[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 206 (Thursday, October 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73618-73620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23688]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

[S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000 2451S180110; S2D2S SS08011000 SX064A000 
24XS501520; OMB Control Number 1029-0059]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Grants to States and 
Tribes

AGENCY: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE), are 
proposing to renew an information collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
November 27, 2023.

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 particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Please 
provide a copy

[[Page 73619]]

of your comments to Mark Gehlhar, Office of Surface Mining Reclamation 
and Enforcement, 1849 C Street NW, Room 4556-MIB, Washington, DC 20240, 
or by email to [email protected]. Please reference OMB Control Number 
1029-0059 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Mark Gehlhar by email at [email protected], or 
by telephone at (202) 208-2716. Individuals in the United States who 
are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may 
dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay 
services. Individuals outside the United States should use the relay 
services offered within their country to make international calls to 
the point-of-contact in the United States. You may also view the ICR at 
http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA; 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we 
provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an 
opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing 
collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our 
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting 
burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection 
requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
October 18, 2022 (87 FR 63088). Comments were received from 14 entities 
primarily from respondents applying for grants. Among the most common 
concerns were requiring list of projects to be funded at the time of 
application and a description of how projects were prioritized and 
selected. This was deemed unnecessary by commenters since such lists 
would be tentative at the time and likely to change during subsequent 
stages of the approval process. Commenters added that changes in the 
list would require formal amendments, increasing administrative burden 
unnecessarily. OSMRE revised this requirement requesting lists of 
eligible problem area descriptions currently inventoried to satisfy the 
requirement at the initial application stage.
    Commenters were opposed to applicants providing detailed 
information on contractor hirings at the time of application because 
AML project procurement process occurs much later in the grant's period 
of performance. In addition, contracting for AML construction services 
is governed by each state's procurement laws dictating how contractor 
bids are to be prioritized and documentation requiring worker's 
background. This was considered excessively burdensome in the 
application process and was viewed by applicants better suited for 
post-award project reporting.
    Several commenters expressed concern that requiring information for 
estimated project benefits submitted with the OSM-51 form duplicates 
and goes above what is already provided from OSMRE's abandoned mine 
inventory system. In addition, it appeared as duplicative information 
because some of the same information is detailed in the Environmental 
Assessment prepared for each reclamation project which is reviewed 
prior to issuing the authorization to proceed. Commenters stated OSMRE 
can collect this benefit-type of information from AML programs in other 
ways that are not part of the grant application process.
    In response to comments OSMRE opted for a simplified version of the 
OSM-51 form to provide flexibility in how information is submitted and 
to avoid duplication of other grant information received. In addition, 
OSMRE allowed the OSM-51 form to be optional to provide applicants 
flexibility in the choice of format for submitting their program 
narrative and performance reports.
    Commenters also stated that the overall burden hours were 
understated. OSMRE performed additional outreach with respondents 
resulting in higher estimated burden hours from increases in annual 
funding for projects requiring greater time for formalizing 
submissions.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other 
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are 
especially interested in public comment addressing the following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How might the agency minimize the burden of the collection of 
information on those who are to respond, including through the use of 
appropriate automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological 
collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., 
permitting electronic submission of response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. 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 can 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.
    Abstract: State and Tribal reclamation and regulatory authorities 
are requested to provide specific budget and program information as 
part of the grant application and reporting processes authorized by the 
Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act. The Office of Surface 
Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) administers three distinct 
AML programs with varying criteria for projects and eligibility 
criteria. These are comprised of (1) the Abandoned Mine Land Economic 
Revitalization (AMLER) Program using appropriated funds from Congress, 
(2) the traditional fee-based AML grant distributions authorized by 
SMCRA, and (3) the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) (Pub. L. 117-58) 
which appropriated funds for the Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund 
administered by OSMRE. One means that States and Tribes satisfy these 
requirements is submission of the OSM-51 form to report program 
narrative information as part of their grant applications and to meet 
their annual post-award reporting requirement. It is necessary that 
each program is recognized, and unique criteria as specified in program 
guidance documents is followed when using the OSM-51 form.
    Title of Collection: Grants to States and Tribes.
    OMB Control Number: 1029-0059.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.
    Respondents/Affected Public: State and Tribal governments.

[[Page 73620]]

    Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 26.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 279.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 1 hour to 29 
hours.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 2,423.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    Frequency of Collection: Once.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not required 
to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Mark J. Gehlhar,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Surface Mining 
Reclamation and Enforcement.
[FR Doc. 2023-23688 Filed 10-25-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-05-P