Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments for a New Information Collection

Steven Smith
Federal Highway Administration
October 9, 2012

[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 195 (Tuesday, October 9, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 61470-61471]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-24801]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2012-0081]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Request for Comments 
for a New Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: FHWA invites public comments about our intention to request 
the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for a new 
information collection, which is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day 
public comment period on this information collection on June 22, 2012. 
We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by November 8, 2012.

ADDRESSES: You may send comments within 30 days to the Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, 
725 17th Street NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention DOT Desk Officer. 
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 burden; (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. All comments should include the 
Docket number FHWA-2012-0081.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Allen, 202-366-4104, Office of 
Highway Policy Information, Federal Highway Administration, Department 
of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, 
between 6:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) 
State Reports for American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act)
    Background: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 
(Recovery Act), provides the State Departments of Transportation and 
Federal Lands Agencies with $27.5 billion for highway infrastructure 
investment. With these funds also comes an increased level of data 
reporting with the stated goal of improving transparency and 
accountability at all levels of government. According to President 
Obama ``Every American will be able to hold Washington accountable for 
these decisions by going online to see how and where their tax dollars 
are being spent.'' The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in concert 
with the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) and the other 
modes within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will be taking 
the appropriate steps to ensure that accountability and transparency 
are provided for all infrastructure investments.
    The reporting requirements of the Recovery Act are covered in 
Sections 1201 and 1512. Section 1201 (c)(1) stipulates that 
``notwithstanding any other provision of law each grant recipient shall 
submit to the covered agency (FHWA) from which they received funding 
periodic reports on the use of the funds appropriated in this Act for 
covered programs. Such reports shall be collected and compiled by the 
covered agency (FHWA) and transmitted to Congress. Covered agencies 
(FHWA) may develop such reports on behalf of grant recipients (States) 
to ensure the accuracy and consistency of such reports.''
    Section 1512 of the Recovery Act requires ``any entity that 
receives recovery funds directly from the Federal Government (including 
recovery funds received through grant, loan, or contract) other than an 
individual,'' including States, to provide regular ``Recipient 
Reports.''
    As the recipients or grantees for the majority of the Recovery Act 
funds, States and Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMA) are by 
statute responsible for reporting to FHWA on the projects, use of 
Recovery Act funds, and jobs supported. States and FLMA that receive 
recovery fund apportionments directly from the Federal government are 
responsible for reporting to FHWA, and are also responsible for 
reporting quarterly to the federalreporting.gov Web site. To achieve a 
high-quality, consistent basis for reporting and project oversight, 
FHWA has designed the Recovery Act Database System (RADS) for obtaining 
and summarizing data including reports to congress, project oversight, 
and other purposes.
    States and FLMA will be responsible for providing the data that are 
not currently available at the national level. Not every data element 
required to be reported by the Recovery Act needs to be specifically 
collected. To the maximum extent possible, FHWA will utilize existing 
data programs to meet the Recovery Act reporting requirements. For 
example, for the requirement to report aggregate expenditures of State 
funds, FHWA will use existing reports submitted by States and data 
collected in the Financial Management Information System (FMIS). While 
the reporting obligations in the Recovery Act are only applicable to 
the grant recipients, the States and FLMA may need to obtain certain 
information from their contractors, consultants, and other funding 
recipients in order to provide the FHWA with all of the required 
information.
    Additional information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment 
Act of 2009 is available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/economicrecovery/index.htm.
    Respondents In a reporting cycle, it is estimated that reports will 
be received from approximately 70 grant recipients. Respondents 
include: 50 State Departments of Transportation, the District of 
Columbia and Puerto Rico, the U.S. territories, the following Federal 
Land Management Agencies: National Park Service, U.S. Fish and 
Wildlife, National Forest Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and 
several

[[Page 61471]]

Native American Indian Governments who, by contract, manage their own 
transportation program. These reports will be submitted through the 
RADS and reviewed for accuracy by the FHWA Division Offices.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 5 hours
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: Total estimated average annual 
burden is 4000 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 burden; (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 computer 
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: October 1, 2012.
Steven Smith,
Chief, Information Technology Division.
[FR Doc. 2012-24801 Filed 10-5-12; 8:45 am]
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