[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 22 (Thursday, February 1, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4670-4671]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02009]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket No. DHS-2017-0061]


Private Sector Clearance Program, Cooperative Research and 
Development Agreement, and Classified Critical Infrastructure 
Protection Program Request

AGENCY: Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP), National Protection 
and Programs Directorate (NPPD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments; revised collection, 
1670-0013.

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SUMMARY: DHS NPPD IP will submit the following information collection 
request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review 
and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. 
Partnerships between the U.S. Government and the private sector at 
times necessitates the sharing of classified information. The Private 
Sector Clearance Program (PSCP), Cooperative Research And Development 
Agreement (CRADA), and Classified Critical Infrastructure Protection 
Program (CCIPP) Request Form facilitates this sharing by sponsoring 
security clearances for certain private sector partners.

DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until April 2, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number DHS-
2017-0061, by one of the following methods:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Please follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     Email: [email protected]. Please include docket number DHS-
2017-0061 in the subject line of the message.
     Mail: Written comments and questions about this 
Information

[[Page 4671]]

Collection Request should be forwarded to DHS/NPPD/IP, ATTN: 1670-0013, 
245 Murray Lane SW, Mail Stop 0380, Arlington, VA 20598-0640.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the words 
``Department of Homeland Security'' and the docket number for this 
action. Comments received will be posted without alteration at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available 
to the public through relevant websites. For this reason, please do not 
include in your comments information of a confidential nature, such as 
sensitive personal information or proprietary information. If you send 
an email comment, your email address will be automatically captured and 
included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and 
made available on the internet. Please note that responses to this 
public comment request containing any routine notice about the 
confidentiality of the communication will be treated as public comments 
that may be made available to the public notwithstanding the inclusion 
of the routine notice.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to 
collection activities, please contact Quintin Whitaker at 703-235-9485 
or at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Partnerships between the U.S. Government and 
the private sector at times necessitate the sharing of classified 
information. The PSCP and Cyber Information Sharing and Collaboration 
Program (CISCP) facilitate this sharing by sponsoring security 
clearances for certain members of each sector based on either their 
membership on a Sector Coordinating Council (SCC)/association or their 
infrastructure protection job-related duties. In order to begin the 
process of approving a nominee to participate in the clearance program, 
DHS collects the nominee's employment information and Personally 
Identifiable Information (PII). The nominee's association/SCC 
membership or employment information is reviewed for approval, and his 
or her PII is input into the Electronic Questionnaires for 
Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system, the Office of Personnel 
Management's (OPM) secure portal for investigation processing.
    The U.S. Government is authorized to ask for this information under 
Section 201 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-296, 6 
U.S.C. 121), and Executive Orders 12968, 13526, and 13549, which 
authorize the collection of this information.
    The PSCP is designed to facilitate access to security clearances 
for private sector officials involved in the infrastructure protection 
mission. The CISCP is designed to facilitate access to security 
clearances for private sector entities involved in cybersecurity 
information sharing related to the National Cybersecurity 
Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) via CRADAs and for 
individuals via the CCIPP. CRADAs are agreements between the U.S. 
government and private entities for joint research and development 
efforts, and can be used to create bi-directional information sharing 
frameworks between DHS and private sector entities. The CCIPP, commonly 
referred to as the ``Hybrid,'' is a tool through which DHS shares 
classified cybersecurity-related information with critical 
infrastructure partners. These partners are subject matter experts 
within specific industries and have specialized knowledge not available 
within DHS. Private citizens do not receive monetary compensation for 
their time. DHS has created these programs to sponsor clearances for 
these individuals who are not employed by or contracted with another 
Federal agency (the traditional means of obtaining a clearance) and 
must have clearances.
    Program changes require a revision of the existing collection. 
These changes include: Updating the title of the collection, the form 
being used by CISCP, and updates to the form itself. The form will be 
used by the CISCP in the same manner as the PSCP to sponsor private 
sector entities and individuals for security clearances. The CISCP will 
increase the burden totals by 360 responses, 60 burden hours, and 
$6,155 annual burden cost. For the PSCP, the burden estimates have 
decreased by 200 responses, 33 burden hours and $706 annual burden cost 
based on actual responses received. As a result, the total burden 
estimates will increase overall by 160 responses, 27 burden hours, 
$5,448 annual burden costs.
    The changes to the form itself include: adding CRADA and CCIPP to 
the title; adding drop down capabilities relevant for the CRADA and the 
CCIPP, adding justification guidance to the back of the form, and 
updating the wording of the field titles and instructions to improve 
clarity. The changes to the form itself will not change the burden 
estimates as the only field being added is a menu to distinguish the 
program type.
    The annual government cost for the collection has increased by 
$242,850 due to the addition of the CISCP and has increased by $91,998 
for the PSCP due to updated wage rates. As a result, the annual 
government cost has increased by $334,848.
    This is a revised information collection.
    OMB is particularly interested in comments that:
    1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, 
including whether the information will have practical utility;
    2. 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;
    3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to 
be collected; and
    4. 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 
submissions of responses.
    Title of Collection: Private Sector Clearance Program, Cooperative 
Research and Development Agreement, and Classified Critical 
Infrastructure Protection Program Request.
    OMB Control Number: 1670-0013.
    Frequency: Annually.
    Affected Public: Private and Public Sector.
    Number of Respondents: 660.
    Estimated Time per Respondent: 10 minutes.
    Total Burden Hours: 110 hours.
    Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
    Total Recordkeeping Burden: $0.
    Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $0.

David Epperson,
Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-02009 Filed 1-31-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 9110-9P-P