Notices. Notice of proposed program revisions and request for comments
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BILLING CODE 4910-59-P 72 66 Friday, April 6, 2007 Notices Part III Department of Commerce Bureau of the Census Census County Division
(CCD)and Equivalent Entities, Census Designated Place (CDP), Census Tract, and Census Block Group Programs for the 2010 Census—Proposed Changes and Proposed Criteria; Notices DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Bureau of the Census [Docket Number 070111009-7011-01] Census County Division
(CCD)and Equivalent Entities Program for the 2010 Census—Proposed Change and Proposed Criteria AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Commerce. ACTION: Notice of proposed program revisions and request for comments. SUMMARY: CCDs and equivalent entities are statistical geographic entities established cooperatively by the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) and officials of state and local governments in 22 states 1 where minor civil divisions
(MCDs)either do not exist or are unsatisfactory for reporting decennial census data. The primary goal of the CCD program has been to establish and maintain a set of subcounty 2 units that have stable boundaries and recognizable names. 1 In Alaska, census subareas are equivalents of CCDs. For the purposes of this notice, the term “CCD” will also refer to census subareas in Alaska. 2 For Census Bureau purposes, the term “county ” includes parishes in Louisiana; boroughs and census areas in Alaska; independent cities in Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia; districts in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands; municipalities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; municipios in Puerto Rico; and the areas constituting the District of Columbia and Guam. This notice will refer to all of these entities collectively as “counties.” The Census Bureau is publishing this notice in the **Federal Register** to request comments from the public and other government agencies. The Census Bureau will respond to the comments received as part of the publication of final criteria in the **Federal Register** . After the final criteria are published in the **Federal Register** , the Census Bureau will offer designated governments or organizations an opportunity to review and, if necessary, suggest updates to the boundaries and attributes of the CCDs in their geographic area under the Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP). In addition to CCDs, the program also encompasses the review and update of census tracts, block groups, and census designated places. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 5, 2007. ADDRESSES: Please direct all written comments on this proposed program to the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8H001, mail stop 0100, Washington, DC 20233-0001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information on this proposed program should be directed to Michael Ratcliffe, Chief, Geographic Standards and Criteria Branch, Geography Division, U.S. Census Bureau, via e-mail at *geo.psap.list@census.gov* or telephone at 301-763-3056. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. History When CCDs were introduced prior to the 1950 Census, few alternatives were available for the provision of statistical data related to relatively stable, subcounty geographic units. Census tracts were defined in only a subset of metropolitan area counties; MCDs existed in all counties, but in some states MCD boundaries changed frequently enough that they were not useful for comparing statistical data from one decade to another. For much of the period from the 1950 Census through the 1980 Census, county subdivisions (MCDs and CCDs) provided the only subcounty unit of geography at which data users could obtain statistical data for complete coverage of counties nationwide. The introduction of block-numbering areas
(BNAs)in counties without census tracts for the 1990 Census offered an alternate subcounty entity for which data could be tabulated. For Census 2000, the Census Bureau introduced census tracts nationwide (in many counties BNAs were simply relabeled as “census tracts”) and the greater dissemination of, and ability to analyze, data at the census tract-level made CCDs less necessary as statistical reporting units. II. General Principles and Guidelines for CCDs for the 2010 Census A. General Principles and Guidelines 1. The primary goal of the CCD program has been to establish and maintain a set of subcounty units that have stable boundaries and recognizable names. The boundaries of CCDs usually coincide with visible features or stable, significant legal boundaries, such as the boundary of an American Indian reservation, federally-managed land, or conjoint incorporated places, and have no legal status; there are no officials elected to serve traditional local governmental functions. 2. A CCD usually represents a single contiguous area consisting of one or more communities, trading centers, or, in some instances, major land uses that are relatively compact in shape. 3. The area of a CCD has a relationship to the existing census tracts, usually consisting of one or more contiguous census tracts or having two or more CCDs nesting within a single census tract. The boundaries of CCDs generally align with census tract boundaries. Note that a county with a population less than the optimum population for a census tract (less than 4,000 people) may contain more CCDs than census tracts. For example, McCone County, Montana, which has a 2005 estimated population of 1,805, contains only one census tract, which covers the full extent of the county, but is divided into two CCDs. 4. Since the 1950s, the Census Bureau has worked with state and local officials to replace MCDs with CCDs for the collection, presentation, and analysis of census statistics, particularly in states in which MCDs do not provide governmental services and functions, and in which MCD boundaries tend to change between decennial censuses. To date, 22 states have shifted to CCDs: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. B. Proposed Changes to the CCD Program The Census Bureau has noted that data users are not requesting or using data for CCDs to the extent they did in the past, preferring instead to analyze and aggregate data by census tract and block group. Some data users may view the introduction of CCDs in hierarchical tabulations as hampering data extraction. Therefore, if interest no longer exists and data are not used, or the geography introduces unnecessary complexity in the hierarchy, the Census Bureau will consider eliminating CCDs for the 2010 Census. Therefore, the Census Bureau is interested in ascertaining whether data users still find CCDs to be a useful geographic entity for reporting and analyzing statistical data, and if so, specific examples of CCD usage. In addition, and related to this request for information, the Census Bureau proposes the following options for CCDs: 1. Eliminate the CCD concept; do not replace with another type of subcounty geographic unit. If this proposal is adopted, the Census Bureau will not replace the CCD concept with another type of county subdivision entity (i.e., MCDs or some other type of legal, administrative, or statistical area). As a result, there would be no geographic entity defined at the county subdivision level of the census geographic hierarchy for those areas where CCDs existed previously. 2. Retain the CCD concept. The Census Bureau will retain the CCD concept if data user comments indicate that CCDs continue to be useful geographic units for reporting statistical data, or if comments indicate that creation of a gap in the census geographic hierarchy is not favorable (see option #1 above). If the CCD concept is retained, the Census Bureau will strongly encourage partners in the program to maintain CCD boundaries as defined for Census 2000, to the extent possible, in order to preserve comparability of data from one decade to another. The Census Bureau may consider other proposals, for example, to eliminate CCDs on a state-by-state basis. C. CCD Criteria for the 2010 Census The criteria proposed herein apply to the United States, 3 including American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands, Puerto Rico, and the Island. Areas. 4 The Census Bureau may modify and, if necessary, reject any proposals for census tracts that do not meet the established criteria. In addition, the Census Bureau reserves the right to modify the boundaries and attributes of CCDs as needed to maintain geographic relationships before the final tabulation geography is set for the 2010 Census. 3 For Census Bureau purposes, the United States includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia. 4 For Census Bureau purposes, the Island Areas include the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. Should CCDs be retained for the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau will require that CCDs
(1)have community orientation,
(2)have visible and/or stable boundaries,
(3)conform to census tract boundaries, and
(4)have recognizable names. 1. Community Orientation Each CCD should focus on one or more communities or places and encompass in some fashion the additional surrounding territory that is served by these. The definition of community should take into account factors, such as production, marketing, consumption, and the integrating factor of local institutions. The community in which a CCD is centered usually is an incorporated place or an unincorporated community, which might be identified as a census designated place. In some cases, the CCD may center on a major area of significantly different land use or ownership, such as a large military base or American Indian reservation. A CCD should always comprise a reasonably compact, continuous land area. 2. Visible, Stable Boundaries To make the location of CCD boundaries less ambiguous, CCD boundaries should follow, wherever possible, visible and identifiable features. The use of visible features makes it easier to locate and identify CCD boundaries over time, as the locations of many visible features in the landscape tend to change infrequently, making data collection easier and more reliable while reducing the possibility for data allocation errors. The Census Bureau also permits the use of state, county, and census tract boundaries, defined federally-recognized American Indian reservations, and the boundaries of federally, state, or locally managed land. The following features are acceptable: a. County boundaries (always a CCD boundary); b. Census tract boundaries, which usually follow visible, perennial, natural, and cultural features, such as roads, rivers, canals, railroads, or above-ground high-tension power lines; c. Legally-defined, federally-recognized American Indian reservation boundaries; d. The boundaries of federally, state, or locally managed land, such as National Parks, National Monuments, National Forests, other types of large parks or forests, airports, marine ports, penitentiaries/prisons, military installations, or other facilities; and e. Conjoint city limits (in certain situations). f. When the above types of features are not available for use as CCD boundaries, the Census Bureau may, at its discretion, approve other nonstandard, visible features, such as ridge lines, above-ground pipelines, streams, or fence lines. The Census Bureau may also accept, on a case-by-case basis, the boundaries of selected nonstandard and potentially nonvisible features, such as the boundaries of cemeteries, golf courses, glaciers, or the straight-line extensions of visible features and other lines-of-sight. 3. Census Tract Boundaries, CCD Population Size Whenever possible, a CCD should encompass one or more contiguous census tracts. Therefore, CCD boundaries should be consistent with census tract boundaries. Population size is not as an important consideration with CCDs as it is with census tracts. Historically, CCDs have ranged from a few hundred people (in selected situations) to more than one million. However, data quality and availability may be factors that local governments and planners should consider in defining geographic areas. As a general rule, estimates of demographic characteristics of small areas from the American Community Survey and the Puerto Rico Community Survey will be subject to higher variances than comparable estimates for areas with larger populations. In addition, the Census Bureau's disclosure rules may have the effect of restricting the availability and amount of data for areas with small populations. Therefore, CCDs that are new for the 2010 Census must have a population of at least 1,200 people, the minimum for a census tract. Adhering to this minimum threshold will improve data reliability and minimize the application of disclosure avoidance methodologies (e.g., data suppression or data swapping) to tabulated data. 4. Name Identification A CCD usually should be named after the largest population center or place within it (e.g., Taos, Chimayo, or Ohkay Owingeh, NM). Sometimes a CCD name may represent the two largest centers (e.g., Mount Pleasant-Moroni, UT). In some situations, a CCD may be named after a prominent physical feature (e.g., Castle Rock, CO, and Mount Rainier, WA) or a distinctive region within the county (e.g., Death Valley, CA; Everglades and Lower Keys, FL; and Tellico Plains, TN). In other cases, a CCD name may consist of the county name and a compass direction to indicate the portion of the county in the CCD, or a place name and a compass direction to give the CCD location relative to the place. The directional indicator usually precedes a county name (e.g., Northeast Cobb, GA). If a place name is used, the directional indicator follows it (e.g., Del Rio Northwest, TX). In all cases, the objective is to clearly identify the extent of the CCD by means of an area name since CCD names always should be meaningful to data users. Any name used as a CCD name must also be recognized by the Board on Geographic Names for federal use and appear in the Geographic Names Information System maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey. This includes any individual names combined to make a hyphenated CCD name. III. Definitions of Key Terms American Indian reservation—A federally-recognized American Indian land area with boundaries established by final treaty, statute, executive order, and/or court order, and over which a federally-recognized American Indian tribal government has governmental authority. Along with reservations, designations such as colonies, communities, pueblos, rancherias, and reserves apply to American Indian reservations. Block Group—A statistical subdivision of a census tract consisting of all census blocks whose numbers begin with the same digit in a census tract. Census block—A geographic area bounded by visible and/or invisible features in the Census Bureau's Topographically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing system, and shown on maps prepared by the Census Bureau. A block is the smallest geographic entity for which the Census Bureau tabulates decennial census data. Census designated place—A statistical geographic entity with a concentration of population, housing, and commercial structures that is identifiable by name, but is not within an incorporated place. Census tract—A small, relatively permanent statistical geographic division of a county defined for the tabulation and publication of Census Bureau data. The primary goal of the census tract program is to provide a set of nationally consistent small, statistical geographic units, with stable boundaries, that facilitate analysis of data across time. Conjoint—A description of a boundary shared by two adjacent geographic areas. Contiguous—A description of geographic areas that are adjacent to one another, sharing either a common boundary or point. Federally managed land—Territory that is federally owned and administered by an agency of the U.S. federal government, such as the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, or Department of Defense. Incorporated place—A type of governmental unit, incorporated under state law as a city, town (except in New England, New York, and Wisconsin), borough (except in Alaska and New York), or village, generally to provide specific governmental services for a concentration of people within legally prescribed boundaries. Minor civil division—The primary governmental or administrative division of a county in 28 states, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas having legal boundaries, names, and descriptions. MCDs represent many different types of legal entities with a wide variety of characteristics, powers, and functions depending on the state and type of MCD. In some states, some or all of the incorporated places also constitute MCDs. Nonvisible feature—A map feature that is not visible on the ground, such as a city or county boundary through space, a property line running through space, a short line-of-sight extension of a road, or a point-to-point line of sight. Visible feature—A map feature that can be seen on the ground, such as a road, railroad track, major above-ground transmission line or pipeline, stream, shoreline, fence, sharply defined mountain ridge, or cliff. A nonstandard visible feature is a feature that may not be clearly defined on the ground (such as a ridge), may be seasonal (such as an intermittent stream), or may be relatively impermanent (such as a fence). The Census Bureau generally requests verification that nonstandard features pose no problem in their location during fieldwork. Executive Order 12866 This notice has been determined to be not significant under Executive Order 12866. Paperwork Reduction Act This program notice does not represent a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35. Dated: April 3, 2007. Charles Louis Kincannon, Director, Bureau of the Census. [FR Doc. E7-6464 Filed 4-5-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-07-P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Bureau of the Census [Docket Number 070104002-7003-01] Census Designated Place
