[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 213 (Tuesday, November 3, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 69608-69609]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-24307]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Proposed Agency Information Collection Extension, With Changes

AGENCY: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. 
Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice and request for OMB review and comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy's (DOE) Office of Energy Efficiency 
and Renewable Energy (EERE) has submitted to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance, a proposal for a three-year extension, 
with changes, of a collection of information under the provisions of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The proposed collection will 
provide DOE with the information necessary to meet its statutory and 
regulatory obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act 
(NEPA) of 1969 and the DOE NEPA implementing regulations, which 
requires EERE to perform environmental impact analyses prior to making 
a decision to provide Federal funding for research, development and 
demonstration projects funded by DOE.

DATES: Comments regarding this collection must be received on or before 
December 3, 2020. If you anticipate difficulty in submitting comments 
within that period, contact the DOE Desk Officer at OMB of your 
intention to make a submission as soon as possible. The Desk Officer 
may be telephoned at (202) 395-4650.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to 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 to: Lisa Jorgensen at U.S. Department of Energy, 15013 Denver 
West Parkway, Golden, CO 80401, or by email at: 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the EERE Environmental Questionnaire should be directed to 
Lisa Jorgensen at: [email protected]. The EERE Environmental 
Questionnaire also is available for viewing in the Golden Field Office 
Public Reading Room at: www.energy.gov/node/2299401. If you have 
difficulty accessing this document, please contact Casey Strickland at 
(720) 356-1575.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains: (1) OMB No. 1910-5175; (2) Information Collection Request 
Title: Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) 
Environmental Questionnaire; (3) Type of Request: Extension, with 
changes; (4) Purpose: The DOE's EERE provides Federal funding through 
Federal assistance programs to businesses, industries, universities, 
and other groups for renewable energy and energy efficiency research 
and development and demonstration projects. The National Environmental 
Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.) requires that an 
environmental analysis be completed for all major Federal actions 
significantly affecting the environment including projects entirely or 
partly financed by Federal agencies. To effectively perform 
environmental analyses for these projects, the DOE's EERE needs to 
collect project-specific information from Federal financial assistance 
awardees. DOE's EERE has developed its Environmental Questionnaire to 
obtain the required

[[Page 69609]]

information and ensure that its decision-making processes are 
consistent with NEPA as it relates to renewable energy and energy 
efficiency research and development and demonstration projects. Minor 
changes have been made to the Environmental Questionnaire that help to 
clarify certain questions, but do not change the meaning of the 
questions being asked. The average hours per response have increased 
from one hour to one and one half hours. The annual estimated number of 
burden hours increased from 300 to 443; (5) Annual Estimated Number of 
Total Responses: 300; (6) Average Hours per Response: 1.5; and (7) 
Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 443. (8) There is no cost 
associated with reporting and recordkeeping.
    Statutory Authority: National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (42 
U.S.C. 4321 et seq.).

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on October, 
28, 2020, by Matthew Blevins, Director, Environment, Safety and Health 
Office, Golden Field Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable 
Energy, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of Energy. 
That document with the original signature and date is maintained by 
DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance with 
requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned DOE 
Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to sign and submit 
the document in electronic format for publication, as an official 
document of the Department of Energy. This administrative process in no 
way alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the 
Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on October 29, 2020.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2020-24307 Filed 11-2-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P