[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 101 (Thursday, May 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28538-28540]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-11250]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

Economic Development Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; Application Materials for EDA Investment Assistance

AGENCY: Economic Development Administration, Department of 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 26, 2021.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Bernadette Grafton, Program Analyst, Performance, Research and National 
Technical Assistance Division, Economic Development Administration, 
U.S. Department of Commerce, via email at [email protected]. You may 
also submit comments to [email protected]. Please reference OMB 
Control Number 0610-0094 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 Bernadette Grafton, Program Analyst, Performance, Research and 
National Technical Assistance Division, Economic Development 
Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, via phone at (202) 482-
2917 or via email at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The Economic Development Administration (EDA) leads the Federal 
economic development agenda by promoting innovation and 
competitiveness, preparing American regions for growth and success in 
the worldwide economy. Guided by the basic principle that sustainable 
economic development should be locally-driven, EDA works directly with 
communities and regions to help them build the capacity for economic 
development based on local business conditions and needs. The Public 
Works and Economic Development Act of 1965 (PWEDA) (42 U.S.C. 3121 et 
seq.) is EDA's organic authority and is the primary legal authority 
under which EDA awards financial assistance. Under PWEDA, EDA provides 
financial assistance to both rural and urban distressed communities by 
fostering entrepreneurship, innovation, and productivity through 
investments in infrastructure development, capacity building, and 
business development in order to attract private capital

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investments and new and better jobs to regions experiencing economic 
distress. Further information on EDA programs and financial assistance 
opportunities can be found at www.eda.gov.
    EDA must collect specific information from financial assistance 
applicants to evaluate whether proposed projects satisfy eligibility 
and programmatic requirements contained in PWEDA, EDA regulations at 13 
CFR chapter III, and applicable Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFOs). 
The purpose of this notice is to seek comments from the public and 
other Federal agencies regarding EDA's proposed revision and extension 
of the application materials under this information collection: Forms 
ED-900 (General Application (GA) for EDA Programs), ED-900B 
(Beneficiary Information Form), ED-900C (EDA Application Supplement for 
Construction Programs), ED-900D (Requirements for Design and 
Engineering Assistance), ED-900E (Calculation of Estimated Relocation 
and Land Acquisition Expenses), and ED-900F (Additional EDA Assurances 
for Revolving Loan Fund Investments).
    EDA proposes to make clarifying edits to the following forms under 
this information collection: Forms ED-900 GA, ED-900B, ED-900C, ED-
900D, ED-900E, and ED-900F. The clarifying edits do not change the type 
or amount of information collected, and the clarifying edits will not 
impact the time burden for respondents to complete the forms. The 
clarifying edits include: (1) Re-ordering many of the questions in Form 
ED-900 GA to improve clarity and to assist applicants in completing the 
form in a way that can be easily evaluated by EDA; (2) Adding two new 
questions to Form ED-900 GA to gather improved project location 
information necessary for EDA to comply with new data and reporting 
requirements; (3) Removing duplicative questions across the forms under 
this information collection; (4) Modifying Form ED-900F to only collect 
assurances, removing questions regarding the proposed operation of a 
revolving loan fund (RLF), thus greatly simplifying the form for 
applicants; and (5) moving form instructions from the end of each form 
to accompany various questions throughout each form to improve the 
applicant experience.
    EDA does not propose to extend two existing forms under this 
information collection: Forms ED-900A (Additional EDA Assurances for 
Construction Or Non-Construction Investments and ED-900P (Proposal for 
EDA Assistance). Form ED-900A is no longer necessary because the 
assurances collected in Form ED-900A are redundant with other 
materials, including other forms under this information collection and 
certifications collected by SAM.gov. Form ED-900P is no longer 
necessary because EDA has removed the requirement for a financial 
assistance applicant to submit a proposal prior to submitting a full 
application. By eliminating Forms ED-900A and ED-900P, EDA will reduce 
the estimated time per response to this information collection.
    EDA estimates that an increase in the number of respondents to this 
information collection will outweigh the reduced time per response for 
this information collection and result in an increase in estimated 
burden hours for this information collection. The recently enacted 
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117-2) appropriated 
$3,000,000,000 in supplemental funds to EDA to ``prevent, prepare for, 
and respond to coronavirus and for necessary expenses for responding to 
economic injury as a result of coronavirus.'' In comparison, EDA was 
appropriated $346,000,000 under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 
2021. This supplemental funding will substantially increase the number 
of respondents applying for EDA financial assistance and therefore 
required to complete the information collection. Although the proposed 
revision and extension of the information collection will reduce the 
estimated amount of time required to complete the information 
collection, the substantially increased number of respondents to this 
information collection will result in an increase in burden hours for 
this information collection.

II. Method of Collection

    EDA collects information from financial assistance applicants 
electronically through Grants.gov, or, in very rare instances, via 
email or paper submission.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0610-0094.
    Form Number(s): ED-900, ED-900B, ED-900C, ED-900D, ED-900E, ED-
900F.
    Type of Review: Revision and extension of a currently approved 
information collection.
    Affected Public: Entities eligible for EDA financial assistance, 
including not-for-profit entities; Federal, State, local, and Tribal 
governments; and businesses or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: For construction projects, 977 
estimated respondents, and for non-construction projects, 1,663 
estimated respondents, for a total of 2,640 estimated respondents.
    Estimated Time per Response: For construction projects, 43.0 
estimated hours per response, and for non-construction projects, 17.1 
estimated hours per response.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: For construction projects, 
42,011 estimated annual burden hours, and for non-construction 
projects, 28,437 estimated annual burden hours, for a total of 70,448 
estimated total annual burden hours.

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                                                                     Estimated
                        Application type                             number of     Average time     Total hours
                                                                     responses       estimate
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Full Application Submission for Construction Applicants.........             977            43.0          42,011
Full Application Submission All Other EDA Programs..............           1,663            17.1          28,437
                                                                 -----------------------------------------------
    Total.......................................................           2,640  ..............          70,448
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    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $4,065,554 (cost assumes 
application of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics fourth quarter 2020 mean 
hourly employer costs for employee compensation for professional and 
related occupations of $57.71).
    Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory.
    Legal Authority: The Public Works and Economic Development Act of 
1965 (42 U.S.C. 3121 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)

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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. 2021-11250 Filed 5-26-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-34-P