0596-NEW NOFO Temporary Bridge Program Supporting Statement A_review w Patrick_Revised 5-19-2023

USDA Forest Service

File Code: 1380

The Supporting Statement A for OMB 0596-NEW

Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity (TBFO) Program

Terms of Clearance

A. Justification

1. Explain the circumstances that make the col­lection of information necessary. Iden­tify any legal or administrative require­ments that necessitate the collection. Attach a copy of the appropriate section of each statute and regulation mandating or authorizing the col­lection of information.

USDA Forest Service is delivering the Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity (TBFO) Program as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Section 40804(b)5 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Pub. L. 117-58 (11/15/2021) directs the Forest Service to provide funding for States and Indian Tribes to establish rental programs for portable skidder bridges, bridge mats, or other temporary water crossing structures, to minimize stream bed disturbance on non-Federal land and Federal land. According to 2 CFR Part 200 and Forest Service Handbook 1509.11, Chapter 20, prescribes administrative requirements and processes applicable to all Forest Service domestic and international Federal Financial Assistance awards to State and local governments, institutions of higher education, hospitals, private profit and nonprofit organizations, individuals, and foreign recipients. In particular, collection of information is necessary to ascertain the required needs of applicants to initiate a temporary bridge program to protect water resources and reduce water quality degradation during forestry related operations requiring temporary water resource crossings.

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what pur­pose the information is to be used. Except for a new collec­tion, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the infor­ma­tion received from the current collec­tion.

1. What information will be collected - reported or recorded? (If there are pieces of information that are especially burdensome in the collection, a specific explanation should be provided.)

Eligible applicants are For-profit entities; state, local governments; Indian Tribes; school districts; community, not-for-profit organizations; institutions of higher education; and special purpose districts (e.g., public utilities districts, fire districts, conservation districts, and ports).

Applications will be submitted to Kevin Naranjo, Cooperative Forestry, in a PDF format by September 15, 2022, by 1700ET to: [email protected]. The Forest Service State & Private Forestry will receive, review, and track all applications.

Applicants will be required to develop a project narrative that responds to the following information:

1. Applicant Organization:

2. Funding Amount Requested:

3. Does your Organization currently have an active Temporary Bridge Program? If yes, will you be updating and changing how you manage the program? Please describe.

4. Applicant Partners: List all collaborating partners and roles in implementing and supporting program.

5. Multi-state collaboration: If planned, please describe. It is encouraged, but not required for smaller states.

6. Describe how the bridge program will be implemented. Will you implement a rental, loan, cost share program or a combination of each?

7. Bridge Information - Provide a list of potential bridge suppliers.

8. Which bridges and how many of each will be used for each program? Refer to Instructions for allowable bridge structures. Identify by type, material, size, quantity and cost.

9. Rental, Loan, and/or Cost-Share

10. Has a rental rate already been identified?

11. If using a cost-share program, have potential users been identified?

12. Please list any identified users.

13. Has a cost- share percentage been identified?

14. Have bridge storage/pickup sites have been identified? How many and where?

15. Describe how maintenance costs will be addressed.

16. Describe how bridges will be inventoried and tracked throughout the life of the bridge.

17. How will information be disseminated to end users about bridge program? Please discuss your outreach strategy.

18. Describe how your program will outreach to and support underserved communities (EO 13985)

19. Describe how implementation of this program will mitigate water resource damage and prevent water quality degradation.

20. Budget information

The information requested for the project narrative will identify the quantity and type of bridges required and provide assurance that applicants have developed a functional program that can be successfully implemented meet the intent and goals of the project funding.

To comply with federal grant requirements, the USDA Forest Service will also require applicants complete the following standard forms when applying for financial assistance.

1. SF–424: Application for Federal Assistance

2. SF–424A: Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs

3. FS–1500–35: Certificate Regarding Lobbying Activities

4. FS–1500–22: Financial Capability Questionnaire

5. Screenshot of an active SAM.gov registration

To comply with federal grant reporting requirements, successful applicants will need to file quarterly interim project progress reports along with the SF-425: Federal Financial Report.

2. From whom will the information be collected? If there are different respondent categories (e.g., loan applicant versus a bank versus an appraiser), each should be described along with the type of collection activity that applies.

