[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 125 (Thursday, June 30, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39111-39112]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-13964]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-6331-N-04]


Request for Information Relating to the Implementation of the 
Build America, Buy America Act; Extension of Public Comment Period

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development (HUD).

ACTION: Request for information; extension of public comment period.

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SUMMARY: Through today's notice, HUD announces that it is extending the 
public comment period on its ``Request for Information Relating to the 
Implementation of the Build America, Buy America Act,'' published in 
the Federal Register on June 1, 2022.

DATES: Comment Due Date: The comment due date of July 1, 2022, for

[[Page 39112]]

the Request for Information published on June 1, 2022, at 87 FR 33193, 
is extended to July 15, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments responsive 
to this Request for Information to the Regulations Division, Office of 
General Counsel, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Room 10276, Washington, DC 20410-0500. Communications must 
refer to the above docket number and title. There are two methods for 
submitting public comments. All submissions must refer to the above 
docket number and title.
    1. Submission of Comments by Mail. Comments may be submitted by 
mail to the Regulations Division, Office of General Counsel, Department 
of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 10276, 
Washington, DC 20410-0500.
    2. Electronic Submission of Comments. Interested persons may submit 
comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 
http://www.regulations.gov. HUD strongly encourages commenters to 
submit their feedback and recommendations electronically. Electronic 
submission of comments allows the commenter maximum time to prepare and 
submit a response, ensures timely receipt by HUD, and enables HUD to 
make comments immediately available to the public. Comments submitted 
electronically through the http://www.regulations.gov website can be 
viewed by other commenters and interested members of the public. 
Commenters should follow the instructions provided on that site to 
submit comments electronically.

    Note:  To receive consideration as public comments, responses 
must be submitted through one of the two methods specified above. It 
is not acceptable to submit comments by facsimile (fax) or 
electronic mail. Again, all submissions must refer to the docket 
number and title of the notice.

    Public Inspection of Public Comments. All properly submitted 
comments and communications submitted to HUD will be available for 
public inspection and downloading at http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Contact Pamela Blumenthal, Office of 
Policy Development and Research, Department of Housing and Urban 
Development, 451 7th Street SW, Room 8138, Washington, DC 20410-0500; 
telephone number 202-402-7012 (this is not a toll-free number). Persons 
with hearing or speech impairments may access this number through TTY 
by calling the Federal Relay Service at 800-877-8339 (this is a toll-
free number).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Build America, Buy America Act (the Act) 
was enacted on November 15, 2021, as part of the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Public Law 117-58. The Act establishes 
a domestic content procurement preference (the ``Buy American 
Preference,'' or ``BAP'') that applies to HUD's Federal financial 
assistance for Federal infrastructure programs. On June 1, 2022, HUD 
published a Request for Information (RFI) in the Federal Register to 
seek public input on the implementation of the Build America, Buy 
America Act (the Act) as it applies to HUD's Federal Financial 
Assistance. 87 FR 33193.
    The RFI specifically sought input on the potential documentation 
and information collection necessary to estimate the information 
collection burden and assist HUD in the development of a Paperwork 
Reduction Act (PRA) package associated with a proposed general 
applicability waiver to the Act's BAP that HUD published on April 29, 
2022. 87 FR 26219. In this waiver notice, HUD stated that recipients of 
Federal Financial Assistance from HUD are unfamiliar with the BAP and 
additional information collection requirements, as HUD's programs have 
not previously been subject to a similar Buy American preference. Thus, 
HUD found a general applicability waiver of the BAP to be in the public 
interest until HUD had the opportunity to fully review public comments 
on how to effectively reduce the burden on the public arising from 
information collection necessary to implement the Act.
    Though not directly related to the June 1, 2022, RFI, HUD published 
a second proposed general applicability waiver of the BAP to HUD's 
Federal Financial Assistance awards for Tribes, Tribally Designated 
Housing Entities (TDHEs), and other Tribal Entities. 87 FR 26221. As 
provided in that notice, given that the BAP is new to HUD's Federal 
Financial Assistance directed to Tribes, TDHEs, and other Tribal 
Entities and the potential impact of the BAP on Tribal recipients, HUD 
found it would counter to the public interest to apply the BAP prior to 
completion of the Tribal consultation process. A general applicability 
waiver would provide the Department with sufficient time to comply with 
HUD's Tribal consultation process in recognition of Tribes' right to 
self-government and to inform a tailored implementation for Tribal 
recipients.
    HUD's June 1, 2022, RFI established a comment due date of July 1, 
2022. HUD has determined that an extension of the deadline would 
provide the time needed for HUD Federal Financial Assistance 
recipients; Federal, State, local, and Tribal government officials; and 
relevant stakeholders to submit comments and provide the specific 
information requested. Therefore, HUD is announcing through this notice 
an extended public comment period, for an additional 14-day period, to 
July 15, 2022.

Marcia L. Fudge,
Secretary.
[FR Doc. 2022-13964 Filed 6-29-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P