB clearance requests are available at the NRC worldwide Web site http://www.nrc.gov/public-involve/doc-comment/omb/index.html. The document will be available on the NRC home page site for 60 days after the signature date of this notice.

Comments and questions about the information collection requirements may be directed to the NRC Clearance Officer, Brenda Jo Shelton, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, T-5 F52, Washington, DC 20555-0001, by telephone at (301) 415-7233, or by Internet electronic mail to INFOCOLLECTS@NRC.GOV.