SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

This request is for a revision to and extension of the currently approved Nautical Discrepancy and Data Reporting System (System). The System consists of both the Aimed Stakeholder Interaction and Survey Tool (ASSIST) and the Project Status Report Forms, which include the Permit/Public Notice Status Report, the Artificial Reef/Mariculture Status Report, and the Submerged Pipeline Status Report forms.

NOAA's Office of Coast Survey (Coast Survey) is the nation's nautical chartmaker, maintaining and updating over a thousand charts covering the 3.5 million square nautical miles of coastal waters in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone and the Great Lakes. The marine transportation system relies on charting accuracy and precision to keep navigation safe and coastal communities protected from environmental disasters at sea.

Coast Survey also writes and publishes the United States Coast Pilot ® (Coast Pilot), a series of ten nautical books that supplement nautical charts with essential marine information that cannot be shown graphically on the charts and is not readily available elsewhere. Coast Pilot information includes, but is not limited to, channel descriptions, anchorages, bridge and cable clearances, tides and tidal currents, prominent features, pilotage, towage, weather, ice conditions, wharf descriptions, dangers, routes, traffic separation schemes, small craft facilities, and Federal Regulations applicable to navigation.

The marine environment and shorelines are constantly changing. Coast Survey makes every effort to update information portrayed in nautical charts and described in the Coast Pilot. The purpose of the System is to offer a formal, standardized instrument to information sources that facilitate corrections and updates, also monitors and documents the changes Coast Survey makes to nautical charts and the Coast Pilot.

Information sources include, but are not limited to, pilot associations, shipping companies, towboat operators, state marine authorities, city marine authorities, local port authorities, marine operators, hydrographic research vessels, naval vessels, Coast Guard cutters, merchant vessels, fishing vessels, pleasure boats, U.S. Power Squadron Units, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Units, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).

As stated above, the System consists of both ASSIST and the three Project Status Report Forms. Coast Survey uses ASSIST ( https://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/​customer-service/​assist/​) to receive discrepancy reports and construction notifications in the form of USACE-issued Public Notices, Permit Applications, and Permits, which could include a proposal or authorization to dredge and/or construct, remove, or abandon structures. Coast Survey vets these Public Notices, Permit Applications, and Permits for the potential of a charting action, and then registers them into a database.

Coast Survey uses the three Project Status Report Forms ( i.e., the Permit/Public Notice Status Report, the Artificial Reef/Mariculture Status Report, and the Submerged Pipeline Status Report forms) to determine the status of USACE-permitted projects and obtain as-built and/or survey data associated with the completion of these projects. The Project Status Report Forms give USACE permittees a standardized way to notify Coast Survey of the status of their projects so that the as-built and survey data can be used by Coast Survey for nautical charts and the Coast Pilot. Permittees are asked to notify Coast Survey of the completion of their projects. Permittees may find blank Project Status Report Forms on the Coast Survey website, or permittees may request an email version of the forms from Coast Survey. Coast Survey periodically mails customized versions of the Project Status Report Forms to permittees, requesting information on the completion status of their permitted projects. The Project Status Report Forms are also periodically mailed to permittees as a way of gathering information regarding ongoing permitted projects. A permittee's use of these forms enables Coast Survey to capture complete, registration-ready source packages that require less frequent correspondence with the permittee prior to source registration. In other words, use of the forms is instrumental in accelerating the availability of important, and possibly critical, nautical data to Coast Survey's cartographic production branches for charting action.

Coast Survey has made several updates to one of the Project Status Report Forms: the Permit/Public Notice Status Report form. These changes ensure that third-party data meets Coast Survey's quality standards required for authoritative charting. Key enhancements to the Permit/Public Notice Status Report form include expanded data collection for hydrographic surveys, such as construction start and end dates and specific units or datums for both Vertical and Horizontal Coordinate Reference Systems. To align with modern open-data policies, a new Data License section has been added to the Permit/Public Notice Status Report form, offering CC0-1.0 or CC-BY-4.0 equivalency and directing users to the Coast Survey data licensing website for further details. Structurally, the Permit/Public Notice Status Report form now features a dedicated second page for “Special Instructions,” providing more granular technical guidance than previous versions. Additionally, the contact section of the Permit/Public Notice Status Report form now requires a Company/Organization Name. This change facilitates better customer service and serves as a vital link for resolving nautical discrepancies with information sources. The Citizen Science Chart Update Project is complete and that collection is being removed from this OMB Control Number.

II. Method of Collection

Respondents can submit discrepancy reports and construction notifications in the form of USACE-issued Public Notices, Permit Applications, and Permits electronically through the ASSIST website or by telephone (888-990-6622). Permittees are asked to notify Coast Survey of the completion of their projects. Permittees may find blank Project Status Report Forms on the Coast Survey website, or permittees may request an email version of the forms from Coast Survey. Coast Survey periodically mails customized versions of the Project Status Report Forms to permittees, requesting information on the completion status of their permitted projects.

After completion, respondents submit the Project Status Report Forms and provide any associated as-built/survey data to Coast Survey. For additional ( printed page 34812) information about submitting the Project Status Report Forms, see the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0648-0007.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Review: Regular submission. Revision and extension of a currently approved information collection.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit; state, local, and tribal government; universities; individuals or households; not for-profit institutions, professional and other mariners, etc.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,570.

Estimated Time per Response: 10-15 minutes depending on the Project Status Report Form.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 797.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $522.60.

Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.

Legal Authority: None.

IV. Request for Comments

We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau to: (a) evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to approve this information collection request. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personally identifiable information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personally identifiable information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

91 FR 34810