The purpose of State Hazard Mitigation
Plan requirements is to support State administration of FEMA
Mitigation grant programs, and contemplate a significant State
commitment to mitigation activities, comprehensive State mitigation
planning, and strong program management. Implementation of plans,
preidentified, cost-effective mitigation measures will streamline
the disaster recovery process. Mitigation Plans is the
demonstration of the goals, priorities, to reduce risks from
natural hazards. Request is also made to modify the name of the
collection to State/Local/Tribal Hazard Mitigation Plans.
There has been no change to the
information being collected. However, there have been a number of
adjustments on how hour burden was estimated, the separation of
State Mitigation Plan Updates (Standard and Enhanced) from local
and Tribal plan updates, and a program change impacting the
frequency of State reporting. These changes are discussed in more
detail below. First, an adjustment was made to the methodology used
to estimate the number of collections. FEMA has separated out the
burden for State Mitigation Plan updates (Standard and Enhanced)
from the existing mitigation plan update category thus creating two
new categories, one for Standard State Mitigation Plan updates and
one for Enhanced State Mitigation Plan updates. Second, an
adjustment was made to the methodology used to estimate hour burden
based on HMGP and PDM grant awards. Using HMGP and PDM grant
awards, FEMA estimates an average cost of $57,000 for New Local and
Tribal Plans, $49,000 for Local and Tribal Updates, $205,000 for
Standard State Plan Updates, and $524,000 for Enhanced State Plan
Updates. These cost estimates were then broken out between
personnel costs (23 percent), contracting costs (66 percent), and
non-labor costs (11 percent). To calculate hour burden, the percent
of costs attributed to personnel costs was divided by an updated
Urban and Regional Planner loaded wage rate for each information
collections. This resulted in new Average Burden per Response
estimates. However, changes to the State Review of Local and Tribal
Plans results purely from modification to the number of plans
reviewed and the associated wage rate. One effect of this altered
approach is that some of the burden previously accounted for in
hour burden has likely shifted annual cost estimates. In addition,
the decrease in State Mitigation Plan frequency from an update
every 3 years to every 5 years also decreases the hour burden that
would have otherwise been included. For additional information see
the supporting statement question 15.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.