(CDP)Program for the 2010 Census—Proposed Criteria AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Commerce. ACTION: Notice of proposed program and request for comments. SUMMARY: Census designated places
(CDPs)1 are statistical geographic entities representing closely settled, unincorporated communities that are locally recognized and identified by name. They are the statistical equivalents of incorporated places, with the primary differences being the lack of both a legally defined boundary and an active, functioning governmental structure, chartered by the state and administered by elected officials. CDPs defined for the 2010 Census also will be used to tabulate American Community Survey, Puerto Rico Community Survey, and Economic Census data after 2010, and potentially data from other Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) censuses and surveys. 1 The term CDP includes communidades and zonas urbanas in Puerto Rico. The Census Bureau is publishing this notice in the **Federal Register** to request comments from the public and other government agencies. The Census Bureau will respond to the comments received as part of the publication of final criteria in the **Federal Register** . After the final criteria are published in the **Federal Register** , the Census Bureau will offer designated governments or organizations an opportunity to review and, if necessary, suggest updates to the boundaries and attributes of the CDPs in their geographic area under the Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP). In addition to CDPs, the program also encompasses the review and update of census tracts, block groups, and census county divisions. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 5, 2007. ADDRESSES: Please direct all written comments on this proposed program to the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8H001, mail stop 0100, Washington, DC 20233-0001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information on this proposed program should be directed to Michael Ratcliffe, Chief, Geographic Standards and Criteria Branch, Geography Division, U.S. Census Bureau, via e-mail at *geo.psap.list@census.gov* or telephone at 301-763-3056. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. History The CDP concept and delineation criteria have evolved over the past five decades in response to data user needs for place-level data. This evolution has taken into account differences in the way in which places were perceived, and the propensity for places to incorporate in various states. The result, over time, has been an increase in the number and types of unincorporated communities identified as CDPs, as well as increasing consistency in the relationship between the CDP concept and the kinds of places encompassed by the incorporated place category, or a compromise between localized perceptions of place and a concept that would be familiar to data users throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. Although not as numerous as incorporated places or municipalities, 2 CDPs have been important geographic entities since their introduction for the 1950 census. (CDPs were referred to as “unincorporated places” from 1950 through the 1970 decennial censuses.) For the 1950 Census, CDPs were defined only outside urbanized areas and were required to have at least 1,000 residents. For the 1960 Census, CDPs could also be identified inside urbanized areas outside of New England, but these were required to have at least 10,000 residents. The Census Bureau modified the population threshold within urbanized areas to 5,000 in 1970, allowed for CDPs in urbanized areas in New England in 1980, and lowered the urbanized area threshold again to 2,500 in 1990. In time, other population thresholds were adopted for identification of CDPs in Alaska, as well as in Puerto Rico, the Island Areas, and on American Indian reservations. The Census Bureau eliminated all population threshold requirements for Census 2000, achieving consistency between CDPs and incorporated places, for which the Census Bureau historically has published data without regard to population size. 2 Known by various terms throughout the United States: cities, towns (except in the six New England States, New York, and Wisconsin), villages, and boroughs (except in New York and Alaska). According to Census 2000, more than 35 million people in the United States 3 , Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas 4 lived in CDPs. The relative importance of CDPs varies from state to state depending on laws governing municipal incorporation and annexation, but also depending on local preferences and attitudes regarding the identification of places. 3 For Census Bureau purposes, the United States includes the fifty states and the District of Columbia. 4 For Census Bureau purposes, the Island Areas includes the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam. There are no CDPs in American Samoa because villages cover its entire territory and population. II. Census Designated Place Criteria and Characteristics for the 2010 Census The criteria proposed herein apply to the United States, including American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. In accordance with the final criteria, the Census Bureau may modify and, if necessary, reject any proposals for CDPs that do not meet the established criteria. In addition, the Census Bureau reserves the right to modify the boundaries and attributes of CDPs as needed to maintain geographic relationships before the final tabulation geography is set for the 2010 Census. The Census Bureau proposes the following criteria and characteristics for use in identifying the areas that will qualify for designation as CDPs for use in tabulating data from the 2010 Census, the American Community Survey, the Puerto Rico Community Survey, the Economic Census, and potentially other Census Bureau censuses and surveys. 1. A CDP constitutes a single, closely settled center of population that is named; to the extent possible, individual unincorporated communities should be identified as separate CDPs. Similarly, a single community should be defined as a single CDP as opposed to multiple CDPs with each part referencing the community name and a directional term (i.e., north, south, east, or west). Since a CDP is defined to provide data for a single, named locality, the Census Bureau generally will not accept combinations of places and hyphenated place names defined as a CDP. For example, CDPs such as Poplar-Cotton Center and Downieville-Lawson-Dumont are no longer acceptable. Combinations of places often were defined as a single CDP in order to comply with the Census Bureau's minimum population requirements. The Census Bureau's elimination of population threshold criteria has made such combinations unnecessary. Others were combined because visible features were not available for use as boundaries for separate CDPs. The Census Bureau is proposing use of some nonvisible boundaries so that participants can separate individual communities and dispense with multi-place CDPs. 2. A CDP generally consists of a contiguous cluster of census blocks comprising a single piece of territory and containing a mix of residential and commercial uses similar to that of an incorporated place of similar size. Some CDPs, however, may be predominantly residential; such places should represent recognizably distinct, locally known communities, but not typical suburban subdivisions. Examples of such predominantly residential communities that can be recognized as CDPs are colonias found along the U.S.-Mexico border, small rural communities, and unincorporated resort and retirement communities. 3. A CDP may not be located, either partially or entirely, within an incorporated place or another CDP. 4. A CDP may not be coextensive with the boundaries of one or more governmentally functioning Minor Civil Divisions
(MCDs)in the six New England states, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, nor may it encompass the entirety of one town or township and contain portions of adjacent towns or townships. This criterion is proposed for the first time for the 2010 Census in order to eliminate redundancy in tabular presentations of data published by the Census Bureau for towns/townships and places. For instance, because geographic comparison tables and inventory tables providing data for places also contain data for MCDs within these twelve states, redundancy occurs wherever a CDP is coextensive with an MCD. For example, in place-level tables for Massachusetts, data are published for both Framingham town and Framingham CDP, the latter covering the same population and territory as the former. In adopting this criterion, the Census Bureau will explore ways to enhance the presentation and visibility of data for MCDs in these twelve states, to make it clearer that many of the MCDs in these states are seen as similar to places in other parts of the United States. 5. A CDP may be located in more than one county but must not cross state boundaries. It is important to note, however, that since county boundaries provide important demarcations for communities, CDPs that cross county lines should be kept to a minimum and identified only when the community clearly sees itself existing on both sides of a county boundary. 6. There are no minimum population or housing unit thresholds for defining CDPs; however a CDP must contain some population or housing units or both. The Census Bureau eliminated minimum population thresholds for CDPs for Census 2000, enabling the identification and tabulation of data for small, unincorporated communities, particularly in rural areas, as CDPs. Six CDPs identified for Census 2000, however, lacked any population and housing; three CDPs had some population, but no housing units; and an additional 23 CDPs contained less than ten housing units. The Census Bureau recognizes that some communities, such as resort or other kinds of seasonal communities, may lack population at certain times of the year. Nevertheless, there should be some evidence, generally in the form of houses, barracks, dormitories, commercial buildings and/or other structures, providing the basis for local perception of the place's existence. For the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau will not accept a CDP delineated with zero population and zero housing units. The Census Bureau will review the number of housing units within the place, as reported in the previous decennial census, and consider whether additional information is needed before recognizing the CDP. Participants submitting boundaries for places with less than 10 housing units may be asked to provide additional information attesting to the existence of the CDP. 7. CDP boundaries should follow visible features, except in those circumstances when a CDP's boundary is coincident with the nonvisible boundary of a state, county, MCD (in the six New England states, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin), or incorporated place. In selected circumstances, CDP boundaries can follow other nonvisible features. Reliance upon visible features sometimes has resulted in overbounding of the CDP in order to include housing units on both sides of a road or street feature. While this has helped ensure accurate allocation of housing units to the place, it also has meant that territory, population, and housing not associated with the place have been included in the CDP. For the 2010 Census, advances and enhancements in the positional accuracy of housing units within the Census Bureau's geographic databases make it possible to consider the potential use of nonvisible boundaries when defining CDPs. Such boundaries might include parcel boundaries and public land survey system
(PLSS)lines; fencelines; national, state, or local park boundaries; ridgelines; or drainage ditches. 8. The CDP name should be one that is recognized and used in daily communication by the residents of the community. Because unincorporated communities lack legally-defined boundaries, a commonly used community name and the geographic extent of its use by local residents is often the best identifier of the extent of a place, the assumption being that if residents associate with a particular name and use it to identify the place in which they live, then the CDP's boundaries can be mapped based on the use of the name. There should be features in the landscape that use the name, such that a non-resident would have a general sense of the location or extent of the community; for example, signs indicating when one is entering the community; highway exit signs that use the name; businesses, schools, or other buildings that make use of the name. It should not be a name developed solely for planning or other purposes (including simply to obtain data from the Census Bureau) that is not in regular daily use by the local residents and business establishments. 