2022-25299. Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget for Review and Approval; Energy and Mineral Development Program Grants

AGENCY:

Bureau of Indian Affairs, Interior.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) are proposing to renew an information collection with revisions.

DATES:

Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before December 21, 2022.

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 Review—Open for Public Comments” or by using the search function. Please provide a copy of your comments to Steven Mullen, Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1001 Indian School Road NW, Suite 229, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87104; or by email to [e-mail]. Please reference Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 1076-0174 in the subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

To request additional information about this ICR, contact Winter Jojola-Talburt, Deputy Chief, Division of Energy and Mineral Development, by telephone: [phone]; or by email: [e-mail]. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/​public/​do/​PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we provide the general public and other Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand our information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format.

A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on July 22, 2022 (87 FR 43889). No comments were received.

As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are especially interested in public comment addressing the following:

(1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether or not the information will have practical utility;

(2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection of information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;

(3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and

(4) How might the agency 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 response.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

Abstract: The Energy Policy Act of 2005 authorizes the Secretary of the Interior to provide grants to Indian Tribes for energy development and appropriates funds for such grants on a year-to-year basis. See 25 U.S.C. 3502 (a)(2)(B). When funding is available, the Division of Energy and Mineral Development (DEMD) may solicit applications for energy development projects from Indian Tribes whose lands are held in trust or restricted fee by the federal government under the Energy and Mineral Development Program (EMDP). Indian Tribes that would like to apply for an EMDP grant must submit an application that includes certain information, and once funding is received, recipients must submit reports on how they are using the funding.

Proposed Revisions

BIA proposes to revise the information collection by modifying the progress report submission frequency from quarterly to semi-annual.

Title of Collection: Energy and Mineral Development Program Grants.

OMB Control Number: 1076-0174.

Form Number: None.

Type of Review: Revision of a currently approved collection.

Respondents/Affected Public: Federally recognized Indian Tribes with Indian land.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Respondents: 113.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 143.

Estimated Completion Time per Response: Varies from 3 to 100 hours, depending on activity.

Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 8,480 hours.

Respondent's Obligation: Required to obtain or retain a benefit.

Frequency of Collection: Annual for applications; semi-annual for progress reports.

Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: $0.

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 authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Steven Mullen,

Information Collection Clearance Officer, Office of Regulatory Affairs and Collaborative Action—Indian Affairs.