Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review, Comment Request; FEMA Mitigation Grant Programs, 10925-10926 [2023-03609]

Agencies

• Federal Emergency Management Agency
• DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 35 (Wednesday, February 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10925-10926]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-03609]



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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Federal Emergency Management Agency

[Docket ID: FEMA-2022-0039; OMB No. 1660-0072]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB 
Review, Comment Request; FEMA Mitigation Grant Programs

AGENCY: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland 
Security.

ACTION: 30 Day notice of revision and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will submit the 
information collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and 
Budget for review and clearance in accordance with the requirements of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The submission seeks comments 
concerning FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) financial and 
technical assistance programs; specifically, the Pre-Disaster 
Mitigation Program (PDM), the Building Resilient Infrastructure and 
Communities (BRIC) program, BRIC Direct Technical Assistance (DTA), and 
the Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) program.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before March 24, 2023.

ADDRESSES: 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.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection should be made to Director, 
Information Management Division, 500 C Street SW, Washington, DC 20472, 
email address: [email protected] or 
Jennie Orenstein, Branch Chief, Policy, Tools and Training Branch, 
Federal Insurance and Mitigation Administration, FEMA, at 
[email protected] and 202-212-4071.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This collection of information is necessary 
to implement grants for the FMA, PDM, and BRIC programs.
    The FMA program is authorized pursuant to the National Flood 
Insurance Act of 1968, as amended (Pub. L. 90-448, 42 U.S.C. 4104c). 
FMA was created as part of the National Flood Insurance Reform Act 
(NFIRA) of 1994 (Pub. L. 103-325, 42 U.S.C. 4001). The Biggert-Waters 
Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12), (Pub. L. 112-141, 42 U.S.C. 
4001) consolidated the Repetitive Flood Claims (RFC) and Severe 
Repetitive Loss grant (SRL) programs into FMA. Under FMA, cost-share 
requirements were changed to allow more Federal funds for properties 
with repetitive flood claims. The FMA program, under 44 CFR part 77 
(October 1, 2021; previously under 44 CFR part 79), provides funding 
for measures taken to reduce or eliminate the long-term risk of flood 
damage to buildings, manufactured homes, and other structures insured 
under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). PDM is authorized 
under section 203 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and 
Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), (Pub. L. 93-288, 42 U.S.C. 
5133).
    On August 4, 2020, FEMA established the BRIC program, implementing 
Section 1234 of Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) (Pub. L. 93-288, 42 
U.S.C. 5121 et seq.), which amended section 203 of the Stafford Act 
(Pub. L. 93-288, 42 U.S.C. 5133). The BRIC program is designed to 
promote a national culture of preparedness and public safety through 
encouraging investments to protect our communities and infrastructure 
and through strengthening national mitigation capabilities to foster 
resilience. The BRIC program seeks to fund effective and innovative 
projects that will reduce risk, increase resilience, and serve as a 
catalyst to encourage the whole community to invest in and adopt 
policies related to mitigation.
    The guiding principles of the BRIC program include (1) support 
state and local governments, tribes, and territories through 
capability- and capacity-building to enable them to identify mitigation 
actions and implement projects that reduce risks posed by natural 
hazards; (2) encourage and enable innovation while allowing 
flexibility, consistency, and effectiveness; (3) promote partnerships 
and enable high-impact investments to reduce risk from natural hazards 
with a focus on critical services and facilities, public 
infrastructure, public safety, public health, and communities; (4) 
provide a significant opportunity to reduce future losses and minimize 
impacts on the Disaster Relief Fund; (5) promote equity, including by 
helping members of disadvantaged groups and prioritizing 40 percent of 
the benefits to disadvantaged communities as referenced in Executive 
Order (E.O.) 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis At Home and Abroad, (86 
FR 7619, Feb. 1, 2021) which describes the Administration's Justice40 
Initiative; and (6) support the adoption and enforcement of building 
codes, standards, and policies that will protect the health, safety, 
and general welfare of the public, taking into account future 
conditions, prominently including the effects of climate change, and 
have long-lasting impacts on community risk reduction, including for 
critical services and facilities and for future disaster costs. The 
BRIC program distributes funds annually and applies a Federal/Non-
Federal cost share. To increase transparency in decision-making while 
building capability and partnerships, FEMA convenes a National Review 
Panel to score subapplications based on qualitative evaluation 
criteria.
    The BRIC program is authorized under section 203 of the Stafford 
Act to provide technical assistance for implementing predisaster hazard 
mitigation measures. BRIC implements this authority by providing non-
financial DTA to eligible communities. The DTA initiative is 
specifically designed to assist economically disadvantaged rural 
communities, tribal entities, and Justice40 underserved communities. 
The Justice40 Initiative provides guidance on implementing 
environmental justice and equitable implementation of program 
resources. DTA delivers hazard mitigation assistance to communities who 
face resource barriers that prevent access to Hazard Mitigation grants 
and other Federal assistance grants.
    In accordance with 2 CFR 200.203, FEMA requires all parties 
interested in receiving FEMA mitigation grants to submit an application 
package for grant assistance. Applications and subapplications for BRIC 
and FMA are submitted via FEMA GO. FEMA GO is the new system of record 
for grants for new grant applications beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 
2020.
    The Mitigation (MT) eGrants system is used to manage FY 2022 FMA 
Swift Current grants, FMA annual grants awarded prior FY 2019 and Pre-
Disaster Mitigation grant program offerings. The MT eGrants system is 
an intuitive, user-friendly, web-based application owned and operated 
by FIMA that allows eligible applicants and subapplicants to apply for 
grants and subgrants through the internet. MT eGrants is both an 
internal (FEMA-facing) system and an external facing system. The FEMA 
GO and MT eGrants systems were developed to meet the intent of the e-
Government initiative, authorized by

