[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 61 (Thursday, March 28, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 21534-21535]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-06620]



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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID: FEMA-2024-0008; OMB No. 1660-0023]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Community Assistance Contact (CAC) Reports, Community 
Assistance Visit (CAV) Reports, and National Flood Insurance Program 
(NFIP) Compliance Audit Reports

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: 60-Day notice of revision and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites 
the general public to take this opportunity to comment on a revision of 
a currently approved information collection. In accordance with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice seeks comments concerning 
the effectiveness of a community's implementation of the National Flood 
Insurance Program's Community Assistance Contact (CAC) and Community 
Assistance Visits (CAV) Reports. FEMA is moving away from CAV and CAC 
reports to the newly designed process of NFIP Compliance Audits in 
response to a report issued on May 5, 2020, by the Government 
Accounting Office (GAO) entitled ``National Flood Insurance Program: 
FEMA Can Improve Community Oversight and Data Sharing.'' This report 
gave several recommendations including the following: assess different 
approaches for ensuring compliance with NFIP requirements and ensure 
data on community visits are up-to-date and complete. While the new 
NFIP Compliance Audit process aligns with the old CAV and CAC 
processes, it is more organized, more consistent, more transparent, 
allows for better documentation, and more efficiently focuses resources 
to where they are needed most.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before May 28, 2024.

ADDRESSES: To avoid duplicate submissions to the docket, please submit 
comments at www.regulations.gov under Docket ID FEMA-2024-0008. Follow 
the instructions for submitting comments.
    All submissions received must include the agency name and Docket 
ID. Regardless of the method used for submitting comments or material, 
all submissions will be posted, without change, to the Federal 
eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov, and will include any 
personal information you provide. Therefore, submitting this 
information makes it public. You may wish to read the Privacy and 
Security Notice that is available via a link on the homepage of 
www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sarah Owen, Program Specialist, 
Floodplain Management Division, Mitigation Directorate, Federal 
Insurance and Mitigation Administration, FEMA at 
[email protected] or (510) 409-4818. You may contact the 
Information Management Division for copies of the proposed collection 
of information at email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) 
codified at 42 U.S.C. 4001, et seq. is authorized by Public Law 90-448 
(1968) and expanded by Public Law 93-234 (1973). The Department of 
Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) 
administers the NFIP. The NFIP's major objective is to assure that 
participating communities are achieving the flood loss reduction 
objectives through adoption and enforcement of adequate land use and 
control measures. Sections 1315 and 1361 provide the basis for FEMA's 
process to evaluate how well communities are implementing their 
floodplain management programs. Title 44 CFR 59.22 directs the 
respondent to submit evidence of the corrective and preventive measures 
taken to meet the flood loss reduction objectives.
    The two key methods FEMA uses in determining community assistance 
needs are through the Community Assistance Contact (CAC) and Community 
Assistance Visit (CAV), which serve to provide a systematic means of 
monitoring community NFIP compliance. Through the CAC and CAV, FEMA can 
also determine to what extent communities are achieving the flood loss 
reduction objectives of the NFIP. By providing assistance to 
communities, the CAC and CAV also serve to enhance FEMA's goals of 
reducing future flood losses, thereby achieving the NFIP's cost-
containment objective. The burden hours and costs associated with this 
collection were re-evaluated which led to the main revision in this 
extension request.
    FEMA is moving away from CAV and CAC reports to the newly designed 
process of NFIP Compliance Audits is in response to a report issued on 
May 5, 2020, by the Government Accounting Office (GAO) entitled 
``National Flood Insurance Program: FEMA Can Improve Community 
Oversight and Data Sharing.'' This report gave several recommendations 
including the following: assess different approaches for ensuring 
compliance with NFIP requirements and ensure data on community visits 
are up-to-date and complete. While the new NFIP Compliance Audit 
process aligns with the old CAV and CAC processes, it is more 
organized, more consistent, more transparent, and allows for better 
documentation. The main efficiency gained in the new process is that it 
is a progressive audit which allows for varying depths of investigation 
based on the community's needs. Another efficiency is a compliance 
score. These two improvements will allow FEMA to better utilize limited 
resources to increase community compliance.
    FEMA is also adding the collection of information from NFIP-
participating communities in order to comply with the Endangered 
Species Act. The information may include the impact of the proposed 
development on the natural floodplain functions, the amount of fill, 
compensatory storage information, the amount of impervious surface, the 
area in which clearing/grading may occur, the number of trees removed, 
and other information related to hydraulic connections.

Collection of Information

    Title: Community Assistance Contact (CAC) Reports, Community 
Assistance Visit (CAV) Reports, and National Flood Insurance Program 
(NFIP) Compliance Audit Reports.
    Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved 
information collection.
    OMB Number: 1660-0023.
    FEMA Forms: FEMA Form FF-206-FY-21-141 (formerly 086-0-28(E)), 
Community Assistance Visit (CAV) Report; FEMA Form FF-206-FY-21-142 
(formerly 086-0-29(E)), Community Assistance Contact (CAC) Report; and 
FEMA Form FF-206-FY-24-100, NFIP Compliance Audit Report.
    Abstract: FEMA previously used the Community Assistance Contact 
(CAC) and the Community Assistance Visit (CAV) to make a comprehensive 
assessment of a community's floodplain management program. Through this 
assessment, FEMA assisted the community to understand the NFIP's 
requirements and implement effective

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flood loss reductions measures. Communities can achieve cost savings 
through flood mitigation actions by way of insurance premium discounts 
and reduced property damage. The CAV and CAC processes have been 
updated recently to the NFIP Compliance Audit process which aims to do 
a more efficient, consistent and transparent job of assessing the 
community's floodplain management program, providing them with the 
needed technical assistance to improve it, and documenting the results 
for data analysis.
    Affected Public: State, Local or Tribal Governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 102.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 4,002.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 48,002.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost: $2,071,766.
    Estimated Respondents' Operation and Maintenance Costs: $0.
    Estimated Respondents' Capital and Start-Up Costs: $0.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Federal Government: $2,216,556.

Comments

    Comments may be submitted as indicated in the ADDRESSES caption 
above. Comments are solicited to (a) evaluate whether the proposed data 
collection is necessary for the proper performance of the Agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) 
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; (c) enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) 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 responses.

Millicent Brown Wilson,
Records Management Branch Chief, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, Mission Support, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2024-06620 Filed 3-27-24; 8:45 am]
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