9. A CDP may not have the same name as an adjacent or nearby incorporated place. The assumption behind this criterion is that if the community does not have a name that distinguishes it from other nearby communities, it probably is not a distinct place. Use of directional terms (“north,” “south,” “east,” “west,” and so forth) to merely differentiate the name of a CDP from a nearby municipality where this name is not in local use is not acceptable. For example, “North Laurel” would be permitted as a name if this name were in local use. A name such as “Laurel North” would not be permitted if it were not in local use. Again, this has much to do with the way in which people typically refer to the places in which they live. It is permissible to change the name of a 2000 CDP for the 2010 Census if the new name provides a better identification of the community. III. Definitions of Key Terms Alaska Native regional corporation (ANRC)—A corporate geographic area established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (Pub. L. 92-203), to conduct both the business and nonprofit affairs of Alaska Natives. Twelve ANRCs cover the State of Alaska except for the Annette Island Reserve. American Indian reservation (AIR)—A federally recognized American Indian land area with boundaries established by final treaty, statute, executive order, and/or court order, and over which a federally recognized American Indian tribal government has governmental authority. Along with reservations, designations such as colonies, communities, pueblos, rancherias, and reserves apply to AIRs. Census block—A geographic area bounded by visible and/or invisible features shown on a map prepared by the U.S. Census Bureau. A block is the smallest geographic entity for which the Census Bureau tabulates decennial census data. Coextensive—Descriptive of two or more geographic entities that cover exactly the same area, with all boundaries shared. Comunidad—A census designated place in Puerto Rico that is not related to a municipio's seat of government; called an aldea or a ciudad prior to the 1990 census. Contiguous—Descriptive of geographic areas that are adjacent to one another, sharing either a common boundary or point of contact. Housing unit—A house, an apartment, a mobile home or trailer, or a group of rooms or a single room occupied as a separate living quarter or, if vacant, intended for occupancy as a separate living quarter. Separate living quarters are those in which the occupants live and eat separately from any other residents of the building and which have direct access from outside the building or through a common hall. Incorporated place—A type of governmental unit, incorporated under state law as a city, town (except in New England, New York, and Wisconsin), borough (except in Alaska and New York), or village, generally to provide governmental services for a concentration of people within legally prescribed boundaries. Island areas—An entity, other than a state or the District of Columbia, under the jurisdiction of the United States. For the 2010 Census, these will include American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and several small islands in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The Census Bureau treats each Island Territory as the statistical equivalent of a state. Minor civil division—The primary governmental or administrative division of a county in 28 states, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas having legal boundaries, names, and descriptions. MCDs represent many different types of legal entities with a wide variety of characteristics, powers, and functions depending on the state and type of MCD. In some states, some or all of the incorporated places also constitute MCDs. Municipio—A type of governmental unit that is the primary legal subdivision of Puerto Rico. The Census Bureau treats the municipio as the statistical equivalent of a county. Nonvisible feature—A map feature that is not visible, such as a city or county boundary, a property line running through space, a short imaginary extension of a street or road, or a point-to-point line. Statistical geographic entity—A geographic entity that is specially defined and delineated, such as block group, CDP, or census tract, so that the Census Bureau may tabulate data for it. Designation as a statistical entity neither conveys nor confers legal ownership, entitlement, or jurisdictional authority. Urbanized area (UA)—An area consisting of a central place(s) and adjacent urban fringe that together have a minimum residential population of at least 50,000 people and generally an overall population density of at least 1,000 people per square mile. The Census Bureau uses published criteria to determine the qualification and boundaries of UAs at the time of each decennial census or from the results of a special census during the intercensal period. Visible feature—A map feature that can be seen on the ground such as a road, railroad track, major above-ground transmission line or pipeline, stream, shoreline, fence, sharply defined mountain ridge, or cliff. A nonstandard visible feature is a feature that may not be clearly defined on the ground (such as a ridge), may be seasonal (such as an intermittent stream), or may be relatively impermanent (such as a fence). The Census Bureau generally requests verification that nonstandard features pose no problem in their location during field work. Zona urbana—In Puerto Rico, the settled area functioning as the seat of government for a municipio. A zona urbana cannot cross a municipio boundary. Executive Order 12866 This notice has been determined to be not significant under Executive Order 12866. Paperwork Reduction Act This program notice does not represent a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35. Dated: April 3, 2007. Charles Louis Kincannon, Director, Bureau of the Census. [FR Doc. E7-6465 Filed 4-5-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-07-P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Bureau of the Census [Docket Number 070321065-7066-01] Census Tract Program for the 2010 Census—Proposed Criteria AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Commerce. ACTION: Notice of proposed program revisions and request for comments. SUMMARY: Census tracts are relatively permanent small-area geographic divisions of a county or statistically equivalent entity 1 defined for the tabulation of decennial census data and selected other statistical programs. Census tracts also will be used to tabulate and publish estimates from the American Community Survey
(ACS)2 after 2010. The primary goal of the census tract program is to provide a set of nationally consistent small, statistical geographic units, with stable boundaries, that facilitate analysis of data across time. 1 Includes parishes in Louisiana; boroughs, city and boroughs, census areas, and municipalities in Alaska; independent cities in Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia; districts in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands; municipalities in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; municipios in Puerto Rico; the areas constituting the District of Columbia and Guam. This notice will refer to all these entities collectively as “counties.” 2 The ACS is conducted in the United States and in Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico the survey is called the Puerto Rico Community Survey (PRCS). For ease of discussion, throughout this document the term ACS is used to represent the surveys conducted in the United States and in Puerto Rico. Most provisions of the census tract criteria for the 2010 Census remain unchanged from those used in conjunction with Census 2000. However, based on consultation with data users and internal review the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is proposing the following changes for the 2010 Census:
(1)Lowering the minimum population threshold for census tracts;
(2)using housing unit counts (as an alternative to population counts) in the review and update of tracts;
(3)applying the same population and housing unit thresholds to all types of populated tracts within the United States, 3 including census tracts delineated on American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands, 4 Puerto Rico, the Island Areas, 5 and encompassing group quarters, military installations, and institutions;
(4)allowing the delineation of census tracts for large water bodies with areas of approximately 100 square miles or more and special land use (e.g., large airports or public parks) with an official name; and
(5)allowing for geographic frameworks of tribal tracts (separate from the standard census tracts defined within counties) to be defined within federally-recognized American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands. 3 For Census Bureau purposes, the United States includes the fifty States and the District of Columbia. 4 The proposed criteria for the tribal statistical areas program will be outlined in a separate **Federal Register** notice. In the tribal statistical areas program, federally recognized American Indian tribes that have a reservation and/or off-reservation trust land may delineate census designated places (CDPs), and, if these areas have a population of 2,400 or greater, may delineate tribal tracts and tribal block groups for their reservation and off-reservation trust land. 5 For Census Bureau purposes, the Island Areas includes American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands. The U.S. Minor Outlying Islands is an aggregation of nine U.S. territories: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island. In addition to proposed criteria, this notice includes a description of the changes from the criteria used for Census 2000 and a list of definitions of key terms used in the criteria. The Census Bureau is publishing this notice in the **Federal Register** to request comments from the public and other government agencies. The Census Bureau will respond to the comments received as part of the publication of final criteria in the **Federal Register** . After the final criteria are published in the **Federal Register** , the Census Bureau will offer designated governments or organizations an opportunity to review and, if necessary, suggest updates to the boundaries and attributes (e.g., tract code) of the census tracts in their geographic area under the Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP). In addition to census tracts, the program also encompasses the review and update of block groups, census designated places, and census county divisions. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 5, 2007. ADDRESSES: Please direct all written comments on this proposed program to the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8H001, mail stop 0100, Washington, DC 20233-0001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information on this proposed program should be directed to Michael Ratcliffe, Chief, Geographic Standards and Criteria Branch, Geography Division, U.S. Census Bureau, via e-mail at *geo.psap.list@census.gov* or telephone at 301-763-3056. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. History of Census Tracts In 1905, Dr. Walter Laidlaw originated the concept of permanent, small geographic areas as a framework for studying change from one decennial census to another in neighborhoods within New York City. For the 1910 Census, eight cities—New York, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and St. Louis—delineated census tracts (then termed “districts”) for the first time. No additional jurisdictions delineated census tracts until just prior to the 1930 Census, when an additional ten cities chose to do so. The increased interest in census tracts for the 1930 Census is attributed to the promotional efforts of Howard Whipple Green, who was a statistician in Cleveland, Ohio, and later the chairman of the American Statistical Association's Committee on Census Enumeration Areas. For more than twenty-five years, Mr. Green strongly encouraged local citizens, via committees, to establish census tracts and other census statistical geographic areas. The committees created by local citizens were known as Census Tract Committees, later called Census Statistical Areas Committees. After 1930, the Census Bureau saw the need to standardize the delineation, review, and updating of census tracts and published the first set of census tract criteria in 1934. The goal of the criteria has remained unchanged; that is, to assure comparability and data reliability through the standardization of the population thresholds for census tracts, as well as requiring that their boundaries follow specific types of geographic features that do not change frequently. The Census Bureau began publishing census tract data as part of its standard tabulations beginning with the 1940 Census. Prior to that time, census tract data were published as special tabulations. For the 1940 Census, the Census Bureau began publishing census block data for all cities with 50,000 or more people. Census block numbers were assigned, where possible, by census tract, but for those cities that had not yet delineated census tracts, “block areas” (called “block numbering areas” [BNAs] in later censuses) were created to assign census block numbers. Starting with the 1960 Census, the Census Bureau assumed a greater role in promoting and coordinating the delineation, review, and update of census tracts. For the 1980 Census, criteria for BNAs were changed to make them more comparable in size and shape to census tracts. For the 1990 Census, all counties contained either census tracts or BNAs. Census 2000 was the first decade in which census tracts were defined in all counties. In addition, the Census Bureau increased the number of geographic areas whose boundaries could be used as census tract boundaries. It also allowed tribal governments of federally recognized American Indian tribes with a reservation and/or off-reservation trust lands to delineate tracts without regard to State and/or county boundaries, provided the tribe had a 1990 Census population of at least 1,000. II. General Principles and Criteria for Census Tracts for the 2010 Census A. General Principles 1. A century of census tract use has shown that continuity and comparability in tracts and their boundaries over time are of considerable importance to data users. Comparability has always been a goal in the census tract program since its inception for the 1910 census; however, as the use of tract data increases, the importance of comparability increases as well. Maintaining comparability of tract boundaries over time facilitates longitudinal data analysis. The advent of the ACS and the averaging of sample data for tracts over a five-year span further underscore the need for consistent tract boundaries over time. Pursuant to this goal of continuity and comparability, the Census Bureau requests that where a census tract must be updated, for example to meet the minimum or maximum population or housing unit thresholds, that the outer boundaries of the tract not be changed, but rather that a tract be split into two or more tracts, or merged with an adjacent tract. The Census Bureau discourages changes to tract boundaries (that is, “retracting”), except in specified circumstances, which the Census Bureau will review on a case-by-case basis. 2. The sample size for the ACS is smaller than the sample from the decennial census long form of previous censuses. As a general rule, estimates from programs providing sample data, including the ACS, for geographic areas with smaller populations will be subject to higher variances than comparable estimates for areas with larger populations. In addition, the Census Bureau's disclosure rules may have the effect of restricting the availability and amount of sample data published for geographic areas with small populations. Aiming to create census tracts that meet the optimal population of 4,000 and maintaining minimum thresholds will improve the reliability and availability of data, and local governments and planners should consider these factors when defining their census tracts. Therefore, the Census Bureau proposes that any census tracts not flagged as a water body or special land use tract (General Principle 4) must encompass at least 1,200 people or at least 480 housing units. Any census tract with a population or housing unit count less than the minimum threshold should be merged with an adjacent census tract to form a single tract with at least 1,200 people or at least 480 housing units (Figure 1). The Census Bureau will use Census 2000 population and housing unit counts, with allowance made for growth since 2000, to assess whether each census tract submitted meets this criterion. Program participants may submit local estimates as a surrogate for the Census 2000 population and housing unit counts for a census tract. EN06AP07.010 3. With the advent of the ACS and the “continuous measurement” of characteristics of the population and housing based on a five-year average, there are some new issues to consider in the census tract criteria. The Census Bureau proposes the use of either population or housing units in the review of census tracts. The ACS is designed to produce local area data as of a 12-month period estimate (or an average); whereas, in the past local area data were represented as of the April 1 census day. 4. The Census Bureau recognizes that there are geographic areas that are not characterized by a residential population, and which local participants may wish to separate from populated tracts for analytical or cartographic purposes or both. The Census Bureau proposes identifying these areas as water body tracts and special land use tracts. Special land use tracts must be designated as a specific type of land use (e.g., State park, municipal park) and have an official name, generally have little or no residential population or housing units, and must not create a noncontiguous census tract. If located in a densely populated urban area, a special land use tract must have an area of approximately 1 square mile or more. If delineated completely outside an urban area, a special land use tract must have an area of approximately 10 square miles or more. The Census Bureau recognizes that some special land use areas not intended for residential population, such as parks, may contain some population, such as caretakers or the homeless. Our intent is to allow for the delineation of parks and other special land use areas as separate tracts and therefore will accept such areas as tracts even if some residential population is present. 