[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 115 (Friday, June 16, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Page 27685]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-12496]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Office of the Secretary


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; The Environmental 
Questionnaire and Checklist (EQC)

    The Department of Commerce will submit a request for renewal of an 
existing collection of information to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for clearance under the provisions of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Agency: Office of the Secretary, Office of Facilities and 
Environmental Quality.
    Title: DOC National Environmental Questionnaire and Checklist 
(EQC).
    OMB Control Number: 0690-0028.
    Form Number(s): CD-593.
    Type of Request: Regular (extension of a currently approved 
information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 1,000.
    Average Hours per Response: 3 hours.
    Burden Hours: 3,000.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $1,000 in miscellaneous 
costs ($5 x approximately 200 respondents who would mail attachments 
rather than emailing them).
    Needs and Uses: This request is for an extension of a currently 
approved information collection. The National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) (42 U.S.C. 4321-4347) and the Council on Environmental Quality's 
(CEQ) Regulations for Implementing NEPA (40 CFR parts 1500-1508) 
require that federal agencies complete an environmental analysis for 
all major federal actions significantly affecting the environment. 
Those actions may include a federal agency's decision to fund non-
federal projects under grants and cooperative agreements, including 
infrastructure projects. In order to determine NEPA compliance 
requirements for a project receiving Department of Commerce (DOC) 
bureau-level funding, DOC must assess information which can only be 
provided by the applicant for federal financial assistance (grant).
    The National Environmental Questionnaire and Checklist (EQC) 
provides federal financial assistance applicants and DOC staff with a 
tool to ensure that the necessary project and environmental information 
is obtained. The EQC was developed to collect data concerning potential 
environmental impacts that the applicant for federal financial 
assistance possesses and to transmit that information to the Federal 
reviewer. The EQC will allow for a more rapid review of projects and 
facilitate DOC's evaluation of the potential environmental impacts of a 
project and level of NEPA documentation required. DOC staff will use 
the information provided in answers to the questionnaire to determine 
compliance requirements for NEPA and conduct subsequent NEPA analysis 
as needed. Information provided in the questionnaire may also be used 
for other regulatory review requirements associated with the proposed 
project, such as the National Historic Preservation Act.
    The DOC received no comments in response to the 60-day notice 
published in the Federal Register on April 14, 2017 (82 FR 17968).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; not-
for-profit institutions; individuals and households.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    This information collection request may be viewed at reginfo.gov. 
Follow the instructions to view Department of Commerce collections 
currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected] or fax to (202) 395-5806.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental PRA Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2017-12496 Filed 6-15-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-NW-P