[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 80 (Monday, April 27, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23256-23257]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-09767]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket Number: 150406348-5348-01]


Notice of Public Workshop and Request for Public Comments on the 
Draft Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and 
Infrastructure Systems

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, U.S. Department 
of Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of public workshop; request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: On Monday, April 27, 2015, the National Institute of Standards 
and Technology (NIST) will release the Draft Community Resilience 
Planning Guide (CRPG) for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems, 
consisting of two volumes totaling approximately 350 pages, and 
requests public comments on the draft document. On the same day, NIST 
will hold a public workshop at Texas Southern University in Houston, TX 
to present and discuss the Draft CRPG. The agenda will consist of an 
overview of the NIST Community Resilience Program and an introduction 
to volumes one (1) and two (2) of the Draft CRPG. A panel of regional 
and local government representatives will provide insight into their 
experience with community resilience and how they plan to implement the 
CRPG in their community. This will be followed by a moderated 
discussion with participants regarding the opportunities and challenges 
of implementing the methodology. The Draft CRPG and a suggested comment 
template will be posted on the NIST Web site at: http://www.nist.gov/el/building_materials/resilience/framework.cfm. NIST will consider all 
comments received from the public submitted in accordance with the 
DATES and ADDRESSES sections below.

DATES: NIST will release the Draft Community Resilience Planning Guide 
(CRPG) for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems on Monday, April 27, 
2015, and will hold the 5th Disaster Resilience Workshop on Monday, 
April 27, 2015, between from 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Central Time at Texas 
Southern University. Limited onsite registration is available, please 
contact Steve Cauffman. The public comment period opens on Monday, 
April 27, 2015, and comments must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern 
Time on Friday, June 26, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted by email to 
[email protected], by fax to 301-990-6891, or by mail to: NIST 
Community Resilience Program, Attention: Mr. Stephen Cauffman, National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 Bureau Drive Stop 8615, 
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8615. All comments will be made publicly 
available at http://www.nist.gov/el/building_materials/resilience/framework.cfm. Accordingly, personal, proprietary or confidential 
information should not be included.
    The 5th NIST Community Resilience Workshop will be held at Texas 
Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX 77004. Please 
note admittance instructions under the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION 
section of this notice. Additional information on the workshop, 
including the online registration link, is posted at: http://www.nist.gov/el/building_materials/resilience/5th-disaster-resilience-workshop.cfm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Questions regarding either the 
workshop or request for public comments should be addressed to Mr.

[[Page 23257]]

Steve Cauffman by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 
301-975-6051. Please direct media inquiries to NIST's Office of Public 
Affairs at (301) 975-2762.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NIST will release the Draft Community 
Resilience Planning Guide (CRPG) for Buildings and Infrastructure 
Systems for public comment on Monday, April 27, 2015, and it will be 
posted at http://www.nist.gov/el/building_materials/resilience/framework.cfm. The CRPG is being issued in a draft form with a 60-day 
public comment period. Public comments will be accepted until 11:59 
p.m. Eastern Time on Friday, June 26, 2015.
    NIST established a program in Community Resilience to conduct 
research and develop guidance that improves the way communities prepare 
for, withstand, and recover from disruptive events, such as natural 
hazards. The Draft CRPG has benefitted from the input of private and 
public sector stakeholders and experts, with a wide range of expertise 
in areas including but not limited to community planning, disaster 
recovery, emergency management, business continuity, insurance/re-
insurance, state and local government, design, construction, and 
maintenance of infrastructure (buildings, water and wastewater, 
electric power, communications, transportation), and standards and code 
development. The Framework is intended to provide local governments 
with a methodology for including resilience in their long term 
community development planning process and to provide a means to 
facilitate engagement with external stakeholders that have a role in 
ensuring community resilience.
    Public Workshop: The 5th NIST Community Resilience Workshop will be 
held on Monday April 27th at Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne 
Street, Houston, TX 77004 from 8:30 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Central Time. 
The workshop will provide an overview of the Draft CRPG, describe its 
application, and present a panel of emergency planners and other local 
and regional representatives who will discuss the potential utility of 
the new tool for their communities and respond to questions from 
attendees. NIST encourages the attendance of anyone with an interest in 
improving the resilience of U.S. communities, including those with 
knowledge or expertise in community planning, disaster recovery, 
emergency management, business continuity, insurance/re-insurance, 
state and local government, design, construction, and maintenance of 
infrastructure (buildings, water and wastewater, electric power, 
communications, transportation), and standards and code development. 
Limited onsite registration is available, please contact Steve Cauffman 
by email at [email protected] or by telephone at 301-975-6051. 
Additional information on the workshop, including the online 
registration link, is posted at: http://www.nist.gov/el/building_materials/resilience/5th-disaster-resilience-workshop.cfm.
    Request for Public Comment: Persons interested in commenting on the 
Draft CRPG can submit their written comments using the suggested 
template posted on the NIST Web site at: http://www.nist.gov/el/building_materials/resilience/framework.cfm or in other formats. All 
comments received in response to this notice will become part of the 
public record and will be posted on the NIST Web site at: http://www.nist.gov/el/building_materials/resilience/framework.cfm.
    Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include copies of 
the referenced materials. All comments will be made publicly available; 
therefore personal, proprietary or confidential information should not 
be included. All comments must be received by NIST by 11:59 p.m. 
Eastern Time on Friday, June 26, 2015 in accordance with the DATES and 
ADDRESSES sections of the notice above. Comments received after this 
time will not be considered.

Kevin Kimball,
Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2015-09767 Filed 4-23-15; 11:15 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P