5. To facilitate the analysis of data for American Indian tribes, and to recognize their unique governmental status, program participants are encouraged to merge, split, or redefine census tracts to avoid unnecessarily splitting American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands. Each contiguous American Indian reservation and/or off-reservation trust land should be included, along with any necessary territory outside the reservation and/or off-reservation trust land, within a single census tract or as few census tracts as possible for the 2010 Census. This is the only situation in which retracting is encouraged. See, for example, Figure 2 below. EN06AP07.011 B. Changes to the Census Tract Criteria for the 2010 Census Most provisions of the census tract criteria for the 2010 Census would remain unchanged from those used in conjunction with Census 2000 with only the following exceptions: 1. The minimum population threshold for census tracts would be 1,200, lowered from the minimum threshold of 1,500 used in Census 2000. This change seeks to create a standard minimum threshold for census block groups and census tracts, in order to support the reliability and availability of sample data for these statistical geographies. 2. Housing unit counts may be used instead of population counts in the review and update of tracts. This change seeks to accommodate seasonal communities in which residents often are not present on the date of the decennial census, but will be present at other times of the year and for which estimates may be reflected in the ACS. 3. For Census 2000, minimum population thresholds for census tracts varied. The minimum population threshold for census tracts delineated on American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands was 1,000. This differed from the minimum threshold of 1,500 people for census tracts defined elsewhere in the United States, as well as in Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. Optimum populations for census tracts also varied: 4,000 in the United States and Puerto Rico, and 2,500 on American Indian reservations and in the Island Areas. The maximum population for a census tract in any of these areas was 8,000. In addition, for Census 2000, tracts that enclosed an institution, a military installation, or other “special place” had a minimum population requirement of 1,000 inhabitants, with no optimum or maximum. For the 2010 Census the same population and housing unit thresholds would apply to all types of populated tracts, including census tracts delineated on American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands, the Island Areas, and encompassing group quarters, military installations, and institutions. The Census Bureau proposes this change in order to aid in the availability and reliability of data for all tracts and to create a single national standard. 4. The delineation of census tracts would be permitted, and encouraged, for the following types of geographic areas: a. Large water bodies with areas of approximately 100 square miles or more. b. Special land uses (for example, large airports, public parks, or public forests) with an official name. The Census Bureau would require that special land use tracts have little or no residential population. All such census tracts would meet all other tract criteria. 5. A geographic framework of tribal tracts, separate from the standard census tracts defined within counties, may be defined within federally recognized American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands, subject to other population, housing, and boundary criteria contained in this document. This represents a change from the practice for Census 2000. The Census Bureau proposes this change to better recognize the unique statistical data needs of federally recognized American Indian tribes and their reservation and off-reservation trust lands. C. Census Tract Criteria for the 2010 Census The criteria proposed herein apply to the United States, including federally recognized American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. The Census Bureau may modify and, if necessary, reject any proposals for census tracts that do not meet the established criteria. In addition, the Census Bureau reserves the right to modify the boundaries and attributes of tracts as needed to meet the published criteria and/or maintain geographic relationships before the final tabulation geography is set for the 2010 Census. The Census Bureau proposes the following criteria for use in reviewing 2010 Census tracts: 1. A census tract must comprise a reasonably compact and contiguous land area. Noncontiguous boundaries are permitted only where a noncontiguous area or inaccessible area would not meet population or housing unit count requirements for a separate tract, in which case the noncontiguous or inaccessible area must be included within an adjacent or proximate tract. For example, an island that does not meet the minimum population threshold for recognition as a separate tract should be combined with other proximate land to form a single tract. Each case will be reviewed and accepted at the Census Bureau's discretion. 2. A census tract must cover the entire land and water area of a county. In counties containing coastal waters, territorial sea, and portions of the Great Lakes, and very large, contiguous, inland water bodies, a single water body tract should be created for each discrete water body to provide for complete census tract coverage. 3. Census tract boundaries should follow visible and identifiable features. To make the location of census tract boundaries less ambiguous, wherever possible, tract boundaries should follow visible and identifiable features. The Census Bureau also permits the use of State and county boundaries in all States, and incorporated place and minor civil division boundaries in States where those boundaries tend to remain unchanged over time (see Table 1). The use of visible features also makes it easier to locate and identify tract boundaries over time, as the locations of many visible features in the landscape tend to change infrequently. The following features are preferred as census tract boundaries for the 2010 Census: a. State and county boundaries must always be tract boundaries. This criterion takes precedence over all other criteria or requirements except for the population threshold criteria for tribal tracts on American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands. b. American Indian reservation and off-reservation trust land boundaries. c. Visible, perennial natural and cultural features, such as roads, shorelines, rivers, perennial streams and canals, railroad tracks, or above-ground high-tension power lines. d. Boundaries of legal and administrative entities in selected States. Table 1 identifies by State which minor civil division
(MCD)and incorporated place boundaries may be used as tract boundaries. Table 1.—Acceptable MCD and Incorporated Place Boundaries All MCD boundaries Boundaries of MCDs not coincident with the boundaries of incorporated places that themselves are MCDs All incorporated place boundaries Only conjoint incorporated places boundaries Alabama X Alaska X Arizona X Arkansas X California X Colorado X Connecticut X X Delaware X Florida X Georgia X Hawaii X Idaho X Illinois X a X Indiana X X Iowa X X Kansas X X Kentucky X Louisiana X Maine X X Maryland X Massachusetts X X Michigan X X Minnesota X X Mississippi X Missouri X b X Montana X Nebraska X a X Nevada X New Hampshire X X New Jersey X X New Mexico X New York X X North Carolina X North Dakota X X Ohio X X Oklahoma X Oregon X Pennsylvania X X Rhode Island X X South Carolina X South Dakota X X Tennessee X Texas X Utah X Vermont X X Virginia X Washington X West Virginia X Wisconsin X X Wyoming X a Townships only. b Governmental townships only. e. Additionally, the following legally defined, administrative boundaries would be permitted as census tract boundaries: i. Barrio, barrio-pueblo, and subbarrio boundaries in Puerto Rico; ii. Census subdistrict boundaries in the U.S. Virgin Islands; iii. County and island boundaries (both MCD equivalents) in American Samoa; iv. Election district boundaries in Guam; v. Municipal district boundaries in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and vi. Alaska Native regional corporation boundaries in Alaska, at the discretion of the Census Bureau, insofar as such boundaries are unambiguous for allocating living quarters as part of 2010 Census activities. f. When acceptable visible and governmental boundary features are not available for use as tract boundaries, the Census Bureau may, at its discretion, approve other nonstandard visible features, such as ridge lines, above-ground pipelines, intermittent streams, or fence lines. The Census Bureau may also accept, on a case-by-case basis, the boundaries of selected nonstandard and potentially nonvisible features, such as the boundaries of military installations, National Parks, National Monuments, National Forests, other types of parks or forests, airports, marine ports, cemeteries, golf courses, penitentiaries/prisons, or glaciers, or the straight-line extensions of visible features and other lines-of-sight. g. The boundaries of large water bodies and special land use tracts, including parks, forests, large airports, and military installations, provided the boundaries are clearly marked or easily recognized. 4. Population, Housing Unit, and Area Thresholds The Census Bureau proposes the following population, housing unit, and area threshold criteria for census tracts (as summarized in Table 2). Table 2.—Tract Thresholds Tract type Threshold type Optimum Minimum Maximum Standard & tribal tracts Population threshold 4,000 1,200 8,000 Housing Unit threshold 1,600 480 3,200 Water body tracts Area threshold (square miles) none 100 none Special land use tracts Area threshold for an urban area (square miles) none 1 none Area threshold outside an urban area (square miles) none 10 none a. Population counts should be used in tract review in most cases. Housing unit counts should be used for seasonal communities that have no or low population on census day (April 1). Locally produced population and housing unit estimates can be used when reviewing and updating tracts, especially in areas that have experienced considerable growth since Census 2000. b. The housing unit thresholds are based on a national average of 2.5 persons per household. The Census Bureau recognizes that there are regional variations to this average and will take this into consideration when reviewing all tract proposals. c. The Census Bureau recognizes the tension that exists between meeting the optimum population or housing unit threshold in a tract and maintaining tract comparability over time. For example, if population growth has occurred since 2000 or is expected before 2010 for a census tract, the tract should not be merged if it has a Census 2000 population of at least 1,100 or a housing unit count of at least 440 and acceptable supporting evidence is supplied by the PSAP participant that population and/or housing unit growth has occurred since Census 2000, or will likely occur before 2010, and has been sufficient to meet the minimum thresholds. However, should the census tract's population not increase as expected and does not meet either of the minimum thresholds in 2010, this may adversely affect the reliability and availability of any sample estimates for that tract. For this reason, the Census Bureau suggests merging the census tract with another if there is a possibility that anticipated growth will not be sufficient to meet minimum thresholds. d. The Census Bureau may waive the maximum population and housing thresholds as required to achieve the objectives of this notice. e. For the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau encourages the delineation of special-use tracts in specific types of areas. i. A special land use tract must be designated as a specific land use type (e.g., State park), must have an official name (e.g., Jay Cooke State Park), have little or no residential population, and must not create a noncontiguous tract. In some instances, multiple areas can be combined to form a single special land-use tract if the land management characteristics are similar, such as a special land-use tract comprising adjacent Federal and State parks. If the special land use tract is delineated in a densely populated, urban area, the tract must have an area of approximately one square mile or more. If the special land-use tract is delineated completely outside an urban area, the tract must have an area of approximately 10 square miles or more. ii. A water body tract must encompass all or part of a territorial sea, coastal water, a Great Lake, or an inland water body at least 100 square miles in area. If a water body meets this criterion and is in more than one county, each county can delineate a tract for its portion of the water body. Any islands within a qualifying water body should be included within a separate tract. 5. Identification of Census Tracts a. A census tract has a basic census tract identifier composed of no more than four digits and may have a two-digit decimal suffix. b. The range of acceptable basic census tract identifiers for the 2010 Census is from 1 to 9949 (but, see 5.c. below); tracts delineated specifically to complete coverage of large water bodies will be numbered from 9950 to 9989 in each county. All other tracts that fall within the 9950-9989 range must be renumbered. For Census 2000, water body tracts were all coded 0000. Each of these must be renumbered for the 2010 Census. c. Census tracts delineated within or to primarily encompass American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands can continue to be numbered from 9400 to 9499. Local participants may opt to renumber these census tracts in a numeric range consistent with the rest of the county since tribal tracts are proposed to be a separate and distinct geographic entity. d. Census tract identifiers must be unique within each county. e. Once used, census tract identifiers cannot be reused in a subsequent census to reference a completely different area within a county. If a tract is split, each portion may keep the same basic 4-digit identifier, but each portion must be given a unique suffix. If a census tract that was suffixed for Census 2000 is split, each portion must be given a new suffix. f. The range of acceptable census tract suffixes is .01 to .98. 6. Census Tract types Table 3 below contains a summary of the types of census tracts (with their respective population, housing unit and area characteristics) that the Census Bureau proposes to use for the 2010 Census. Table 3.