[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 207 (Friday, October 27, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 73839-73840]
[FR Doc No: 2023-23770]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2023-0492; FRL 11430-01-OAR]

Transportation and Climate Division (TCD) Grant Program Reporting
Templates: Supplemental Project Application Template and Project
Reporting Templates for Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA), Clean
School Bus (CSB), Clean Heavy Duty (CHD), and Clean Ports Grant
Programs; EPA ICR No. 2793.01, OMB Control No. 2060-NEW

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to
submit an information collection request (ICR), ``Transportation and
Climate Division (TCD) Grant Programs ICR'' (EPA ICR No. 2793.01, OMB
Control No. 2060-NEW) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects
of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a
new ICR. An Agency may not conduct or sponsor and a person is not
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a
currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before December 26, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2023-0492, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), by
email to [email protected], or by mail to: EPA Docket Center,
Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the
public docket without change including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Timothy Thomas, Office of
Transportation and Air Quality, (6406A), Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone
number:<PHONE_NUMBER>; fax number:<PHONE_NUMBER>; email address:
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a request for approval of a new
collection. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not
required to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays
a currently valid OMB control number. http://www.epa.gov/dockets This
notice allows 60 days for public comments. Supporting documents, which
explain in detail the information that the EPA will be collecting, are
available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed
online at www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center,
WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The
telephone number for the Docket Center is<PHONE_NUMBER>. For additional
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting
comments and information to enable it to: (i) evaluate whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility; (ii) 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; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be

collected; and (iv) 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. The ICR package will be
submitted to OMB for review and approval.
    Abstract: This supporting statement is for an Information
Collection Request (ICR) for four mobile source related grant programs
administered by the Transportation and Climate Division (TCD), within
Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Office of Transportation and
Air Quality (OTAQ). These four programs include: Diesel Emission
Reduction Act (DERA) Grant Program, Clean School Bus (CSB) Grant
Program, Clean Heavy-Duty (CHD) Grant Program, and Clean Ports Grant
Program.
    The DERA Grants Program and the Clean School Bus Grant Program
currently collect information under an existing ICR, the General
Administrative Requirements for Assistance Programs (Renewal), ICR No.
2030-0020. The EPA currently uses ICR No. 2030-0020 to collect
information for most major elements of grants administration, but in
order to ease the burden for applicants, awardees, and Agency staff, as
well as enrich data quality across programs, the Agency needs to be
able to collect information via new reporting instruments, specifically
program-specific, fillable data templates. This ICR for these four
programs is requesting clearance to cover fillable data templates for
three phases of the grant lifecycle: initial application, quarterly
reporting, and final reporting. Notably, for successful grant
applicants, the information in data templates collected during the
application phase of the grant lifecycle will flow into the data
templates for the quarterly and final reporting periods, enabling these
templates to capture data efficiently throughout the life of the entire
award.
    TCD uses approved procedures and forms to collect necessary
information to operate its grant programs and has been providing grants
under DERA since 2008. EPA is preparing to launch the 2024 Clean Port
Program in late winter 2024, the 2024 Clean Heavy Duty in early spring
2024, as well as the 2024 DERA grant program in summer 2024, and
overseeing the 2023 Clean School Bus Grantees, who are expected to
begin reporting in mid-2024.
    While these programs each have unique statutory requirements, there
are key aspects that unite them as mobile source emissions reduction
efforts, and by combining them as a cohort of programs under one ICR,
EPA aims to enrich data quality across our programs and to ease burden
on applicants and awardees considering applying for multiple programs.
Additionally, collecting data via program-specific, fillable data
templates that supplement the main application document will enhance
the Agency's oversight of these projects as directed by Congress.
Further, doing so will also provide critical real-world performance
data that the Agency would not otherwise be able to procure, which can
inform future research and policy decisions related to OTAQ's mission
to protect human health and the environment by reducing air pollution
and greenhouse gas emissions from mobile sources and advancing clean
fuels and technology.
    Respondents/affected entities: Entities potentially affected by
this action are those interested in applying for grants under EPA's
CSB, DERA, Clean Heavy Duty, and Clean Ports programs and include but
are not limited to the following NAICS (North American Industry
Classification System) codes: 23 Construction; 482 Rail Transportation;
483 Water Transportation; 484 Truck Transportation; 485 Transit and
Ground Passenger Transportation; 4854 School and Employee Bus
Transportation; 48831 Port and Harbor Operations; 61111 Elementary and
Secondary Schools; 61131 Colleges, Universities, and Professional
Schools; 9211 Executive, Legislative, and Other Government Support; and
9221 Justice, Public Order, and Safety Activities.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Mandatory for grant recipients.
    Estimated number of respondents: 50 CSB, 112 DERA, 100 Clean Ports
and 50 Clean Heavy Duty grant recipients annually.
    Frequency of response: One initial report, 3 quarterly reports per
year the grant is active, and one final report.
    Total estimated burden: 19,701 hours (per year). Burden is defined
at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $1,104,668 (per year), which includes $0
annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: This is a new collection.

Karl Simon,
Director, Transportation and Climate Division, Office of Air and
Radiation.
[FR Doc. 2023-23770 Filed 10-26-23; 8:45 am]
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