[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 137 (Wednesday, July 17, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34166-34167]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-15216]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; A Coastal 
Management Needs Assessment and Market Analysis for Financing 
Resilience

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 September 16, 
2019.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Adrienne Thomas, Government 
Information Specialist, NOAA, 151 Patton Avenue, Room 159, Asheville, 
NC 28801 (or via the internet at [email protected]). All comments 
received are part of the public record. All Personally Identifiable 
Information (for example, name and address) voluntarily submitted by 
the commenter may be publicly accessible. Do not submit Confidential 
Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Kim Penn, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, 1325 East-
West Hwy., Silver Spring, MD 20910, (240) 533-0727, and 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This request is for a new information collection.
    NOAA's Office for Coastal Management (OCM) and its regional, state, 
federal, and non-profit partners have worked closely with coastal 
managers across the country to develop hazard mitigation and resilience 
plans. These have ranged from short-term responses to immediate threats 
to long-term adaptation strategies in response to gradual changes. 
While there are studies on the costs and benefits of hazard mitigation 
and adaptation options and various tools to help inform government 
investments, there is no comprehensive inventory or guide to selecting 
from applicable funding sources or identifying appropriate financing 
strategies. The range of funding and financing options, from grants and 
low-interest loans to more innovative private-public partnerships and 
emerging bonds, presents an ever-changing and complex array of choices. 
This diversity of funding and financing mechanisms, however, provides 
an opportunity for decision-makers to leverage resources to support and 
advance community resilience.
    In many coastal communities, investment in resilience measures 
remains either non-existent or reactive in response to a catastrophic 
event. While there are no data on the number of adaptation plans that 
have been implemented, lack of funding is a frequently cited barrier to 
implementation. Understanding funding and financing options at the time 
resilience planning is undertaken, and then incorporating financial 
strategies into the recommendations, will help ensure that resources 
are invested wisely, and implementation occurs.
    This request is for a set of related interviews to support a 
broader needs assessment to define the types of funding, financing 
mechanisms, and associated resources that OCM's state and local coastal 
manager customers need for coastal resilience activities and a market 
analysis of existing funding and financing programs and mechanisms. The 
interviews will collect relevant information from interviewees on their 
experiences with coastal resilience funding and financing mechanisms, 
challenges and opportunities related to funding and financing coastal 
resilience, and technical support needs and opportunities that OCM can 
address.
    The information provided by interviewees will be synthesized into 
the needs assessment, which will address needs and information gaps 
partitioned by region, financial scale, time scale, and scope/sector. 
The information provided by interviewees will also be used to inform an 
inventory of existing entities providing resources for resilience 
funding, as well as a summary of existing and emerging funding sources 
and financial tools and mechanisms for coastal resilience. Finally, the 
interviews will inform recommendations on OCM's potential niche in 
addressing the identified needs and gaps.

II. Method of Collection

    Information will be collected during structured telephone 
interviews.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; Not-
for-profit institutions; State, Local, or Tribal government; Federal 
government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 36.
    Estimated Time per Response: 1.25 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 45.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.

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

[[Page 34167]]

approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter 
of public record.

Sheleen Dumas,
Departmental Lead PRA Officer, Office of the Chief Information Officer, 
Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2019-15216 Filed 7-16-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-JE-P