Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement of the Department of Veterans Affairs Housing Loan Program, 37786-37787 [2021-15014]
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 134 / Friday, July 16, 2021 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS
[OMB Control No. 2900–0697]
Agency Information Collection Activity
Under OMB Review: Application for
Approval of a Licensing or
Certification Test and Organization or
Entity
Veterans Benefits
Administration, Department of Veterans
Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of
1995, this notice announces that the
Veterans Benefits Administration
(VBA), Department of Veterans Affairs,
will submit the collection of
information abstracted below to the
Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and comment. The
PRA submission describes the nature of
the information collection and its
expected cost and burden and it
includes the actual data collection
instrument.
SUMMARY:
Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open
for Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function. Refer to ‘‘OMB Control
No. 2900–0697.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Maribel Aponte, Office of Enterprise
and Integration, Data Governance
Analytics (008), 1717 H Street NW,
Washington, DC 20006, (202) 266–4688
or email maribel.aponte@va.gov. Please
refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0697’’
in any correspondence.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Authority: 38 U.S.C. 3689.
Title: Application for Approval of a
Licensing or Certification Test and
Organization or Entity.
OMB Control Number: 2900–0697.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Abstract: SAAs and VA will use the
information to decide whether the
licensing and certification tests, and the
organizations offering them, should be
approved for use under the education
programs VA administers.
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. The Federal Register
Notice with a 60-day comment period
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
DATES:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:02 Jul 15, 2021
Jkt 253001
soliciting comments on this collection
of information was published at 86 FR
9546 on May 6, 2021, page 24440.
Affected Public: Individuals or
Households.
Estimated Annual Burden: 1,713
hours.
Estimated Average Burden per
Respondent: 3 hours.
Frequency of Response: Annually.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
571.
By direction of the Secretary.
Maribel Aponte,
VA PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
Enterprise and Integration, Data Governance
Analytics, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2021–15169 Filed 7–15–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS
[OMB Control No. 2900–0469]
Agency Information Collection Activity
Under OMB Review: Certificate
Showing Residence and Heirs of
Deceased Veterans or Beneficiary
Veterans Benefits
Administration, Department of Veterans
Affairs.
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
In compliance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) of
1995, this notice announces that the
Veterans Benefits Administration,
Department of Veterans Affairs, will
submit the collection of information
abstracted below to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for
review and comment. The PRA
submission describes the nature of the
information collection and its expected
cost and burden and it includes the
actual data collection instrument.
DATES: Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open
for Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function. Refer to ‘‘OMB Control
No. 2900–0469.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Maribel Aponte, Office of Enterprise
and Integration, Data Governance
Analytics (008), 1717 H Street NW,
Washington, DC 20006, (202) 266–4688
or email maribel.aponte@va.gov. Please
refer to ‘‘OMB Control No. 2900–0469’’
in any correspondence.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
SUMMARY:
PO 00000
Frm 00059
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
Authority: 44 U.S.C. 3501–21.
Title: Certificate Showing Residence
and Heirs of Deceased Veterans of
Beneficiary VA Form 29–541.
OMB Control Number: 2900–0469.
Type of Review: Revision of a
currently approved collection.
Abstract: The form is used by the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to
establish entitlement to Government
Life Insurance proceeds in estate cases
when formal administration of the estate
is not required. The information on the
form is required by law, Title 38, U.S.C.
1817 and 1950. This form expired due
to high volume of work and staffing
changes.
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. The Federal Register
Notice with a 60-day comment period
soliciting comments on this collection
of information was published at 86 FR
26604 on May 14, 2021, pages 26604
and 26605.
Affected Public: Individuals or
Households.
Estimated Annual Burden: 1,039.
Estimated Average Burden per
Respondent: 30 minutes.
Frequency of Response: On occasion.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
2,078.
By direction of the Secretary.
Maribel Aponte,
VA PRA Clearance Officer, Office of
Enterprise and Integration, Data Governance
Analytics, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2021–15130 Filed 7–15–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320–01–P
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS
AFFAIRS
Notice of Availability of the Draft
Programmatic Environmental Impact
Statement of the Department of
Veterans Affairs Housing Loan
Program
AGENCY:
Department of Veterans Affairs
(VA).
ACTION:
Notice of availability.
VA announces the availability
of the Draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS)
for the Housing Loan Program (HLP) for
public review and comment. The Draft
PEIS identifies, analyzes and documents
the potential physical, environmental,
cultural, socioeconomic and cumulative
impacts of continued administration
and operation of VA’s HLP. The
comprehensive HLP, which is managed
by VA’s Veterans Benefits
SUMMARY:
E:\FR\FM\16JYN1.SGM
16JYN1
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 134 / Friday, July 16, 2021 / Notices
jbell on DSKJLSW7X2PROD with NOTICES
Administration (VBA), administers VAguaranteed housing loan benefits and
other housing-related benefits that assist
eligible Veterans, surviving spouses,
active duty personnel, Selected
Reservists and National Guardsmen
(collectively referred to as Veterans) in
purchasing, constructing, repairing,
adapting, or improving a home.
