30 Day Federal Register Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 36 / Thursday, February 23, 2023 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
[Docket No. DOT–OST–2022–0120]

Agency Information Collection
Activities: DOT Technical Assistance
PRA
Office of the Secretary (OST),
Department of Transportation (DOT).
ACTION: Notice of request for comments.
AGENCY:

In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this
notice announces that the Information
Collection Requirements (ICR)
abstracted below have been forwarded
to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and comment. The
ICR describe the nature of the
information collection and their
expected burdens.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before March 27, 2023.
ADDRESSES: You may send comments
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to the Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of
Management and Budget, 725 17th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20503,
Attention DOT Desk Officer. All
comments received are part of the
public record. Comments will generally
be posted without change. All
comments should include the Docket
number DOT–OST–2022–0120.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Please email ThrivingCommunities@
dot.gov or contact Victor Austin at 202–
366–2996. Office hours are from 8 a.m.
to 5 p.m. EDT, Monday through Friday,
except for Federal holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), Public Law 104–13, Section 2,
109 Stat. 163 (1995) (codified as revised
at 44 U.S.C. 3501–3520), and its
implementing regulations, 5 CFR part
1320, require Federal agencies to issue
two notices seeking public comment on
information collection activities before
OMB may approve paperwork packages.
44 U.S.C. 3506, 3507; 5 CFR 1320.5,
1320.8(d)(1), 1320.12. On November 22,
2022, OST published a 60-day notice
(87 FR 71408) in the Federal Register
soliciting comments on the ICR that the
agency was seeking OMB approval. OST
received no comments after issuing this
60-day notice. Accordingly, DOT
announces that these information
collection activities have been reevaluated and certified under 5 CFR
1320.5(a) and forwarded to OMB for
review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR
1320.12(c). Before OMB decides
whether to approve these proposed
collections of information, it must
provide 30 days for public comment. 44

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SUMMARY:

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U.S.C. 3507(b); 5 CFR 1320.12(d).
Federal law requires OMB to approve or
disapprove paperwork packages
between 30 and 60 days after the 30-day
notice is published. 44 U.S.C. 3507 (b)–
(c); 5 CFR 1320.12(d); see also 60 FR
44978, 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. OMB
believes that the 30-day notice informs
the regulated community to file relevant
comments and affords the agency
adequate time to digest public
comments before it renders a decision.
60 FR 44983, Aug. 29, 1995. Therefore,
respondents should submit their
respective comments to OMB within 30
days of publication to best ensure
having their full effect. 5 CFR
1320.12(c); see also 60 FR 44983, Aug.
29, 1995.
The summaries below describe the
nature of the information collection
requirements (ICRs) and the expected
burden. The requirements are being
submitted for clearance by OMB as
required by the PRA.
Title: DOT Technical Assistance PRA.
OMB Control Number: 2105–0584.
Background: Bipartisan Infrastructure
Law (BIL) enacted as the Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) (H.R.
3684, Public Law 117–58, also known as
the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or BIL)
created several new programs at the US
Department of Transportation (DOT)
that allow local governments, non-profit
organizations, tribal governments, and
other political subdivisions of state or
local governments to apply directly for
DOT discretionary grant funding. In
response to President Biden’s Executive
Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity
and Support for Underserved
Communities Through the Federal
Government and Executive Oder 14008,
Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and
Abroad, DOT has included criteria in its
notices of funding opportunity to
prioritize the needs of disadvantaged
communities for many of these new
programs.
The Thriving Communities Initiative
will include programs by which DOT
will utilize cooperative agreements and
procurements with technical assistance
and capacity building providers to
support communities seeking to
advance transformative, equitable, and
climate-friendly infrastructure projects
that benefit disadvantaged communities.
Further, the Thriving Communities
Initiative will solicit applications for
grants and in-kind technical assistance
that will assist communities in analysis
and delivery of projects. Specifically,
these include the Thriving Communities
program, the Rural and Tribal
Infrastructure Assistance Pilot Program
(see § 21205 of Pub. L. 117–58), and
Asset Concession and Innovative

