[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 219 (Wednesday, November 15, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 78353-78354]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25109]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Docket ID: EPA-HQ-OEJECR-2023-0530; FRL: 11540-01-OEJECR]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information 
Collection Request; Comment Request; Environmental Justice Thriving 
Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTAC) Program: Post-Award 
Reporting and Public Outreach Information Collections

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit an information collection request (ICR), Environmental Justice 
Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (TCTAC) Program: 
Post-Award Reporting and Public Outreach Information Collections (EPA 
ICR Number 2794.01, OMB Control Number 2035-NEW) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public 
comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as 
described below. This is a request for approval of a new collection. 
This notice allows for 60 days for public comments.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before January 16, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OEJECR-2023-0530, to EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our 
preferred method), by email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA 
Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. EPA's policy is that all 
comments received will be included in the public docket without change 
including any personal information provided, unless the comment 
includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute.

[[Page 78354]]


FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Aarti Iyer, Office of the Chief 
Financial Officer, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; email address: [email protected]; 
phone: 202-564-0214.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a request for approval of a new 
collection. 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.
    This notice allows 60 days for public comments. Supporting 
documents, which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be 
collecting, are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket 
can be viewed online at www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA 
Docket Center, WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, 
Washington, DC. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-
1744. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit 
http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
comments and information to enable it to: (i) evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate 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; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (iv) minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate forms of information technology. EPA 
will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate. 
The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and 
approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice 
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to 
submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: To help expand historically underserved and overburdened 
communities' access to critical resources, the U.S. Environmental 
Protection Agency (EPA) has collaborated with the U.S. Department of 
Energy to develop the Environmental Justice Thriving Communities 
Technical Assistance Centers (TCTAC) Program. The 18 Centers will 
operate in cooperative agreements with EPA to remove barriers and 
improve access for communities who wish to apply for financial 
assistance awards to tackle their environmental justice concerns. The 
Centers will provide assistance and training to build capacity in: 
identifying sources of funding; navigating grant application systems; 
compiling strong grant proposals; managing grants; and developing 
partnerships and coalitions. With this Information Collection Request 
(ICR), EPA seeks authorization to collect post-award information from 
each Center to track their progress. Collection of this information 
enables EPA to assess and manage the TCTAC Program, which ensures 
responsible stewardship of public funds; rigorous evidence-based 
learning and improvement; and transparent accountability to the 
American public. This ICR also requests authorization for the Centers 
to collect input and insights from communities who seek to obtain 
technical assistance services, as well as stakeholders who have 
valuable experience and expertise in community engagement and 
empowerment. These information collections will enable the Centers to 
document local priorities, needs, and norms to ensure that they develop 
useful and relevant technical assistance and training services. 
Furthermore, feedback about these services will enable the Centers to 
conduct self-assessments to identify best practices and areas for 
improvement. Lastly, this ICR requests authorization for the National 
Centers in the TCTAC Program to conduct quarterly needs assessments for 
the Regional Centers, in order to identify the best ways in which the 
National Centers can support, expand, and bolster the technical 
assistance that local communities may need.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: To be determined.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory for grant recipients 
as per reporting requirements included in EPA regulations 2 CFR parts 
200 and 1500, and voluntary for public outreach information collections 
via surveys and focus groups.
    Estimated number of respondents: To be determined. This data will 
be available for the next public review period.
    Frequency of response: To be determined. This data will be 
available for the next public review period.
    Total estimated burden: To be determined. This data will be 
available for the next public review period.
    Total estimated cost: To be determined. This data will be available 
for the next public review period.
    Changes in the Estimates: This is a new collection therefore there 
is no change in burden.

Matthew Tejada,
Deputy Assistant Administrator for Environmental Justice, Office of 
Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights.
[FR Doc. 2023-25109 Filed 11-14-23; 8:45 am]
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