—Summary of Census Tract Types How distinct from standard census tracts Population thresholds Housing unit thresholds Area thresholds Standard & tribal tracts Tribal tracts are conceptually similar and equivalent to census tracts defined within the standard State-county-tract-block group geographic hierarchy used for tabulating and publishing statistical data Optimum: 4,000; Minimum: 1,200; Maximum: 8,000 Optimum: 1,600; Minimum: 480; Maximum: 3,200 None. Water body tract A tract encompassing all or part of a territorial sea, coastal water, a Great Lake, or an inland water body at least 100 square miles in area Zero Zero 100 square miles if an inland water body. Special land-use tract A tract encompassing a large airport, public park, or public forest with little or no population or housing units. In a densely populated, urban area, a special land use tract should be approximately 1 square mile in area or greater. If delineated completely outside an urban area, a special land-use tract should have an area of 10 square miles or greater Little or none Little or none 1 square mile within an urban area/10 square miles outside an urban area. D. Tribal Tracts Tribal tracts are statistical geographic entities defined by the Census Bureau in cooperation with tribal officials to provide meaningful, relevant, and reliable data for small geographic areas within the boundaries of federally recognized American Indian reservation and/or off-reservation trust lands. As such, they recognize the unique statistical data needs of federally recognized American Indian tribes. The delineation of tribal tracts allows for an unambiguous presentation of tract-level data specific to the American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands without the imposition of State or county boundaries, which might artificially separate American Indian populations located within a single reservation and/or off-reservation trust land. To this end, the American Indian tribal participant may define tribal tracts that cross county or State boundaries, or both. For federally recognized American Indian tribes with reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands that have more than 2,400 residents, the Census Bureau will offer the tribal government the opportunity to delineate tribal tracts and other tribal statistical geography on their reservation and/or off-reservation trust land. For federally recognized tribes with an American Indian reservation and/or off-reservation trust lands that have fewer than 2,400 residents, the Census Bureau will define one tribal tract and one tribal block group coextensive with the reservation and/or off-reservation trust land. Tribal tracts must be delineated to meet all other census tract criteria, and must be numbered uniquely so as to clearly distinguish them from county-based census tracts. Tribal tracts are conceptually similar and equivalent to census tracts defined within the standard State-county-tract-block group geographic hierarchy used for tabulating and publishing statistical data. In order to provide meaningful statistical geographic areas within the reservation and/or off-reservation trust land as well as to make meaningful and reliable data available for these areas and their populations, the Census Bureau proposes that for the 2010 Census, standard census tracts be delineated nationwide, and the tribal tract geography be maintained separately and defined through a separate program designed specifically for tribal statistical geography. This differs from the procedure for Census 2000 in which tribal tracts were defined for federally recognized American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands and standard census tracts were identified by superimposing county and State boundaries onto the tribal tracts. For Census 2000 products in which data were presented by State and county, the standard State-county-census tract hierarchy was maintained, even for territory contained within an American Indian reservation and/or off-reservation trust land. In such instances, the State/county portions of a tribal tract were identified as individual census tracts. These standard census tracts may not have met the minimum population or housing unit thresholds, therefore potentially limiting sample data reliability or availability for both the tribal tract and the derived standard tracts. The proposed change in the tribal tract program for the 2010 Census, creating standard, county-based census tracts nationwide and maintaining tribal tracts as a completely separate set of geography from standard tracts for both geographic information and data presentation purposes, seeks to eliminate, in part, these issues that existed with Census 2000 data. As with standard census tracts submitted through this program, the tribal tracts would be submitted to the Census Bureau, and would be subject to review to ensure compliance with the final published criteria. Tribal tracts will be defined as part of a separate Tribal Statistical Areas Program
(TSAP)for the 2010 Census. Detailed criteria pertaining to tribal tracts will be published in a separate **Federal Register** notice pertaining to all American Indian statistical areas defined through the TSAP. III. Definitions of Key Terms Alaska Native regional corporation (ANRC)—A corporate geographic area established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (Pub. L. 92-203) to conduct both the business and nonprofit affairs of Alaska Natives. Twelve ANRCs cover the entire State of Alaska except for the Annette Island Reserve. American Indian off-reservation trust land—A federally recognized American Indian land area located outside the boundaries of an American Indian reservation whose boundaries are established by deed and over which a federally recognized American Indian tribal government has governmental authority. American Indian reservation (AIR)—A federally recognized American Indian land area with boundaries established by final treaty, statute, executive order, and/or court order and over which a federally recognized American Indian tribal government has governmental authority. Along with reservation, designations such as colonies, communities, pueblos, rancherias, and reserves apply to AIRs. Coastal water—Water bodies between territorial seas and inland water, the encompassing headlands being more than one mile apart and less than 24 miles apart. Conjoint—A description of a boundary shared by two adjacent geographic entities. Contiguous—A description of areas sharing common boundaries, such that the areas, when combined, form a single piece of territory. Noncontiguous areas form disjoint pieces. Great Lakes' waters—Water area beyond one mile wide headland embayments located in any of the five Great Lakes: Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, or Superior. Group quarters—A place where people live or stay, in a group living arrangement, that is owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. This is not a typical household-type living arrangement. These services may include custodial or medical care as well as other types of assistance, and residency is commonly restricted to those receiving these services. People living in group quarters are usually not related to each other. Group quarters include such places as college residence halls, residential treatment centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, and workers' dormitories. Incorporated place—A type of governmental unit, incorporated under State law as a city, town (except in New England, New York, and Wisconsin), borough (except in Alaska and New York), or village, generally to provide governmental services for a concentration of people within legally prescribed boundaries. Inland water—Water bodies entirely surrounded by land or at the point where their opening to coastal waters, territorial seas, or the Great Lakes is less than one mile across. Minor civil division (MCD)—The primary governmental or administrative division of a county in 28 States and the Island Areas having legal boundaries, names, and descriptions. The MCDs represent many different types of legal entities with a wide variety of characteristics, powers, and functions depending on the State and type of MCD. In some States, some or all of the incorporated places also constitute MCDs. Nonvisible feature—A map feature that is not visible on the ground such as a city or county boundary through space, a property line, or line-of-sight extension of a road. Retracting—Substantially changing the boundaries of a tract so that comparability over time is not maintained. Special land use tract—Type of census tract that must be designated as a specific land use type (e.g., State park) and have an official name (e.g., Jay Cooke State Park), must have little or no residential population or housing units, and must not create a noncontiguous tract. If delineated in a densely populated, urban area, a special land use tract must have an area of approximately one square mile or more. If delineated completely outside an urban area, a special land use tract must have an area of approximately 10 square miles or more. Territorial seas—Water bodies not included under the rules for inland water, coastal water, or Great Lakes' waters, see above. TIGER®—Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing database developed by the Census Bureau to support its mapping needs for the decennial census and other Census Bureau programs. The topological structure of the TIGER® database defines the location and relationship of boundaries, streets, rivers, railroads, and other features to each other and to the numerous geographic areas for which the Census Bureau tabulates data from its censuses and surveys. Visible feature—A map feature that can be seen on the ground such as a road, railroad track, major above-ground transmission line or pipeline, river, stream, shoreline, fence, sharply defined mountain ridge, or cliff. A nonstandard visible feature is a feature that may not be clearly defined on the ground (such as a ridge), may be seasonal (such as an intermittent stream), or may be relatively impermanent (such as a fence). The Census Bureau generally requests verification that nonstandard features used as boundaries for the PSAP geographic areas pose no problem in their location during field work. Water body tract—Type of tract encompassing territorial seas, coastal water, the Great Lakes, or inland water at least 100 square miles in area. If an inland water body meets this criterion, each county can delineate a tract for its portion of the water body. Executive Order 12866 This notice has been determined to be not significant under Executive Order 12866. Paperwork Reduction Act This program notice does not represent a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35. Dated: April 3, 2007. Charles Louis Kincannon, Director, Bureau of the Census. [FR Doc. E7-6466 Filed 4-5-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-07-P DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE Bureau of the Census [Docket Number 070126022-0723-01] Census Block Group Program for the 2010 Census—Proposed Criteria AGENCY: Bureau of the Census, Commerce. ACTION: Notice of proposed program revisions and request for comments. SUMMARY: Block groups are statistical geographic divisions of a census tract, defined for the tabulation and dissemination of decennial census data. Block groups also will be used to tabulate and publish estimates from the American Community Survey
(ACS)1 after 2010. Each block group comprises a reasonably compact and contiguous cluster of census blocks; up to nine block groups can be contained within a single census tract. 1 The ACS is conducted in the United States and in Puerto Rico. In Puerto Rico, the survey is called the Puerto Rico Community Survey. For ease of discussion, throughout this document the term ACS is used to represent both the survey that is conducted in the United States and in Puerto Rico. Most provisions of the block group criteria for the 2010 Census remain unchanged from those used in conjunction with Census 2000. However, based on consultation with data users and internal review, the Bureau of the Census (Census Bureau) is proposing the following changes for the 2010 Census:
(1)Increasing the minimum population and housing unit counts for block groups;
(2)using housing unit counts (as an alternative to population counts) in the delineation of block groups;
(3)applying the same population and housing unit thresholds to all types of populated block groups in the United States, 2 including block groups delineated on American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands, 3 the Island Areas, 4 and encompassing group quarters, military installations, and institutions;
(4)allowing the delineation of block groups for large water bodies with areas of approximately 100 square miles or more and special land uses ( *e.g.* , large airports or public parks) with an official name; and
(5)allowing for geographic frameworks of tribal block groups (separate from the standard block groups defined within counties and standard census tracts) to be defined within federally-recognized American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands. 2 For Census Bureau purposes, the United States includes the fifty states and the District of Columbia. 3 The proposed criteria for the tribal statistical areas program will be outlined in a separate **Federal Register** notice. In the tribal statistical areas program, federally recognized American Indian tribes that have a reservation and/or off-reservation trust land may delineate census designated places and, if these areas have a population of 2,400 or greater, may delineate tribal tracts and tribal block groups for their reservation and off-reservation trust land. 4 For Census Bureau purposes, the Island Areas includes American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the U.S. Minor Outlying Islands. The U.S. Minor Outlying Islands is an aggregation of nine U.S. territories: Baker Island, Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Palmyra Atoll, and Wake Island. In addition to the proposed criteria, this notice includes a description of the changes from the criteria used for Census 2000 and a list of definitions of key terms used in the criteria. The Census Bureau is publishing this notice in the **Federal Register** to request comments from the public and other government agencies. The Census Bureau will respond to the comments received as part of the publication of final criteria in the **Federal Register** . After the final criteria are published in the **Federal Register** , the Census Bureau will offer designated governments or organizations an opportunity to review and, if necessary, suggest updates to the boundaries and attributes of the block groups in their geographic area under the Participant Statistical Areas Program (PSAP). In addition to block groups, the program also encompasses the review and update of census tracts, census designated places, and census county divisions. DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before July 5, 2007. ADDRESSES: Please direct all written comments on this proposed program to the Director, U.S. Census Bureau, Room 8H001, Mail Stop 0100, Washington, DC 20233-0001. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information on this proposed program should be directed to Michael Ratcliffe, Chief, Geographic Standards and Criteria Branch, Geography Division, U.S. Census Bureau, via e-mail at *geo.psap.list@census.gov* or telephone at 301-763-3056. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: I. History of Block Groups The Census Bureau first delineated block groups as statistical geographic divisions of census tracts for the 1970 Census, comprising contiguous combinations of census blocks for data presentation purposes. At that time, census block groups only existed in urbanized areas in which census blocks were defined. Block groups were defined without regard to political and administrative boundaries, with an average population of 1,000, and to be approximately equal in area. As census block, block group, and census tract data were used increasingly by data users, the Census Bureau expanded these programs to cover additional geographic areas, while redefining the population threshold criteria to more adequately suit data users' needs. The 1990 Census was the first in which census blocks and block groups were defined throughout the entirety of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. For Census 2000, as with census tracts, the Census Bureau increased the number of geographic areas whose boundaries could be used as block group boundaries, and allowed tribal governments of federally recognized American Indian tribes with a reservation and/or off-reservation trust lands to delineate block groups without regard to state and/or county boundaries, provided the tribe had a 1990 Census population of at least 1,000. II. General Principles and Criteria for Block Groups for the 2010 Census A. General Principles 1. Block groups are statistical geographic divisions of a census tract, defined by the Census Bureau in cooperation with local officials and organizations, for the tabulation and dissemination of decennial census data as well as period estimates of demographic and housing characteristics from the ACS. 2. Because block groups are used to present and analyze sample-based statistical data, the amount of population or housing units within a block group is an important consideration. As a general rule, estimates from programs providing sample data, including the ACS, for geographic areas with smaller populations are subject to higher variances than comparable estimates for areas with larger populations. Aiming to create block groups that fall between the minimum and maximum thresholds will improve the reliability and availability of data, and local governments and planners should consider these factors when defining their block groups. 3. Block groups form the geographic framework within which the Census Bureau defines census blocks for use in tabulating and presenting decennial census data. Census blocks are numbered within block groups. 