[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 232 (Tuesday, December 3, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 95895-95897]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-28339]
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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Federal Highway Administration
[Docket No. FHWA-2024-0077]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments
for a New Information Collection
AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to
request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new
information collection, which is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION. We are required to publish this notice in the Federal
Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
DATES: Please submit comments by February 3, 2025.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number
0077 by any of the following methods:
Website: For access to the docket to read background documents or
comments received go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of Transportation, West
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE,
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through
Friday, except Federal holidays.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rebecca Lupes, (202) 366-7808, Office
of Natural Environment, Federal Highway Administration, Department of
Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. Office
hours are from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative,
Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Discretionary Grant
Program and Voluntary Resilience Improvement Plans.
Background: The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the
Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-
Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program to help make surface
transportation more resilient to natural hazards, including climate
change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other
natural disasters. The PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program provides
competitive grants to conduct resilience planning, to make surface
transportation assets more resilient to current and future weather
events and natural disasters, to strengthen and protect evacuation
routes, and to protect, strengthen, or relocate coastal infrastructure
that is at long-term risk to sea level rise. The program includes four
separate grant categories: Planning, Resilience Improvement, Community
Resilience and Evacuation Routes, and At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure.
Eligible applicants under the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program
include State Departments of Transportation (DOTs), Metropolitan
Planning Organizations (MPOs), local governments, special purpose
districts or public authorities with a transportation function, and
Indian Tribes. Federal land management agencies are eligible entities
if the agency applies jointly with a State or group of States. U.S.
Territories are eligible under the At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure
category.
Summary of Information Collection Activities
For this competitive grant program, the FHWA has issued multiple
Notices of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that describe the requirements of
the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program, including the criteria that
will be used to evaluate applications. The NOFOs provide a description
of the application requirements. Eligible applicants request PROTECT
funds in the form of an electronic grant application. Additional
information submissions are required for applicants who are selected
for a grant (i.e., the grantees) during the grant agreement, grant
implementation and evaluation phases.
Additionally, State DOTs and MPOs may develop Resilience
Improvement Plans under the PROTECT Program. A Resilience Improvement
Plan is a voluntary, risk-based assessment of vulnerable transportation
assets in immediate and long-term transportation planning that
demonstrates a systemic approach to surface transportation system
resilience (23 U.S.C. 176(e)). A Resilience Improvement Plan can reduce
Non-Federal match by up to 10% for both PROTECT Formula and
Discretionary Grant projects (23 U.S.C. 176(e)(1)(B)).
FHWA's Office of Natural Environment will continue to support ad-
hoc resilience & planning technical assistance for State DOTs and MPOs
on a variety of topics during the PRA covered time frame. These
activities may include voluntary virtual or in-person peer exchanges,
in addition to general ad-hoc technical assistance when requested by
DOTs and MPOs. Participants choosing to enroll in a peer exchange are
asked to submit a pre-event questionnaire. There may be additional
collection of information in support of FHWA's ad-hoc technical
assistance activities.
Lastly, FHWA is required by 23 U.S.C. 176(f)(1) to establish
effectiveness metrics and evaluation procedures for the PROTECT
Discretionary Grant Program and select a representative sample of
projects to evaluate based on the metrics and procedures. FHWA will
select a representative sample of approximately 50 funded projects to
evaluate their impact and effectiveness to fulfil this statutory
requirement and support a PROTECT Discretionary Program Evaluation.
Projects selected as part of this representative sample will have
additional reporting requirements.
Burden estimates for each of these PROTECT program components are
described below:
I. Grant Application, Agreement, Implementation and Evaluation Phase
Activities
Grant Application Phase
Eligible entities that may apply for PROTECT Discretionary grants
vary depending on the type of the competitive grant. Planning Grants,
Resilience Improvement Grants, and Community Resilience and Evacuation
Route Grants have the same statutory rules for eligible applicants. The
At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grant category has different statutory
rules for eligible applicants. During the application process
applicants will provide a project narrative and budget information,
Standard Form 424, and Disclosure of Lobbying Activities form (SF-LLL).
--Respondents: PROTECT Grant applicants.
--Frequency: One time per grant application.
[[Page 95896]]
--Estimated Average Burden per Response: 157 hours for a Planning Grant
application, 208 hours to for a Resilience Improvement Grant
application, 208 hours for a Community Resilience and Evacuation Routes
Grant application, and 108 hours for an At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure
Grant application.
--Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: It is expected that 945
respondents will complete approximately one application during the 3-
year PRA period for an estimated total of 177,160 annual burden hours.
Grant Agreement Phase
All grant recipients must work with FHWA to develop and execute a
grant agreement detailing terms and conditions for use of funds.
--Respondents: All Grant Recipients.
--Frequency: One time, unless a grant agreement amendment is necessary.
--Estimated burden: Approximately 30 hours per respondent. Some capital
projects may need to process amendments to the grant agreement which is
expected to take an additional 10-15 hours per amendment.
Grant Implementation Phase
During the grant implementation phase, the grantee completes semi-
annual progress and recertification reports to ensure the project
budget and schedule are maintained to the maximum extent possible, that
compliance with Federal regulations are met, and the project is
completed to the highest degree of quality. Post-award reporting
responsibilities include Semi-Annual Performance Progress Reports
(FHWA-PPR), and a financial status report called the SF-425 (also known
as the Federal Financial Report or SF-FFR). Semi-Annual Project
Progress Reports are submitted as an attachment to the SF-425 form.
