2022-03197. Agency Information Collection Extension

AGENCY:

Department of Energy.

ACTION:

Notice of request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Energy (DOE), pursuant to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, intends to extend for three years, an information collection request with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

DATES:

Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before April 18, 2022. If you anticipate any difficulty in submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments may be sent to Eric F. Mulch, Attorney-Adviser, by email at [e-mail].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Eric F. Mulch, Attorney-Adviser, at [phone], or via email at [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the extended collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) 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) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents, including through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

This information collection request contains:

(1) OMB No.: 1910-5115.

(2) Information Collection Request Titled: Contractor Legal Management Requirements.

(3) Type of Review: Extension.

(4) Purpose: The information collection to be extended has been and will be used to form the basis for DOE actions on requests from the contractors for reimbursement of litigation and other legal expenses. The information collected related to annual legal budget, staffing and resource plans, and initiation or settlement of defensive or offensive litigation is and will be similarly used.

(5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 45.

(6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 154.

(7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 1150.

(8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: 0.

Statutory Authority: Section 161 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954, 42 U.S.C. 2201, the Department of Energy Organization Act, 42 U.S.C 7101, et seq., and the National Nuclear Security Administration Act, 50 U.S.C. 2401, et seq.

Signing Authority

This document of the Department of Energy was signed on February 9, 2022, by Samuel T. Walsh, General Counsel, pursuant to delegated authority from the Secretary of Energy. That document with the original signature and date is maintained by DOE. For administrative purposes only, and in compliance with requirements of the Office of the Federal Register, the undersigned DOE Federal Register Liaison Officer has been authorized to sign and submit the document in electronic format for publication, as an official document of the Department of Energy. This administrative process in no way alters the legal effect of this document upon publication in the Federal Register .

Signed in Washington, DC, on February 10, 2022.

Treena V. Garrett,

Federal Register Liaison Officer, U.S. Department of Energy.