[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 244 (Friday, December 18, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 82522-82523]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-27929]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Mine Safety and Health Administration

[OMB Control No. 1219-0154]


Proposed Extension of Information Collection; Performance Reports 
for MSHA Grants

AGENCY: Mine Safety and Health Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to 
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance 
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies 
with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information 
in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This program 
helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired 
format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, 
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of 
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. 
Currently, the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is 
soliciting comments on the information collection for Performance 
Reports for MSHA Grants.

DATES: All comments must be received on or before February 16, 2021.

ADDRESSES:  You may submit comment as follows. Please note that late, 
untimely filed comments will not be considered.
    Electronic Submissions: Submit electronic comments in the following 
way:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: https://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments for docket number MSHA-
2020-0037. Comments submitted electronically, including attachments, to 
https://www.regulations.gov will be posted to the docket, with no 
changes. Because your comment will be made public, you are responsible 
for ensuring that your comment does not include any confidential 
information that you or a third party may not wish to be posted, such 
as your or anyone else's Social Security number or confidential 
business information.
     If you want to submit a comment with confidential 
information that you do not wish to be made available to the public, 
submit the comment as a written/paper submission.
    Written/Paper Submissions: Submit written/paper submissions in the 
following way:
     Mail/Hand Delivery: Mail or visit DOL-MSHA, Office of 
Standards, Regulations, and Variances, 201 12th Street South, Suite 
4E401, Arlington, VA 22202-5452.
     MSHA will post your comment as well as any attachments, 
except for information submitted and marked as confidential, in the 
docket at https://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Roslyn B. Fontaine, Deputy Director, 
Office of Standards, Regulations, and Variances, MSHA, at 
[email protected]

[[Page 82523]]

(email); (202) 693-9440 (voice); or (202) 693-9441 (facsimile).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background

    Section 103(h) of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 
(Mine Act), 30 U.S.C. 813(h), authorizes the Mine Safety and Health 
Administration (MSHA) to collect information necessary to carry out its 
duty in protecting the safety and health of miners. Further, section 
101(a) of the Mine Act, 30 U.S.C. 811, authorizes the Secretary of 
Labor (Secretary) to develop, promulgate, and revise as may be 
appropriate, improved mandatory health or safety standards for the 
protection of life and prevention of injuries in coal and metal and 
nonmetal mines.
    MSHA works to prevent death, illness, and injury from mining and to 
promote safe and healthful workplaces for U.S. miners. Section 115 of 
the Mine Act, as amended, requires mine operators to have a health and 
safety training program. Under section 503 of the Mine Act, as amended, 
the Secretary may award grants to States to assist in developing and 
enforcing State mining laws and regulations, to improve State workers' 
compensation and mining occupational disease laws and programs, and to 
improve safety and health conditions in the Nation's mines through 
Federal-State coordination and cooperation.
    Grantees are required by U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) regulations 
to submit project and final reports. Grantees are also required to 
submit final reports no later than 90 days after the end of the grant 
period.
    Technical Project Reports: A grantee submits a technical project 
report to MSHA no later than 30 days after quarterly deadlines. 
Technical project reports provide both quantitative and qualitative 
information and a narrative assessment of performance for the preceding 
3-month period. This includes a comparison of the current grant 
progress against the overall grant goals. Between reporting dates, the 
grantee informs MSHA of significant developments or problems affecting 
the organization's ability to accomplish the work.
    Final Reports: At the end of the grant period, each grantee 
provides a project summary of its technical project reports, an 
evaluation report, and a close-out financial report. These final 
reports are due no later than 90 days after the end of the 12-month 
performance period.

II. Desired Focus of Comments

    MSHA is soliciting comments concerning the proposed information 
collection related to Performance Reports for MSHA Grants. MSHA is 
particularly interested in comments that:
     Evaluate whether the collection of information is 
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency, 
including whether the information has practical utility;
     Evaluate the accuracy of MSHA's estimate of the burden of 
the collection of information, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used;
     Suggest methods to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and
     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 submission of responses.
    Background documents related to this information collection request 
are available at https://regulations.gov and in DOL-MSHA located at 201 
12th Street South, Suite 4E401, Arlington, VA 22202-5452. Questions 
about the information collection requirements may be directed to the 
person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this 
notice from the previous collection of information.

III. Current Actions

    This information collection request concerns provisions for 
Performance Reports for MSHA Grants. MSHA has updated the data with 
respect to the number of respondents, responses, burden hours, and 
burden costs supporting this information collection request from the 
previous information collection request.
    Type of Review: Extension, without change, of a currently approved 
collection.
    Agency: Mine Safety and Health Administration.
    OMB Number: 1219-0154.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit.
    Number of Respondents: 50.
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Number of Responses: 250.
    Annual Burden Hours: 625 hours.
    Annual Respondent or Recordkeeper Cost: $0.
    MSHA Forms: MSHA Performance Report Narratives; and MSHA Form 5000-
50, MSHA State Grant Program Performance Report.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized in 
the request for Office of Management and Budget approval of the 
proposed information collection request; they will become a matter of 
public record and will be available at https://www.reginfo.gov.

Roslyn B. Fontaine,
Certifying Officer.
[FR Doc. 2020-27929 Filed 12-17-20; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-43-P