4. Geographic areas that are not characterized by a residential population, such as parks, large industrial areas, and water bodies, and which local participants may wish to separate from populated census tracts for analytical or cartographic purposes, or both, may be identified as individual block groups. B. Proposed Changes to the Block Group Criteria for the 2010 Census Most provisions of the block group criteria for the 2010 Census would remain unchanged from those used in conjunction with Census 2000 with the following exceptions: 1. The Census Bureau proposes to increase the minimum population and housing unit counts for block groups to 1,200 and 480, respectively, to support block group sample data reliability and availability and to lower the variance of the sample data. The sample size for the ACS is smaller than the sample from the decennial census long form of previous censuses. As a general rule, estimates from programs providing sample data, including the ACS, for geographic areas with smaller populations will be subject to higher variances than comparable estimates for areas with larger populations. In addition, the Census Bureau's disclosure rules will have the effect of restricting the availability and amount of data for areas with small populations. Aiming to create block groups that fall between the minimum and maximum thresholds will improve the reliability and availability of data, and local governments and planners should consider these factors when defining their block groups. 2. Housing unit counts may be used instead of population counts in the delineation of block groups. This change seeks to accommodate seasonal communities in which residents may not be present on the date of the decennial census, but will be present at other times of the year and for which data may be reflected in the ACS. 3. For Census 2000, minimum population thresholds for block groups varied. The minimum population threshold for block groups delineated on American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands was 300. This differed from the minimum threshold of 600 people for block groups defined elsewhere in the United States, as well as in Puerto Rico and the Island Areas. The maximum population for a block group in any of these areas was 3,000. In addition, for Census 2000, block groups that enclosed an institution, a military installation, or other “special place” had a minimum population requirement of 300 inhabitants, with no optimum or maximum population. For the 2010 Census, the same population and housing unit thresholds (minimum: 1,200 inhabitants or 480 housing units; maximum: 3,000 inhabitants or 1,200 housing units) would apply to all types of populated block groups, including block groups delineated for American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands, the Island Areas, and encompassing group quarters, military installations, and institutions. The Census Bureau proposes this change in order to aid in the availability and reliability of data for all block groups and to create a single national standard. 4. The delineation of block groups would be permitted, and encouraged, for the following specific types of geographic areas: a. Large water bodies with areas of approximately 100 square miles or more. b. Special land uses (e.g., large airports, public parks, or public forests) with an official name. A single water body or special land use block group will be delineated to be coextensive with, or covering the same territory as, the water body or special land use tract in which it is located. The Census Bureau would require that block groups delineated to encompass large water bodies and special land uses have little or no residential population. The Census Bureau recognizes that some special land use areas not generally intended for residential population, such as parks, may contain some population, such as caretakers or the homeless. Our intent is to allow for the delineation of parks and other special land use areas as separate block groups and, therefore, will accept such areas as block groups even if some residential population is present. All such block groups would meet all other block group criteria. 5. A geographic framework of tribal block groups, separate from the standard block groups defined within counties, may be defined within federally recognized American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands, subject to other population, housing, and boundary criteria contained in this document. This represents a change from the practice for Census 2000. The Census Bureau proposes this change to better recognize the unique statistical data needs of federally recognized American Indian tribes and their reservation and off-reservation trust lands. C. Block Group Criteria for the 2010 Census The criteria proposed herein apply to the United States, including federally recognized American Indian reservations and off-reservation trust lands, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas. In accordance with the final criteria, the Census Bureau may modify and, if necessary, reject any proposals for block groups that do not meet the established criteria. In addition, the Census Bureau reserves the right to modify the boundaries and attributes of block groups as needed to meet the published criteria and/or maintain geographic relationships before the final tabulation geography is set for the 2010 Census. The Census Bureau proposes the following criteria for use in delineating 2010 Census block groups. 1. A block group must comprise a reasonable compact, contiguous land area. Noncontiguous boundaries are permitted only where a contiguous area or inaccessible area would not meet population or housing unit count requirements for a separate block group, in which case the noncontiguous or inaccessible area must be combined within an adjacent or proximate block group. For example, an island that does not meet the minimum population threshold for recognition as a separate block group should be combined with other proximate land to form a single block group. Each case will be reviewed and accepted at the Census Bureau's discretion. 2. Block groups must not cross census tract boundaries. This criterion supersedes all population and housing unit requirements or guidelines. By extension, because census tracts cannot cross county and state boundaries, neither can block groups. It is only permissible to define a standard block group with less than 1,200 people in a county that has a population less than 1,200. 3. Block groups must cover the entire land and water area of each census tract. Because census tracts must cover the entire area of a county, by definition block groups also must cover the entire area of each county. In counties containing coastal waters, territorial sea, and portions of the Great Lakes, and very large, contiguous, inland water bodies, a single water body tract and a coextensive block group should be created for each discrete water body to provide for complete census block group coverage. 4. Block group boundaries should follow visible and identifiable features. To make the location of block group boundaries less ambiguous, wherever possible, block group boundaries should follow visible and identifiable features. The Census Bureau also permits the use of state and county boundaries in all states and incorporated place and minor civil division boundaries in states where those boundaries tend to remain unchanged over time (see Table 1). The use of visible features also makes it easier to locate and identify block group boundaries over time as the locations of many visible features in the landscape tend to change infrequently. The following features are preferred as block group boundaries for the 2010 Census: a. State, county, and census tract boundaries must always be block group boundaries. This criterion takes precedence over all other criteria or requirements. b. American Indian reservation and off-reservation trust land boundaries. c. Visible, perennial natural and cultural features, such as roads, shorelines, rivers, perennial streams and canals, railroad tracks, or above-ground high-tension power lines. d. Boundaries of legal and administrative entities in selected states. Table 1 identifies by state which minor civil division
(MCD)and incorporated place boundaries may be used as block group boundaries. Table 1.—Acceptable MCD and Incorporated Place Boundaries Boundaries All MCD boundaries Boundaries of MCDs not coincident with the boundaries of incorporated places that themselves are MCDs All incorporated place boundaries Only conjoint incorporated place boundaries Alabama X Alaska X Arizona X Arkansas X California X Colorado X Connecticut X X Delaware X Florida X Georgia X Hawaii X Idaho X Illinois X a X Indiana X X Iowa X X Kansas X X Kentucky X Louisiana X Maine X X Maryland X Massachusetts X X Michigan X X Minnesota X X Mississippi X Missouri X b X Montana X Nebraska X a X Nevada X New Hampshire X X New Jersey X X New Mexico X New York X X North Carolina X North Dakota X X Ohio X X Oklahoma X Oregon X Pennsylvania X X Rhode Island X X South Carolina X South Dakota X X Tennessee X Texas X Utah X Vermont X X Virginia X Washington X West Virginia X Wisconsin X X Wyoming X a Townships only. b Governmental townships only. e. Additionally, the following legally defined, administrative boundaries would be permitted as block group boundaries: i. Barrio, barrio-pueblo, and subbarrio boundaries in Puerto Rico; ii. Census subdistrict boundaries in the U.S. Virgin Islands; iii. County and island boundaries (both MCD equivalents) in American Samoa; iv. Election district boundaries in Guam; v. Municipal district boundaries in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; and vi. Alaska Native regional corporation boundaries in Alaska, at the discretion of the Census Bureau, insofar as such boundaries are unambiguous for allocating living quarters as part of 2010 Census activities. f. When acceptable visible and governmental boundary features are not available for use as block group boundaries, the Census Bureau may, at its discretion, approve other nonstandard visible features, such as ridge lines, above-ground pipelines, intermittent streams, or fence lines. The Census Bureau may also accept, on a case-by-case basis, the boundaries of selected nonstandard and potentially nonvisible features, such as the boundaries of military installations, National Parks, National Monuments, National Forests, other types of parks or forests, airports, marine ports, cemeteries, golf courses, penitentiaries/prisons, glaciers, or the straight-line extensions of visible features and other lines-of-sight. g. The boundaries of large water bodies and special land use tracts, including parks, forests, and military installations, provided the boundaries are clearly marked or easily recognized. 5. Population, Housing Unit, and Area Thresholds The Census Bureau proposes the following population, housing unit, and area threshold criteria for census block group (as suggested in Table 2). Any block group that does not meet the minimum population or housing unit threshold must be revised. Table 2.—Block Group Thresholds Block group type Threshold type Minimum Maximum Standard & tribal block groups Population threshold 1,200 3,000 Housing Unit threshold 480 1,200. Water body block groups Area threshold (square miles) 100 none Special land use block groups Area threshold for an urban area (square miles) 1 none Area threshold outside an urban area (square miles) 10 none a. Census 2000 population counts should be used in census block group review in most cases. Housing unit counts should be used for block groups in seasonal communities that have no or low population on census day (April 1). Locally produced population and housing unit estimates can be used when reviewing and updating block groups, especially in areas that have experienced considerable growth since Census 2000. b. The housing unit thresholds are based on a national average of 2.5 persons per household. The Census Bureau recognizes that there are regional variations to this average, and will take this into consideration when reviewing all census block group proposals. c. For the 2010 Census, the Census Bureau encourages the delineation of special use census tracts, hence special use block groups, in specific types of areas: i. A special land use block group must be designated as a specific land use type (e.g. state park), must have an official name (e.g., Jay Cooke State Park), have little or no residential population, and must not create a noncontiguous block group. In some instances, multiple areas can be combined to form a single special land use block group if the land management characteristics are similar, such as a special land use block group comprising adjacent federal and state parks. If the special land use block group is delineated in a densely populated, urban area, the block group must have an area of approximately one square mile or more. If the special land use block group is delineated completely outside an urban area, the block group must have an area of approximately 10 square miles or more. ii. A water body block group must encompass all or part of a territorial sea, coastal water, a Great Lake, or an inland water body at least 100 square miles in area. If an inland water body meets this criterion and is in more than one county, each county can delineate a block group for its portion of the water body. Any islands within a qualifying water body should be included within a separate block group. 6. Identification of Block Groups a. A block group encompasses a cluster of census blocks. Each block group is identified using a single-digit number that will correspond to the first digit in the number of each block that comprises it. For example, census block group 3 includes all census blocks numbered in the 3000 range within a single census tract. b. The range of acceptable block group numbers is 1 through 9. Block group numbers must always be unique within a census tract. 7. Block Group Types Table 3.