[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 246 (Wednesday, December 23, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79863-79864]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32100]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Evaluations of 
Coastal Zone Management Act Programs--State Coastal Management Programs 
and National Estuarine Research Reserves

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before February 22, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Carrie Hall, (240) 533-0730 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[[Page 79864]]

I. Abstract

    This request is for revision and extension of a current information 
collection.
    The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended (CZMA; 16 
U.S.C. 1451 et seq.) requires that state coastal management programs 
and national estuarine research reserves developed pursuant to the CZMA 
and approved by the Secretary of Commerce be evaluated periodically. 
This request is for to collect information to accomplish those 
evaluations.
    Section 1458 of the CZMA and implementing regulations at 15 CFR 
923, Subpart L, require that state coastal management programs be 
evaluated concerning the extent to which the state has implemented and 
enforced the program approved by the Secretary, addressed the coastal 
management needs identified in 16 U.S.C. 1452(2)(A) through (K), and 
adhered to the terms of any grant, loan, or cooperative agreement 
funded under the CZMA. Section 1461(f) of the CZMA and implementing 
regulations at 15 CFR 921, Subpart E, require that national estuarine 
research reserves be evaluated with regard to their operation and 
management, including education and interpretive activities, the 
research being conducted within the reserve, and be evaluated in 
accordance with section 1458 of the CZMA and procedures set forth in 15 
CFR 923.
    NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) 
conducts periodic evaluations of the 34 coastal management programs and 
28 research reserves and produces written findings for each evaluation. 
OCRM has access to documents submitted in cooperative agreement 
applications, performance reports, and certain documentation required 
by the CZMA and implementing regulations. However, additional 
information from each coastal management program and research reserve, 
as well as information from the program and reserve partners and 
stakeholders with whom each works, is necessary to evaluate against 
statutory and regulatory requirements. Different information collection 
subsets are necessary for (1) coastal management programs, (2) their 
partners and stakeholders, (3) research reserves, and (4) their 
partners and stakeholders.

II. Method of Collection

    Coastal program and reserve manager respondents will receive 
information requests/questionnaires via email, and submittals will be 
made via email. Partners and stakeholders of coastal management 
programs and of reserves will receive a link to a web-based survey tool 
and respond through the survey tool.
    As part of this submission, a few questions will be modified to 
clarify the information that should be provided as part of the 
information requests/questionnaires sent to the coastal program and 
reserve managers. The overall number of survey questions for the 
partners and stakeholders will be reduced.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0661.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Regular (revision and extension of a current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: State, local, or tribal government; not-for-profit 
institutions; business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 468.
    Estimated Time Per Response: 55 hours per CZMA program manager's 
evaluation; 30 minutes per partner/stakeholder's evaluation.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 943 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.

IV. Request for Comments

    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 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(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.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-32100 Filed 12-22-15; 8:45 am]
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