DATES: VA invites Federal, state, tribal
and local entities; non-profit
organizations; businesses; interested
parties; and the general public to submit
written comments on the Draft PEIS
during the 45-day public comment
period that ends August 30, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be
submitted through https://
www.regulations.gov. The Draft PEIS is
available for viewing at the VA website
https://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/
environmental_impact.asp. Due to the
COVID–19 pandemic, virtual public
presentations will be available in lieu of
public hearings, and the presentations
will be continually accessible through
the project website. Printed copies of
the document may be obtained by
contacting VA at
VAHLPNEPA.VBAVACO@va.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Elysium Drumm, Supervisory
Management Analyst, Loan Guaranty
Service, Veterans Benefits
Administration, Department of Veterans
Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20420, 202–632–8862
(This is not a toll-free number.) or
VAHLPNEPA.VBAVACO@va.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft
PEIS was developed pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act
(NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C.
4321, et seq.), the Council on
Environmental Quality’s regulations for
implementing the procedural provisions
of NEPA (40 CFR 1500–1508) and VA’s
NEPA regulations titled ‘‘Environmental
Effects of the Department of Veterans
Affairs Actions’’ (38 CFR 26).
VerDate Sep<11>2014
17:26 Jul 15, 2021
Jkt 253001
The most significant element of the
HLP is the provision of housing benefits
that assist eligible Veterans in financing
the purchase, construction, repair, or
improvement of a home for their
personal occupancy. See 38 U.S.C. 3701
et seq. VBA provides Federal assistance
in the form of loans made, insured, or
guaranteed by VA. VBA is also
responsible for the management,
marketing and disposition of real estate
owned properties that VA acquires
following the foreclosure of certain VAguaranteed loans and loans held in VA’s
portfolio. Under HLP, VA also provides
direct loans to Native American
Veterans to purchase homes on trust,
tribal, or communally-owned lands, and
HLP extends grants for home
adaptations to Veterans with serviceconnected disabilities through the
Specially Adapted Housing program.
HLP provides what can be, for some
Veterans, their sole opportunity to
obtain crucial housing loans and grants.
Through the PEIS, VA is using the
NEPA process to evaluate the potential
physical, environmental, cultural,
socioeconomic and cumulative effects of
HLP; to invite public comments; and to
assist with and inform future agency
planning and decision- making related
to HLP. The PEIS evaluates HLP, which
assists hundreds of thousands of
Veterans each year across the United
States and its territories, to ensure VA
appropriately considers the human
environmental elements and effects
specified in 40 CFR 1508.8 (including
ecological, aesthetic, historic, cultural,
economic, social, or health, whether
direct, indirect, or cumulative) in
carrying out the various elements and
aspects of the program. Environmental
topics that have been addressed in the
Draft PEIS include the following:
Aesthetics; air quality; biological
resources; cultural resources;
floodplains, wetlands and coastal zones;
geology and soils; hydrology and water
quality; infrastructure and community
PO 00000
Frm 00060
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 9990
37787
services; land use and planning; noise;
and socioeconomics and environmental
justice. The PEIS also identifies and
analyzes potential cumulative impacts,
which are the potential incremental
impacts on the environment resulting
from continued administration and
operation of the HLP in combination
with other past, present and reasonably
foreseeable future actions from other
relevant Federal and non-Federal
programs.
The PEIS is atypical in that it
addresses an existing program, and VA
has no specific or immediate need to
change its operational structure or
procedures to address environmental
impacts. Furthermore, the making of
loan guaranties, direct loans and grants
do not typically result in direct
environmental impacts. Environmental
impacts, if they occur, would be the
result of private citizen actions (e.g.,
construction of a house funded by VAguaranteed loan financing) related to a
specific property. In this case, the
primary environmental impacts of
concern for VA would be the potential
indirect impacts from homeowner
actions and the potentially significant
cumulative impacts of small
incremental actions on local and
regional resources.
