[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 140 (Thursday, July 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43697-43698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-18453]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement

[Docket ID No. BOEM-2011-0001]


BOEMRE Information Collection Activity: Coastal Impact Assistance 
Program (CIAP), Renewal of a Collection; Submitted for Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Review; Comment Request

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement 
(BOEMRE), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of extension of an information collection.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we 
are notifying the public that we have submitted to OMB an information 
collection request (ICR) to renew approval of the paperwork 
requirements that address the BOEMRE's Coastal Impact Assistance 
Program (CIAP), which is a grant program. This notice also provides the 
public a second opportunity to comment on the paperwork burden of these 
requirements.

DATES: Submit written comments by August 22, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments by either fax (202) 395-5806 or e-mail 
([email protected]) directly to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs, OMB, Attention: Desk Officer for the Department of 
the Interior (1010-0170). Please also submit a copy of your comments to 
BOEMRE by any of the means below.
     Electronically: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. In the 
entry titled, ``Enter Keyword or ID,'' enter BOEM-2011-0001 then click 
search. Follow the instructions to submit public comments and view 
supporting and related materials available for this collection. BOEMRE 
will post all comments.
     E-mail: [email protected]. Mail or hand-carry 
comments to: Department of the Interior; Bureau of Ocean Energy 
Management, Regulation and Enforcement; Attention: Cheryl Blundon; 381 
Elden Street, MS-4024; Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817. Please reference 
ICR 1010-0170 in your comment and include your name and return address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cheryl Blundon, Regulations and 
Standards Branch, (703) 787-1607. To see a copy of the entire ICR 
submitted to OMB, go to http://www.reginfo.gov (select Information 
Collection Review, Currently Under Review).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Title: Coastal Impact Assistance Program.
    OMB Control Number: 1010-0170.
    Abstract: With the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 
(EPAct), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and 
Enforcement (BOEMRE) was given responsibility for the Coastal Impact 
Assistance Program (CIAP) through the amendment of Section 31 of the 
Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C. 1356a Appendix A). The 
following requirements from this amendment necessitate the collection 
of information.

    ``(d) AUTHORIZED USES.--
    (1) IN GENERAL.--A producing State or coastal political 
subdivision shall use all amounts received under this section, 
including any amount deposited in a trust fund that is administered 
by the State or coastal political subdivision and dedicated to uses 
consistent with this section, in accordance with all applicable 
Federal and State law, only for 1 or more of the following purposes:
    (A) Projects and activities for the conservation, protection, or 
restoration of coastal areas, including wetland.
    (B) Mitigation of damage to fish, wildlife, or natural 
resources.
    (C) Planning assistance and the administrative costs of 
complying with this section.
    (D) Implementation of a federally-approved marine, coastal, or 
comprehensive conservation management plan.
    (E) Mitigation of the impact of outer Continental Shelf 
activities through funding of onshore infrastructure projects and 
public service needs.
    (2) COMPLIANCE WITH AUTHORIZED USES.--If the Secretary 
determines that any expenditure made by a producing State or coastal 
political subdivision is not consistent with this subsection, the 
Secretary shall not disburse any additional amount under this 
section to the producing State or the coastal political subdivision 
until such time as all amounts obligated for unauthorized uses have 
been repaid or reobligated for authorized uses.
    (3) LIMITATION.--Not more than 23 percent of amounts received by 
a producing State or coastal political subdivision for any 1 fiscal 
year shall be used for the purposes described * * *''

    Information needs to be submitted by the government jurisdictions 
to meet all the requirements of the CIAP State Plan Guidelines as well 
as requirements on the procurement contracts. Responses are mostly 
required to obtain or retain a benefit. No questions of a ``sensitive'' 
nature are asked. BOEMRE protects information considered proprietary 
according to the Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its 
implementing regulations (43 CFR 2).
    According to the EPAct, in order to receive funds, the states must 
submit CIAP State Plans that contain required components including an 
implementation plan of the state's program and identification of the 
proposed use of CIAP funds. The identification will be provided in the 
Plan as brief descriptions of the proposed projects. Upon approval of a 
Plan, recipients will be able to submit grant applications for a 
project. Applicants submit proposals for funding in response to a 
Notice of Funding Availability that we publish on Grants.gov and on our 
program web pages. Proposals are submitted through Grants.gov. An 
application consists of OMB required forms for grants; a detailed 
project description or narrative to demonstrate that the project has 
maintained the integrity of the brief description in the Plan and still 
meets EPAct criteria; and documentation such as Federal, State, or 
local government required permits with which the recipient is stating 
it has met Federal, State, or local laws.
    Once an application for a project is approved, BOEMRE is required 
to monitor the projects to determine that the CIAP funds are being used 
for appropriate expenses. The monitoring will be achieved through the 
grant regulations that require, at a minimum, a recipient to provide an 
annual progress and financial status reports. Recipients are evaluated 
by contracting officers via Grants.gov application efforts. The 
recipients that are determined by the evaluations to likely have 
difficulties in implementing and managing the CIAP funded projects will 
be required to submit semi-annual reports. Once the recipient has 
demonstrated the ability to implement and manage their projects, the 
requirement can be returned to annual reports.
    BOEMRE needs the information required so that technical experts can 
determine how well it addresses the requirements identified in the 
authorizing EPAct legislation and monitor the projects to meet specific 
requirements.

