[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 171 (Wednesday, September 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61007-61010]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19175]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2023-0063]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Approval of Information 
Collection

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

ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Transportation (DOT) invites public comments 
on our intention to request Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
approval for an information collection in accordance with the

[[Page 61008]]

requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This collection is 
necessary for administration of the Reconnecting Communities (RCP) and 
Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Discretionary Grant Programs and 
funding opportunities. Together, these programs are known as 
``Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN)'' in the combined 
NOFO. RCN provides federal financial assistance for surface 
transportation infrastructure projects. Through RCP, this includes 
removing, retrofitting, or mitigating transportation facilities such as 
highways and rail lines that create barriers to community connectivity 
including to mobility, access, or economic development. Through NAE, 
this includes the RCP eligibilities, with the further ability to reduce 
burdens such as GHG emissions, hot spot areas, gaps in tree canopy 
coverage, and other natural environment concerns.

DATES: Written comments should be submitted by November 6, 2023.

ADDRESSES: To ensure that you do not duplicate your docket submissions, 
please submit them by only one of the following means:
     Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
     Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, West Building Ground Floor, 
Room W12-140, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
     Hand Delivery: West Building Ground Floor, Room W-12-140, 
1200 New Jersey Ave. SE, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone number is 202-366-9329.
    Instructions: To ensure proper docketing of your comment, please 
include the agency name and docket number [DOT-OST-2023-0063] at the 
beginning of your comments. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further information regarding this 
notice, please contact the Office of the Secretary via email at 
[email protected] or contact Andrew Emanuele at 
[email protected] or 202-366-0622. A TDD is available for 
individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing at 202-366-3993.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: New Collection. OMB number will be issued 
after the collection is approved.
    Title: Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program and Neighborhood 
Access and Equity Program (Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods 
(RCN) Discretionary Grants.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Type of Review: New Information Collection Request (ICR).
    Background: The Office of the Secretary (``OST'') within the 
Department of Transportation (DOT) provides financial assistance for 
surface transportation infrastructure projects--including removing, 
retrofitting, or mitigating transportation facilities such as highways 
and rail lines that create barriers to community connectivity including 
to mobility, access, or economic development. The Infrastructure 
Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58, November 15, 2021) (Bipartisan 
Infrastructure Law, or BIL) provided funds to the Department to invest 
in planning and capital construction grants to reduce transportation 
barriers: the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, found under 
section 11509 of division A. The Inflation Reduction Act (Pub. L. 117-
169, August 16, 2022) (IRA) provided funds to the Department for the 
NAE to invest in planning and construction grants to improve the 
walkability, safety, and provide affordable access: the Neighborhood 
Access & Equity grant program, found at 23 U.S.C. 177: To help 
streamline the process for applicants, the Department has combined the 
applications for the RCP and NAE programs into the RCN common 
application.
    The DOT combined these two programs into one single Notice of 
Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to provide a more efficient application 
process for project sponsors. While they remain separate programs for 
the purposes of award, the programs share many common characteristics. 
Because of these shared characteristics, it is possible for many 
projects to be eligible and considered for multiple programs using a 
single application.
    This notice seeks comments on the proposed information collection, 
which will collect information necessary to support the ongoing 
oversight and administration of previous awards, a Letter of Intent 
screening tool, the evaluation and selection of new applications, the 
funding agreement negotiation stage for new awards, and the evaluation 
of the programs. The reporting requirements for the program is as 
follows:
    Prior to applying, a project sponsor may fill out a ``Letter of 
Intent'' screening tool to help determine eligibility for one or both 
programs within the RCN NOFO or help direct them to a more appropriate 
grant program.
    To be considered to receive an RCN grant, a project sponsor must 
submit an application to DOT containing a project narrative, as 
detailed in the NOFO. The project narrative should include the 
information necessary for the Department to determine that the project 
satisfies eligibility requirements as warranted by law.
    After the award announcement the Department will send out a 
voluntary survey to all applicants and webinar participants to help 
evaluate the application process.
    Following the announcement of a funding award, the recipient and 
DOT will negotiate and sign a funding agreement with awardees. In the 
agreement, the recipient must describe the project that DOT agreed to 
fund, which is the project that was described in the RCN application or 
a reduced-scope version of that project. The agreement also includes 
project schedule milestones, a budget, and project-related climate 
change, equity, and workforce planning and policies.
    During the project monitoring stage, grantees will submit reports 
on the financial condition of the project and the project's progress. 
Grantees will submit progress and monitoring reports to the Government 
on a quarterly basis until completion of the project. The progress 
reports will include an SF-425, Federal Financial Report, and other 
information determined by the administering DOT Operating 
Administration. This information will be used to monitor grantees' use 
of Federal funds, ensuring accountability and financial transparency in 
the RCN programs.
    For Post Construction Reporting, the DOT will evaluate the program 
for recipients of capital construction grants and include the outcomes 
and impacts of the highway removal project, The report will document 
any changes in the overall level of mobility, congestion, access, and 
safety in the project area, and environmental impacts and economic 
development opportunities in the project area. Performance reporting 
continues for several years after project construction is completed in 
which DOT will not provide grant funding specifically for performance 
reporting.
    For the purposes of estimating the information collection burden 
below for new applicants and awardees, the Department is assuming that 
for each year 2023-2025, the Department will review approximately 1,000 
applications and negotiate 100 funding agreements. Quarterly project

