Notice2024-09206
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Coral Reef Conservation Program
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
April 30, 2024
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 the Coral Reef Conservation Program. 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 89 Issue 84 (Tuesday, April 30, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 84 (Tuesday, April 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34211-34212]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09206]
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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; Coral Reef Conservation Program
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 the Coral Reef Conservation Program. 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 July 1, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#d09e9f9191fe80829190bebfb1b1feb7bfa6"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="d997969898f7898b9899b7b6b8b8f7beb6af">[email protected]</span></a>. Please
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0448 in the subject line of your
comments. Written comments NOAA receives are considered part of the
public record, and the entirety of the comment, including the name of
the commenter, email address, attachments, and other supporting
materials, will be publicly accessible. Sensitive personally
identifiable information, such as account numbers and Social Security
numbers or Confidential Business Information, should not be included
with the comment.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed
to Craig Reid, Grant Coordinator, Coral Reef Conservation Program, NOAA
National Ocean Service, 1305 East West Highway, 10th Floor, Silver
Spring, MD 20910, 202-240-5332, and <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f4b786959d93dab5daa6919d90b49a9b9595da939b82"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="abe8d9cac2cc85ea85f9cec2cfebc5c4caca85ccc4dd">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Abstract
This request is 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. The
Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq., has been
amended since the last approval and the revised requirements for
information collection are outlined below.
The Coral Reef Conservation Act was enacted to conserve and restore
the condition of United States coral reef ecosystems challenged by
natural and human-accelerated changes; 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, continuing and
emerging threats to such ecosystems, and the efficacy of innovative
tools, technologies, and strategies to mitigate stressors and restore
such ecosystems; to assist in the preservation of coral reefs by
supporting science-based, consensus-driven, and community-based coral
reef management by covered States (Florida, Hawaii, and the territories
of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands,
Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands) and covered
Native entities (an Indian Tribe, the Department of Hawaiian Home
Lands, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, or a Native Hawaiian
organization with interests in a coral reef ecosystem); to provide
financial resources, technical assistance, and scientific expertise to
supplement, complement, and strengthen community-based management
programs and conservation and restoration projects of non-Federal
reefs; to establish a formal mechanism for collecting and allocating
monetary donations from the private sector to be used for coral reef
conservation and restoration projects; to support rapid, effective, and
science-based assessment and response to exigent circumstances that
pose immediate and long-term threats to coral reefs; and to serve as a
model for advancing similar international efforts to monitor, conserve,
and restore coral reef ecosystems.
Under section 6406 of the Act (Block Grants), covered States are
responsible for documenting and reporting the State's use of Federal
funds received under the Act; and expenditures of non-Federal funds
made in furtherance of coral reef management and restoration as the
NOAA Administrator (Administrator) deems appropriate. The Administrator
is responsible for providing guidance on the proper documentation of
expenditures.
Under section 6410 of the Act (Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef
Conservation Grant Program), the NOAA Administrator, and subject to the
availability of appropriations, is authorized to provide up to
$3,500,000 annually (per section 6414(c)) in grants for coral reef
conservation projects.
Collection activities for this program are outlined below and
include: 1. Collection and submission of covered States' non-Federal
expenditures under the block grants section; 2. Applicant development
and submission of a proposal package to a Notice of Funding Opportunity
under the Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program; and 3.
If selected and awarded funding, submission of performance progress
reports, to include a standard program-specific performance progress
report template with a new indicator tracking report for all financial
assistance recipients.
NOAA anticipates the first block grants will be awarded in fiscal
year 2025 and NOAA is currently drafting guidance for the covered
States for the annual collection of their non-Federal expenditures.
NOAA expects to supply a simple form to each covered State for an
aggregated, high-level report of each covered State's Non-Federal
expenditures from the previous fiscal year. NOAA expects the same
performance (technical) reports required by 2 CFR 200.329 for all
recipients of non-construction Federal financial assistance awards
described in detail below will be sufficient to document and report the
State's use of Federal funds.
[[Page 34212]]
As per section 6410(b) of the Act, NOAA will require that each
proposal package submitted to a Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation
Program Notice of Funding Opportunity at minimum include: 1. The name
of the individual or entity responsible for conducting the project; 2.
A description of the qualifications of the individual or entity; 3. A
succinct statement of the purposes of the project; 4. An estimate of
the funds and time required to complete the project; 5. Evidence of
support for the project by appropriate representatives of States or
other government jurisdictions in which the project will be conducted;
6. Information regarding the source and amount of matching funding
available to the applicant; 7. A description of how the project meets
one or more of the priorities listed in the announcement; and 8. In the
case of a proposal submitted by a coral reef stewardship partnership, a
description of how the project aligns with the applicable coral reef
action plan in effect under section 6404 of this title. Additionally,
Federal funds for any coral conservation financial assistance project
may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost. However, the Administrator
may waive all or part of the matching requirement if the Administrator
determines that no reasonable means are available through which an
applicant can meet the matching requirement with respect to a coral
reef project and the probable benefit of the project outweighs the
public interest in the matching requirement. The applicant may choose
to also submit a request for this non-Federal matching requirement, if
full or in part, at their discretion.
Per 2 CFR 200.329, all recipients of non-construction Federal
financial assistance awards are required to provide performance
(technical) reports to the agency at intervals no less frequently than
annually and no more frequently than quarterly in order for the agency
to properly monitor the award and meet oversight responsibilities. The
awarding agency must use OMB-approved common forms for this purpose or
seek permission for program-specific forms that will collect the
required data elements. The Coral Reef Conservation Program obtained
OMB approval to revise this information collection to require use of a
program-specific form for semi-annual reporting and an annual form for
tracking specific indicators but has not been implemented. These
indicators align with the new Coral Reef Conservation Program Strategic
Plan (2018; <a href="https://www.coris.noaa.gov/activities/strategic_plan2018">https://www.coris.noaa.gov/activities/strategic_plan2018</a>)
and were to be used to track national progress toward these strategic
goals through 2040, however section 6403 of the Act now requires the
creation of National Coral Resilience Strategy by December, 2024, and
the form may need to be revised to track any changes in indicators. The
program-specific form for semi-annual reporting will be a revised
version of what is currently approved and will standardize reporting
across projects.
II. Method of Collection
Information will be collected electronically via the Department of
Commerce's grant management system, eRA Commons, for performance
(technical) reports, <a href="http://Grants.gov">Grants.gov</a> for non-Federal match waiver requests,
and email for covered States' submissions of expenditures of non-
Federal funds. In the event that electronic submission is not available
for non-Federal match waiver requests, paper submissions may be
allowable pursuant to the Notice of Funding Opportunity.
III. Data
OMB Control Number: 0648-0448.
Form Number(s): SF-424 series.
Type of Review: Regular (Revision and extension of current
information collection).
Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations;
nonprofit, nongovernmental, and not-for-profit institutions; State or
local government; and regional fishery management councils established
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16
U.S.C. 1801 et seq.).
Estimated Number of Respondents: 42.
Estimated Time per Response: Block grant report of non-Federal
expenditures of covered States: to be determined; Ruth D. Gates Grant
Program proposal package development and submission: 46.5 hours;
performance progress report and indicator report submission: 6 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 937 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: No cost for electronic
responses.
Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
Legal Authority: 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, 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 information collection request. 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. 2024-09206 Filed 4-29-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE P
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