[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 159 (Thursday, August 18, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50921-50922]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-17735]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2022-0082]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Technical Assistance 
PRA; Emergency Approval

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

ACTION: Emergency clearance notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Office of the Secretary (OST), Department of 
Transportation (DOT) invites public comments about our intention to 
request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for an 
emergency approval of a proposed information collection, for

[[Page 50922]]

the DOT Technical Assistance PRA, 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 29, 2022.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments within 10 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. 
All comments received are part of the public record. Comments will 
generally be posted without change. All comments should include the 
Docket number DOT-OST-2022-0082.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Please email 
[email protected] or contact Victor Austin at 202-366-2996. 
Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday, 
except for Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: DOT Technical Assistance PRA.
    Background: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) enacted as the 
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (H.R. 3684, Pub. L. 117-
58, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or BIL) created 
several new programs at the US Department of Transportation (DOT) that 
allow local governments, non-profit organizations, tribal governments, 
and other political subdivisions of state or local governments to apply 
directly for DOT discretionary grant funding. In response to President 
Biden's Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for 
Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government and Executive 
Order 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. DOT has 
included criteria in its notices of funding opportunity to prioritize 
the needs of disadvantaged communities for many of these new programs.
    The Thriving Communities Initiative will include programs by which 
DOT will utilize cooperative agreements and procurements with technical 
assistance and capacity building providers to support communities 
seeking to advance transformative, equitable, and climate-friendly 
infrastructure projects that benefit disadvantaged communities. 
Specifically, these include the Thriving Communities program, the Rural 
and Tribal Infrastructure Assistance Pilot Program (see Sec.  21205 of 
Pub. L. 117-58), and Asset Concession and Innovative Finance Assistance 
Program (see 23 U.S.C. 611 as amended by Sec.  71001 of Pub. L. 117-
58).
    DOT will utilize a Letter of Interest (LOI) or using a simplified 
in-take form from communities interested in receiving technical 
assistance and capacity building through these programs. Technical 
assistance and capacity building is offered by the Government at no 
charge and with no required non-federal share.
    Establishment of the program has two distinct tasks: (a) 
contracting of technical assistance advisors through a Notice of 
Funding Opportunity (NOFO) or existing procurement vehicles; and (b) 
recruitment of project sponsors who will receive technical assistance 
services. Responding to both will occur on a voluntary basis, utilizing 
an electronic platform.
    For item A, eligible applicants to provide technical assistance 
through the Thriving Communities program will request cooperative 
agreement funding through an application process in response to a 
published NOFO. The application is planned as a one-time information 
collection. DOT estimates that it will take approximately 20 hours to 
complete the NOFO application process used to select capacity builders 
under the Thriving Communities program. DOT estimates the recipients of 
Thriving Communities program funding will spend another 4 hours, 
annually, submitting post-award reports. In addition, reporting 
requirements will be submitted by the select capacity building 
providers and technical assistance recipients during the 
implementation, and evaluation phases.
    For the Rural and Tribal Infrastructure Assistance Pilot Program 
and Asset Concession and Innovative Finance Assistance Program, 
advisors and technical assistance providers will be contracted using 
existing procurement vehicles. Estimated time required for these 
programs will be 4 hours annually.
    For item B, the intake form to be used by communities seeking 
technical assistance is estimated to take no more than 1 hour to 
complete. Recipients of technical assistance support are estimated to 
spend no more than 2 hours annually providing evaluation metrics.
    Respondents to Item A (technical assistance providers): for-profit 
companies, non-profit organizations, or other technical assistance 
providers.
    Respondents to Item B (requestors of technical assistance): 
philanthropic entities, non-profit organizations, other Federal 
agencies, state or local governments and their agencies, and Indian 
Tribes.
    Frequency: Once a year.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: Approximately 24 hours for 
applicants to complete the application process and reporting 
requirements and an estimated 30 applicants. Approximately seven hours 
to complete the in-take form and evaluation metrics and an estimated 20 
project sponsors.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Approximately 860 hours.
    Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of 
this information collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed 
collection is necessary for the DOT's performance; (2) the accuracy of 
the estimated burdens; (3) ways for the DOT 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 
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 this information collection.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter 
35, as amended; 23 U.S.C. 134 and 135; and 23 CFR chapter 1, subchapter 
E, part 450.

    Dated: August 12, 2022.
Mariia Zimmerman,
Strategic Advisor for Technical Assistance and Community Solutions 
Office of the Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2022-17735 Filed 8-17-22; 8:45 am]
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