2018-02704. Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; Revisions to National Flood Insurance Program Maps: Application Forms and Instructions for (C)LOMAs and (C)LOMR-Fs

AGENCY:

Federal Emergency Management Agency, DHS.

ACTION:

Notice and request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public to take this opportunity to comment on a reinstatement, without change, of a previously approved information collection for which approval has expired. 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 will describe the nature of the information collection, the categories of respondents, the estimated burden (i.e., the time, effort and resources used by respondents to respond) and cost, and the actual data collection instruments FEMA will use.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before March 14, 2018.

ADDRESSES:

Submit written comments on the proposed information collection to the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget. Comments should be addressed to the Desk Officer for the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and sent via electronic mail to [e-mail].

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 [e-mail] or Todd Steiner, Program Analyst, FEMA, Federal Insurance & Mitigation Administration, at [phone] or [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is authorized by the National Flood Insurance Act of 1968, as amended, 42 U.S.C. 4001 et seq. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the NFIP and maintains the maps that depict flood hazard information. The land area covered by the floodwaters of the base flood is the Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA) on NFIP maps. The SFHA is the area where the NFIP's floodplain management regulations must be enforced and the area where the mandatory purchase of flood insurance applies. If a SFHA has been determined to exist for property and the owner or lessee of the property believes his/her property has been incorrectly included in a SFHA, information can be provided to support removal of the SFHA designation. NFIP regulations, at 44 CFR parts 65 and 70, outline the data that must be submitted by an owner or lessee of property who believes his/her property has been incorrectly included in a SFHA. In order to remove an area from a SFHA, the owner or lessee of the property must submit scientific or technical data demonstrating that the area is “reasonably safe from flooding” and not in the SFHA.

This proposed information collection previously published in the Federal Register on November 17, 2017 at 82 FR 54402 with a 60 day public comment period. FEMA received no public comments that were relevant to information collection 1660-0015. This information collection expired on September 30, 2017. FEMA is requesting a reinstatement, without change, of a previously approved information collection for which approval has expired. 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: Revisions to National Flood Insurance Program Maps: Application Forms and Instructions for (C)LOMAs and (C)LOMR-Fs.

Type of Information Collection: Reinstatement, without change, of a previously approved information collection for which approval has expired.

OMB Number: 1660-0015.

Form Titles and Numbers: FEMA Form 086-0-26, Property Information; FEMA Form 086-0-26A, Elevation Form; FEMA Form 086-0-26B, Community Acknowledgement Form; FEMA Form 086-0-22 and FEMA Form 086-0-22A (Spanish), Application Form for Single Residential Lot or Structure Amendments to National Flood Insurance Program Maps.

Abstract: FEMA collects scientific and technical data submissions to determine whether a specific, single-lot property is located within or outside of a Special Flood Hazard Area (SFHA). If the property is determined not to be within a SFHA, FEMA provides a written determination and the appropriate map is modified by a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA) or a Letter of Map Revision—Based on Fill (LOMR-F). The owner or lessee of a property uses a LOMA or LOMR-F to show that a property is not located within the SFHA, making it possible for the lending institution to waive the flood insurance requirement. If the policyholder decides to maintain insurance on the property, the new determination should result in lower rates.

Affected Public: Individuals and Households; and Business or Other for-Profit Institutes.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 121,116.

Estimated Number of Responses: 121,116.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 150,725 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Respondent Cost: $6,501,379.

Estimated Respondents' Operation and Maintenance Costs: $24,099,750.

Estimated Respondents' Capital and Start-Up Costs: $0.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to the Federal Government: $268,401.

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.

Dated: February 1, 2018.

William H. Holzerland,

Senior Director for Information Management, Office of the Chief Administrative Officer, Mission Support, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security.