Notice2024-00106
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (TCGM) Program: Post-Award Reporting and Public Outreach Information Collections
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
January 8, 2024
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking (TCGM) (TCGM) Program: Post-Award Reporting and Public Outreach Information Collections (EPA ICR Number 2795.01, OMB Control Number 2035-NEW) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a request for approval of a new collection. This notice allows for 60 days for public comments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 5 (Monday, January 8, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 5 (Monday, January 8, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 916-917]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-00106]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OEJECR-2023-0531; FRL-11583-01-OEJECR]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information
Collection Request; Comment Request; Environmental Justice Thriving
Communities Grantmaking (TCGM) Program: Post-Award Reporting and Public
Outreach Information Collections
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to
submit an information collection request (ICR), Environmental Justice
Thriving Communities Grantmaking (TCGM) (TCGM) Program: Post-Award
Reporting and Public Outreach Information Collections (EPA ICR Number
2795.01, OMB Control Number 2035-NEW) to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on
specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described
below. This is a request for approval of a new collection. This notice
allows for 60 days for public comments.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before March 8, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OEJECR-2023-0531, to EPA online using <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> (our
preferred method), by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#89cde6eae2ecfdd6c6c4dac9ecf9e8a7eee6ff"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="51153e323a34250e1e1c02113421307f363e27">[email protected]</span></a>, or by mail to: EPA
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. EPA's policy is that all
comments received will be included in the public docket without change
including any personal information provided, unless the comment
includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be Confidential
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aarti Iyer, Office of the Chief
Financial Officer, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; email address: <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#bed7c7dbcc90dfdfcccad7fedbcedf90d9d1c8"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b5dcccd0c79bd4d4c7c1dcf5d0c5d49bd2dac3">[email protected]</span></a>;
phone: 202-564-0214.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a request for approval of a new
collection. An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.
This notice allows 60 days for public comments. Supporting
documents, which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be
collecting, are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket
can be viewed online at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> or in person at the EPA
Docket Center, WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW,
Washington, DC. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-
1744. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit
<a href="http://www.epa.gov/dockets">http://www.epa.gov/dockets</a>.
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting
comments and information to enable it to: (i) evaluate whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of
the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (iv) minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate forms of information technology. EPA
will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate.
The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and
approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to
submit additional comments to OMB.
Abstract: To meet the goals and objectives that demonstrate the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
[[Page 917]]
(EPA's) and the Administration's commitment to achieving environmental
justice and embedding environmental justice into Agency programs, EPA
released the Thriving Communities Grantmaking Program (TCGM) funding
opportunity. The Thriving Communities Grantmaking program is a
reimagining of the long-standing Environmental Justice (EJ) Small
Grants Program specifically designed to address the needs of
underserved communities and marginalized groups through the provision
of direct funding. Historically, the Agency has managed the EJ Small
Grants directly, moving forward EPA plans to award 11+ cooperative
agreement(s) to pass-through entities (referred to as Grantmakers) in
collaboration with EPA to design and build their own processes to
receive and evaluate competitive community project applications. This
competitive subawards program called EJ Thriving Communities Subgrants
will fund the initial development of community led environmental
justice projects. The pass-through model removes the requirement of
applying through the federal grants process and decreases the amount of
time it takes to award federal funds. With this Information Collection
Request (ICR), EPA seeks authorization to collect information to track
progress made by the 11+ Grantmakers and their partnerships. Collection
of this information enables EPA to assess and manage the TCGM Program,
which ensures responsible stewardship of public funds; rigorous
evidence-based learning and improvement; and transparent accountability
to the American public. This ICR also requests authorization for the
Grantmakers to collect input and insights from communities who seek to
obtain subawards via the Thriving Communities Subgrant program, as well
as stakeholders who have valuable experience and expertise in community
engagement and empowerment. These information collections will enable
the Grantmakers and their partners to document local priorities, needs,
and norms to ensure that they develop useful and relevant outreach
efforts and subgrant opportunities regionally and nationwide. Feedback
about the accessibility and effectiveness of the subgrant opportunities
will enable the Grantmakers to conduct self-assessments of their work
and identify best practices and areas for improvement. Furthermore,
each Grantmaker will offer specific application standards for a
competitive community application for subaward funding. Lastly, this
ICR requests authorization for the Grantmakers to collect information
from subrecipients, in order to track progress made in their funded
projects.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities: To be determined.
Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory for grant recipients
as per reporting requirements included in EPA regulations 2 CFR parts
200 and 1500, and voluntary for public outreach information collections
via surveys and focus groups.
Estimated number of respondents: To be determined. This data will
be available for the next public review period.
Frequency of response: To be determined. This data will be
available for the next public review period.
Total estimated burden: To be determined. This data will be
available for the next public review period.
Total estimated cost: To be determined. This data will be available
for the next public review period.
Changes in the Estimates: This is a new collection; therefore there
is no change in burden.
Jacob Burney,
Director, Grants Management Division, Office of Community Support,
Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. 2024-00106 Filed 1-5-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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