[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 84 (Tuesday, May 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 27591-27592]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-09256]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Departmental Offices (DO) Information Collection 
Request

AGENCY: Departmental Offices, U.S. Department of the Treasury.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of the Treasury, as part of its continuing 
effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general 
public and other Federal agencies to comment on revisions to an 
existing information collection, as required by the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995. The Office of the Fiscal Assistant Secretary, within the 
Department of the Treasury, is soliciting comments concerning the 
application, reports, and recordkeeping for the Direct Component and 
the Centers of Excellence Research Grants Programs under the Resources 
and Ecosystems Sustainability, Tourist Opportunities, and Revived 
Economies of the Gulf Coast States Act of 2012 (RESTORE Act). The 
information collection for which comments are solicited are already a 
part of the approved collection for RESTORE Act grants, including the 
two BABAA Waiver Request Forms, which implement the Build America, Buy 
America Act (``BABAA'').

DATES: Written comments must be received on or before July 3, 2023 to 
be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Send comments regarding the burden estimate, or any other 
aspect of the information collection, including suggestions for 
reducing the burden, by electronic mail to [email protected] in 
the Office of Gulf Coast Restoration.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Departmental Offices (DO)

    Title: Application, Reports, and Recordkeeping for the Direct 
Component and the Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program under 
the RESTORE Act.
    OMB Control Number: 1505-0250.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Description: The Department of the Treasury administers the Direct 
Component and the Centers of Excellence Research Grants Program 
authorized under the RESTORE Act. Treasury awards grants for these two 
programs from proceeds in connection with administrative and civil 
penalties paid after July 6, 2012, under the Federal Water Pollution 
Control Act relating to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and deposited 
into the Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund. Direct Component grants are 
awarded to the States of Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, 
and 23 Florida counties and 20 Louisiana parishes. Centers of 
Excellence grants are awarded to the States of Alabama, Florida, 
Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. The information collection for both 
programs identifies the eligible recipients; describes proposed 
activities; determines an appropriate amount of funding; ensures 
compliance with the RESTORE Act, Treasury's regulations,

[[Page 27592]]

and Federal laws and policies on grants; tracks grantee progress; and 
reports on the effectiveness of the programs.
    Section 70914(a) of BABAA prohibits Direct Component recipients 
(and subrecipients, as applicable) from using RESTORE Act funds to 
purchase foreign-sourced iron, steel, manufactured products, or 
construction materials unless Treasury approves a waiver pursuant to 
section 70914(b) of BABAA. On January 13, 2023, Treasury received 
emergency clearance from OMB to update the approved collection and add 
two new forms for recipients to submit requests to waive the new 
domestic preference requirements under BABAA. Treasury requested an 
emergency clearance for the forms to be completed by January 13, 2022, 
which was the expiration date of Treasury OGCR's six-month general 
applicability public interest adjustment period waiver and therefore 
was the effective date of BABAA requirements for RESTORE Act Direct 
Component program. The Agency was delayed in requesting the clearance 
from OIRA because the required waiver information that must be 
collected by agencies for cross-posting waivers to the GSA-managed Made 
in America Office (MIAO) website was finalized on December 8, 2022. 
Posting waivers on the centralized waiver transparency website is a 
requirement for federal agencies to be compliant with the 
implementation of BABAA. Treasury now seeks clearance through the 
normal 60-day public comment process for clearance under the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of the updated information collection as required by 5 
CFR 1320.8(d).
    Treasury has also made substantive changes to the Multiyear 
Implementation Plan Narrative Form through a consolidation of 
application questions to reduce requests for duplicative information 
and revised the requirements of the Milestones and Measures Application 
Form, Milestones Report and Status of Performance Report that reduces 
the burden on the applicant to demonstrate progress made to achieve the 
scope of work. No other changes to the information collection are 
proposed by Treasury at this time.
    The revised application forms and supplemental information may be 
obtained on Treasury's RESTORE Act website at https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-markets-financial-institutions-and-fiscal-service/restore-act.
    Form Number: None.
    Affected Public: State and local governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 52.
    Frequency of Response: On Occasion.
    Estimated Total Number of Annual Responses: 563.
    Estimated Time per Response: 11.2 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 6,310.
    Request for Comments: Comments submitted in response to this notice 
will be summarized and included in the request for Office of Management 
and Budget approval. All comments will become a matter of public 
record. Comments are invited on: (a) whether the collection of 
information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of 
the agency, including whether the information shall have practical 
utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, 
and clarity of the information to be collected; (d) ways to minimize 
the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including 
through the use of technology; and (e) estimates of capital or start-up 
costs and costs of operation, maintenance, and purchase of services 
required to provide information.
    Public Law 117-58, sec. 70901-52 included in the Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (``IIJA''), Public Law . 117-58 that was signed 
into law on November 15, 2021.
    Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.

Melody Braswell,
Treasury PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-09256 Filed 5-1-23; 8:45 am]
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