Notice2023-28503
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; NOAA Financial Assistance Performance Progress Reports
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
December 27, 2023
Issuing agencies
Commerce DepartmentNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Abstract
The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. This notice pertains to a revision and extension of the approved collection of information for NOAA Financial Assistance Performance Progress Reports. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89383-89385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28503]
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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment
Request; NOAA Financial Assistance Performance Progress Reports
AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.
ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden.
This notice pertains to a revision and extension of the approved
collection of information for NOAA Financial Assistance Performance
Progress Reports. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of
public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.
DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed
information collection must be received on or before February 26, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#0b45444a4a255b594a4b65646a6a256c647d"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="fab4b5bbbbd4aaa8bbba94959b9bd49d958c">[email protected]</span></a>. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0718 in the subject line of your
comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise
sensitive or protected information.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Tom Barry, Federal Program Officer, NOAA Marine Debris Program, 1305
East-West Highway, Office of Response and Restoration, SSMC4, Rm.
10239, N/ORR5, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (202) 870-2863, and
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#1a6e757734787b6868635a74757b7b347d756c"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="02766d6f2c606370707b426c6d63632c656d74">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This is a request for revision and extension to an approved
collection of information under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C.
3501 et seq., and implementing regulations at 5 CFR part 1320. This
previously-approved information collection assists NOAA in the
administration and evaluation of financial assistance awards made by
the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), NOAA Coral Reef Conservation
Program (CRCP), and the NOAA Restoration Center (RC).
The revision, which is described in more detail below, is only
applicable for the NOAA MDP financial assistance awards, and previous
information collections for NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP)
and NOAA Restoration Center (RC) remain unchanged. There are no changes
to the NOAA CRCP or NOAA RC forms that were previously approved,
including the RC Progress Reports (Initial, Semi-Annual, and Final), RC
Administrative Progress Reports (Initial, Semi-Annual, and Final), and
CRCP Semi-Annual Reports. However, the extension applies to the entire
previously-approved information collection.
Every year, the NOAA MDP, the NOAA CRCP, and the NOAA RC each
support a variety of initiatives specific to their individual
authorizations and
[[Page 89384]]
programmatic mandates. This support is made substantially through
grants and cooperative agreements, the terms and conditions of which
require regular progress reporting and communication of project
accomplishments to the agency. This information collection identifies
what is to be provided in these reports, and aims to assist recipients
in fulfilling their responsibilities in meeting interim and final
progress report requirements. This information is also necessary for
NOAA to effectively oversee the expenditure of public funds awarded
through these programs, to ensure both cost-effectiveness and
programmatic goals are met.
The NOAA RC provides technical and financial assistance to
identify, develop, implement, and evaluate community-driven habitat
restoration projects. Awards are made as grants or cooperative
agreements under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery
Conservation and Management Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 1891a and the Fish
and Wildlife Coordination Act, 16 U.S.C. 661, as amended by the
Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970.
The NOAA CRCP operates under authorization from the Coral Reef
Conservation Act of 2000, 16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq. This act authorizes
the NOAA CRCP to conserve and restore the condition of United States
coral reef ecosystems; to promote the science-based management and
sustainable use of coral reef ecosystems to benefit local communities
and the Nation; to develop sound scientific information on the
condition of coral reef ecosystems and the threats to such ecosystems;
to assist in the preservation of coral reefs by supporting science-
based, consensus-driven, and community-based coral reef management; to
provide financial resources, technical assistance, and scientific
expertise; to establish a formal mechanism for the collecting and
allocating of monetary donations from the private sector to be used for
coral reef conservation projects; to support rapid response to exigent
circumstances that pose immediate and long-term threats to coral reefs;
and to serve as a model for advancing international efforts to monitor,
conserve, and restoral coral reef ecosystems.
The NOAA MDP supports national and international efforts to
research, prevent, and reduce the impacts of marine debris. The NOAA
MDP is a centralized office within NOAA that coordinates and supports
activities, both within the bureau and with other federal agencies that
address marine debris and its impacts. In addition to inter-agency
coordination, NOAA MDP uses partnerships with state and local agencies,
tribes, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry to
investigate and solve the problems that stem from marine debris through
removal, research, prevention, and assessment activities, in order to
protect and conserve our nation's marine environment and coastal
economies, and to ensure navigation safety. In large part, these
partnerships are made through grants, cooperative agreements,
contracts, MOUs or are simply informal technical assistance
arrangements.
The Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act
authorizes NOAA MDP to enter into cooperative agreements and contracts
and provide financial assistance in the form of grants to carry out the
purposes of the Act--namely to identify, determine sources of, assess,
reduce, and prevent marine debris and its adverse impacts on the marine
environment and navigation safety. 33 U.S.C. 1951, 1952. To date, both
competitive and non-competitive funding opportunities have been
implemented by NOAA MDP to provide federal funding to non-federal
applicants for activities to carry out the purposes of the Act.
The terms and conditions of MDP grants and cooperative agreements
require regular progress reporting and communication of project
accomplishments to the agency. Grant reporting is necessary for NOAA to
effectively oversee the expenditure of public funds, and to ensure both
the cost-effectiveness of funded projects and that programmatic goals
are met.
This information collection revision clarifies agency reporting
requirements, and aims to assist recipients in fulfilling their federal
grant responsibilities. NOAA MDP proposes to revise and clarify grant
performance progress report (PPR) instructions and add a table to the
PPR that will be used for recipients whose activities span multiple
states. NOAA MDP proposes to add the collection of performance measure
information in a spreadsheet that captures required project metrics at
a finer geographic resolution than would otherwise be possible using
the PPR. NOAA MDP also proposes collection of additional metrics
related to certain activities from large marine debris removals and
pre- and post-removal habitat monitoring for grantees who perform these
activities as part of their NOAA MDP award. The additional collection
of project-level data, including project-level location and
implementation data, aligns with the guidance provided in Memorandum M-
22-12, Advancing Effective Stewardship of Taxpayer Resources and
Outcomes in the Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and
Jobs Act (IIJA) in order to ensure robust and transparent reporting of
IIJA investments.
II. Method of Collection
The information will be collected electronically.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648-0718.
Form Number(s): None.
Type of Review: Regular submission. Revision and extension of a
currently approved information collection.
Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations; Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or
Tribal government.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 645.
Estimated Time per Response: MDP Performance Progress Report: 8
hours; MDP Performance Progress Report Table: 0.25 hours; MDP Companion
Tracker: 1 hour; MDP Additional Metrics Trackers: 3 hours; CRCP Semi-
Annual Reports: 10 hours; RC Progress Report: Initial--9.5 hours; Semi-
Annual--5.5 hours; and Final--9.75 hours; RC Administrative Progress
Reports: Initial--6 hours; Semi-Annual--2.75 hours; and Final--5.5
hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,800.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: 0.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
Legal Authority: The Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and
Reduction Act (33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.) as amended by the Marine Debris
Act Amendments of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-213, Title VI, Sec. 603, 126 Stat.
1576, December 20, 2012), Save Our Seas Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-265),
and Save Our Seas 2.0 Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116-224); Magnuson-Stevens
Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 1891a and
the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, 16 U.S.C. 661, as amended by
the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970; Coral Reef Conservation Act of
2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.).
IV. Request for Comments
We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed
collection,
[[Page 89385]]
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c)
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on
those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection
techniques or other forms of information technology.
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot
guarantee that we will be able to do so.
Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-28503 Filed 12-26-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-JS-P
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