[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 172 (Thursday, September 7, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61580-61581]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-19347]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Proposed Emergency Information Collection

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) Grid Deployment Office (GDO) 
invites public comment on a proposed emergency collection of 
information that DOE is developing for submission to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.

DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be 
received on or before October 10, 2023. If you anticipate that you will 
be submitting comments but find it difficult to do so within the period 
allowed by this notice, please advise the OMB Desk Officer of your 
intention to make a submission as soon as possible. The Desk Officer 
may be telephoned at (202) 395-4718.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aisha Miranda Rivera, [email protected], (240) 429-5213.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the 
extended 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 proposed collection of 
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions 
used; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    This information collection request contains:
    (1) OMB No.:1910-NEW;
    (2) Information Collection Request Title: Puerto Rico Energy 
Resiliency Fund (PR-ERF), Solar Ambassador Household Intake Form;
    (3) Type of Request: Emergency Clearance;
    (4) Purpose: To authorize the use of the `Solar Ambassador 
Household Intake Form' to collect homeowner data necessary to qualify 
households as eligible to receive rooftop solar and battery storage 
installations as prescribed under the GDO Puerto Rico Energy Resiliency 
Fund (PR-ERF). Eligibility is limited to very low-income, single-family 
households (1) where an individual with an energy dependent disability 
resides; or (2) located in a Last Mile Community.\1\ This will be a 
one-time collection occurring over the course of 6-months.
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    \1\ A census block that (a) has a high percent of very low-
income households, and (b) experiences frequent and prolonged power 
outages. Solar Ambassador organizations will perform outreach 
activities in Last Mile Communities to identify qualifying 
households.
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    Pursuant to the OMB procedures established in 5 CFR part 1320, 
Controlling Paperwork Burdens on the Public, the DOE GDO, is requesting 
that the proposed information of collection, Solar Ambassador Household 
Intake Form, be processed as an Emergency Clearance Information 
Collection Request (ICR) as referenced in 5 CFR 1320.13, Emergency 
Processing. DOE has determined that the information must be collected 
prior to the time periods established under Part 1320 of the 
regulation, and that this information is essential to GDO's 
implementation of the PR-ERF.
    The PR-ERF, a $1 billion initiative authorized by Congress under 
the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, Public Law 117-328, will 
incentivize the installation of rooftop solar and battery storage 
technologies for eligible households.
    According to information collected from LUMA, the grid operator of 
Puerto Rico, there have been 54 load shedding events (power outages 
caused by insufficient ability to generate electricity) in Puerto Rico 
during the last two and a half months. These power outages occur when 
customer demand for electricity exceeds the capacity of Puerto Rico's 
electric generation fleet. This is expected to continue as power plant 
maintenance schedules and associated high-priority repairs from 
Hurricane Fiona in September 2022 have been postponed due to the need 
to use all existing power capacity.
    These daily outages in addition to recent record-breaking 
temperatures on the island (in the midst of hurricane season) are a 
combination of long-term damaging effects that affect the citizens of 
Puerto Rico, representing a public harm, specifically for individuals 
with an energy dependent disability or residents of areas that suffer 
frequent and prolonged power outages. By initiating installations of 
solar PV and battery storage systems before the 2024 hurricane season, 
DOE plans to address the harm and risk represented by the fragility of 
the islands' power system. Failure to collect the information 
immediately would cause delays in providing assistance that is 
necessary to reestablish the reliability of electric service to these 
vulnerable residents. GDO developed an in-person application process 
recognizing that the demographic served will lack access to broadband 
and have limited mobility but that it is essential to program operation 
to verify beneficiary eligibility for participation in the program. 
This process is currently envisioned to be facilitated by competitively 
selected Community Based Organizations (CBOs) but other entities such 
as electric cooperatives and solar installers may also contribute 
depending on program execution needs.
    (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 40,200;
    (6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 80,000;
    (7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 56,800;
    (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: 
$845,520.
    Statutory Authority: The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, 
Public Law

[[Page 61581]]

117-328, authorized $1,000,000,000 to the Secretary of Energy to carry 
out activities to improve the resilience of the Puerto Rican electric 
grid by installation of renewable energy, energy storage, and other 
grid technologies, with a focus on the island's most vulnerable and 
disadvantaged households and communities. The need for a diligent 
eligibility verification process is necessary to demonstrate to 
Congress, Senior Leadership, and the public that these specific 
communities have been served.

Signing Authority

    This document of the Department of Energy was signed on August 18, 
2023, by Maria D. Robinson, Director, Grid Deployment Office, pursuant 
to delegated authority from the Secretary of Energy. That document with 
the original signature and date is maintained by DOE. For 
administrative purposes only, and in compliance with requirements of 
the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned DOE Federal 
Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to sign and submit the 
document in electronic format for publication, as an official document 
of the Department of Energy. This administrative process in no way 
alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the 
Federal Register.

    Signed in Washington, DC, on September 1, 2023.
Treena V. Garrett,
Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.
[FR Doc. 2023-19347 Filed 9-6-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P