NOAA Fast Track Generic Clearance Submission - Regional Ocean Partnerships

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance Collection for Meetings, Events, Registrations, and Miscellaneous Forms”

(OMB Control Number: 0690-0038)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Applications for designation of new Regional Ocean Partnerships

PURPOSE: Government entities (state and tribal) may apply to the Secretary of Commerce to be designated Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs), under authority of the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act. Those applications must identify the members that will comprise the new ROP, identify the governing body of the new ROP, and identify the purposes and functions of the new ROP.

Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs) are regional organizations voluntarily convened by governors and working in collaboration with federal and tribal governments, as well as other stakeholders, to address ocean and coastal issues of common concern in that region. Established ROPs include the Northeast Regional Ocean Council, the Mid-Atlantic Regional Council on the Ocean, the West Coast Ocean Alliance, and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. These partnerships, along with IOOS Regional Associations in regions where a partnership does not exist, will also enhance sharing and integration of federal and non-federal data. NOAA will set aside $1 million per year to enable tribes to engage with the ROPs. 

Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) funds to ROPs will enhance and support the priorities established through the partnerships’ shared goals, objectives, plans, and strategies. Seventy percent of the funds will enable these partnerships to conduct projects that support Administration priorities on tackling the climate crisis (Executive Order 14008) and the goals of the America the Beautiful initiative, as well as directing resources to underserved communities (Executive Order 13985).  This work will focus on implementing regional ocean partnership priority activities based on the shared management challenges faced by that region. 

ROPs have vetted work plans and strategies which reflect the management priorities of each region, including offshore energy, aquaculture, coastal resilience, education and engagement, data access, and tribal participation. Potential projects include:

• Identifying, integrating, and supplementing observations related to ocean acidification and pursuing strategies to tackle increased acidification of ocean waters; 

• Convening government, industry and stakeholders to consider large-scale current and future uses of ocean areas; identify best practices for ocean co-use; and work with industry and agencies to augment data portal products for use in projects planning;

• Engaging tribes in discussions about ocean management, including effective tribal consultation and incorporation of traditional knowledge into data products;

• Identifying and preserving aquatic habitats (such as wetlands and mangroves) that provide protection from sea level rise and storm surge, and other benefits; 

• Documenting the extent of marine debris in coastal waters and implementing strategies to reduce the sources and use of the debris; and

• Coordinating across jurisdictions and agencies to leverage data, services, and technical assistance to better serve disadvantaged communities in becoming more resilient as they work to adapt to coastal hazards and a changing climate.

The remaining 30 percent of these funds will support enhanced regional capacity to share and integrate federal and non-federal data in every region, including the development of information portals to increase access to data and products that support regional coastal, ocean, and Great Lakes management priorities.  These improvements will be critical to inform increasing demand for ocean uses, such as offshore wind, supporting sustainability and tracking climate impacts on shifting ecosystems, and making data accessible to all, including the underserved.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Representatives of U.S. state or tribal government agencies.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [X] Other: Application

CERTIFICATION:

I certify the following to be true:

1. The collection is voluntary.

2. The collection is a low burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.

3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.

5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions.

6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.

Name: ___________Joshua Lott_______________________________

To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:

Personally Identifiable Information:

1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [X] Yes [ ] No

2. If Yes, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [] Yes [ X ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [X] No

Gifts or Payments:

Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to participants? [ ] Yes [X] No

BURDEN HOURS

Category of Respondent	No. of Respondents	Participation Time	Burden Hours
State, Local or Tribal Government	50	30 min	25
Totals	50		25

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is _$1,615___

Cost was calculated using Rest of U.S. locality rate for a ZA-3 at 1% effort.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents

1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe? [ ] Yes [X] No

If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select the respondents.

Applications for Regional Ocean Partnerships may be submitted by eligible groups of U.S. states and Indian Tribes. Eligibility is determined by the authorizing law, the Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 (NDAA) (16 U.S.C. § 1468). Applications must be accompanied by letters or similar communications from the applicable state governors and tribal leaders.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ X ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

Information will be collected via email.

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [ X ] No

Required Additional Information

1. Line of Business: Natural Resources

2. Subfunction: Conservation, Marine, and Land Management

3. Privacy Act System of Records: NOAA-11

4. Federal Registration citation information: 82 FR 3721

5. Number of respondents for small entities: 0

6. Percentage of respondents reporting electronically: 100%

Please submit all instruments, instructions, correspondences (emails, letters, etc.) to respondents, and scripts as separate documents along with this request document.

Every instrument must have the following displayed –

OMB Control No. 0690-0038

Expiration Date: 07/31/2026

Instructions for completing Request for Approval under the

“Generic Clearance Collection for Meetings, Events, Registrations, and Miscellaneous Forms”

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Provide the name of the collection that is the subject of the request. (e.g. Comment card for soliciting feedback on xxxx)

PURPOSE: Provide a brief description of the purpose of this collection and how it will be used. If this is part of a larger study or effort, please include this in your explanation.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Provide a brief description of the targeted group or groups for this collection of information. These groups must have experience with the program.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: Check one box. If you are requesting approval of other instruments under the generic, you must complete a form for each instrument.

CERTIFICATION: Please read the certification carefully. If you incorrectly certify, the collection will be returned as improperly submitted or it will be disapproved.

Personally Identifiable Information: Provide answers to the questions. Note: Agencies should only collect PII to the extent necessary, and they should only retain PII for the period of time that is necessary to achieve a specific objective.

Gifts or Payments: If you answer yes to the question, please describe the incentive, and provide a justification for the amount.

BURDEN HOURS:

Category of Respondents: Identify who you expect the respondents to be in terms of the following categories: (1) Individuals or Households;(2) Private Sector; (3) State, local, or tribal governments; or (4) Federal Government. Only one type of respondent can be selected per row.

No. of Respondents: Provide an estimate of the Number of respondents.

Participation Time: Provide an estimate of the amount of time required for a respondent to participate (e.g., fill out a survey or participate in a focus group)

Burden: Provide the Annual burden hours: Multiply the Number of responses and the participation time and divide by 60.

FEDERAL COST: Provide an estimate of the annual cost to the Federal government.

If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide answers to the following questions:

The selection of your targeted respondents. Please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of respondents and how you will select them. If the answer is yes, to the first question, you may provide the sampling plan in an attachment.

Administration of the Instrument: Identify how the information will be collected. More than one box may be checked. Indicate whether there will be interviewers (e.g., for surveys) or facilitators (e.g., for focus groups) used.

Submit all instruments, instructions, and scripts that are submitted with the request.

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