Notice2024-02671
Agency Information Collection Activities: Approval of Information Collection
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
February 9, 2024
Issuing agencies
Transportation Department
Abstract
Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice announces that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is forwarding the Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes the information collection and its expected burden. On September 6, 2023, DOT published a notice providing a 60-day period for public comment on the ICR. DOT received no comments on this notice. This collection is necessary for administration of the Reconnecting Communities (RCP) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Discretionary Grant Programs and funding opportunities. Together, these programs are known as "Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN)" in the combined NOFO. RCN provides federal financial assistance for surface transportation infrastructure projects. Through RCP, this includes removing, retrofitting, or mitigating transportation facilities such as highways and rail lines that create barriers to community connectivity including to mobility, access, or economic development. Through NAE, this includes the RCP eligibilities and expands eligibility to activities that reduce the burdens to communities of existing transportation infrastructure, including air quality impacts and greenhouse gas emissions, urban heat islands, gaps in tree canopy coverage, and other natural environment concerns.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 28 (Friday, February 9, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 28 (Friday, February 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9286-9288]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02671]
[[Page 9286]]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Office of the Secretary
[Docket No. DOT-OST-2024-0016]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Approval of Information
Collection
AGENCY: Office of the Secretary (OST), DOT.
ACTION: 30-Day notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), this notice
announces that the Department of Transportation (DOT) is forwarding the
Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and comment. The ICR describes
the information collection and its expected burden. On September 6,
2023, DOT published a notice providing a 60-day period for public
comment on the ICR. DOT received no comments on this notice. This
collection is necessary for administration of the Reconnecting
Communities (RCP) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE)
Discretionary Grant Programs and funding opportunities. Together, these
programs are known as ``Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods
(RCN)'' in the combined NOFO. RCN provides federal financial assistance
for surface transportation infrastructure projects. Through RCP, this
includes removing, retrofitting, or mitigating transportation
facilities such as highways and rail lines that create barriers to
community connectivity including to mobility, access, or economic
development. Through NAE, this includes the RCP eligibilities and
expands eligibility to activities that reduce the burdens to
communities of existing transportation infrastructure, including air
quality impacts and greenhouse gas emissions, urban heat islands, gaps
in tree canopy coverage, and other natural environment concerns.
DATES: Written comments should be submitted by March 11, 2024.
ADDRESSES: To ensure that you do not duplicate your docket submissions,
please submit them by only one of the following means:
<bullet> Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="https://www.regulations.gov">https://www.regulations.gov</a> and follow the online instructions for submitting
comments.
<bullet> Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, West Building Ground Floor,
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
<bullet> Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W-12-140
1200, New Jersey Ave. SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.
Instructions: To ensure proper docketing of your comment, please
include the agency name and docket number [DOT-OST-2024-0016] at the
beginning of your comments. All comments received will be posted
without change to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>, including any personal
information provided.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding this
notice, please contact the Office of the Secretary via email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#dd8fb8beb2b3b3b8bea9b4b3ba9eb2b0b0a8b3b4a9b4b8ae9db9b2a9f3bab2ab"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="7f2d1a1c1011111a1c0b1611183c1012120a11160b161a0c3f1b100b51181009">[email protected]</span></a> or contact Andrew Emanuele at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#4c2d22283e293b6229212d22392920290c282338622b233a"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="b1d0dfd5c3d4c69fd4dcd0dfc4d4ddd4f1d5dec59fd6dec7">[email protected]</span></a>. A TDD is available for individuals who are
deaf or hard of hearing at 202-366-3993.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: New Collection. OMB number will be issued
after the collection is approved.
Title: Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program and Neighborhood
Access and Equity Program (Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods
[RCN] Program) Discretionary Grants.
Form Numbers: None.
Type of Review: New Information Collection Request (ICR).
Background: The Office of the Secretary (OST) within the Department
of Transportation (DOT) provides financial assistance for surface
transportation infrastructure projects, including removing,
retrofitting, or mitigating transportation facilities such as highways
and rail lines that create barriers to community connectivity including
to mobility, access, or economic development. The Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58, November 15, 2021) (Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law, or BIL) provided funds to DOT to invest in planning
and capital construction grants to reduce transportation barriers: the
Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, found under section 11509 of
division A. The Inflation Reduction Act (Pub. L. 117-169, August 16,
2022) (IRA) provided funds to DOT for the NAE to invest in planning and
construction grants to improve walkability and safety and provide
affordable access: the Neighborhood Access and Equity grant program,
found at 23 U.S.C. 177. To help streamline the process for applicants,
DOT has combined the applications for the RCP and NAE programs into the
RCN common application.
DOT combined these two programs into one single Notice of Funding
Opportunity (NOFO) to provide a more efficient application process for
project sponsors. While they remain separate programs for the purposes
of award, the programs share many common characteristics. Because of
these shared characteristics, it is possible for many projects to be
eligible and considered for multiple programs using a single
application.
