[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 247 (Wednesday, December 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89383-89385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28503]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; NOAA Financial Assistance Performance Progress Reports

AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. 
This notice pertains to a revision and extension of the approved 
collection of information for NOAA Financial Assistance Performance 
Progress Reports. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of 
public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before February 26, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0718 in the subject line of your 
comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise 
sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Tom Barry, Federal Program Officer, NOAA Marine Debris Program, 1305 
East-West Highway, Office of Response and Restoration, SSMC4, Rm. 
10239, N/ORR5, Silver Spring, MD 20910, (202) 870-2863, and 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This is a request for revision and extension to an approved 
collection of information under the Paperwork Reduction Act, 44 U.S.C. 
3501 et seq., and implementing regulations at 5 CFR part 1320. This 
previously-approved information collection assists NOAA in the 
administration and evaluation of financial assistance awards made by 
the NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP), NOAA Coral Reef Conservation 
Program (CRCP), and the NOAA Restoration Center (RC).
    The revision, which is described in more detail below, is only 
applicable for the NOAA MDP financial assistance awards, and previous 
information collections for NOAA Coral Reef Conservation Program (CRCP) 
and NOAA Restoration Center (RC) remain unchanged. There are no changes 
to the NOAA CRCP or NOAA RC forms that were previously approved, 
including the RC Progress Reports (Initial, Semi-Annual, and Final), RC 
Administrative Progress Reports (Initial, Semi-Annual, and Final), and 
CRCP Semi-Annual Reports. However, the extension applies to the entire 
previously-approved information collection.
    Every year, the NOAA MDP, the NOAA CRCP, and the NOAA RC each 
support a variety of initiatives specific to their individual 
authorizations and

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programmatic mandates. This support is made substantially through 
grants and cooperative agreements, the terms and conditions of which 
require regular progress reporting and communication of project 
accomplishments to the agency. This information collection identifies 
what is to be provided in these reports, and aims to assist recipients 
in fulfilling their responsibilities in meeting interim and final 
progress report requirements. This information is also necessary for 
NOAA to effectively oversee the expenditure of public funds awarded 
through these programs, to ensure both cost-effectiveness and 
programmatic goals are met.
    The NOAA RC provides technical and financial assistance to 
identify, develop, implement, and evaluate community-driven habitat 
restoration projects. Awards are made as grants or cooperative 
agreements under the authority of the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery 
Conservation and Management Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 1891a and the Fish 
and Wildlife Coordination Act, 16 U.S.C. 661, as amended by the 
Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970.
    The NOAA CRCP operates under authorization from the Coral Reef 
Conservation Act of 2000, 16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq. This act authorizes 
the NOAA CRCP to conserve and restore the condition of United States 
coral reef ecosystems; to promote the science-based management and 
sustainable use of coral reef ecosystems to benefit local communities 
and the Nation; to develop sound scientific information on the 
condition of coral reef ecosystems and the threats to such ecosystems; 
to assist in the preservation of coral reefs by supporting science-
based, consensus-driven, and community-based coral reef management; to 
provide financial resources, technical assistance, and scientific 
expertise; to establish a formal mechanism for the collecting and 
allocating of monetary donations from the private sector to be used for 
coral reef conservation projects; to support rapid response to exigent 
circumstances that pose immediate and long-term threats to coral reefs; 
and to serve as a model for advancing international efforts to monitor, 
conserve, and restoral coral reef ecosystems.
    The NOAA MDP supports national and international efforts to 
research, prevent, and reduce the impacts of marine debris. The NOAA 
MDP is a centralized office within NOAA that coordinates and supports 
activities, both within the bureau and with other federal agencies that 
address marine debris and its impacts. In addition to inter-agency 
coordination, NOAA MDP uses partnerships with state and local agencies, 
tribes, non-governmental organizations, academia, and industry to 
investigate and solve the problems that stem from marine debris through 
removal, research, prevention, and assessment activities, in order to 
protect and conserve our nation's marine environment and coastal 
economies, and to ensure navigation safety. In large part, these 
partnerships are made through grants, cooperative agreements, 
contracts, MOUs or are simply informal technical assistance 
arrangements.
    The Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act 
authorizes NOAA MDP to enter into cooperative agreements and contracts 
and provide financial assistance in the form of grants to carry out the 
purposes of the Act--namely to identify, determine sources of, assess, 
reduce, and prevent marine debris and its adverse impacts on the marine 
environment and navigation safety. 33 U.S.C. 1951, 1952. To date, both 
competitive and non-competitive funding opportunities have been 
implemented by NOAA MDP to provide federal funding to non-federal 
applicants for activities to carry out the purposes of the Act.
    The terms and conditions of MDP grants and cooperative agreements 
require regular progress reporting and communication of project 
accomplishments to the agency. Grant reporting is necessary for NOAA to 
effectively oversee the expenditure of public funds, and to ensure both 
the cost-effectiveness of funded projects and that programmatic goals 
are met.
    This information collection revision clarifies agency reporting 
requirements, and aims to assist recipients in fulfilling their federal 
grant responsibilities. NOAA MDP proposes to revise and clarify grant 
performance progress report (PPR) instructions and add a table to the 
PPR that will be used for recipients whose activities span multiple 
states. NOAA MDP proposes to add the collection of performance measure 
information in a spreadsheet that captures required project metrics at 
a finer geographic resolution than would otherwise be possible using 
the PPR. NOAA MDP also proposes collection of additional metrics 
related to certain activities from large marine debris removals and 
pre- and post-removal habitat monitoring for grantees who perform these 
activities as part of their NOAA MDP award. The additional collection 
of project-level data, including project-level location and 
implementation data, aligns with the guidance provided in Memorandum M-
22-12, Advancing Effective Stewardship of Taxpayer Resources and 
Outcomes in the Implementation of the Infrastructure Investment and 
Jobs Act (IIJA) in order to ensure robust and transparent reporting of 
IIJA investments.

II. Method of Collection

    The information will be collected electronically.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0718.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission. Revision and extension of a 
currently approved information collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations; Not-for-profit institutions; State, Local, or 
Tribal government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 645.
    Estimated Time per Response: MDP Performance Progress Report: 8 
hours; MDP Performance Progress Report Table: 0.25 hours; MDP Companion 
Tracker: 1 hour; MDP Additional Metrics Trackers: 3 hours; CRCP Semi-
Annual Reports: 10 hours; RC Progress Report: Initial--9.5 hours; Semi-
Annual--5.5 hours; and Final--9.75 hours; RC Administrative Progress 
Reports: Initial--6 hours; Semi-Annual--2.75 hours; and Final--5.5 
hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 4,800.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: 0.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to Obtain or Retain Benefits.
    Legal Authority: The Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and 
Reduction Act (33 U.S.C. 1951 et seq.) as amended by the Marine Debris 
Act Amendments of 2012 (Pub. L. 112-213, Title VI, Sec. 603, 126 Stat. 
1576, December 20, 2012), Save Our Seas Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-265), 
and Save Our Seas 2.0 Act of 2020 (Pub. L. 116-224); Magnuson-Stevens 
Fishery Conservation and Management Act of 2006, 16 U.S.C. 1891a and 
the Fish and Wildlife Coordination Act, 16 U.S.C. 661, as amended by 
the Reorganization Plan No. 4 of 1970; Coral Reef Conservation Act of 
2000 (16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq.).

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is 
necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether 
the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy 
of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed 
collection,

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including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) 
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on 
those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. 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 may 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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for 
Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-28503 Filed 12-26-23; 8:45 am]
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