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Federal Financial Assistance Management Improvement Act of 1999 (Pub. 
L. 106-107, 31 U.S.C. 6101). This initiative requires that all 
Government agencies both streamline grant application processes and 
provide for the means to electronically create, review, and submit a 
grant application via the internet.
    Under 2 CFR part 200 (for BRIC and PDM) and 44 CFR 77.3 (FMA), 
Recipients must complete and submit progress report(s) to the FEMA 
Regional Administrator on a quarterly basis, certifying how the funds 
are being used and reporting on the progress of activities funded under 
the subrecipient awards made to the Recipient by FEMA. The Regional 
Administrator and Recipient negotiate the date for submission of the 
first report.
    The Benefit Cost Determination is used to collect data to evaluate 
the proposed project's cost effectiveness. Mitigation projects must be 
cost effective to be eligible for Hazard Mitigation Assistance funding. 
Cost effectiveness is demonstrated through a FEMA-validated benefit 
cost analysis. The Environmental and Historic Preservation Review is 
used to collect information that is needed to ensure that a proposed 
project complies with applicable environmental and historic 
preservation regulations and laws. This information is collected to 
assure that adverse project impact is minimized according to the 
National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as amended (Pub. L. 
91-190, 42 U.S.C. 4321-4347); The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA) 
(Pub. L. 93-205,16 U.S.C. 1531); The National Historic Preservation Act 
of 1966 (Pub. L. 89-665, U.S.C. 16 U.S.C. 470); Executive Order (E.O.) 
11988, Floodplain Management, (80 FR 6530, Feb. 5, 2015) regarding 
floodplains; and E.O. 11990 Protection of Wetlands (42 FR 26961, May 
24, 1977) other applicable laws and executive orders. The Project 
Narrative--Subgrant Application process is used to collect the 
information necessary for FEMA to assess the financial needs of the 
applicants, as well as the projected benefits to be obtained from the 
use of grant funds for each of its mitigation grant programs. Quarterly 
Progress Reports describe the status of those projects on which a final 
payment of the Federal share has not been made to the Recipient and 
identify problems or circumstances expected to result in noncompliance 
with the approved award conditions.
    This proposed information collection previously published in the 
Federal Register on November 23, 2022, at 87 FR 71657 with a 60 day 
public comment period. No comments were received. The purpose of this 
notice is to notify the public that FEMA will submit the information 
collection abstracted below to the Office of Management and Budget for 
review and clearance.

Collection of Information

    Title: FEMA Mitigation Grant Programs.
    Type of Information Collection: Extension, with change, of a 
currently approved collection.
    OMB Number: 1660-0072.
    FEMA Forms: FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-151, Quarterly Progress Report; 
FEMA Instruction FI-206-FY-22-102, Instructions to Recipients for 
Quarterly Progress Reports for FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure 
and Communities (BRIC), the Pre-Mitigation Disaster (PDM), and Flood 
Mitigation Assistance (FMA); FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-155, BRIC DTA 
Request; FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-158; Acknowledgement of Conditions For 
Properties Using FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grant Funds; FEMA 
Form FF-206-FY-22-157, Model Deed Restriction; and FEMA Form FF-206-FY-
22-156, Model Statement of Assurances for Property Acquisition 
Projects.
    Abstract: The Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Flood 
Mitigation Assistance (FMA) and Building Resilient Infrastructure and 
Communities (BRIC) programs use an automated grant application and 
management system called FEMA GO. The Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) 
program and the FMA program also uses an automated grant application 
and management system called Mitigation (MT) eGrants. The FEMA GO and 
MT eGrants systems include application information needed to apply for 
funding under these grant programs. FEMA uses the BRIC Panel Review 
Form to solicit volunteers from state, local, tribal governments and 
Other Federal Agencies (OFA), to review applications that are routed to 
the qualitative panel reviews. The volunteers will review, and score 
applications based on a pre-determined scoring criteria. The PDM, FMA, 
and BRIC programs will use the same FEMA Form FF-206-FY-22-151 
Quarterly Progress Report (QPR) Form.
    Affected Public: State, local or Tribal governments.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 617.
    Estimated Number of Responses: 17,249.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 97,858.
    Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost: $5,914,144.
    Estimated Respondents' Operation and Maintenance Costs: $0.
    Estimated Respondents' Capital and Start-Up Costs: $0.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Federal Government: $7,970,053.

Comments

    Comments may be submitted as indicated in the ADDRESSES caption 
above. Comments are solicited to (a) evaluate whether the proposed data 
collection is necessary for the proper performance of the agency, 
including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) 
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; (c) enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) 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.

Millicent Brown Wilson,
Records Management Branch Chief, Office of the Chief Administrative 
Officer, Mission Support, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 
Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2023-03609 Filed 2-21-23; 8:45 am]
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