[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 222 (Monday, November 20, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 80740-80742]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-25509]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT

[Docket No. FR-7075-N-15]


60-Day Notice of Proposed Information Collection: Evaluation of 
Green and Resilient Retrofit Program; OMB Control No.: 2528-NEW

AGENCY: Office of Policy Development and Research, HUD.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below. In 
accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, HUD is requesting comment 
from all interested parties on the proposed collection of information. 
The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment.

DATES: Comments Due Date: January 19, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments regarding 
this proposal.
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection can be submitted within 60 days of publication of this 
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting, ``Currently under 60-day Review--
Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Interested 
persons are also invited to submit comments regarding this proposal by 
name and/or OMB Control Number and can be sent to: Anna Guido, Reports 
Management

[[Page 80741]]

Officer, REE, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th 
Street SW, Room 8210, Washington, DC 20410-5000 or email at 
[email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Guido, Reports Management 
Officer, Department of Housing and Urban Development, 451 7th Street 
SW, Washington, DC 20410; email; [email protected]; telephone (202) 
402-5535 (this is not a toll-free number). HUD welcomes and is prepared 
to receive calls from individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as 
well as individuals with speech or communication disabilities. To learn 
more about how to make an accessible telephone call, please visit 
https://www.fcc.gov/consumers/guides/telecommunications-relay-service-trs. Copies of available documents submitted to OMB may be obtained 
from Ms. Guido.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This notice informs the public that HUD is 
seeking approval from OMB for the information collection described in 
Section A.

A. Overview of Information Collection

    Title of Information Collection: Evaluation of Green and Resilient 
Retrofit Program.
    OMB Approval Number: 2528-NEW.
    Type of Request: New Collection.
    Form Number: N/A.
    Description of the need for the information and proposed use: The 
Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), at the U.S. 
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), is proposing the 
collection of information to support an evaluation of the Green and 
Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP). GRRP is a newly funded program 
through Section 30002 of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (H.R. 
5376) titled ``Improving Energy Efficiency or Water Efficiency or 
Climate Resilience of Affordable Housing.'' HUD is offering GRRP 
funding in the form of grants or loans through three award cohorts 
designed to meet the needs of properties in different situations, 
implemented through three parallel Notices of Funding Opportunities 
(NOFOs). These award cohorts are the Elements Award cohort, the Leading 
Edge Award cohort, and the Comprehensive Award cohort. Under all three 
award cohorts, owners of eligible HUD-assisted multifamily properties 
will receive funding in the form of grants or loans to undertake 
retrofits, enhancements, and upgrades to improve energy and water 
efficiency, indoor air quality, and climate hazard resilience; to 
reduce emissions; to use renewable energy; and/or to use low Embodied 
Carbon materials.
    The ``Elements'' NOFO provides modest funding to owners to add 
proven and meaningful climate resilience, energy efficiency, 
electrification, and renewable energy measures to the construction 
scopes of in-progress recapitalization transactions. The ``Leading 
Edge'' NOFO provides funding for retrofit activities to achieve 
ambitious outcomes, including net zero, renewable energy generation, 
use of building materials with lower Embodied Carbon, and climate 
resilience investments. The ``Comprehensive'' NOFO will provide funding 
to initiate recapitalization investments designed from inception around 
both proven and innovative measures, including ambitious green building 
standards or measures, renewable energy generation, use of building 
materials with lower Embodied Carbon, and climate resilience 
investments.
    The Evaluation of Green and Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP 
Evaluation) will be implemented in phases. Under Phase 1, HUD plans to 
collect survey and interview data related to the application process, 
the scoping and design phase of GRRP, and the post-construction period.
    (1) GRRP Application Survey: The application survey and interview 
will provide data necessary to assess the success of the application 
process, which is influenced by property owners' perceptions of the 
design of the application and the program.
    (2) GRRP Scoping and Design Survey: The survey and interview 
related to the scoping and design phase of GRRP will provide data 
necessary to evaluate the process of implementing the program, 
including what went well and what barriers were encountered. It will 
cover issues related to activities such as developing the transaction 
plan and closing package, and designing the retrofit.
    (3) GRRP Post-Construction Survey: The post-construction survey and 
interview will provide data necessary to evaluate how well the program 
worked in terms of the perceived costs and benefits to property owners, 
including questions related to construction, such as whether property 
owners encountered barriers with construction.
    This Federal Register Notice provides an opportunity to comment on 
the information collection for the Evaluation of the Green and 
Resilient Retrofit Program (GRRP Evaluation).
    Respondents: Owners of HUD-assisted multifamily properties eligible 
for GRRP. Awardees and non-awardee applicants will be sampled using a 
stratified design with stratification on cohort, region, and the size 
of the owner (e.g., small owners of properties vs. large corporate 
property owners). Eligible non-applicants will be chosen using a 
stratified design with stratification on region and size of the owner 
from Office of Recapitalization's database of eligible properties minus 
applicants. Interviews will be conducted with a subset of property 
owners; this sample will be chosen based on a combination of stratified 
sampling (using the same approach as sampling the awardees for the 
survey; approximately 38% of interview sample) and purposive sampling 
(approximately 62% of interview sample) stemming from inclusion in case 
studies and/or survey responses benefitting from in-depth follow-up. We 
will provide accommodations to the greatest extent possible. Property 
owners with hearing impairments can be accommodated through a web-based 
version of the data collection, and visually impaired property owners 
can be accommodated through a telephone-based version of the data 
collection. We will use translation services as needed, but we do not 
expect language barriers to be a significant concern because property 
owners are already required to submit their information to HUD in 
English.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: This information collection will 
affect a maximum of 900 respondents, including approximately 450 
grantees, 225 applicant owners who did not receive grants or loans 
(Application Survey only), and 225 eligible non-applicants (Application 
Survey only). Interviews will be collected from approximately 40 
grantees across all three cohorts.
    Estimated Time per Responses: The expected time per response varies 
by instrument. Reading the Outreach Materials is estimated to take a 
maximum of 0.1 hours. For the Application Survey, expected time per 
response is a maximum of 0.5 hours. Expected time per response for the 
Scoping and Design and Post-Construction surveys is a maximum of 0.75 
hours each. Expected time per interview is a maximum of 1 hour.
    Frequency of Response:
     1 time for non-applicants and applicant non-awardees (only 
surveyed in the Application Survey);
     3-6 times for awardees (surveyed in the Application 
Survey, Scoping and Design Survey, and Post-Construction Survey; subset 
also interviewed in depth regarding Application, Scoping and Design, 
and Post-Construction).

