[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 97 (Friday, May 21, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27561-27562]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-10795]


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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; NOAA Marine Debris Program Performance Progress Report

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 July 20, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0718 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 Tom Barry, Management and Program Analyst, NOAA/NOS/ORR, 202-870-
2863 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This is a request for extension of a currently approved information 
collection.
    The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) operates within the Office of 
Response and Restoration as part of NOAA's National Ocean Service. The 
MDP supports national and international efforts to research, prevent, 
and reduce the impacts of marine debris. The MDP is the lead program 
within NOAA that coordinates and supports activities, both within the 
bureau and with other federal agencies, to address marine debris and 
its impacts. In addition to inter-agency coordination, the MDP uses 
partnerships with state and local agencies, tribes, non-governmental 
organizations, academia, and industry to investigate and solve the 
problems that stem from marine debris through research, prevention, and 
reduction activities, in order to protect and conserve our nation's 
marine environment and ensure navigation safety.
    The Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (33 
U.S.C. 1951 et seq.) as amended by the Marine Debris Act Amendments of 
2012 (Pub. L. 112-213, Title VI, Sec. 603, 126 Stat. 1576, December 20, 
2012), and the Save our Seas Act and Save our Seas 2.0 Act in 2018 and 
2020, respectively. The Save our Seas 2.0 Act was signed into law on 
December 18, 2020 (Pub. L. 116-224). These authorities outline a 
variety of different program components for the MDP to undertake in 
addressing the marine debris issue: Marine debris mapping, 
identification, impact assessment, research, removal, and prevention. 
To address these components, the Marine Debris Act and the subsequent 
amendments listed above authorize the MDP to establish several 
competitive grant programs on marine debris research, prevention, and 
removal to support non-federal entities throughout the coastal United 
States and territories with financial and technical assistance. Other 
supplemental appropriations, such as the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 
and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) Supplemental 
Appropriations Act of 2019 (Pub. L. 116-113, Title IX), have provided 
authority to the MDP for marine debris work in dealing with hurricane 
recovery and international transboundary marine debris issues as well.
    The terms and conditions of the financial assistance awards made 
through these grant programs require regular progress reporting and 
communication of project accomplishments to MDP. Progress reports 
contain information related to, among other things, the overall short 
and long-term goals of the project, project methods and monitoring 
techniques, actual accomplishments (such as tons of debris removed from 
an ecosystem, numbers of volunteers participating in a cleanup project, 
the number of educational interactions with the public, etc.), status 
of approved activities, challenges or potential roadblocks to future 
progress, lessons learned, and budget expenditures. This information 
collection enables MDP to monitor and evaluate the activities

[[Page 27562]]

supported by federal funds to ensure accountability to the public and 
to ensure that funds are used in a manner consistent with the purpose 
for which they were appropriated. It also ensures that reported 
information is standardized in such a way that allows it to be 
meaningfully synthesized across a diverse set of projects and project 
types. MDP uses the information collected in a variety of ways to 
communicate with federal and non-federal partners and stakeholders on 
individual project and general program accomplishments.

II. Method of Collection

    Respondents to this collection may choose to submit electronically 
or in paper format.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0718.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (extension of an approved 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit, not-for-profit 
institutions, state, local or tribal government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 70.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 Hours (semi-annually).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,400.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction 
Act (33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.) as amended by the Marine Debris Act 
Amendments of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-213, Title VI, Sec. 603, 126 Stat. 
1576, December 20, 2012); Save our Seas Act and Save our Seas 2.0 Act 
(Pub. L. 116-224).

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. 2021-10795 Filed 5-20-21; 8:45 am]
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