[[Page 61009]]

monitoring will also exist for the 45 RCP projects awarded in FY22. For 
a detailed breakdown of burden hours, please see Table 1.

                                                                                             Table 1
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                                                                            Year 1 (2023)                          Year 2 (2024)                          Year 3 (2025)
                          Respondent                           ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Total hrs.
                                                                     #           Hrs.        Freq.          #           Hrs.        Freq.          #           Hrs.        Freq.
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Letter of Intent..............................................          600          0.5            1  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........          300
Applicants....................................................        1,000          100            1  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........      100,000
Survey........................................................          700          0.5            1  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........          350
Awardee Funding Agreements....................................  ...........  ...........  ...........          100            6            1  ...........  ...........  ...........          600
Quarterly Monitoring (2022)...................................           45            5            4  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........          900
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Letter of Intent..............................................  ...........  ...........  ...........          600          0.5            1  ...........  ...........  ...........          300
Applicants....................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........        1,000          100            1  ...........  ...........  ...........      100,000
Survey........................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........          700          0.5            1  ...........  ...........  ...........          350
Awardee Funding Agreements....................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........          100            6            1          600
Quarterly Monitoring (2022 & 2023)............................  ...........  ...........  ...........          145            5            4  ...........  ...........  ...........        2,900
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Letter of Intent..............................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........          250          0.5            1          125
Applicants....................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........          435          100            1       43,500
Survey........................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........          300          0.5            1          150
Awardee Funding Agreements....................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........
Quarterly Monitoring (2022, 2023, 2024).......................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........          245            5            4        4,900
                                                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
    Grand Total...............................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........      254,975
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    The Department's estimated burden for this information collection 
is the following:

For Letter of Intent Screening Tool

    Expected Number of Respondents: Approximately 600 in Year 1 and 2. 
DOT expects 250 in Year 3 with depletion of NAE funding by then, 
reducing those using the tool.
    Frequency: Once.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: .5 hours.

For New Applications

    Expected Number of Respondents: Approximately 1,000 in Year 1 and 
2. 435 are expected for Year 3 with depletion of NAE funding.
    Frequency: Once.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 100 hours for each new 
Application;

For Program Evaluation (Survey)

    Expected Number of Respondents: Approximately 700 in Year 1 and 2. 
300 in Year 3.
    Frequency: Once.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 0.5 hours for each 
application;

For Funding Agreements

    Expected Number of Respondents: Approximately 100 in Year 1 and 2.
    Frequency: Once.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 6 hours for each new Funding 
Agreement;

For Quarterly Project Monitoring

    Expected Number of Respondents: Approximately 45 in Year 1. 100 in 
Year 2 and Year 3.
    Frequency: Quarterly.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 5 hours for each request for 
Quarterly Progress and Monitoring Report;

For Post-Construction Project Monitoring

    Because RCN expect no projects to complete construction by 2025, 
post-construction monitoring hours and cost are not computed in this 
document.

