Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety and State Assistance Grants for FY 2012 Justification

Generic Solicitation for Grant Applications

Control Number 1225-0086

Brookwood-Sago Mine Safety and State Assistance Grants Justification

Abstract:

The U.S. Department of Labor ( DOL), Mine Safety and Health Administration(MSHA), is making $8.4 million available to award grants under section 503 of the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 to State or State-designated entities to:

1. assist States in developing and enforcing mining laws and regulations;

2. improve State workmen’s compensation and occupational disease laws and programs related to coal or other mine employment; and

3. promote Federal-State coordination and cooperation in improving the health and safety conditions in mines.

The MSHA could award as many as 51 separate grants.

Electronic availability:

This grant solicitation is available on the grants.gov Web site. Based on past DOL experience, the Department anticipates 90 percent of responses will be submitted electronically.

Small Entities:

This information collection will not have a significant impact on a substantial number of small entities.

Assurances of confidentiality:

These grant solicitations do not offer applicants assurances of confidentiality.

Special circumstances:

This information collection complies with 5 CFR 1320.5

Burden:

For the State Assistance grants, the DOL would normally expect to receive 50 applications. Public reporting burden for each grant application is estimated to average 10 hours per response for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Each recipient who receives a grant award notice will be required to submit seven progress reports to MSHA. Each report will take approximately two and half hours to prepare.

50 responses (1 per application) x 10 hours = 500 burden hours

350 responses (50 awards x 7 reports per award) x 2.5 hours = 875 hours

The DOL has increased the February 2012 average hourly earnings in the professional and business services industry of $27.60 by 40 percent (total $38.64) to monetize this burden. See The Employment Situation—July 2011, DOL, Bureau of Labor Statistics, http://www.bls.gov/news.release/archives/empsit_05042012.pdf at 32.

1375 total burden hours (500 + 875) x $38.64 per hour = $53,130.

The DOL associates no other burden costs with this information collection.

Total burden: 50 respondents (unduplicated), 350 responses, 1375 hours, $0 other cost burden.

Supporting Statement B; Statistical Methods

This information collection does not employ statistical methods.

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