In accordance with 5 CFR 1320, the information collection is approved for three years.
Inventory as of this Action
Requested
Previously Approved
03/31/2022
36 Months From Approved
01/31/2020
20
0
100
2,600
0
13,000
26,296
0
40,000,000
DOE has issued regulations governing applications for loan guarantees from the United States Department of Energy to finance projects and facilities located in the United States that employ innovative and advanced energy technologies and energy development activities by tribal borrowers. The information applicants provide will be evaluated to determine which projects are appropriate and qualify for the Departmentâs Loan Guarantees. The collection of this information is critical to ensure that the government has sufficient information to determine whether applicants meet the eligibility requirements to qualify for a DOE loan guarantee and to provide DOE with sufficient information to evaluate an applicantâs project using the criteria specified in 10 CFR Part 609.
As described in Item 13, due to programmatic changes, DOE estimates fewer responses annually, reducing from 100 responses to 20 responses; assuming an almost identical hourly burden estimate per response (132.5 hours), the total hourly burden estimate has decreased from 13,000 to 2,650 hours annually. This change arises specifically from the programâs efforts to better educate prospective applicants upfront about eligibility issues and related requirements of the application process, through which efforts DOE expects fewer, but higher quality applications each year in the future.
In addition, as described in item 14, as a result of an adjustment to the assumed hourly rate for response to the information request, applied across labor categories, the cost burden for each response has been adjusted slightly, increasing from $25,000 to $26,296 per response. However, as result of the programmatic change described above, the total cost to respondents has significantly decreased from $2,500,000 to $525,917.
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.