   Information Collected	Description	Information Provided to:	Prepared by
   Individual	Applicant information, project narrative, and budget table	USDA Forest Service	Public, Tribal and State
   Individual	SF–424: Application for Federal Assistance	USDA Forest Service	Public, Tribal and State
   Individual	SF–424A: Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs	USDA Forest Service	Public, Tribal and State
   Individual	FS–1500–35: Certificate Regarding Lobbying Activities	USDA Forest Service	Public, Tribal and State
   Individual	FS–1500–22: Financial Capability Questionnaire	USDA Forest Service	Public, Tribal and State
   Individual	Screenshot of active SAM.gov registration	USDA Forest Service	Public, Tribal and State
   Individual	Interim Project Progress Report	USDA Forest Service	Public, Tribal and State
   Individual	SF-425: Federal Financial Report	USDA Forest Service	Public, Tribal and State Public, Tribal and State

3. What will this information be used for - provide ALL uses?

Information will be used to evaluate eligibility and financial assistance need of applicants. In addition, the information collection will be used to produce maps illustrating where the projects will be implemented.

4. How will the information be collected (e.g., forms, non-forms, electronically, face-to-face, over the phone, over the Internet)? Does the respondent have multiple options for providing the information? If so, what are they?

Information will be collected using electronic forms submitted by email at [email protected]. No other forms of submitting applications for financial assistance will be accepted.

5. How frequently will the information be collected?

The information will be collected each time a notice of funding opportunity is issued, which is scheduled to be once every federal fiscal year (September 30 to October 1) from 2022 to 2026.

6. Will the information be shared with any other organizations inside or outside USDA or the government?

The information will be shared inside the USDA. Locations of the funded projects, funding award, and an abstract of the project will be shared with the public by to two public facing USDA interactive project maps: USDA Energy Investment Map and the Wood Innovations Project Data Map.

7. If this is an ongoing collection, how have the collection requirements changed over time?

This is a new collection.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of auto­mat­ed, elec­tronic, mechani­cal, or other techno­log­ical collection techniques or other forms of information technol­o­gy, e.g. permit­ting elec­tronic sub­mission of respons­es, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any con­sideration of using in­fo­r­m­a­t­ion technolo­gy to re­duce bur­den.

The information is collected through electronic submission of the application form using email at [email protected]

4. Describe efforts to identify duplica­tion. Show specifically why any sim­ilar in­for­mation already avail­able cannot be used or modified for use for the purpos­es de­scri­bed in Item 2 above.

Information collected for this Notice Of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is separate and not replicated in other USDA Forest Service NOFOs since this NOFO originates directly from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

5. If the collection of information im­pacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to mini­mize burden.

The language in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Pub. L. 117-58 (11/15/2021) stipulates the Notice of Funding Opportunity is open to all States and Indian Tribes. States are required to identify how they will outreach their programs and make available to underserved communities. All Indian Tribes regardless of forestry program size are eligible and encouraged to apply.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is con­ducted less fre­quent­ly, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

According to 2 CFR Part 200 and Forest Service Handbook 1509.11, Chapter 20, prescribes administrative requirements and processes applicable to all Forest Service domestic and international Federal Financial Assistance awards to State and local governments, institutions of higher education, hospitals, private profit and nonprofit organizations, individuals, and foreign recipients.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collecti­on to be con­ducted in a manner:

• Requiring respondents to report informa­tion to the agency more often than quarterly;

Quarterly financial and project reporting is required as part of this NOFO as stipulated in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Pub. L. 117-58 (11/15/2021).

• Requiring respondents to prepare a writ­ten response to a collection of infor­ma­tion in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

There are no other special circumstances. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

• Requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any docu­ment;

There are no other special circumstances. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

• Requiring respondents to retain re­cords, other than health, medical, governm­ent contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records for more than three years;

There are no other special circumstances. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

• In connection with a statisti­cal sur­vey, that is not de­signed to produce valid and reli­able results that can be general­ized to the uni­verse of study;

There are no other special circumstances. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

• Requiring the use of a statis­tical data classi­fication that has not been re­vie­wed and approved by OMB;

There are no other special circumstances. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

• That includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by au­thority estab­lished in statute or regu­la­tion, that is not sup­ported by dis­closure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unneces­sarily impedes shar­ing of data with other agencies for com­patible confiden­tial use; or

There are no other special circumstances. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

• Requiring respondents to submit propri­etary trade secret, or other confidential information unless the agency can demon­strate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permit­ted by law.

There are no special circumstances. The collection of information is conducted in a manner consistent with the guidelines in 5 CFR 1320.6.

