80 FR 17728 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; NOAA Marine Debris Program Performance Progress Report

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Federal Register Volume 80, Issue 63 (April 2, 2015)

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 63 (Thursday, April 2, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 17728-17729]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2015-07547]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; NOAA Marine 
Debris Program Performance Progress Report

AGENCY: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public 
and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on 
proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before June 1, 2015.

ADDRESSES: Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental 
Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th 
and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet 
at [email protected]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Tom Barry at (301) 713-4248 x161 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    This request is for a new information collection.
    The NOAA Marine Debris Program (MDP) supports national and 
international efforts to research, prevent, and reduce the impacts of 
marine debris. The MDP is a centralized office within NOAA that 
coordinates and supports activities, both within the bureau and with 
other federal agencies, that address marine debris and its impacts. In 
addition to inter-agency coordination, the MDP uses partnerships with 
state and local agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations, 
academia, and industry to investigate and solve the problems that stem 
from marine debris through research, prevention, and reduction 
activities, in order to protect and conserve our nation's marine 
environment and ensure navigation safety.
    The Marine Debris Research, Prevention, and Reduction Act (33 
U.S.C. 1951 et seq.) as amended by the Marine Debris Act Amendments of 
2012 (Pub. L. 112-213, Title VI, Sec. 603, 126 Stat. 1576, December 20, 
2012) outlines three central program components for the MDP to 
undertake: (1) Mapping, identification, impact assessment, removal, and 
prevention; (2) reducing and preventing fishing gear loss; and (3) 
outreach to stakeholders and the general public. To address these 
components, the Marine Debris Act authorized the MDP to establish 
several competitive grant programs on marine debris research, 
prevention and removal that provide federal funding to non-federal 
applicants throughout the coastal United States and territories.
    The terms and conditions of the financial assistance awarded 
through these grant programs require regular progress reporting and 
communication of project accomplishments to MDP. Progress reports 
contain information related to, among other things, the overall short 
and long-term goals of the project, project methods and monitoring 
techniques, actual accomplishments (such as tons of debris removed from 
an ecosystem, numbers of volunteers participating in a cleanup project, 
etc.), status of approved activities, challenges or potential 
roadblocks to future progress, and lessons learned. This information 
collection enables MDP to monitor and evaluate the activities supported 
by federal funds to ensure accountability to the public and to ensure 
that funds are used consistent with the purpose for which they were 
appropriated. It also ensures that reported information is standardized 
in such a way that allows for it to be meaningfully synthesized across 
a diverse set of projects and project types. MDP uses the information 
collected in a variety of ways to communicate with federal and non-
federal partners and stakeholders on individual project and general 
program accomplishments.
    The MDP operates within the Office of Response and Restoration as 
part of NOAA's National Ocean Service.

II. Method of Collection

    Respondents to this collection may choose to submit electronically 
or in paper format.

[[Page 17729]]

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-xxxx.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular submission (new information collection).
    Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations, not-
for-profit institutions, state, local or tribal government.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 70.
    Estimated Time per Response: 10 hours (semi-annually).
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,400.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0 in recordkeeping/
reporting costs.

IV. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 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 
(including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; 
(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.
    Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized 
and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information 
collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

    Dated: March 30, 2015.
Sarah Brabson,
NOAA PRA Clearance Officer.
[FR Doc. 2015-07547 Filed 4-1-15; 8:45 am]
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