[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 53 (Monday, March 22, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15204-15205]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-05811]


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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; Coral Reef Conservation Program

AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites 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. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before May 21, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0448 in the subject line of your 
comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise 
sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Craig Reid, Grant Coordinator, Coral Reef Conservation Program, NOAA 
National Ocean Service, 1305 East West Highway, 10th Floor, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910, 240-533-0783, and [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This request is for revision and extension of a currently approved 
information collection.
    The Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.) 
was enacted on December 14, 2000, to preserve, sustain and restore the 
condition of coral reef ecosystems; to promote the wise management and 
sustainable use of coral reef ecosystems to benefit local communities 
and the Nation; to develop sound scientific information on the 
condition of coral reef ecosystems and the threats to such ecosystems; 
to assist in the preservation of coral reefs by supporting conservation 
programs, including projects that involve affected local communities 
and non-governmental organizations; to provide financial resources for 
those programs and projects; and to establish a formal mechanism for 
the collecting and allocating of monetary donations from the private 
sector to be used for coral reef conservation projects. Under section 
6403 of the Act, the Secretary, through the NOAA Administrator 
(Administrator) and subject to the availability of funds, is authorized 
to provide matching grants of financial assistance for coral reef 
conservation projects. Section 408(c) of the Act authorizes at least 
$8,000,000 annually for financial assistance projects under the 
Program.
    Collection activities for this program are outlined below and 
include: 1. Applicant creation and submission of requests for waivers 
of the non-Federal matching funds requirement; 2. Review of project 
proposals by Federal Agencies and non-Federal entities with 
jurisdiction or management authority over coral reef ecosystems in the 
area where the project is to be conducted; and 3. Revision of 
performance reporting methods to include a standard program-specific 
template and a new indicator tracking report.
    As per section 6403(b) of the Act, NOAA will require that Federal 
funds for any coral conservation financial assistance project may not 
exceed 50 percent of the total cost. However, the Administrator may 
waive all or part of the matching requirement if the Administrator 
determines that no reasonable means are available through which an 
applicant can meet the matching requirement and the probable benefit of 
the project outweighs the public interest in the matching requirement. 
The suitability for a waiver is determined after the applicant has 
submitted a written request with the application package and provided 
the proper justification.
    As per section 6403(f) of the Act, NOAA will review eligible coral 
reef conservation proposals using an external governmental review and 
merit-based peer review. As part of this review, NOAA will request and 
consider written comments on the proposal from each Federal agency, 
state government, or other government jurisdiction, including the 
relevant regional Fishery Management Councils established under the 
Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 U.S.C. 
1801 et seq.), or any National Marine Sanctuary, with jurisdiction or 
management authority over coral reef ecosystems in the area where the 
project is to be conducted. Pursuant to this requirement of the Act, 
NOAA will apply the following standard in requesting comments: (A) 
Proposals for projects in state or territorial waters, including 
Federal marine protected areas in such waters (e.g. National Marine 
Sanctuaries), will be submitted to that state or territorial 
government's designated U.S. Coral Reef Task Force point of contact for 
comment; (B) proposals for projects in Federal waters will be submitted 
to the relevant Fishery Management Council for comment; (C) proposals 
for projects which require Federal permits will be submitted to the 
Federal agency which issued the permit for comment; (D) proposals for 
projects in Federal marine protected areas managed by Federal agencies 
(e.g., National Wildlife Refuges, National Parks, National Marine 
Sanctuaries, etc.) will be submitted to the respective Federal 
management authority for comment; and (E) NOAA will seek comments from 
other government entities, authorities, and/or jurisdictions, including 
international entities for projects proposed outside of

[[Page 15205]]

U.S. waters, as necessary based on the nature and scope of the proposed 
project.
    As per 2 CFR part 200.329, all recipients of non-construction 
federal financial assistance awards are required to provide performance 
(technical) reports to the agency at intervals no less frequently than 
annually and no more frequently than quarterly in order for the agency 
to properly monitor the award and meet oversight responsibilities. The 
awarding agency must use OMB-approved common forms for this purpose or 
seek permission for program-specific forms that will collect the 
required data elements. The Coral Reef Conservation Program seeks OMB 
approval to revise this information collection to require use of a 
program-specific form for semi-annual reporting and an annual form for 
tracking specific indicators. These indicators align with the new Coral 
Reef Conservation Program Strategic Plan (2018; https://www.coris.noaa.gov/activities/strategic_plan2018) and will be used to 
track national progress toward these strategic goals through 2040. The 
program-specific form for semi-annual reporting will be a revised 
version of what is currently in use and will standardize reporting 
across projects.

II. Method of Collection

    Information will be collected electronically via the Department of 
Commerce Grants Online system. In the event that electronic submission 
is not available, paper submissions may be allowable pursuant to the 
Notice of Funding Opportunity.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0448.
    Form Number(s): SF-424 family.
    Type of Review: Regular (Revision and extension of current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; Not-
for-profit institutions; State or Local Government; Federal government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 39.
    Estimated Time per Response: Matching funds waiver request: 2 
hours; Reviewer Comments: 3 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 136 hours
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: No cost for electronic 
responses.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
    Legal Authority: Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000 (16 U.S.C. 
6401 et seq.)

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of 
the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden 
on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone 
number, email address, or other personal identifying information in 
your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--including 
your personal identifying information--may be made publicly available 
at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your 
personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2021-05811 Filed 3-19-21; 8:45 am]
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