[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 70 (Wednesday, April 12, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22010-22011]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-07611]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; CHIPS Pre-Application Information Collection.

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
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

[[Page 22011]]

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 June 12, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by 
email to Nina Argent, Management Analyst, National Institute of 
Standards and Technology, at [email protected]. Please reference OMB 
Control Number 0693-0095 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 Cierra Bean, Business Operations Analyst, CHIPS Program Office, 
[email protected], (202) 815-2677.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    The CHIPS Incentives Program is authorized by Title XCIX--Creating 
Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America of the William 
M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 
2021 (Pub. L. 116-283, referred to as the CHIPS Act or Act), as amended 
by the CHIPS Act of 2022 (Division A of Pub. L. 117-167). The CHIPS 
Incentives Program is administered by the CHIPS Program Office (CPO) 
within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the 
United States Department of Commerce (Department). Businesses and other 
entities applying for CHIPS Act funding under the CHIPS Incentive 
Program may, but are not required to, submit a pre-application via a 
form available at https://applications.chips.gov/ to obtain feedback 
before submitting a full application. The pre-application phase creates 
an opportunity for dialogue between the Department of Commerce and the 
applicant to ensure the applicant is ready to meet program requirements 
and address program priorities.
    Information to be collected includes:
     A Cover Page with general contact and project information;
     A Project Plan that describes each project expected to be 
included in the future full application. The project plan should 
explain how each project satisfies the program description and the 
evaluation criteria in the CHIPS Incentive Program--Commercial 
Fabrication Facilities Notice of Funding Opportunity;
     Financial Information summarizing financial information 
for the applicant and the project(s), as well as a detailed sources and 
uses of funds, including overview of CHIPS incentive request;
     Workforce Development Information describing the 
applicant's approach to recruit, train, and retain a diverse and 
skilled set of workers to fill the good jobs that will be created to 
operate its semiconductor facilities.

II. Method of Collection

    Applications must be submitted electronically at https://applications.chips.gov/. The Pre-application will include basic contact 
information, picklists, cost estimates, and brief project narratives. 
Some of the submissions will be entered into fields within the web-
based form. Some of the information will be document uploads into the 
system by the respondent. The method was chosen to reduce applicant 
burden by eliminating redundant entries to the greatest extent possible 
and consolidating entries into one online form.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0693-0095.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission.
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 140.
    Estimated Time per Response: 60 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 8,400 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $397,488.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: CHIPS Act of 2022 (Division A of Pub. L. 117-167) 
(the Act).

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) 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 Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-07611 Filed 4-11-23; 8:45 am]
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