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Finance Assistance Program (see 23
U.S.C. 611 as amended by § 71001 of
Pub. L. 117–58).
DOT will utilize a Letter of Interest
(LOI) or use a simplified in-take form
from communities interested in
receiving technical assistance and
capacity building through these
programs. Technical assistance and
capacity building is offered by the
Government at no charge and with no
required non-federal share.
Establishment of the program has two
distinct tasks: (a) contracting of
technical assistance advisors through a
Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
or existing procurement vehicles; and
(b) recruitment of project sponsors who
will receive technical assistance
services. Responding to both will occur
on a voluntary basis, utilizing an
electronic platform.
For item A, eligible applicants to
provide technical assistance through the
Thriving Communities Program will
request cooperative agreement funding
through an application process in
response to a published NOFO. The
application for Fiscal Year 2022 was a
one-time information collection. DOT
estimated approximately 20 hours was
required to complete the NOFO
application process used to select
capacity builders under the Thriving
Communities program. DOT estimates
the recipients of Thriving Communities
program funding will spend another 4
hours, annually, submitting post-award
reports. In addition, reporting
requirements will be submitted by the
select capacity building providers and
technical assistance recipients during
the implementation, and evaluation
phases.
For item B, the intake form to be used
by communities seeking technical
assistance is estimated to take no more
than 1 hour to complete. Recipients of
technical assistance support are
estimated to spend no more than 1 hour
annually providing feedback and
evaluation of the quality of services
received through the program.
For the Asset Concession and
Innovative Finance Assistance Program,
project sponsors will make an
application in response to a Notice of
Funding Opportunity. Successful
applicants will receive reimbursable
grants to procure technical assistance to
develop projects. Preparation of a NOFO
response is estimated to require 25
hours of staff time. Successful
applicants must also prepare progress
reports as a condition of funding.
Progress reporting is estimated to
require 4 hours per year.
For the Rural and Tribal Assistance
Program, project sponsors will make an

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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 36 / Thursday, February 23, 2023 / Notices

application in response to a Notice of
Funding Opportunity. The application
process is streamlined for this program
and is estimated to require 15 hours to
complete. Award recipients must also
prepare progress reports as a condition
of funding. Progress reporting is
estimated to require 4 hours per year.
Respondents to Item A (technical
assistance providers): for-profit
companies, non-profit organizations, or
other technical assistance providers.
Respondents to Item B (requestors of
grants or technical assistance):
philanthropic entities, non-profit
organizations, other Federal agencies,
state or local governments and their
agencies, and Indian Tribes.
Frequency: Once a year.

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Thriving Communities Program
Number of respondents to NOFO: 46.
Estimated Burden Hours per NOFO
respondents: 24.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours for NOFO respondents: 1,104.
Number of requestors of technical
assistance: 373.
Estimated Annual Burden Hours for
requestors of technical assistance: 373.
Estimated Annual Burden Hours for
respondents to technical assistance: 45.
Estimated Total Annual Cost:
$179,596.

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Asset Concession and Innovative
Finance Grant Program
Estimated Number of respondents to
NOFO: 50.
Estimated Burden Hours per NOFO
respondents: 25.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours for NOFO respondents: 1,250.
Estimated Award Winners: 30.
Estimated Hours for Progress
Reporting, per Award: 4.
Estimated Annual Burden Hours for
Progress Reporting: 120.
Estimated Total Annual Cost:
$161,660.
Rural and Tribal Assistance Grants
Estimated Number of Respondents to
NOFO: 12.
Estimated Burden Hours per NOFO
Respondents: 15.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours for NOFO respondents: 180.
Estimated Award Winners: 12.
Estimated Hours for Progress
Reporting, per Award: 4.
Estimated Annual Burden Hours for
Progress Reporting: 48.
Estimated Total Annual Cost:
$26,904.
Total for All Thriving Communities
Initiative Programs
Estimated Total Hours: 3,120.

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Estimated Total Cost: $368,160.
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 DOT’s performance;
(2) the accuracy of the estimated
burdens; (3) ways for the DOT 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; 23 U.S.C. 134 and 135; and 23
CFR chapter 1, subchapter E, part 450.
Dated: February 16, 2023.
Mariia Zimmerman,
Strategic Advisor for Technical Assistance
and Community Solutions, Office of the
Secretary, U.S. Department of Transportation.
[FR Doc. 2023–03691 Filed 2–22–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4910–9P–P

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