[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 142 (Thursday, July 23, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44522-44523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15941]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Management and Oversight of the National Estuarine Research 
Reserve System

    The Department of Commerce will submit the following information 
collection request to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995, on or after the date of publication of this notice. We invite the 
general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and 
continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of 
our information collection requirements and minimize the public's 
reporting burden. Public comments were previously requested via the 
Federal Register on March 11, 2020 (85 FR 14188) during a 60-day 
comment period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments.
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.
    Title: Management and Oversight of the National Estuarine Research 
Reserve System.
    OMB Control Number: 0648-0121.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Request: Regular submission [extension of a current 
information collection].
    Number of Respondents: 149.
    Average Hours per Response: Management plan, 1500 hours; site 
profile, 1800 hours; site nomination documents, 2500 hours; award 
application, 24 hours; award reports, 10 hours; NEPA documentation, 2 
hours.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 9,232.
    Needs and Uses: The National Estuarine Research Reserve System 
(NERRS) is a partnership between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) and 22 states and Puerto Rico that protects more 
than 1.3 million coastal and estuarine acres in 28 Reserves for long-
term research, monitoring, education, and stewardship, established 
under Section 315 of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972 (16 
U.S.C. 1451), 16 U.S.C. 1461. The NERRS consists of carefully selected 
estuarine areas of the United States that are designated, preserved, 
and managed for research and educational purposes. The Reserves are 
chosen to reflect regional differences and to include a variety of 
ecosystem types according to the classification scheme of the national 
program as presented in 15 CFR part 921. As part of a national system, 
the Reserves collectively provide a unique opportunity to address 
research questions and estuarine management issues of national 
significance. The Reserves also serve to enhance public awareness and 
understanding of estuarine areas and provide suitable opportunities for 
public education and interpretation. Regulations provide guidance for 
delineating Reserve boundaries and additional guidance for arriving at 
the most effective and least costly approach to establishing adequate 
state control of key land and water areas. Any qualified public or 
private persons, organizations or institutions may compete for research 
funding to work in research Reserves. In fact, applicants are almost 
always states.
    Subsection 3l5(e)(1)(B) of the CZMA authorizes the National Ocean 
Service (NOS) to make grants to, or cooperative agreements with, any 
coastal state or public or private institution or person for purposes 
of supporting research within the NERRS. This program is listed in the 
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance under ``Coastal Zone Management 
Estuarine Research Reserve, Number 11.420''. Applications for such 
grants follow the provisions of 2 CFR 200. During the site selection 
and designation process, information is collected from states in order 
to prepare a management plan and environmental impact statement. 
Designated Reserves apply annually for operations funds by submitting a 
work plan; subsequently, progress reports are required every six months 
for the duration of the award. Each Reserve compiles an ecological 
characterization or site profile to describe the biological and 
physical environment of the Reserve, research to date and research 
gaps. Reserves revise their management plans every five years. This 
information is required to ensure that Reserves are adhering to 
regulations and that the Reserves are in

[[Page 44523]]

keeping with the purpose for which they were designated.
    Affected Public: Non-profit institutions; state, local, or tribal 
government.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
    Legal Authority: Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) of 1972 (16 
U.S.C. 1451), 16 U.S.C. 1461.
    This information collection request may be viewed at 
www.reginfo.gov. Follow the instructions to view the Department of 
Commerce collections currently under review by OMB.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be submitted within 30 days of the publication of 
this notice on the following website www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. 
Find this particular information collection by selecting ``Currently 
under 30-day Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search 
function and entering either the title of the collection or the OMB 
Control Number 0648-0121.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2020-15941 Filed 7-22-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-08-P