[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 238 (Friday, December 11, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 76967]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31259]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy


Proposed Agency Information Collection

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. 
Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on a 
proposed collection of information that DOE is developing for 
submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed collection in support of 
the DOE's Small Business Vouchers (SBV) pilot will gather quantitative 
estimates of the pilot's impacts as well as capture implementation 
lessons learned. The information is needed to assess the impacts of the 
SBV Pilot, documenting that the investment is producing the expected 
results, and to determine ways to improve the pilot should it be 
expanded in scope.
    The SBV Pilot is a funding mechanism structured to allow small 
businesses engaged in the renewable energy and energy efficiency 
sectors to collaborate with researchers at the DOE National 
Laboratories and to take advantage of the resources at the Labs that 
assist small businesses in proceeding through commercialization 
challenges. Respondents will include small businesses participating in 
the pilot as well a comparison group of businesses with Cooperative 
Research and Development Agreements (CRADA) outside of the SBV Pilot.
    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) 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; (c) ways to enhance the quality, 
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways 
to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.

DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be 
received on or before February 9, 2016. If you anticipate difficulty in 
submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in 
ADDRESSES as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be emailed to: [email protected] or 
mailed to Jeff Dowd, U.S. Department of Energy, EE-61P, 1000 
Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20585.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be emailed to: [email protected]. Requests may also be mailed to 
Jeff Dowd, U.S. Department of Energy, EE-61P, 1000 Independence Ave. 
SW., Washington, DC 20585. Calls may be directed to Jeff Dowd at (202) 
586-7258.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains: (1) OMB No. ``New''; (2) Information Collection Request 
Title: Web-survey of Participating and Nonparticipating Small 
Businesses for DOE's Small Business Vouchers Pilot (3) Type of Request: 
New; (4) Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness and impacts of DOE's 
Small Business Vouchers (SBV) pilot program, to capture lessons 
learned, and make recommendations; the information collection will be 
through a web based survey, allowing participating SBV firms and the 
comparison firms to answer questions at a time most convenient for 
them. The web survey will consist of two full-length surveys, conducted 
once after the first year of vouchers has been completed and once five 
years after the pilot began, and three abbreviated surveys in the 
interim years (years two, three and four). The first full-length survey 
(30 minutes in length for about 70 SBV participants and about 70 
comparison firms) will stress questions about the application, 
selection, work agreement and completion processes and also ask about 
commercialization progress and other outcomes. The survey in year five 
(30 minutes in length) will ask about 300 firms participating in SBV 
from Years 1-4 and about 100 comparison firms about interest in 
continuing to engage with the national Laboratories, but concentrate on 
commercialization and other outcomes and how much the DOE program 
contributed to the outcomes. The abbreviated, interim-year surveys will 
be 15 minutes in length and will provide status updates on SBV pilot 
impacts such as commercialization and other outcomes. The purpose of 
also surveying small business firms that have completed similar work 
through the existing CRADA process is to investigate similarities and 
differences in the two small business engagement programs. The data 
collected in the year five survey will also be used to perform a 
benefit-cost calculation and benchmark comparison of voucher firms to 
firms in the DOE Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, 
based on existing SBIR data. (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents 
Year 1 Survey: 140; Year 5 Survey: 400; Year 2, 3 and 4 Survey: 300. 
(6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: Year 1 Survey: 140; 
Year 5 Survey: 400; Year 2, 3 and 4 Survey: 300 (7) Annual Estimated 
Number of Burden Hours (Total): Year 1 Survey: 70; Year 5 Survey: 200; 
Year 2, 3 and 4 Survey: 75 (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and 
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: Year 1 Survey: $0; Year 5 Survey: $0; Year 
2, 3 and 4 Survey: $0.

    Statutory Authority:  DOE Org Act (42 U.S.C. 7101, et seq.) and 
42 U.S.C. 16191 (AMO authority).

    Issued in Washington, DC.
Joyce Yang,
EERE National Laboratory Impact Director, Office of Energy Efficiency 
and Renewable Energy, Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2015-31259 Filed 12-10-15; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6450-01-P