[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 10 (Thursday, January 15, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 2099-2100]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-00545]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OEI-2006-0037; FRL-9921-68-OEI]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Exchange Network Grants Progress Reports (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Exchange Network Grants 
Progress Reports (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR No. 2207.06, OMB Control No. 
2025-0006) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and 
approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.). Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on 
specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described 
below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently 
approved through April 30, 2015. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor 
and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information 
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before March 16, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OEI-
2006-0037 referencing the Docket ID numbers provided for each item in 
the text, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by 
email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, 
Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Kaufman, Information Exchange 
and Services Division, Office of Information Collection, (2823T), 
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-4499; fax number: 202-
566-1684; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the 
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
comments and information to enable it to: (i) Evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary

[[Page 2100]]

for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate the 
accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
collection of information, including the validity of the methodology 
and assumptions used; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (iv) minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated electronic, mechanical, or 
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. EPA 
will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate. 
The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and 
approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice 
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to 
submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: This notice announces the collection of information 
related to the U.S. EPA National Environmental Information Exchange 
Network (NEIEN) Grant Program. EPA proposes to collect information from 
the NEIEN grantees on assistance agreements EPA has awarded. 
Specifically, for each project, EPA proposes to have grantees submit 
semi-annual reports on the progress and current status of each goal and 
output, completion dates for outputs, and any problems encountered. 
This information will help EPA ensure projects are on schedule to meet 
their goals and produce high quality environmental outputs. The Quality 
Assurance Reporting Form provides a simple means for grant recipients 
to describe how quality will be addressed throughout their projects. 
Additionally, the Quality Assurance Reporting Form is derived from 
guidelines provided in the NEIEN 2011 Grant Solicitation Notice.
    Form numbers: EPA Form 5300-26 (Semi-Annual Progress Report Form) 
and EPA Form 5300-27 (Quality Assurance Reporting Form).
    Respondents/affected entities: State, tribal, and territorial 
environmental government offices.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory (40 CFR part 31).
    Estimated number of respondents: 200 (total).
    Frequency of response: Twice per year for the Semi-Annual Progress 
Report Form; one time per grant for the Quality Assurance Reporting 
Form.
    Total estimated burden: 340 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 
5 CFR 1320.03(b)
    Total estimated cost: $17,979 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in estimates: There is a decrease of 5 hours in the total 
estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by 
OMB. This decrease is due to a decrease in the number of grants that 
are awarded annually.

    Dated: January 8, 2015.
Charles Freeman,
Associate Director, Information Exchange and Services Division.
[FR Doc. 2015-00545 Filed 1-14-15; 8:45 am]
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