[[Page 43698]]

    Frequency: Submissions are annually, bi-annually, or specific to 
the requirement which is usually on occasion.
    Description of Respondents: Approximately 73 total respondents. 
This includes 6 states and 67 boroughs, parishes, etc.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: The estimated 
annual hour burden for this information collection is a total of 13,587 
hours. The following table details the individual components and 
estimated hour burdens. In calculating the burdens, we assumed that 
respondents perform certain requirements in the normal course of their 
activities. We consider these to be usual and customary and took that 
into account in estimating the burden.

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   CIAP reporting and/or recordkeeping                                                             Annual burden
               requirement                   Hour burden     Average number of annual reponses         hours
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Submit Project Narrative.................              42  192 projects.........................           8,064
Submit annual Performance Reports........               8  192 reports..........................           1,536
Submit bi-annual Performance Reports.....               8  192 reports..........................           1,536
Notify BOEMRE in case of delays, adverse                8  45 notifications.....................             360
 conditions, etc., which impair ability
 to meet objectives of the award
 including statement of action taken or
 contemplated or assistance required
 (including non-construction and
 construction grants).
Request termination and supporting                      6  15 requests..........................              90
 information.
Retain all records/documentation for 3                 .5  192 projects.........................              96
 years.
                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Retain records longer than 3 years if                           Exempt under
 they relate to claim, audit, litigation,
 etc.
                                                          5 CFR 1320.4(a)(2), (c)                              0
                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Telephone follow-up discussion on                       8  76 discussions.......................             608
 Financial Capabilities.
                                          ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Develop language and individual signage                 8  30 signs.............................             240
 at CIAP Sites--Estimated 30 construction
 projects with temp signs initially--
 permanent signs 2-4years.
Submission of photographs/CDs of projects               4  250 projects.........................           1,000
 for tracking purposes.
Voluntarily submit draft Coastal Impact                 1  4 plans..............................               4
 Assistance Plan with appropriate
 supporting documentation.
Submit final Coastal Impact Assistance                  1  4 plans..............................               4
 Plan and all supporting documentation
 (i.e., Governor's certification of
 public participation; Appendices C, D,
 and E).
Request delay by states for submitting                  1  1 request............................               1
 final plan, with relevant data.
Request minor changes and/or amendments                 8  6 requests...........................              48
 to a plan.
    Total Burden.........................  ..............  1,199 Responses......................          13,587
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    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Non-Hour Cost Burden: We have 
identified no paperwork non-hour cost burdens associated with the 
collection of information.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. 
Until OMB approves a collection of information, you are not obligated 
to respond.
    Comments: Section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et 
seq.) requires each agency ``* * * to provide notice * * * and 
otherwise consult with members of the public and affected agencies 
concerning each proposed collection of information * * *'' Agencies 
must specifically solicit comments to: (a) Evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the agency to 
perform its duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) 
evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (c) enhance the quality, 
usefulness, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) 
minimize the burden on the respondents, including the use of automated 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
    To comply with the public consultation process, on January 28, 
2011, we published a Federal Register notice (76 FR 5192) announcing 
that we would submit this ICR to OMB for approval. The notice provided 
the required 60-day comment period. We have received no comments in 
response to this effort.
    If you wish to comment in response to this notice, you may send 
your comments to the offices listed under the ADDRESSES section of this 
notice. The OMB has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the 
information collection but may respond after 30 days. Therefore, to 
ensure maximum consideration, OMB should receive public comments by 
August 22, 2011.
    Public Availability of Comments: Before including your address, 
phone number, e-mail 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 can 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.
    BOEMRE Information Collection Clearance Officer: Arlene Bajusz 
(703) 787-1025.

    Dated: June 1, 2011.
Doug Slitor,
Acting Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs.
[FR Doc. 2011-18453 Filed 7-20-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P