[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 152 (Tuesday, August 9, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48557-48558]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17037]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary of Transportation

[Docket No. OST-2022-0021]


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

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

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The OST has forwarded the information collection request 
described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for approval of a new information collection. We published a Federal 
Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this information 
collection on June 2, 2022. We are required to publish this notice in 
the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by September 8, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments within 30 days to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
725 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20503, Attention DOT Desk Officer. 
You are asked to comment on any aspect of this information collection, 
including: (1) Whether the proposed collection is necessary for the 
OST's performance; (2) the accuracy of the estimated burden; (3) ways 
for the OST to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity of the 
collected information; and (4) ways that the burden could be minimized, 
including the use of electronic

[[Page 48558]]

technology, without reducing the quality of the collected information. 
All comments should include the Docket number OST-2022-0021.

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 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation 
(SMART) Grant Program.
    Background: 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 for a period of five years), 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

    This competitive grant program is comprised of two separate stages. 
For Stage 1, the Office of the Secretary (OST) 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 Stage 1 grant award. More specifically, 
the applicants who are selected for a Stage 1 grant (i.e., the 
recipients) will develop a plan or prototype of their project. Only 
Stage 1 grantees will be eligible to apply for a Stage 2 grant that 
will provide funding to more broadly demonstrate their project. 
Separate agreements for Stage 1 and Stage 2 will outline the schedule, 
budget and all activities and deliverables. Additional reporting 
requirements associated with their SMART grant are outlined below.
     Annual Implementation Reports. These annual reports 
document project progress in meeting its goals. The Reports must 
demonstrate how the deployment and operational costs of the project 
compare to the benefits and savings; the means by which each project is 
meeting its original expectation, including data findings on the 
impacts of the project (e.g., safety, mobility, access, system 
efficiency, etc.) and lessons learned. A Final Implementation Report 
will include final findings related to project benefits, costs and 
impacts.
     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 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 for SMART grants include (A) a 
State; (B) a political subdivision of a State; (C) a Tribal government; 
(D) a public transit agency or authority; (E) a public toll authority; 
(F) a metropolitan planning organization; and (G) a group of 2 or more 
eligible entities described in (A) through (F) applying through a 
single lead applicant.
    The anticipated annual number of applicants is 120, and the 
anticipated annual number of recipients is 40 (on average).
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: The estimated average 
reporting burden will vary by stage, as follows (Please note that a new 
``cohort'' is anticipated each year of the Information Collection (IC), 
and the calculations below are for a single cohort):

 Application Stage 1: On average, 100 hours per applicant per 
cohort
 Grant Stage (one-time per cohort): 149 hours per recipient per 
cohort
 Grant Stage (ongoing across the IC): 50 hours per recipient 
per year per cohort

    Estimated Total Annual Burden: The estimated total annual burden 
per cohort is calculated as:

 Stage 1 applicants: 12,000 hours per cohort (120 applicants x 
100 hours/application).
 Grant Stage (one-time burden): 5,960 hours per cohort (40 
recipients x 149 hours)
 Grant Stage (ongoing burden during IC): 2,000 hours per cohort 
(40 recipients x 50 hours)

    Electronic Access: For access to the docket to read background 
documents or comments received, go to http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the online instructions for accessing the dockets.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.

     Issued on: August 3, 2022.
Daniel Morgan,
Assistant Chief Information Officer for Data Services and Chief Data 
Officer.
[FR Doc. 2022-17037 Filed 8-8-22; 8:45 am]
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