Signing Authority
Denis McDonough, Secretary of
Veterans Affairs, approved this
document on March 29, 2021, and
authorized the undersigned to sign and
submit the document to the Office of the
Federal Register for publication
electronically as an official document of
the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Luvenia Potts,
Regulation Development Coordinator, Office
of Regulation Policy & Management, Office
of the Secretary, Department of Veterans
Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2021–15014 Filed 7–15–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320–01–P
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16JYN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 134 (Friday, July 16, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37786-37787]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-15014]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
Notice of Availability of the Draft Programmatic Environmental
Impact Statement of the Department of Veterans Affairs Housing Loan
Program
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: VA announces the availability of the Draft Programmatic
Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) for the Housing Loan Program
(HLP) for public review and comment. The Draft PEIS identifies,
analyzes and documents the potential physical, environmental, cultural,
socioeconomic and cumulative impacts of continued administration and
operation of VA's HLP. The comprehensive HLP, which is managed by VA's
Veterans Benefits
[[Page 37787]]
Administration (VBA), administers VA-guaranteed housing loan benefits
and other housing-related benefits that assist eligible Veterans,
surviving spouses, active duty personnel, Selected Reservists and
National Guardsmen (collectively referred to as Veterans) in
purchasing, constructing, repairing, adapting, or improving a home.
DATES: VA invites Federal, state, tribal and local entities; non-profit
organizations; businesses; interested parties; and the general public
to submit written comments on the Draft PEIS during the 45-day public
comment period that ends August 30, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be submitted through https://www.regulations.gov. The Draft PEIS is available for viewing at the VA
website https://www.benefits.va.gov/homeloans/environmental_impact.asp.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual public presentations will be
available in lieu of public hearings, and the presentations will be
continually accessible through the project website. Printed copies of
the document may be obtained by contacting VA at
[email protected].
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Elysium Drumm, Supervisory Management
Analyst, Loan Guaranty Service, Veterans Benefits Administration,
Department of Veterans Affairs, 810 Vermont Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20420, 202-632-8862 (This is not a toll-free number.) or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The Draft PEIS was developed pursuant to the
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) of 1969, as amended (42 U.S.C.
4321, et seq.), the Council on Environmental Quality's regulations for
implementing the procedural provisions of NEPA (40 CFR 1500-1508) and
VA's NEPA regulations titled ``Environmental Effects of the Department
of Veterans Affairs Actions'' (38 CFR 26).
The most significant element of the HLP is the provision of housing
benefits that assist eligible Veterans in financing the purchase,
construction, repair, or improvement of a home for their personal
occupancy. See 38 U.S.C. 3701 et seq. VBA provides Federal assistance
in the form of loans made, insured, or guaranteed by VA. VBA is also
responsible for the management, marketing and disposition of real
estate owned properties that VA acquires following the foreclosure of
certain VA-guaranteed loans and loans held in VA's portfolio. Under
HLP, VA also provides direct loans to Native American Veterans to
purchase homes on trust, tribal, or communally-owned lands, and HLP
extends grants for home adaptations to Veterans with service-connected
disabilities through the Specially Adapted Housing program. HLP
provides what can be, for some Veterans, their sole opportunity to
obtain crucial housing loans and grants.
Through the PEIS, VA is using the NEPA process to evaluate the
potential physical, environmental, cultural, socioeconomic and
cumulative effects of HLP; to invite public comments; and to assist
with and inform future agency planning and decision- making related to
HLP. The PEIS evaluates HLP, which assists hundreds of thousands of
Veterans each year across the United States and its territories, to
ensure VA appropriately considers the human environmental elements and
effects specified in 40 CFR 1508.8 (including ecological, aesthetic,
historic, cultural, economic, social, or health, whether direct,
indirect, or cumulative) in carrying out the various elements and
aspects of the program. Environmental topics that have been addressed
in the Draft PEIS include the following: Aesthetics; air quality;
biological resources; cultural resources; floodplains, wetlands and
coastal zones; geology and soils; hydrology and water quality;
infrastructure and community services; land use and planning; noise;
and socioeconomics and environmental justice. The PEIS also identifies
and analyzes potential cumulative impacts, which are the potential
incremental impacts on the environment resulting from continued
administration and operation of the HLP in combination with other past,
present and reasonably foreseeable future actions from other relevant
Federal and non-Federal programs.
The PEIS is atypical in that it addresses an existing program, and
VA has no specific or immediate need to change its operational
structure or procedures to address environmental impacts. Furthermore,
the making of loan guaranties, direct loans and grants do not typically
result in direct environmental impacts. Environmental impacts, if they
occur, would be the result of private citizen actions (e.g.,
construction of a house funded by VA-guaranteed loan financing) related
to a specific property. In this case, the primary environmental impacts
of concern for VA would be the potential indirect impacts from
homeowner actions and the potentially significant cumulative impacts of
small incremental actions on local and regional resources.
Signing Authority
Denis McDonough, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, approved this
document on March 29, 2021, and authorized the undersigned to sign and
submit the document to the Office of the Federal Register for
publication electronically as an official document of the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
Luvenia Potts,
Regulation Development Coordinator, Office of Regulation Policy &
Management, Office of the Secretary, Department of Veterans Affairs.
[FR Doc. 2021-15014 Filed 7-15-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 8320-01-P