—Table 3 Below Contains a Summary of the Types of Block Groups (With Their Respective Population, Housing Unit and Area Characteristics) That the Census Bureau Proposes To Use for the 2010 Census. Summary of Block Group Types How distinct from standard block groups Population thresholds Housing unit thresholds Area thresholds Standard & tribal block groups Tribal block groups are conceptually similar and equivalent to census block groups defined within the standard state-county-tract-block group geographic hierarchy used for tabulating and publishing statistical data Minimum: 1,200; Maximum: 3,000 Minimum: 480; Maximum: 1,200 none. Water body block groups A block group coextensive with a water body tract, encompassing all or part of a territorial sea, coastal water, a Great Lake, or an inland water body at least 100 square miles area Zero Zero 100 square miles if an inland water body. Special land use block groups A block group coextensive with a special land use tract, encompassing a large airport, public park, or public forest with little or no population or housing units. In a densely populated, urban area, a special land use block group must be approximately one square mile in area or greater. If delineated completely outside an urban area, a special land use block group must have an area of ten square miles or greater Little or none Little or none one square mile within an urban area/ten square miles outside an urban area. D. Tribal Block Groups Tribal block groups are statistical geographic entities defined by the Census Bureau in cooperation with tribal officials to provide meaningful, relevant, and reliable data for small geographic areas within the boundaries of federally recognized American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands. As such, they recognize the unique statistical data needs of federally recognized American Indian tribes. The delineation of tribal block groups allows for an unambiguous presentation of statistical data specific to a federally recognized reservation and/or off-reservation trust lands without the imposition of state or county boundaries, which might artificially separate American Indian populations located within a single reservation and/or off-reservation trust land. To this end, the American Indian tribal participant 5 may define tribal block groups that cross county or state boundaries, or both. Tribal block groups must be delineated to meet all other census block group criteria, and must be numbered uniquely so as to clearly distinguish them from county-based block groups. Tribal block group boundaries will be held as census block boundaries. Census blocks, however, will be numbered uniquely within county-based block groups. Tribal block groups are conceptually similar and equivalent to census block groups defined within the standard state-county-tract-block group geographic hierarchy used for tabulating and publishing statistical data. 5 For federally recognized American Indian tribes with reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands that have more than 2,400 residents, the Census Bureau will offer the tribal government the opportunity to delineate tribal block groups and other tribal statistical geography on their reservation and/or off-reservation trust land. For federally recognized tribes with an American Indian reservation and/or off-reservation trust land that have fewer than 2,400 residents, the Census Bureau will define one tribal tract and one tribal block group coextensive with the American Indian reservation and/or off-reservation trust land. In order to provide meaningful statistical geographic areas within the reservation and/or off-reservation trust land, as well as make meaningful and reliable data available for these areas and their populations, the Census Bureau proposes that for the 2010 Census, standard block groups be delineated nationwide, and the tribal block group geography be maintained separately, and defined through a separate program designed specifically for tribal statistical geography. This differs from the procedure for Census 2000 in which tribal block groups were defined for federally recognized American Indian reservations and/or off-reservation trust lands, and standard block groups were identified by superimposing county and state boundaries onto the tribal block groups. For Census 2000 products in which data were presented by state and county, the standard state-county-census tract-block group hierarchy was maintained, even for territory contained within an American Indian reservation and/or off-reservation trust land. In such instances, the state/county portions of tribal block groups were identified as individual block groups, and these standard block groups may not have met the minimum population or housing unit thresholds, potentially limiting sample data reliability or availability for both the tribal block group and the derived standard block groups. The proposed change in the tribal block group program for the 2010 Census, creating standard block groups nationwide and maintaining tribal block groups as a completely separate set of geography from standard block groups in both geographic and data presentation purposes, seeks to eliminate, in part, these data issues from Census 2000. As with standard block groups submitted through the program, the tribal block groups would be submitted to the Census Bureau, and would be subject to review to ensure compliance with the final published criteria. Tribal block groups will be defined as part of a separate Tribal Statistical Areas Program
(TSAP)for the 2010 Census. Detailed criteria pertaining to tribal block groups will be published in a separate **Federal Register** notice pertaining to all American Indian statistical areas defined through the TSAP. III. Definitions of Key Terms Alaska Native regional corporation (ANRC)—A corporate geographic area established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (Pub. L. 92-203), to conduct both, the business and nonprofit affairs of Alaska Natives. Twelve ANRCs cover the entire State of Alaska except for the Annette Island Reserve. American Indian off-reservation trust land (ORTL)—A federally recognized American Indian land area located outside the boundaries of an American Indian reservation whose boundaries are established by deed and over which a federally recognized American Indian tribal government has governmental authority. American Indian reservation (AIR)—A federally recognized American Indian land area with boundaries established by final treaty, statute, executive order, and/or court order and over which a federally recognized American Indian tribal government has governmental authority. Along with reservation, designations such as colonies, communities, pueblos, rancherias, and reserves apply to AIRs. Coastal water—Water bodies between territorial seas and inland water, the encompassing headlands being more than one mile apart and less than 24 miles apart. Conjoint—A description of a boundary shared by two adjacent geographic entities. Contiguous—A description of areas sharing common boundaries, such that the areas, when combined, form a single piece of territory. Noncontinuous areas form disjoint pieces. Great Lakes' waters—Water area beyond one mile wide headland embayments located in any of the five Great Lakes: Erie, Huron, Michigan, Ontario, or Superior. Group quarters (GQ)—A place where people live or stay, in a group living arrangement, that is owned or managed by an entity or organization providing housing and/or services for the residents. This is not a typical household-type living arrangement. These services may include custodial or medical care, as well as other types of assistance, and residency is commonly restricted to those receiving these services. People living in group quarters are usually not related to each other. Group quarters include such places as college residence halls, residential treatment centers, skilled nursing facilities, group homes, military barracks, correctional facilities, and workers' dormitories. Incorporated place—A type of governmental unit, incorporated under state law as a city, town (except in New England, New York, and Wisconsin), borough (except in Alaska and New York), or village, generally to provide governmental services for a concentration of people within legally prescribed boundaries. Inland water—Water bodies entirely surrounded by land or at the point where their opening to coastal waters, territorial seas, or the Great Lakes is less than one mile across. Minor civil division (MCD)—The primary governmental or administrative division of a county in 28 states and the Island Areas having legal boundaries, names, and descriptions. MCDs represent many different types of legal entities with a wide variety of characteristics, powers, and functions depending on the state and type of MCD. In some states, some or all of the incorporated places also constitute MCDs. Nonvisible feature—A map feature that is not visible on the ground, such as a city or county boundary through space, a property line, line-of-sight extension of a road. Special land use block group—Block group delineated coextensive with, or covering the same area as, the special land use tract. Special land use tract—Type of census tract that must be designated as a specific land use type (e.g. state park) and have an official name (e.g., Jay Cooke State Park), must have little or no residential population or housing units, and must not create a noncontiguous census tract. If delineated in a densely populated, urban area, a special land use tract must have an area of approximately one square mile or more. If delineated completely outside an urban area, a special land use tract must have an area of approximately 10 square miles or more. Territorial seas—Water bodies not included under the definition for inland water, coastal water, or Great Lakes' waters, see above. TIGER—Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing database developed by the Census Bureau to support its mapping needs for the Decennial Census and other Census Bureau programs. The topological structure of the TIGER database defines the location and relationship of boundaries, streets, rivers, railroads, and other features to each other and to the numerous geographic areas for which the Census Bureau tabulates data from its censuses and surveys. Visible feature—A map feature that can be seen on the ground, such as a road, railroad track, major above-ground transmission line or pipeline, river or stream, shoreline, fence, sharply defined mountain ridge, or cliff. A nonstandard visible feature is a feature that may not be clearly defined on the ground (such as a ridge), may be seasonal (such as an intermittent stream), or may be relatively impermanent (such as a fence). The Census Bureau generally requests verification that nonstandard features used as boundaries for the PSAP geographic areas pose no problem in their location during field work. Water body block group—Block group delineated coextensive with, or covering the same area as, the water body tract. Water body tract—Type of census tract encompassing territorial seas, coastal water, the Great Lakes, or inland water at least 100 square miles in area. If an inland water body meets this criteria, each county can delineate a census tract for its portion of the water body. Executive Order 12866 This notice has been determined to be not significant under Executive Order 12866. Paperwork Reduction Act This program notice does not represent a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. Chapter 35. Dated: April 3, 2007. Charles Louis Kincannon, Director, Bureau of the Census. [FR Doc. E7-6467 Filed 4-5-07; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 3510-07-P 72 66 Friday, April 6, 2007 Notices Part IV Department of Education Institute of Educational Sciences; Notice Inviting Applications for Grants To Support Education and Special Education Research Training for Fiscal Year FY 2008; Notice DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION [CFDA Nos. 84.305A, 84.305B, 84.305C, 84.324A, 84.324B, and 84.324C] Institute of Education Sciences; Notice Inviting Applications for Grants To Support Education and Special Education Research and Research Training for Fiscal Year
(FY)2008 SUMMARY: The Director of the Institute of Education Sciences (Institute) announces the Institute's FY 2008 competitions for grants to support education and special education research and research training. The Director takes this action under the Education Sciences Reform Act of 2002, title I of Public Law 107-279. The intent of these grants is to provide national leadership in expanding fundamental knowledge and understanding of education from early childhood education through postsecondary and adult education. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: *Mission of Institute:* A central purpose of the Institute is to provide parents, educators, students, researchers, policymakers, and the general public with reliable and valid information about education practices that support learning and improve academic achievement and access to education opportunities for all students. In carrying out its mission, the Institute provides support for programs of research in areas of demonstrated national need. *Competitions in this notice:* The Institute will conduct nine research or research training competitions in FY 2008 through two of its National Education Centers. The National Center for Education Research
(NCER)will hold five competitions: two competitions for education research; two competitions for education research training; and one competition for education research and development centers. Education Research Under the two education research competitions, NCER will consider only applications that address one of the following education research topics: • Reading and Writing. • Interventions for Struggling Adolescent and Adult Readers and Writers. • Mathematics and Science Education. • Teacher Quality in Reading and Writing. • Teacher Quality in Mathematics and Science. • Cognition and Student Learning. • Social and Behavioral Context for Academic Learning. • Education Technology. • Early Childhood Programs and Policies. • Education Leadership. • Education Policy, Finance, and Systems. • High School Reform. • Postsecondary Education. Education Research Training Under the first education research training competition, NCER will consider only applications for Postdoctoral Research Training; under the second competition, NCER will consider only applications for Predoctoral Research Training. Education Research and Development Centers Under the education research and development centers competition, NCER will consider only applications that address one of the following education research topics: • Cognition and Science Instruction. • Instructional Technology. The National Center for Special Education Research (NCSER) will hold four competitions: two competitions for special education research; one competition for special education research training; and one competition for special education research and development centers. Special Education Research Under the first special education research competition, NCSER will consider only applications that address one of the following special education research topics: • Early Intervention, Early Childhood Special Education, and Assessment for Young Children with Disabilities. • Mathematics and Science Special Education. • Reading, Writing, and Language Development. • Serious Behavior Disorders. • Individualized Education Programs and Individualized Family Service Plans. Under the second special education research competition, NCSER will consider only applications that address one of the following special education research topics: • Secondary and Transition Services. • Autism Spectrum Disorders. • Response to Intervention. • Related Services. Special Education Research Training Under the special education research training competition, NCSER will consider only applications for Postdoctoral Research Training. Special Education Research and Development Centers Under the special education research and development centers competition, NCSER will consider only applications that address one of the following special education research topics: • Serious Behavior Disorders at the Secondary Level. • Response to Intervention in Early Childhood Special Education. *Eligible Applicants:* Applicants that have the ability and capacity to conduct scientifically valid research are eligible to apply. Eligible applicants include, but are not limited to, non-profit and for-profit organizations and public and private agencies and institutions, such as colleges and universities. *Request for Applications and Other Information:* Information regarding program and application requirements for the competitions will be contained in the NCER and NCSER Request for Applications packages (RFA), which will be available at the following Web sites: *http://ies.ed.gov/funding/* *http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ies/programs.html* • The RFAs for the education research and special education research competitions will be available at these Web sites no later than April 6, 2007. • The RFAs for the education research training and the special education research training competitions will be available at these Web sites no later than April 6, 2007. • The RFAs for the education research and development centers and special education research and development centers competitions will be available at these Web sites no later than May 15, 2007. Interested potential applicants should periodically check the Institute's Web site. Information regarding selection criteria and review procedures for the competitions will be provided in the RFA packages. *Fiscal Information:* Although Congress has not enacted a final appropriation for FY 2008, the Institute is inviting applications for these competitions now so that it may be prepared to make awards following final action on the Department's appropriations bill. The President's FY 2008 Budget for the Institute includes sufficient funding for all of the competitions included in this notice. The actual award of grants will depend on the availability of funds. The number of awards made under each competition will depend upon the quality of the applications received for that competition. The size of the awards will depend upon the scope of the projects proposed. *Applicable Regulations:* The Education Department General Administrative Regulations (EDGAR) in 34 CFR parts 74, 77, 80, 81, 82, 84, 85, 86 (part 86 applies only to institutions of higher education), 97, 98, and 99. In addition 34 CFR part 75 is applicable, except for the provisions in 34 CFR 75.100, 75.101(b), 75.102, 75.103, 75.105, 75.109(a), 75.200, 75.201, 75.209, 75.210, 75.211, 75.217, 75.219, 75.220, 