[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 106 (Thursday, June 2, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33579-33580]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-11835]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. OST 2022-0014]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Request for 
New Information Collection

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The OST invites public comments about our intention to request 
the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval to submit one 
information collection, which is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal 
Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by August 1, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by Docket ID OST 2022-
0014 by any of the following methods:
    Website: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of Transportation, West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Tara Lanigan ([email protected]), 
Department of Transportation, Office of the Secretary of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Office 
hours are from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation 
(SMART) Grant Program.
    OMB Control Number: Not applicable; this is a new collection.
    Summary: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL, also known as the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), enacted on November 15, 2021 
provides for significant investments in America's transportation 
infrastructure. A key program of the legislation is the Strengthening 
and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant Program ($100 million 
per year), under which ``the Secretary shall provide grants to eligible 
entities to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart 
city or community technologies and systems in a variety of communities 
to improve transportation efficiency and safety'' (BIL Sec.  25005; 23 
U.S.C. 502(b)). More specifically, SMART Grants may be used to carry 
out a project that demonstrates at least one of the following:

 Coordinated Automation
 Connected Vehicles
 Systems Integration
 Commerce Delivery and Logistics
 Leveraging Use of Innovative Aviation Technology
 Smart Grid
 Smart Technology Traffic Signals

    For this competitive grant program, the Office of the Secretary 
will issue a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that describes the 
requirements of the SMART Grant program, including the criteria that 
will be used to evaluate applications. The NOFO will provide a 
description of the application requirements. All eligible entities must 
submit a completed application in order to be considered for a grant 
award.
    The applicants who are selected for a grant (i.e., the grantees) 
will have additional reporting requirements associated with their SMART 
grant, outlined below.
     Annual Implementation Reports. These annual reports 
document project progress in meeting its goals. The first report is 
submitted not later than 2 years after the date on which the SMART 
grant is received and annually thereafter until the date on which the 
SMART grant is expended.
    [cir] The Final Implementation Report will demonstrate how the 
deployment and operational costs of the project compared to the 
benefits and savings; the means by which each project has met its 
original expectation, including data findings on the impacts of the 
project (e.g., safety, mobility, access, system efficiency, etc.) and 
lessons learned.
     Evaluation Plan. The evaluation plan describes how the 
project will be evaluated, including the anticipated impacts of the 
project (e.g., goals), the methods that will be used to measure those 
impacts, and the performance measures.
     Data Management Plan. The data management plan provides 
more detailed information on the types of data being collected by the 
grantee and

[[Page 33580]]

how that data will be managed and stored (e.g., how privacy is 
protected, the entities that have access to the data, etc.).
     Quarterly Progress Reports. The Quarterly progress reports 
provide status updates, including activities accomplished during the 
quarter, financial and schedule reporting, and anticipated activities 
for the next quarter (among other updates, such as any project 
challenges).
    Respondents: Eligible entities that may apply for the grant include 
States, political subdivisions of a State, Tribal governments, public 
transit agencies or authorities, public toll authorities, metropolitan 
planning organizations; and groups of 2 or more eligible entities 
applying through a single lead applicant.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: The estimated annual 
reporting burden per response is 100 hours for each entity that submits 
an application. For the subset of applicants who are selected to 
receive a grant, they have an additional estimated 62 hours of average 
annual burden associated with the grant award.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: The estimated total annual burden 
for the grant applicants (approximately 80 applicants per year) is 
8,000 hours. The subset of applicants who receive an award 
(approximately 25 grantees per year) will have an additional total 
average annual burden of 1,550 hours. The table below illustrates how 
the estimated total annual burden was calculated.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                             Estimated
                                    Calculation  (annual   total annual
                                       # respondents x        burden
                                       annual # hours)        (hours)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Application Stage.................  80 respondents x 100          8, 000
                                     hours each.
Grant Stage.......................  25 respondents x 62            1,550
                                     hours each.
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Public Comments Invited

    You are asked to comment on any aspect of these information 
collections, including: (1) Whether the proposed collections are 
necessary for the OST's performance; (2) the accuracy of the estimated 
burdens; (3) ways for the OST to enhance the quality, usefulness, and 
clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that the burdens 
could be minimized, including use of electronic technology, without 
reducing the quality of the collected information. The agency will 
summarize and/or include your comments in the request for OMB's 
clearance of these information collections.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Ch. 35, 
as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued on: May 27, 2022.
Michael Howell,
Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-11835 Filed 6-1-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-22-P