Agency Request for Emergency Approval of an Information Collection

John Augustine
U.S. Department of Transportation
4 March 2016

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 43 (Friday, March 4, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 11647-11648]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2016-04802]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

[Docket No. DOT-OST-2016-0033]


Agency Request for Emergency Approval of an Information 
Collection

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the Department of Transportation (DOT) provides 
notice that it will submit an information collection requests (ICR) to 
the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for emergency approval of a 
proposed information collection. Upon receiving the requested six-month 
emergency approval by OMB, the Office of the Secretary of 
Transportation (OST) will follow the normal PRA procedures to obtain 
extended approval for this proposed information collection. The 
collection of information is necessary in order to receive applications 
for grant funds pursuant to Section 1105 of the Fixing America's 
Surface Transportation (FAST) Act of 2015, which was signed into law on 
December 4, 2015. Section 1105 establishes a new program for OST to 
provide Supplemental Discretionary Grants for a Nationally Significant 
Freight and Highway Projects (NSFHP) program. The Department will also 
refer to NSFHP grants as Fostering Advancements in Shipping and 
Transportation for the Long-term Achievement of National Efficiencies 
(FASTLANE) grants. The FAST Act provides specific deadlines for this 
program, including a statutory 60-day Congressional notification 
requirement, which is no later than July 30, 2016. In order to ensure 
that the NSFHP grants are awarded in an expeditious manner and in the 
timeframes established by the FAST Act, the Department requests 
approval of an information collection using OMB's emergency processing 
system to meet Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) requirements.
    Information related to this ICR, including applicable supporting 
documentation may be obtained by contacting the NSFHP program manager 
via email at NSFHP@dot.gov.

DATES: Comments should be submitted as soon as possible upon 
publication of this notice in the Federal Register. Comments and 
questions should be directed to the Office of Information and 
Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), Attn: OST OMB Desk Officer, 725 17th Street 
NW., Washington, DC 20503. Comments and questions about the ICR 
identified below may be transmitted electronically to OIRA at 
oira_submissions@omb.eop.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    OMB Control Number: 2105-XXXX
    Title: Supplemental Discretionary Grants for a Nationally 
Significant Freight and Highway Projects (NSFHP) program, or NSFHP 
program.
    Type of Review: Emergency information collection request.
    Expected Number of Respondents: Approximately 200.
    Frequency: The Department expects that this information collection 
will occur up to five times--once per fiscal year--from FY 2016 through 
FY 2020.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 100 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 20,000.
    Abstract: On December 4, 2015, President Obama signed into law the 
Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act, or ``FAST Act.'' It is the 
first law enacted in over ten years that provides long-term funding 
certainty for surface transportation. The FAST Act authorized at $4.5 
billion for fiscal years (FY) 2016 through 2020, including $800 million 
for FY 2016 to be awarded by the Department of Transportation (the 
``Department'') on a competitive basis to projects of national or 
regional significance. The funds provided by NSFHP program will be 
awarded on a competitive basis to projects that have a significant 
impact on the Nation, a metropolitan area, or a region. On or about the 
date hereof, the Department published a solicitation for applications 
for NSFHP grants. The solicitation announces the availability of 
funding

[[Page 11648]]

for NSFHP grants, project selection criteria, application requirements 
and the deadline for submitting applications.

    Authority:  The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1:48.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on February 26, 2016.
John Augustine,
Director, Office of Infrastructure and Innovative Finance.
[FR Doc. 2016-04802 Filed 3-3-16; 8:45 am]
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