[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 84 (Tuesday, April 30, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34211-34212]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-09206]


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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; Coral Reef Conservation Program

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 the Coral Reef Conservation Program. 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 July 1, 2024.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-0448 in the subject line of your 
comments. Written comments NOAA receives are considered part of the 
public record, and the entirety of the comment, including the name of 
the commenter, email address, attachments, and other supporting 
materials, will be publicly accessible. Sensitive personally 
identifiable information, such as account numbers and Social Security 
numbers or Confidential Business Information, should not be included 
with the comment.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Craig Reid, Grant Coordinator, Coral Reef Conservation Program, NOAA 
National Ocean Service, 1305 East West Highway, 10th Floor, Silver 
Spring, MD 20910, 202-240-5332, and [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This request is 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. The 
Coral Reef Conservation Act of 2000, 16 U.S.C. 6401 et seq., has been 
amended since the last approval and the revised requirements for 
information collection are outlined below.
    The Coral Reef Conservation Act was enacted to conserve and restore 
the condition of United States coral reef ecosystems challenged by 
natural and human-accelerated changes; 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, continuing and 
emerging threats to such ecosystems, and the efficacy of innovative 
tools, technologies, and strategies to mitigate stressors and restore 
such ecosystems; to assist in the preservation of coral reefs by 
supporting science-based, consensus-driven, and community-based coral 
reef management by covered States (Florida, Hawaii, and the territories 
of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, 
Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands) and covered 
Native entities (an Indian Tribe, the Department of Hawaiian Home 
Lands, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, or a Native Hawaiian 
organization with interests in a coral reef ecosystem); to provide 
financial resources, technical assistance, and scientific expertise to 
supplement, complement, and strengthen community-based management 
programs and conservation and restoration projects of non-Federal 
reefs; to establish a formal mechanism for collecting and allocating 
monetary donations from the private sector to be used for coral reef 
conservation and restoration projects; to support rapid, effective, and 
science-based assessment and response to exigent circumstances that 
pose immediate and long-term threats to coral reefs; and to serve as a 
model for advancing similar international efforts to monitor, conserve, 
and restore coral reef ecosystems.
    Under section 6406 of the Act (Block Grants), covered States are 
responsible for documenting and reporting the State's use of Federal 
funds received under the Act; and expenditures of non-Federal funds 
made in furtherance of coral reef management and restoration as the 
NOAA Administrator (Administrator) deems appropriate. The Administrator 
is responsible for providing guidance on the proper documentation of 
expenditures.
    Under section 6410 of the Act (Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef 
Conservation Grant Program), the NOAA Administrator, and subject to the 
availability of appropriations, is authorized to provide up to 
$3,500,000 annually (per section 6414(c)) in grants for coral reef 
conservation projects.
    Collection activities for this program are outlined below and 
include: 1. Collection and submission of covered States' non-Federal 
expenditures under the block grants section; 2. Applicant development 
and submission of a proposal package to a Notice of Funding Opportunity 
under the Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation Grant Program; and 3. 
If selected and awarded funding, submission of performance progress 
reports, to include a standard program-specific performance progress 
report template with a new indicator tracking report for all financial 
assistance recipients.
    NOAA anticipates the first block grants will be awarded in fiscal 
year 2025 and NOAA is currently drafting guidance for the covered 
States for the annual collection of their non-Federal expenditures. 
NOAA expects to supply a simple form to each covered State for an 
aggregated, high-level report of each covered State's Non-Federal 
expenditures from the previous fiscal year. NOAA expects the same 
performance (technical) reports required by 2 CFR 200.329 for all 
recipients of non-construction Federal financial assistance awards 
described in detail below will be sufficient to document and report the 
State's use of Federal funds.

[[Page 34212]]

    As per section 6410(b) of the Act, NOAA will require that each 
proposal package submitted to a Ruth D. Gates Coral Reef Conservation 
Program Notice of Funding Opportunity at minimum include: 1. The name 
of the individual or entity responsible for conducting the project; 2. 
A description of the qualifications of the individual or entity; 3. A 
succinct statement of the purposes of the project; 4. An estimate of 
the funds and time required to complete the project; 5. Evidence of 
support for the project by appropriate representatives of States or 
other government jurisdictions in which the project will be conducted; 
6. Information regarding the source and amount of matching funding 
available to the applicant; 7. A description of how the project meets 
one or more of the priorities listed in the announcement; and 8. In the 
case of a proposal submitted by a coral reef stewardship partnership, a 
description of how the project aligns with the applicable coral reef 
action plan in effect under section 6404 of this title. Additionally, 
Federal funds for any coral conservation financial assistance project 
may not exceed 50 percent of the total cost. However, the Administrator 
may waive all or part of the matching requirement if the Administrator 
determines that no reasonable means are available through which an 
applicant can meet the matching requirement with respect to a coral 
reef project and the probable benefit of the project outweighs the 
public interest in the matching requirement. The applicant may choose 
to also submit a request for this non-Federal matching requirement, if 
full or in part, at their discretion.
    Per 2 CFR 200.329, all recipients of non-construction Federal 
financial assistance awards are required to provide performance 
(technical) reports to the agency at intervals no less frequently than 
annually and no more frequently than quarterly in order for the agency 
to properly monitor the award and meet oversight responsibilities. The 
awarding agency must use OMB-approved common forms for this purpose or 
seek permission for program-specific forms that will collect the 
required data elements. The Coral Reef Conservation Program obtained 
OMB approval to revise this information collection to require use of a 
program-specific form for semi-annual reporting and an annual form for 
tracking specific indicators but has not been implemented. These 
indicators align with the new Coral Reef Conservation Program Strategic 
Plan (2018; https://www.coris.noaa.gov/activities/strategic_plan2018) 
and were to be used to track national progress toward these strategic 
goals through 2040, however section 6403 of the Act now requires the 
creation of National Coral Resilience Strategy by December, 2024, and 
the form may need to be revised to track any changes in indicators. The 
program-specific form for semi-annual reporting will be a revised 
version of what is currently approved and will standardize reporting 
across projects.

II. Method of Collection

    Information will be collected electronically via the Department of 
Commerce's grant management system, eRA Commons, for performance 
(technical) reports, Grants.gov for non-Federal match waiver requests, 
and email for covered States' submissions of expenditures of non-
Federal funds. In the event that electronic submission is not available 
for non-Federal match waiver requests, paper submissions may be 
allowable pursuant to the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-0448.
    Form Number(s): SF-424 series.
    Type of Review: Regular (Revision and extension of current 
information collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations; 
nonprofit, nongovernmental, and not-for-profit institutions; State or 
local government; and regional fishery management councils established 
under the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act (16 
U.S.C. 1801 et seq.).
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 42.
    Estimated Time per Response: Block grant report of non-Federal 
expenditures of covered States: to be determined; Ruth D. Gates Grant 
Program proposal package development and submission: 46.5 hours; 
performance progress report and indicator report submission: 6 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 937 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: No cost for electronic 
responses.
    Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain benefits.
    Legal Authority: 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, 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 information collection request. 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. 2024-09206 Filed 4-29-24; 8:45 am]
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