8. If applicable, provide a copy and iden­tify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8 (d), soliciting com­ments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public com­ments received in response to that notice and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address com­ments received on cost and hour burden.

The 60-day Federal Register Notice request for public notice and comment was published in the Federal Register on December 21, 2022, 87 FR 78042. No comments were received.

Describe efforts to consult with persons out­side the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and record keeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

Due to the urgency of the Secretary’s announcement the Forest Service did not seek outside, formal consultation.

Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every 3 years even if the col­lection of information activity is the same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances should be explained.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than re-enumeration of contractors or grantees.

No payment or gifts are provided.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

The following statement is provided in the Instructions for the Notice of Funding Opportunity.

“Confidentiality: Materials submitted to the Forest Service, such as grant applications and progress reports, are subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Upon request, the Forest Service may be obligated to disclose such records. However, documents or portions of documents will be protected if they satisfy the requirements of one or more FOIA exemptions. FOIA Exemption 4 protects commercial and financial information that constitutes a trade secret, or whose release would cause competitive harm to the organization that provided the information. FOIA Exemption 6 protects information whose release “would reasonably be expected to constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.”

In the event that the Forest Service receives a FOIA request seeking information provided by your organization, Executive Order 12600 requires the Forest Service to consult with you regarding the potential release of this information. When assembling your application, you may wish to highlight any information that constitutes a trade secret, whose release would cause you competitive harm, or whose release would impact personal privacy. For more information about the FOIA and its exemptions, please consult the Department of Justice Guide to the Freedom of Information Act.”

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior or attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

The application will not contain questions of a sensitive nature.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated.

Please see the provided Burden-Cost spreadsheet. Spreadsheet was populated using the following assumptions:

1. Number of respondents would be 100. This is based upon the typical number of respondents for the Wood Innovations Funding Opportunity.

2. Cost per hour value for respondent cost is $40.90. This is based upon Employer Costs for Employee Compensation March 2022 report from the US Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed August 1, 2022 https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/ecec.pdf.

13. Provide estimates of the total annual cost burden to respondents or record keepers resulting from the collection of information, (do not include the cost of any hour burden shown in items 12 and 14). The cost estimates should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component annualized over its expected useful life; and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component.

Title of Collection: Burden Hours for Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity Narrative and Budget Tables

Estimate of Annual Burden: 162.50 hours.

Type of Respondents: Public applicants, Tribal applicants.

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 50.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 3.25 hours.

Title of Collection: Burden Hours for Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424).

Estimate of Annual Burden: 62.50 hours.

Type of Respondents: Public applicants, Tribal applicants.

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 50.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1.25 hours.

Title of Collection: Burden Hours for Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A).

Estimate of Annual Burden: 50.00 hours.

Type of Respondents: Public applicants, Tribal applicants.

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 50.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 1.00 hours.

Title of Collection: Burden Hours for Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity Certificate Regarding Lobbying Activities (FS-1500-35).

Estimate of Annual Burden: 12.50 hours.

Type of Respondents: Public applicants, Tribal applicants.

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 50.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 0.25 hours.

Title of Collection: Burden Hours for Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity Financial Capability Questionnaire (FS-1500-22).

Estimate of Annual Burden: 12.50 hours.

Type of Respondents: Public applicants, Tribal applicants.

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 50.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 0.25 hours.

Title of Collection: Burden Hours for Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity Screenshot of active SAM.gov registration.

Estimate of Annual Burden: 12.50 hours.

Type of Respondents: Public applicants, Tribal applicants.

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 50.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 0.25 hours.

Title of Collection: Burden Hours for Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity Interim Project Progress Report.

Estimate of Annual Burden: 37.50 hours.

Type of Respondents: Public applicants, Tribal applicants.

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 50.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 0.75 hours.

Title of Collection: Burden Hours for Temporary Bridge Funding Opportunity Federal Financial Report (SF-425)

Estimate of Annual Burden: 37.50 hours.

Type of Respondents: Public applicants, Tribal applicants.

Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 50.

Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 1.

Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 0.75 hours.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Provide a description of the method used to estimate cost and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

There are no estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government.

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments reported in items 13 or 14 of OMB form 83-I.

There are no program changes.

16. For collections of information whose results are planned to be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication.

Collections of information results are not planned to be published.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

We are not seeking non-display approval and will display the expiration date for OMB approval.

18. Explain each exception to the certification statement identified in item 19, "Certification Requirement for Paperwork Reduction Act."

There are no exceptions.

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