[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 169 (Wednesday, August 31, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54246-54247]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-22321]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-5486-N-21]


Notice of Submission of Proposed Information Collection for 
Public Comment; Notice of Public Interest for the FY12 Transformation 
Initiative: Sustainable Communities Research Grant (SCRGP) Program

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant Secretary of Policy Development and 
Research, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The proposed information collection requirement described 
below has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act. The Department 
is soliciting public comments on the subject proposal.

DATES: Comments Due Date: October 31, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal. Comments must be received within sixty (60) days from 
the date of this Notice. Comments should refer to the proposal by name/
or OMB Control Number and should be sent to: Reports Liaison Officer, 
Office of Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and 
Urban Development, 451 7th Street, SW., Room 8228, Washington, DC 
20410-6000.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Regina Gray, Division of Affordable 
Housing Research and Technology, Office of Policy Development and 
Research, Room 8132, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, 
451 7th Street, SW., Washington, DC 20410; via telephone at (202) 402-
2876 (this is not a toll free number); via e-mail at 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Department of Housing and Urban 
Development will submit the proposed extension of information 
collection to OMB for review, as required by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended).
    This Notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected agencies concerning the proposed collection of information to: 
(1) 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; (2) 
evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information; (3) enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; and (4) minimize the 
burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, 
including through the use of appropriate automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology; e.g., permitting 
electronic submission of responses.
    This Notice also lists the following information:
    Title of Proposal: FY12 Transformation Initiative: Sustainable 
Communities Research Grant (SCRGP) Program.
    The FY12 Sustainable Communities Research Grant Program (SCRGP) 
will support efforts by the research community to build on the existing 
evidence-based studies in the broad area of sustainability, and to 
evaluate new and existing tools and strategies that promote and 
implement more effective policies that: (a) Preserve housing 
affordability; (b) improve accessibility through effective transit 
systems; (c) reduce the regulatory barriers to sustainable development 
and strengthen land use planning and urban design standards; (d) 
advance economic opportunities that create jobs and promote diverse 
communities; and, (e) address the health of the environment by reducing 
carbon emissions and conserving energy.
    This program is approved by HUD's authority and administered under 
the Transformation Initiative (TI) account. The maximum grant 
performance period is for 24 months (2 years). Awards under this NOPI 
will be made in the form of a Cooperative Agreements. A Cooperative 
Agreement means the Government will have substantial involvement during 
performance of the contemplated research project. The actual Notice of 
Public Interest (NOPI) will contain the selection criteria for awarding 
grants and specific requirements that will apply to selected grantees.
    OMB Control Number: 2528-XXXX.
    Description of the Need for the Information and Proposed Use: This 
information is being collected to select applicants for award in this 
statutorily created competitive grant programs. This information will 
be used to monitor performance of grantees to ensure that they meet 
statutory and program goals and requirements.
    Agency Form Numbers: SF-424, SF-424 Supplemental, HUD-424-CB, SF-
LLL, HUD-2880, HUD-2993, HUD-96010 and HUD-96011.
    http://portal.hud.gov/portal/page/portal/HUD/program_offices/administration/hudclips/forms.
    Members of Affected Public: Institutions of higher education, 
accredited by a national or regional accrediting agency recognized by 
the U.S. Department of Education are the official applicants. 
Estimation of the total numbers of hours needed to prepare the 
information collection, including the number of respondents, frequency 
of responses, and hours of responses.
    Information pursuant to grant award will be submitted once a year. 
The following chart details the respondent burden on an annual and 
semi-annual basis:

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                                                            Number of     Total annual      Hours per     Total
                                                           respondents      responses       response      hours
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Applicants.............................................              20              10             3.5      700
Quarterly Reports......................................               5               4               6      120
Final Reports..........................................               5               1               8       40
Recordkeeping..........................................               5               1               4       20
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    Totals.............................................              20              20             N/A      880
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[[Page 54247]]

    The estimated number of respondents is 20; the frequency of 
response is 10 per year; 3.5 hours per response.
    Total Estimated Burden Hours: 880.
    Status of the Proposed Information Collection: Pending OMB 
Approval.

    Authority: Section 3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 
44 U.S.C. Chapter 35, as amended. U.S. Code Title 12 1701z; Research 
and Demonstrations.

    Dated: August 25, 2011.
Kevin Neary,
Deputy Assistant, Secretary for the Office of Research, Evaluation and 
Monitoring.
[FR Doc. 2011-22321 Filed 8-30-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P