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) ( printed page 28584) 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.: 1910-5134;

(2) Information Collection Request Titled: DOE Title 17 Energy Financing Program (formerly titled, Loan Guarantees for Projects that Employ Innovative Technologies);

(3) Type of Review: Reinstatement, with change, of a previously approved collection for which approval has expired.

(4) Purpose: DOE's Title 17 Energy Financing Program is implemented pursuant to Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as amended (Title 17). 42 U.S.C. 16511 et seq. Under the program, DOE may make guarantees for projects meeting the eligibility requirements set forth at 42 U.S.C. 16513 (also referred to the Section 1703 Program) or 42 U.S.C. 16517 (also referred to the Section 1706 Program, or the Energy Dominance Financing Program). DOE has set forth regulations at 10 CFR part 609 to establish application requirements and otherwise implement the Title 17 programs. This information collection request covers the information necessary to evaluate those applications. The information collected will be used to analyze whether an applicant and its project is eligible under Title 17. The collection of this information is critical to ensure the government has sufficient information to determine whether applicants meet program requirements and the criteria specified in 10 CFR part 609.

On February 18, 2026, DOE published in the Federal Register an initial notice and request for comment on this proposed information collection (91 FR 7469). That public comment period concluded on April 20, 2026. One comment was received. DOE has considered the comment. Among other things, the comment requested DOE publish the basis of its proposed certification to OMB: specifically, DOE's estimates of respondent burdens.

As explained in the Supporting Statement, DOE anticipates approximately the same number of respondents to the program. Where DOE once estimated 98 applicants, it now assumes 100 applicants. DOE also anticipates approximately the same number of burden hours to produce an application. DOE notes that applicants provide much of the same financial and technical information in the private sector when seeking financing for a project of similar complexity, size, and risk. For this reason, DOE reverted to a prior estimate of 132.5 hours per application, minus 14 hours attributable to a change in law (the elimination of the statutory requirement for an applicant to submit “an analysis of how the proposed project will engage with and affect associated communities” implemented in the form of a required “Community Benefits Plan”). SeePublic Law 119-21, Sec. 50403, 139 Stat. 153 (Jul. 4, 2025). Finally, DOE applied 2025 hourly wage rates (published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) by functional categories to estimate the cost burden to an applicant ($33,711). The docket web page for this notice contains DOE's Supporting Statement which can be accessed at www.regulations.gov/​docket/​DOE-HQ-2026-0463.

(5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 100 respondents;

(6) Annual Estimated Number of Total Responses: 100 respondents;

(7) Annual Estimated Number of Burden Hours: 13,250 Burden Hours;

(8) Annual Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $3,371,100 (or $33,711 per Respondent).

Statutory Authority: Title XVII of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, as amended (42 U.S.C. 16511 et seq.).

Signing Authority

This document of the Department of Energy was signed on May 13, 2026, by Gregory A. Beard, Director, Office of Energy Dominance Financing, 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 .

91 FR 28583