This notice seeks comments on the proposed information collection,
which will collect information necessary to support the ongoing
oversight and administration of previous awards, a Letter of Intent
screening tool, the evaluation and selection of new applications, the
funding agreement negotiation stage for new awards, and the evaluation
of the programs. The reporting requirements for the program is as
follows:
Prior to applying, a project sponsor may fill out a ``Letter of
Intent'' screening tool to help determine eligibility for one or both
programs within the RCN NOFO or help direct them to a more appropriate
grant program.
To be considered to receive an RCN grant, a project sponsor must
submit an application to DOT containing standard forms, a key
information table, a project narrative, and budget description, as
detailed in the NOFO. These materials should include the information
necessary for DOT to determine that the project satisfies eligibility
requirements as warranted by law.
Following the announcement of a funding award, the recipient and
DOT will negotiate and sign a funding agreement with awardees. In the
agreement, the recipient must describe the project that DOT agreed to
fund, which is the project that was described in the RCN application or
a reduced-scope version of that project. The agreement also includes
project schedule milestones, a budget, and project-related climate
change, equity, and workforce planning and policies.
To fulfill evaluation requirements, DOT will conduct interviews
with stakeholders associated with each awarded capital construction
grant. These interviews will be used to inform case studies that will
be developed for each funded capital construction project.
During the project monitoring stage, grantees will submit reports
on the financial condition of the project and the project's progress.
Grantees will submit progress and monitoring reports to DOT on a
quarterly basis until completion of the project. The progress reports
will include an SF-425, Federal Financial Report, and other information
[[Page 9287]]
determined by the administering DOT Operating Administration. This
information will be used to monitor grantees' use of Federal funds,
ensuring accountability and financial transparency in the RCN programs.
For Post Construction Reporting, the DOT will evaluate the program
for recipients of capital construction grants and include the outcomes
and impacts of the completed projects. The reporting will document any
changes in the overall level of mobility, congestion, access, and
safety in the project areas, and environmental impacts and economic
development opportunities in project areas. Performance reporting
continues for five years after project construction is completed,
during which DOT will not provide grant funding specifically for
performance reporting.
DOT received 682 applications in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023. For the
purposes of estimating the information collection burden below for new
applicants and awardees, DOT expects to receive 600 applications in FY
2024 and 435 applications in FY 2025, with the expected depletion of
NAE funds. DOT is negotiating 45 funding agreements in FY 2023 and
estimates that for FY 2024 and FY 2025, it will negotiate 100 funding
agreements per year. Quarterly project monitoring will occur for the 45
RCP projects awarded in FY 2022 and in the following year, for both FY
2022 and 2023 awards. DOT will conduct interviews with 30 stakeholders
(five for each of the six capital construction grants awarded in the FY
2022 round) in FY 2024 and 175 stakeholders (five for each of the
estimated 35 capital construction grants awarded in the FY 2023 round)
in FY 2025. DOT estimates that 600 respondents will use the Letter of
Intent tool in FY 2024 and 250 respondents will use it in FY 2025. For
a detailed breakdown of burden hours, please see Table 1.
Table 1
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Year 1 (2023) Year 2 (2024) Year 3 (2025)
Respondent --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Total hrs.
# Hrs. Freq. # Hrs. Freq. # Hrs. Freq.
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Letter of Intent..................... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ..............
Applicants........................... 682 100 1 ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... 68,200
Awardee Funding Agreements........... 45 6 1 ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... 270
Quarterly Monitoring................. ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ..............
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Letter of Intent..................... ......... ......... ......... 600 0.5 1 ......... ......... ......... 300
Applicants........................... ......... ......... ......... 600 100 1 ......... ......... ......... 60,000
Awardee Funding Agreements........... ......... ......... ......... 100 6 1 ......... ......... ......... 600
Interviews........................... ......... ......... ......... 30 2 1 ......... ......... ......... 60
Quarterly Monitoring (FY 2022)....... ......... ......... ......... 45 5 4 ......... ......... ......... 900
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Letter of Intent..................... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... 250 0.5 1 125
Applicants........................... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... 435 100 1 43,500
Awardee Funding Agreements........... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... 100 6 1 600
Interviews........................... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... 175 2 1 350
Quarterly Monitoring (FY 2022 and ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... 145 5 4 2900
2023)...............................
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Grand Total...................... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... ......... 177,805
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DOT's estimated burden for this information collection is the
following:
For Letter of Intent Screening Tool
Expected Number of Respondents: Approximately 600 in Year 2. DOT
expects 250 in Year 3 with depletion of NAE funding, reducing those
using the tool.
Frequency: Once.
Estimated Average Burden Per Response: 0.5 hours per respondent.
For Applications
Expected Number of Respondents: DOT received 682 applications in
Year 1 and expects to receive 600 applications in Year 2 and 435 in
Year 3 with the expected depletion of NAE funds.
Frequency: Once.
Estimated Average Burden per Response: 100 hours for each
application.
For Funding Agreements
Expected Number of Respondents: DOT awarded 45 grants in Year 1 and
expects to award approximately 100 in Years 2 and 3.
Frequency: Once.
Estimated Average Burden per Response: 6 hours for each funding
agreement.
