[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]
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