Notice2026-04856
Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments for a New 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
March 12, 2026
Issuing agencies
Transportation DepartmentFederal Highway Administration
Abstract
The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new information collection, which is summarized below under Supplementary Information. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 91 Issue 48 (Thursday, March 12, 2026)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 91, Number 48 (Thursday, March 12, 2026)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12274-12276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2026-04856]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA-2026-0232]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments
for a New Information Collection
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to
request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new
information collection, which is summarized below under Supplementary
Information. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal
Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Please submit comments by May 11, 2026.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number
0232 by any of the following methods:
Website: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received go to the Federal
[[Page 12275]]
eRulemaking Portal: Go to <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>. Follow the online
instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of Transportation, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Melissa Toni, Office of Project
Development and Environmental Review, Federal Highway Administration,
(518) 431-8892, Leo W. O'Brien Federal Building, 11A Clinton Avenue,
Suite 719, Albany, NY 12207. Office hours are from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Round 2: Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Fiscal Year
(FY) 2023 Pollinator-Friendly Practices of Roadsides and Highway
Rights-of-Way Discretionary Grant Program.
Background: The purpose of this NOFO is to solicit applications for
the Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Roadsides and Highway Rights-of-
Way Program (also referred to as the Roadside Pollinator Program).
Grants under the program will result in the distribution of up to $1.8
million in FY 2023 funds that remain for the program. If additional
funding is appropriated to this program before awards are announced,
the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) may also fund applications
received in response to this NOFO with those additional appropriated
funds. The actual amount available to be awarded will be subject to the
availability of funds.
Section 11528 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
(Public Law (P.L.) 117-58, November 15, 2021), establishes the Roadside
Pollinator Program and is codified at 23 United States Code (U.S.C.)
332. Under Section 332 of Title 23, U.S.C., funds made available for
the Roadside Pollinator Program are to be awarded to all
``Satisfactory'' applications from State departments of transportation
(State DOTs), Indian Tribes, or Federal Land Management Agencies
(FLMAs) that seek to carry out activities that benefit pollinators on
roadsides and highway rights-of-way eligible for Federal-aid.
The program seeks to provide grants to State DOTs, Indian Tribes,
and FLMAs to carry out activities that will promote the creation and
protection of pollinator habitat through pollinator-friendly practices
on highway rights-of-way and roadsides eligible for Federal-aid.
Eligible entities that receive grants under this program can use
funds for the implementation, improvement, or further development of a
qualifying Pollinator-Friendly Practices Plan (23 U.S.C. 332(f)). An
applicant must provide a Pollinator-Friendly Practices Plan that
describes pollinator-friendly practices the applicant has implemented
or will implement to be eligible for funding (23 U.S.C. 332(d)(1)).
The total amount of funding available for awards under this NOFO
for FY 2023 is up to $1.8 million. The IIJA did not appropriate funding
for the program. For FY 2023, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023
(P.L. 117-328), appropriated $3 million in funds for the first time
under this program. This is the only funding appropriated for this
program; however, this NOFO may be used for additional funding if it
becomes available through the congressional appropriations process. The
amount of grant funding an eligible entity receives is based on the
number of pollinator-friendly practices the eligible entity has
implemented or plans to implement and cannot exceed $150,000 (23 U.S.C.
332(e)(2)(B)). The Federal share of the cost for activities to be
carried out with grant funding is 100 percent (23 U.S.C. 332(g)). FHWA
issued a NOFO for FY 2023 funding on April 8, 2024, but did not receive
enough eligible applications to award all available funding. This
second round NOFO intends to award remaining FY 2023 funding.
For purposes of awarding funds under this NOFO, FHWA has identified
three merit criteria, including benefits to pollinator species, a
measure of the number of pollinator friendly practices implemented or
planned for implementation (in alignment with statute awarding
requirements), and Reinvesting in the American Family policies.
Statutory language states each eligible entity that submits an
application deemed ``Satisfactory'' by the Secretary of Transportation
shall receive grant funding (23 U.S.C. 332(e)(1)).
FHWA will distribute funds as described in this NOFO in a manner
consistent with the evaluation and selection criteria, funding fund
both the implementation of pollinator-friendly practices and the
improvement and further development of Pollinator-Friendly Practices
Plans. A list of best management practices, and priority ranking,
provided by the Secretary as required by statutory language (23 U.S.C.
332(h)) will be published after award announcements.
Respondents: FHWA will award funding to State departments of
transportation, Indian Tribes, and Federal Land Management Agencies.
FHWA anticipates approximately 10 respondents will complete one
application each.
To apply for this funding opportunity, applicants must attach to
their application or provide a link to an existing plan that describes
the pollinator-friendly practices the eligible entity has implemented
or plans to implement. Please see 23 U.S.C. 332(d).
State DOT or FMLA applicants must provide evidence or otherwise
affirmatively state within the application that during the development
of their pollinator-friendly practices plan, the State DOT or FMLA
coordinated with applicable State agencies, including State agencies
with jurisdiction over agriculture and fish and wildlife (23 U.S.C.
332(d)(2)).
Furthermore, State DOT or FMLA applicants must provide evidence or
otherwise affirmatively state within the application that the State DOT
or FMLA consulted with affected or interested Indian Tribes on their
pollinator-friendly practices plan (23 U.S.C. 332(d)(3)). For the
purposes of this program, consultation can consist of varied
approaches, such as email, phone calls, letters, or in-person
conversations with affected or interested Indian Tribes regarding the
development of the applicant's pollinator-friendly practices plan.
Estimated Average Burden per Response: It is estimated that it will
take approximately 40 hours to complete the application template.
Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: It is expected that 10
respondents will complete one application for an estimated total of 400
burden hours.
Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of
this information collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed
collection is necessary for the FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of
the estimated burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA to enhance the quality,
usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that
the burden could be minimized, including the use of electronic
technology, without reducing the quality of the collected information.
The agency will summarize and/or include your comments in the request
for OMB's clearance of this information collection.
[[Page 12276]]
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued on: March 10, 2026.
Jazmyne Lewis,
Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2026-04856 Filed 3-11-26; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P
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</html>Indexed from Federal Register on March 12, 2026.
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