For Program Evaluation
Expected Number of Respondents: Estimated 30 in Year 2 (five
interviews per capital construction grant awarded) and 175 in Year 3
(five interviews per an estimated 35 capital construction grants
awarded.
Frequency: Once.
Estimated Average Burden per Response: 2 hours for each interview.
For Quarterly Monitoring
Expected Number of Respondents: Approximately 45 in Year 2 and 145
in Year 3.
Frequency: Quarterly.
Estimated Average Burden per Response: 5 hours for each Quarterly
Monitoring Report.
For Post-Construction Project Monitoring
Because RCN expect no projects to complete construction by 2025,
post-construction monitoring hours and cost are not computed in this
document.
Estimated Total 3-Year Burden on Respondents: 177,805 Hours
<bullet> Letter of Intent [425 hours]
<bullet> Applicants [171,700 hours]
<bullet> Awardee Funding Agreements [1,470 hours]
<bullet> Interviews [410 hours]
<bullet> Prior Awardee Quarterly Project Monitoring [3,800 hours]
The following is detailed information and instructions regarding
the specific reporting requirements for each report identified above:
Letter of Intent Screening Stage
To help applicants determine their eligibility for the RCN combined
grant opportunity, DOT will develop and use the ``Letter of Intent''
tool to help applicants determine eligibility, direct them to a more
appropriate grant
[[Page 9288]]
program if applicable, and identify application materials they may be
missing. The tool will save potential applicants hundreds of hours of
application development time if the project has a ``fatal flaw'' that
would render it ineligible. The tool will consist of 10-20 questions
and takes 0.5 hour to complete.
Application Stage
To be considered for an RCN grant award, a project sponsor must
apply to DOT, providing standard forms, a key information table, a
project narrative, and budget description, as detailed in the NOFO.
These materials should include the information necessary for DOT to
determine that the project satisfies eligibility requirements.
Applications must be submitted through <a href="http://www.valideval.com">www.valideval.com</a>.
Instructions for submitting planning or capital construction grant
applications can be found at <a href="https://usg.valideval.com/teams/rcn_planning/signup">https://usg.valideval.com/teams/rcn_planning/signup</a> or <a href="https://usg.valideval.com/teams/rcn_capitalconstruction/signup">https://usg.valideval.com/teams/rcn_capitalconstruction/signup</a>, respectively. The application must
include the Standard Form 424 (Application for Federal Assistance),
Standard Form 424a (Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs)
or 424c (Budget Information for Construction Programs), Standard Form
424b (Assurances--Non-Construction Programs) or 424d (Assurances--
Construction Programs), a Key Information Table, narrative, and budget.
The application should include a table of contents, maps, and
graphics, as appropriate, to make the information easier to review. DOT
recommends that the application be prepared with standard formatting
preferences (i.e., a single-spaced document, using a standard 12-point
font such as Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins). The only
substantive portions that may exceed the page limit are documents
supporting assertions or conclusions made in the project narrative. If
possible, website links to supporting documentation should be provided
rather than copies of these supporting materials. If supporting
documents are submitted, applicants should clearly identify within the
project narrative the relevant portion of the project narrative that
each supporting document refers to. At the applicant's discretion,
relevant materials provided previously to a modal administration in
support of a different DOT financial assistance program may be
referenced and described as unchanged.
DOT estimates that it takes approximately 100 person-hours to
compile an application package for an RCN application.
Funding Agreement Stage
DOT enters into a funding agreement with each grant recipient. In
the agreement, the recipient describes the project that DOT agreed to
fund, which is typically the project that was described in the RCN
application or a reduced-scope version of that project. The agreement
also includes a project schedule, budget, and project related climate
change and equity planning and policies.
DOT estimates that it takes approximately 6 person-hours to provide
the information necessary for funding agreements.
Program Evaluation Stage (Interviews)
To fulfill evaluation requirements, DOT will conduct interviews
with stakeholders associated with each awarded capital construction
grant. These interviews will be used to inform case studies that will
be developed for each funded capital construction project.
Project Monitoring Stage
DOT requires each grant recipient to submit quarterly reports
during the project period to ensure the proper and timely expenditure
of federal funds under the grant.
The requirements comply with 2 CFR part 200 and are restated in the
funding agreement. During the project monitoring stage, the grantee
will complete quarterly progress reports to allow DOT to monitor the
project budget and schedule.
DOT estimates that it takes approximately 5 person-hours to develop
and submit a quarterly progress report.
Post Construction Monitoring Stage
For Post Construction Reporting, DOT will evaluate the program for
recipients of capital construction grants and include the outcomes and
impacts of the completed projects, The reporting will document any
changes in the overall level of mobility, congestion, access, and
safety in the project areas, and environmental impacts and economic
development opportunities in project areas. Because RCN expect no
projects to complete construction by 2025, post-construction monitoring
hours and cost are not computed in this document.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1:48.
Issued in Washington, DC, on February 5, 2024.
John Augustine,
Director of the Office of Infrastructure Finance and Innovation, Office
of the Under Secretary for Transportation Policy.
[FR Doc. 2024-02671 Filed 2-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P
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