Estimated Total 3-Year Burden on Respondents: 254,975 Hours

 Letter of Intent [825 hrs]
 New Applicants [242,000 hrs]
 Survey [850 hrs]
 New Awardee Funding Agreements [1,200 hrs]
 Prior Awardee Quarterly Project Monitoring [8,700]

    The following is detailed information and instructions regarding 
the specific reporting requirements for each report identified above:

Letter of Intent Screening Stage

    To help applicants determine their eligiblity for the RCN combined 
grant opportunity, OST will develop and use the ``Letter of Intent'' 
tool to help applicants determine eligiblity for the programs or what 
application materials they may be missing. The Letter of Intent 
screening tool will save potential applicants hundreds of hours of 
application development time if the project has a ``fatal flaw'' that 
would render it ineligible. The Letter of Intent tool will consist of 
10-20 questions and takes .5 hrs to fill out.

Application Stage

    To be considered to receive a RCN grant, a project sponsor must 
apply to DOT containing a project narrative, as detailed in the NOFO. 
The project narrative should include the information necessary for the 
Department to determine that the project satisfies eligibility 
requirements.
    Applications must be submitted through www.valideval.com. 
Instructions for submitting Planning or Capital applications can be 
found at https://usg.valideval.com/teams/rcn_planning/signup or https://usg.valideval.com/teams/rcn_captialconstruction/signup, respectively. 
The application must

[[Page 61010]]

include the Standard Form 424 (Application for Federal Assistance), 
Standard Form 424C (Budget Information for Construction Programs), 
cover page, and the Project Narrative.
    The application should include a table of contents, maps, and 
graphics, as appropriate, to make the information easier to review. The 
Department recommends that the application be prepared with standard 
formatting preferences (i.e., a single-spaced document, using a 
standard 12-point font such as Times New Roman, with 1-inch margins). 
The only substantive portions that may exceed the page limit are 
documents supporting assertions or conclusions made in the project 
narrative. If possible, website links to supporting documentation 
should be provided rather than copies of these supporting materials. If 
supporting documents are submitted, applicants should clearly identify 
within the project narrative the relevant portion of the project 
narrative that each supporting document supports. At the applicant's 
discretion, relevant materials provided previously to a modal 
administration in support of a different USDOT financial assistance 
program may be referenced and described as unchanged.
    OST estimates that it takes approximately 100 person-hours to 
compile an application package for a RCN application. Since OST expects 
to receive 1000 applications per funding round, the total hours 
required are estimated to be 50,00 hours (100 hours x 1,000 
applications = 100,000 hours) on a one-time basis, per funding round.

Program Evaluation Stage (Survey)

    To understand the RCN grant process from the applicant's point of 
view, OST plans to send out a survey after all award decisions have 
been made. This survey will go to all applicants, both successful and 
unsuccessful, and will take approximately .5 hours to complete.

Funding Agreement Stage

    DOT enters a funding agreement with each recipient. In the 
agreement, the recipient describes the project that DOT agreed to fund, 
which is typically the project that was described in the RCN 
application or a reduced-scope version of that project. The agreement 
also includes a project schedule, budget, and project related climate 
change and equity planning and policies.
    OST estimates that it takes approximately 6 person-hours to respond 
to provide the information necessary for funding agreements. Based on 
previous rounds of RCN awards, OST estimates that there will likely be 
100 agreements negotiated per additional funding round. The total hours 
required are estimated to be 600 (6 hours x 100 agreements = 600 hours) 
on a one-time basis, per funding round.

Project Monitoring Stage

    OST requires each recipient to submit quarterly reports during the 
project to ensure the proper and timely expenditure of federal funds 
under the grant.
    The requirements comply with 2 CFR part 200 and are restated in the 
funding agreement. During the project monitoring stage, the grantee 
will complete Quarterly Progress Reports to allow DOT to monitor the 
project budget and schedule.
    OST estimates that it takes approximately 5 person-hours to develop 
and submit a quarterly progress report. OST awarded 45 recipients and 
awardees in 2022. OST expects approximately 100 projects to be awarded 
per funding round.

Post Construction Monitoring Stage

    For Post Construction Reporting, the DOT will evaluate the program 
for recipients of capital construction grants and include the outcomes 
and impacts of the highway removal project, The report will document 
any changes in the overall level of mobility, congestion, access, and 
safety in the project area, and environmental impacts and economic 
development opportunities in the project area. Because RCN expect no 
projects to complete construction by 2025, post-construction monitoring 
hours and cost are not computed in this document.
    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. Chapter 
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1:48.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on August 31st, 2023.
John Augustine,
Director of the Office of Infrastructure Finance and Innovation, Office 
of the Under Secretary for Transportation Policy.
[FR Doc. 2023-19175 Filed 9-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910-9X-P