Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Request for Renewal of Currently Approved Information Collection, 89005-89006 [2023-28320]

Agencies

• Federal Highway Administration
• DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 246 (Tuesday, December 26, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 89005-89006]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28320]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2023-0055]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Request for 
Renewal of Currently Approved Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of request for extension of currently approved 
information collection.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA has forwarded the information collection request 
described in this notice to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) 
for approval of a renewal of information collection. We published a 
Federal Register Notice with a 60-day public comment period on this 
information collection on October 18, 2023. We are required to publish 
this notice in the Federal Register by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by January 25, 2024.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
0055 by any of the following methods:
    Website: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to https://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of Transportation, West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carlos B. McCloud, (225) 433-2892_
[email protected] or David Harris, (202) [email protected], FHWA Office of Transportation Management (HOTM) 
USDOT HQ E84-471, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590. 
Office hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection (SIRC) Program 
Grant Application.
    OMB Control #: 2125-0676.
    Background: In adherence with 5 CFR 1320.13, this is a request for 
approval for an emergency clearance for processing of information 
related to a new collection of information for the SIRC Program grant 
application submission and quarterly reporting requirements for FY 
2023-2024 program of projects awards. The collection of information 
will support implementation of title III--Research, Technology, and 
Education, sec. 13001. Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection (a) 
and (b) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law No: 
117-58 or also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-BIL 
(see Exhibit A page 12). The Office of the Secretary of Transportation 
(OST) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has coordinated on 
the development of public information to solicit responses to a Notice 
of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the SIRC Program. Awarded funds to 
eligible applicants will test the feasibility of a road usage fee and 
other user-based alternative revenue mechanisms (referred to in this 
section as ``user based alternative revenue mechanisms'') to help 
maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund.
     The information will be received by the FHWA to fulfill 
the grant application submittal requirements and agreements prescribed 
in the NOFO.
     The collection of information will include grant 
application forms and narratives, grant agreements, and project 
management quarterly reporting.
     The purpose of the collection is to receive information 
relevant to evaluating applications to the SIRC grant program, per the 
NOFO, and reporting requirements agreed to by recipients of the Grants.
     The obligation to respond to the collection of information 
is voluntary and is required to obtain or retain a benefit.
    The Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection (SIRC) Program 
seeks to fund pilot projects that test the implementation of user-based 
alternative revenue mechanisms that utilize a road user fee structure 
for eligible entities to test the feasibility of the program objectives 
outlined in section 133001(b)(3), as prescribed in Exhibit A of this 
document. Grant awards test innovative ways to replace or supplement 
the Federal gas tax to maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway 
Trust Fund. The collection of information is necessary to receive 
applications for grant funds, evaluate the effectiveness of projects 
that have been awarded grant funds, and monitor project financial 
conditions and project progress pursuant to section 133001(b)(3). FY 
2023--FY 2024 is the first year of implementation for the SIRC Program. 
FHWA implemented a similar predecessor program, the Surface 
Transportation System Funding Alternatives (STSFA) program authorized 
by section 6020 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation (FAST) 
Act, Public Law 114-94, FY 2016-2021, which was repealed with the 
passage of BIL. Information about awards funded under the STSFA program 
is available at: https://ops.fhwa.dot.gov/stsfa/index.htm.
    FHWA requests information from applicants in the form an electronic 
application, which will represent 100% of the submissions. The 
application will assist in soliciting proposals for funding from 
eligible applicants for the five-year grant program, to monitor the 
grant program recipients, project progress, assess project outcomes and 
permit evaluation. The reporting requirements are submitted by 
recipients and will be completed during the application stage, grant 
agreement, and the project management stages.

[[Page 89006]]

    FHWA will continue to use the information collected in the 
application phase to evaluate proposals and make decisions to award 
grants to applicants for any future similar appropriations. FHWA will 
use the information to monitor the progress of projects that have been 
awarded SIRC Program funds, and to monitor the proper expenditure of 
Federal funds. The project management information will be collected by 
grant recipients.
    Much of the information will be produced and collected through the 
normal process of project management, so the additional burden of 
Government information collection is small in comparison to the data 
management related to information that grant recipients already collect 
to manage their projects properly. The information collected from grant 
recipients is project specific and the information is not available 
other than from the grantees. The information will be used to monitor 
projects on a quarterly basis, and to ensure on an annual basis that 
the project's plan conforms to the project's real operating 
environment.
    All information submitted as part of or in support of any 
application shall use publicly available data or data that can be made 
public. If the application includes information the applicant considers 
to be a trade secret or confidential commercial or financial 
information, the applicant should do the following: (1) Note on the 
front cover that the submission ``Contains Confidential Business 
Information (CBI)''; (2) mark each affected page ``CBI''; and (3) 
highlight or otherwise denote the CBI portions. DOT protects such 
information from disclosure to the extent allowed under applicable law. 
In the event DOT receives a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request 
for the information, DOT will follow the procedures described in its 
FOIA regulations at 49 CFR 7.17. Only information that is ultimately 
determined to be confidential under that procedure will be exempt from 
disclosure under FOIA. Retention of records will adhere to DOT Order 
1351.28 Records Management, 28.4.5 Electronic Records.
    The Department will receive application reports electronically via 
email and via websites from grant awardees upon approval from OMB. 
Certain agencies within the Department have found that delivery of 
reports electronically is the most reliable way to collect information 
and will use their existing grant administration systems to collect the 
information covered under this request. To minimize the burden on 
applicants, OMB approved standard forms are being used to collect 
information where possible. Such standard forms include the Application 
for Federal Assistance (SF-424), available online at https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF424_2_1-V2.1.pdf, and the post-
award Federal Financial Reports form (SF-425), available online at 
https://apply07.grants.gov/apply/forms/sample/SF425_2_0-V2.0.pdf.
    If the information requested in the reports is not collected, the 
Department will not be able to evaluate project progress or financial 
conditions in accordance with the 23 U.S.C., Bipartisan Infrastructure 
Law and the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the program 
published in the Federal Register. The quarterly collection of 
financial data ensures that the use of Federal funds can be 
appropriately monitored.
    Respondents: The primary respondents are the eligible applicants, 
which includes a State or a group of States, Metropolitan Planning 
Organization (MPO) or a group of Metropolitan Planning Organizations 
(as defined in section 134(b) of title 23, United States Code), a local 
government or a group of local governments.
    Frequency: Every year by December 31st.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: The estimated number of 
hours for each of the 15 recipients (annually based on previous STSFA 
Program) to compile and submit the requested data is estimated to be no 
more than 8 employee hours annually.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Total estimated average annual 
burden is 1,032 hours.
    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 FHWA's performance; (2) the accuracy of 
the estimated burdens; (3) ways for the FHWA 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; and 49 CFR 1.48.

     Issued On: December 19, 2023.
Jazmyne Lewis,
Information Collection Officer.
[FR Doc. 2023-28320 Filed 12-22-23; 8:45 am]
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