[[Page 80742]]

    Average Hours per Response: 0.5 hours/application survey, 0.75 
hours/scoping and design survey, 0.75 hours/post-construction survey, 
and 1 hour/interview.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: The total estimated cost for the 
proposed data collection is $108,082.
    The Table below provides the estimated burden hours for the planned 
surveys and interviews. These estimates assume the maximum targeted 
number of study participants and are calculated as the time needed to 
complete individual surveys and interviews. To estimate the hourly cost 
per respondent, HUD used the average hourly compensation (wages and 
benefits) of private workers who are in management, business, and 
financial occupations, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor 
Statistics' Employer Costs for Employee Compensation Survey from June 
2023 (https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf).

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                                                                                                      Burden hour     Annual    Hourly cost
                    Information collection                      Number of    Frequency    Responses       per         burden        per      Annual cost
                                                               respondents  of response   per annum     response      hours       response
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Outreach Materials to Sample.................................          900            1            1          0.1           90       $80.96       $7,286
GRRP Application Survey......................................          900            1            1          0.5          450        80.96       36,432
GRRP Scoping and Design Survey...............................          450            1            1         0.75        337.5        80.96       27,324
GRRP Post-Construction Survey................................          450            1            1         0.75        337.5        80.96       27,324
GRRP Application Interview...................................           40            1            1          1.0           40        80.96        3,238
GRRP Scoping and Design Interview............................           40            1            1          1.0           40        80.96        3,238
GRRP Post-Construction Interview.............................           40            1            1          1.0           40        80.96        3,238
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    Total....................................................  ...........  ...........  ...........  ...........         1335  ...........      108,082
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    Respondent's Obligation: Participation is voluntary.

B. Solicitation of Public Comment

    This notice is soliciting comments from members of the public and 
affected parties concerning the collection of information described in 
Section A on the following:
    (1) 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;
    (2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
proposed collection of information;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected, and
    (4) Ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on 
those who are to respond; including through the use of appropriate 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
    HUD encourages interested parties to submit comments in response to 
these questions.

C. Authority

    Section 3507 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, 44 U.S.C. 
3507.

Todd M. Richardson,
General Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy Development and Research.
[FR Doc. 2023-25509 Filed 11-17-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4210-67-P