Additionally, grant recipients requesting advance or reimbursement need
to provide an SF 270 and an SF 271 form, respectively. After project
close and no later than 120 days after the end of the period of
performance, grant recipients shall submit a Final Project Progress
Report and Recertification, including a final Federal Financial Report
(SF-425).
--Respondents: All Grant recipients.
--Frequency: Semi-Annually During the period of performance; one Final
Progress Report after project close.
--Estimated Burden Hours: Grantees provide a Semi-Annual Project
Progress Report (FHWA-PPR) as an attachment to their Federal Financial
Report (SF 425). Approximately 1 hours.
--Approximately 1 additional hours each time an SF 270 and an SF 271
are used for an advance or reimbursement.
Grant Evaluation Phase
During the evaluation phase, reporting is necessary to comply with
2 CFR 200.301, to assess program effectiveness for the Federal
Government, and to provide information regarding how the project is
achieving the outcomes that grantees have targeted. Grantees collect
both baseline and project performance measure data unique to their
project as outlined in their grant agreement, and report on their
chosen performance measure(s) via an Annual Performance Report (see
Grant Agreement Schedule G--Performance Measurement). Annual
Performance Reports are submitted electronically to FHWA for three
years post project completion for all project types, followed by a
final performance report.
--Respondents: All Grant Recipients.
--Frequency: Annually during a 3-year period of performance.
--Estimated Burden: Approximately 2 hours per year.
Total burden hours for grant agreement, implementation, and
evaluation phases (all recipients): Over the three-year PRA period,
FHWA estimates that it will take approximately 40 hours to complete all
the post-award activities outlined above for a Planning Grant, 63 hours
to for a Resilience Improvement Grant, 63 hours for a Community
Resilience and Evacuation Route Grant, and 63 hours for an At-Risk
Coastal Infrastructure Grant. FHWA estimates that 255 award recipients
will perform these reporting activities during the 3-year PRA period,
which will result in 16,455 total burden hours.
II. Resilience Improvement Plans and Related Technical Assistance
Resilience Improvement Plans, Resilience Planning Peer Exchanges,
and FHWA on-demand planning and resilience technical assistance are all
voluntary activities completed by State DOTs and MPOs that occur on an
ad-hoc frequency. Resilience Improvement Plans are estimated to require
250 hours to complete. Resilience Planning Peer Exchange pre-event
questionnaires require approximately 1 hour. Information collections to
support related FHWA resilience technical assistance activities will
vary widely. Generally, these activities may include electronic or in-
person submission of project plans and designs, draft technical
materials, and PowerPoint materials from a State DOT or MPO to FHWA
and/or a peer group. FHWA may conduct informal interviews, focus groups
or additional short electronic questionnaires to support these
technical assistance activities and gauge interest in future trainings
and assistance offerings.
--Respondents: State Departments of Transportation and Metropolitan
Planning Organizations.
--Frequency: One time.
--Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: It is estimated that 25 State
DOTs and 25 MPOs will complete Resilience Improvement Plans during the
3-year PRA period for an estimated total of 12,500 annual burden hours.
FHWA estimates that approximately 350 participants will complete a peer
exchange pre-event questionnaire for an FHWA peer exchange event,
resulting in an estimated total of 350 burden hours.
III. PROTECT Metrics and Program Evaluation Activities
A smaller number of grantees selected for further monitoring to
support an FHWA Evidence Act Program Evaluation and fulfill FHWA's
obligations under 23 U.S.C. 176(f)(1)(B) will need to coordinate with
FHWA to provide baseline data in the pre-construction phase. These
grantees will also assist FHWA in gathering annual project performance
data for 3-5 years post construction. Participants may be asked to
attend interviews and focus groups to verify desktop, primary source,
or field measurement data collected by FHWA. A small amount of
additional data collection may be required of all ~200 PROTECT Grantees
and/or their supporting FHWA Division (State) Offices to gauge interest
and capacity to participate in the program evaluation and identify the
range of typical outcomes and challenges for grantees. It is
anticipated that any information collection from this wider group would
be done via an electronic form submittal and be a one-time collection
of approximately 2 hours.
--Respondents: A representative sample of approximately 50 selected
grantees are expected to participate in the PROTECT Discretionary
Resilience Metrics and Program Evaluation data collection.
--Frequency: One-time baseline data collection followed by annual data
collection/coordination with FHWA during study period.
--Estimated Average Burden per Response: FHWA estimates 60 hours
[[Page 95897]]
of burden annually per selected project for data collection and
coordination with FHWA. An additional 15 hours of burden in the first
year for notification, initial coordination with FHWA and baseline data
collection.
--Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: It is expected that 50 grantees
will be selected for this evaluation for an estimated total of 9,850
annual burden hours during the PRA period.
Public Comments Invited: You are asked to comment on any aspect of
this information collection, including: (1) Whether the proposed
collection is necessary for the FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of
the estimated burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA to enhance the quality,
usefulness, and clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways that
the burden could be minimized, including the use of electronic
technology, without reducing the quality of the collected information.
The agency will summarize and/or include your comments in the request
for OMB's clearance of this information collection.
Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. chapter
35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.
Issued on: November 27, 2024.
Jazmyne Lewis,
Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2024-28339 Filed 12-2-24; 8:45 am]
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