75.221, 75.222, and 75.230. Performance Measures To evaluate the overall success of its education research program, the Institute annually assesses the quality and relevance of newly funded research projects, as well as the quality of research publications that result from its funded research projects. External panels of qualified scientists review the quality of new research applications, and the percentage of newly funded projects that receive an average panel score of excellent or higher is determined. A panel of experienced education practitioners and administrators reviews descriptions of a randomly selected sample of newly funded projects and rates the degree to which the projects are relevant to educational practice. An external panel of eminent scientists reviews the quality of a randomly selected sample of new publications, and the percentage of new publications that are deemed to be of high quality is determined. Submission Requirements Applications for grants under these competitions must be submitted electronically unless you qualify for an exception to this requirement in accordance with the instructions in this section. We do not consider an application that does not comply with the deadline requirements. Individuals with disabilities who need an accommodation or auxiliary aid in connection with the application process should contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT . a. *Electronic Submission of Applications* . Applications for grants under the Education Research, Education Research Training, and Education Research and Development Centers competitions, CFDA Number 84.305A, 84.305B, and 84.305C and for grants under the Special Education Research, Special Education Research Training, and Special Education Research and Development Centers competitions, CFDA Number 84.324A, 84.324B, and 84.324C, must be submitted electronically using the Governmentwide Grants.gov Apply site at *http://www.Grants.gov* . Through this site, you will be able to download a copy of the application package, complete it offline, and then upload and submit your application. You may not e-mail an electronic copy of a grant application to us. We will reject your application if you submit it in paper format unless, as described elsewhere in this section, you qualify for one of the exceptions to the electronic submission requirement and submit, no later than two weeks before the application deadline date, a written statement to the Department that you qualify for one of these exceptions. Further information regarding calculation of the date that is two weeks before the application deadline date is provided later in this section under *Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement* . You may access the electronic grant applications for the Education Research, Education Research Training, Education Research and Development Centers, Special Education Research, Special Education Research Training, and Special Education Research and Development Centers competitions at *http://www.Grants.gov* . You must search for the downloadable application package for each competition by the CFDA number. Do not include the CFDA number's alpha suffix in your search (e.g., search for 84.324, not 84.324A). *Please note the following:* • When you enter the Grants.gov site, you will find information about submitting an application electronically through the site, as well as the hours of operation. • Applications received by Grants.gov are date and time stamped. Your application must be fully uploaded and submitted, and must be date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system no later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. Except as otherwise noted in this section, we will not consider your application if it is date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system later than 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. When we retrieve your application from Grants.gov, we will notify you if we are rejecting your application because it was date and time stamped by the Grants.gov system after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. • The amount of time it can take to upload an application will vary depending on a variety of factors including the size of the application and the speed of your Internet connection. Therefore, we strongly recommend that you do not wait until the application deadline date to begin the submission process through Grants.gov. • You should review and follow the Education Submission Procedures for submitting an application through Grants.gov that are included in the application package for the competition to ensure that you submit your application in a timely manner to the Grants.gov system. You can also find the Education Submission Procedures pertaining to *Grants.gov at http://e-Grants.ed.gov/help/GrantsgovSubmissionProcedures.pdf* . • To submit your application via Grants.gov, you must complete all steps in the Grants.gov registration process (see *http://www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp* ). These steps include
(1)registering your organization, a multi-part process that includes registration with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR);
(2)registering yourself as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and
(3)getting authorized as an AOR by your organization. Details on these steps are outlined in the Grants.gov 3-Step Registration Guide (see *http://www.grants.gov/section910/Grants.govRegistrationBrochure.pdf* ). You also must provide on your application the same D-U-N-S Number used with this registration. Please note that the registration process may take five or more business days to complete, and you must have completed all registration steps to allow you to submit successfully an application via Grants.gov. In addition you will need to update your CCR registration on an annual basis. This may take three or more business days to complete. • You will not receive additional point value because you submit your application in electronic format, nor will we penalize you if you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, as described elsewhere in this section, and submit your application in paper format. • You must submit all documents electronically, including all information you typically provide on the following forms: Application for Federal Assistance (SF 424 (R&R) and the other R&R forms including, Project Performance Site Locations, Other Project Information, Senior/Key Person Profile, Research and Related Budget (Total Federal + Non-federal) and all necessary assurances and certifications. • You must attach any narrative sections of your application as files in a .PDF (Portable Document) format. If you upload a file type other than the file type specified in this paragraph or submit a password-protected file, we will not review that material. • Your electronic application must comply with any page-limit requirements described in this notice. • After you electronically submit your application, you will receive from Grants.gov an automatic notification of receipt that contains a Grants.gov tracking number. (This notification indicates receipt by Grants.gov only, not receipt by the Department.) The Department then will retrieve your application from Grants.gov and send a second notification to you by e-mail. This second notification indicates that the Department has received your application and has assigned your application a PR/Award number (an ED-specified identifying number unique to your application). • We may request that you provide us original signatures on forms at a later date. *Application Deadline Date Extension in Case of Technical Issues with the Grants.gov System:* If you are experiencing problems submitting your application through Grants.gov, please contact the Grants.gov Support Desk at 1-800-518-4726. You must obtain a Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number and must keep a record of it. If you are prevented from electronically submitting your application on the application deadline date because of technical problems with the Grants.gov system, we will grant you an extension until 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, the following business day to enable you to transmit your application electronically or by hand delivery. You also may mail your application by following the mailing instructions described elsewhere in this notice. If you submit an application after 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date, please contact the person listed elsewhere in this notice under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT and provide an explanation of the technical problem you experienced with Grants.gov, along with the Grants.gov Support Desk Case Number. We will accept your application if we can confirm that a technical problem occurred with the Grants.gov system and that that problem affected your ability to submit your application by 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, on the application deadline date. The Department will contact you after a determination is made on whether your application will be accepted. Note: The extensions to which we refer in this section apply only to the unavailability of, or technical problems with, the Grants.gov system. We will not grant you an extension if you failed to fully register to submit your application to Grants.gov before the application deadline date and time or if the technical problem you experienced is unrelated to the Grants.gov system. *Exception to Electronic Submission Requirement:* You qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, and may submit your application in paper format, if you are unable to submit an application through the Grants.gov system because— • You do not have access to the Internet; or • You do not have the capacity to upload large documents to the Grants.gov system; and • No later than two weeks before the application deadline date (14 calendar days or, if the fourteenth calendar day before the application deadline date falls on a Federal holiday, the next business day following the Federal holiday), you mail or fax a written statement to the Department, explaining which of the two grounds for an exception prevent you from using the Internet to submit your application. If you mail your written statement to the Department, it must be postmarked no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. If you fax your written statement to the Department, we must receive the faxed statement no later than two weeks before the application deadline date. Address and mail or fax your statement to: Elizabeth Payer, U.S. Department of Education, 555 New Jersey Avenue, NW., room 602c, Washington, DC 20208. Fax:
(202)219-1466. Your paper application must be submitted in accordance with the mail or hand delivery instructions described in this notice. b. *Submission of Paper Applications by Mail.* If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you may mail (through the U.S. Postal Service or a commercial carrier) your application to the Department. You must mail the original and two copies of your application, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the applicable following address: *By mail through the U.S. Postal Service:* U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, *Attention:* ( *CFDA Number:* [Identify the CFDA number for the competition under which you are submitting an application.]), 400 Maryland Avenue, SW., Washington, DC 20202-4260. or *By mail through a commercial carrier:* U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, Stop 4260, *Attention:* ( *CFDA Number:* [Identify the CFDA number for the competition under which you are submitting an application.]), 7100 Old Landover Road, Landover, MD 20785-1506. Regardless of which address you use, you must show proof of mailing consisting of one of the following:
(1)A legibly dated U.S. Postal Service postmark.
(2)A legible mail receipt with the date of mailing stamped by the U.S. Postal Service.
(3)A dated shipping label, invoice, or receipt from a commercial carrier.
(4)Any other proof of mailing acceptable to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education. If you mail your application through the U.S. Postal Service, we do not accept either of the following as proof of mailing:
(1)A private metered postmark.
(2)A mail receipt that is not dated by the U.S. Postal Service. If your application is postmarked after the application deadline date, we will not consider your application. Note: The U.S. Postal Service does not uniformly provide a dated postmark. Before relying on this method, you should check with your local post office. c. *Submission of Paper Applications by Hand Delivery.* If you qualify for an exception to the electronic submission requirement, you (or a courier service) may deliver your paper application to the Department by hand. You must deliver the original and two copies of your application by hand, on or before the application deadline date, to the Department at the following address: U.S. Department of Education, Application Control Center, *Attention:* ( *CFDA Number:* [Identify the CFDA number for the competition under which you are submitting an application.]), 550 12th Street, SW., Room 7041, Potomac Center Plaza, Washington, DC 20202-4260 . The Application Control Center accepts hand deliveries daily between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Washington, DC time, except Saturdays, Sundays, and Federal holidays. Note for Mail or Hand Delivery of Paper Applications: If you mail or hand deliver your application to the Department—
(1)You must indicate on the envelope—if not provided by the Department—in Item 10 of the SF 424 (R&R) the CFDA number, including suffix letter, if any, of the competition under which you are submitting your application; and
(2)The Application Control Center will mail to you a notification of receipt of your grant application. If you do not receive this notification within 15 business days from the application deadline date, you should call the U.S. Department of Education Application Control Center at
(202)245-6288. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: The contact person associated with a particular research competition is listed in the chart at the end of this notice and in the RFA. The date on which applications will be available, the deadline for transmittal of applications, the estimated range of awards, and the project period are also listed in the chart and in the RFA that will be posted at the following Web sites: *http://ies.ed.gov/funding/* *http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ies/programs.html* If you use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD), you may call the Federal Relay Service
(FRS)at 1-800-877-8339. Individuals with disabilities may obtain this document in an alternative format (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, or computer diskette) on request to the program contact person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT . Individuals with disabilities may obtain a copy of the RFA in an alternative format by contacting that person. *Electronic Access to This Document:* You may view this document, as well as all other documents of this Department published in the **Federal Register** , in text or Adobe Portable Document Format
(PDF)on the Internet at the following site: *http://www.ed.gov/news/fedregister* . To use PDF you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free at this site. If you have questions about using PDF, call the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO), toll free, at 1-888-293-6498; or in the Washington, DC area at
(202)512-1530. Note: The official version of this document is the document published in the **Federal Register** . Free Internet access to the official edition of the **Federal Register** and the Code of Federal Regulations is available on GPO Access at: *http://www.gpoaccess.gov/nara/index.html* . Program Authority: 20 U.S.C. 9501 *et seq.* Dated: April 3, 2007. Grover J. Whitehurst, Director, Institute of Education Sciences. BILLING CODE 4000-01-P EN06AP07.023 EN06AP07.024 [FR Doc. 07-1713 Filed 4-5-07; 8:45 am]
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- Pub. L. 92-203
- Pub. L. 107-279
- 34 CFR 75
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Notice of proposed program revisions and request for comments
Pub. L.Pub. L. 92-203
Pub. L.Pub. L. 107-279
Cite34 CFR 75
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