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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 35 / Wednesday, February 22, 2023 / Notices

information. NFIRS is a reporting
standard that fire departments use to
uniformly report on the full range of
their activities, from fire to emergency
medical services to severe weather and
natural disasters. This reporting allows
fire departments, as well as many other
government and non-government
agencies, to quantify their actions and
identify incident and response trends.
Recent modernization to the data
collection improved and therefore
reduced the burden hours for reporting
data to NFIRS. FEMA is requesting a
revision of this information collection.
This proposed information collection
previously published in the Federal
Register on December 9, 2022, at 87 FR
75642 with a 60-day public comment
period. No comments were received.
The purpose of this notice is to notify
the public that FEMA will submit the
information collection abstracted below
to the Office of Management and Budget
for review and clearance.

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Collection of Information
Title: National Fire Incident Reporting
System (NFIRS) Version 5.0.
Type of Information Collection:
Extension, with change, of a currently
approved information collection.
OMB Number: 1660–0069.
FEMA Forms: FEMA Form FF–USFA–
FY–21–109, National Fire Incident
Reporting System (NFIRS) Version 5.0.
Abstract: The purpose of this revision
is to provide the reduction of burden
hours recently achieved by modernizing
and improving the application’s
interface. NFIRS is the USFA’s system
authorized under Public Law 93–498 to
collect fire related data to identify and
define the fire problem in the U.S., and
to reduce fire related casualties and
losses. Operating since 1999, the system
provides an electronic, web-based
application for users to input their
incident response information in a
uniform manner.
Affected Public: Individuals or
households; State, local or Tribal
government.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
23,500.
Estimated Number of Responses:
28,059,000.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 9,820,650.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Cost: $420,225,614.
Estimated Respondents’ Operation
and Maintenance Costs: $1,974,000.
Estimated Respondents’ Capital and
Start-Up Costs: $1,128,000.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to the
Federal Government: $3,436,118.

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Comments
Comments may be submitted as
indicated in the ADDRESSES caption
above. Comments are solicited to (a)
evaluate whether the proposed data
collection is necessary for the proper
performance of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) evaluate the
accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(c) enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) minimize the burden
of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through
the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology,
e.g., permitting electronic submission of
responses.
Millicent Brown Wilson,
Records Management Branch Chief, Office
of the Chief Administrative Officer, Mission
Support, Federal Emergency Management
Agency, Department of Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. 2023–03617 Filed 2–21–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111–76–P

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management
Agency
[Docket ID: FEMA–2022–0040; OMB No.
1660–0076]

Agency Information Collection
Activities: Submission for OMB
Review, Comment Request; Hazard
Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP)
Application Reporting
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, Department of
Homeland Security.
ACTION: 30 Day notice of revision and
request for comments.
AGENCY:

The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) will
submit the information collection
abstracted below to the Office of
Management and Budget for review and
clearance in accordance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. The submission
seeks comments regarding the
requirements, grants management
procedures, and implementation of
grants awarded under the Hazard
Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP),
which is a post-disaster program that
contributes funds toward the cost of

SUMMARY:

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hazard mitigation activities to reduce
the risk of future damage, hardship, loss
or suffering in any area affected by a
major disaster.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before April 24, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open
for Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
should be made to Director, Information
Management Division, 500 C Street SW,
Washington, DC 20472, email address:
[email protected] or Jennie
Orenstein, Chief, HMA Grants Policy
Branch, at (202) 212–4071 or
[email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section
404 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act,
42 U.S.C. 5170c, authorizes the Hazard
Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP).
Program grant requirements and grants
management procedures are outlined in
44 CFR part 206 Subpart N, and 2 CFR
parts 200 and 3002. The Federal
Emergency Management Agency
(FEMA) administers the HMGP, and
Recipients implement the grants under
the HMPG per grant agreement, rules,
and regulations. The HMGP is a postdisaster program that contributes funds
toward the cost of hazard mitigation
activities to reduce the risk of future
damage, hardship, loss or suffering in
any area affected by a major disaster or
any area affected by a fire for which
assistance was provided under section
420 of the Stafford Act (42 U.S.C. 5187).
Section 102 of the Stafford Act (42
U.S.C. 5122(4)) defines a ‘‘state’’ as any
state of the United States, the District of
Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and
the commonwealth of the Northern
Mariana Islands. ‘‘Recipient’’, as
provided in 2 CFR 200, means a nonFederal entity that receives a Federal
award directly from a Federal awarding
agency to carry out an activity under a
Federal program, or an Indian tribal
government that chooses to act as a
recipient rather than as a subrecipient.
‘‘Subrecipient’’ refers to a non-Federal
entity that receives a subaward from a
pass-through entity to carry out part of
a Federal program; but does not include
an individual that is a beneficiary of

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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 35 / Wednesday, February 22, 2023 / Notices
such program. A subrecipient may also
be a recipient of other Federal awards
directly from a Federal awarding
agency. The term ‘‘Indian tribal
government’’ is defined in section 102
of the Stafford Act, 42 U.S.C. 5122(6), as
the governing body of any Indian or
Alaska Native tribe, band, nation,
pueblo, village, or community that the
Secretary of the Interior acknowledges
to exist as an Indian tribe under the
Federally Recognized Indian Tribe List
Act of 1994. In addition, the Sandy
Recovery Improvement Act of 2013
(Pub. L. 113–2, 42 U.S.C. 5170(b))
amended the Stafford Act to allow the
Chief Executive of a federally
recognized Indian tribe to make a direct
request for a major disaster or
emergency declaration to the President
of the United States.
The Department of Homeland
Security (DHS) adopted in its entirety
the Uniform Administrative
Requirements, Cost Principles, and
Audit Requirements for Federal Awards
(2 CFR part 200) on December 26, 2014,
at 2 CFR part 3002, (79 FR 75867,
December 19, 2014). This rule
eliminates overlapping and duplicative
requirements for stakeholders, including
states, territories and Indian tribal
governments, by using general terms
such as ‘‘recipient’’ and ‘‘pass-through
entity.’’
The HMGP regulation describes the
application process in 44 CFR 206.436.
Information collected through the
financial award application is the
minimum information necessary for the
financial award administration under
the HMGP and includes the project
narrative, analysis of the measure’s costeffectiveness referred to as the benefitcost determination, and environmental
review used in conjunction with OMB
No. 1660–0025.
44 CFR 206.436(d) states: ‘‘The State
must submit all local HMGP
applications and funding requests for
the purpose of identifying new projects
to the Regional Administrator within 12
months of the date of disaster
declaration.’’ Furthermore, section 311
of the DHS Appropriations Act, 2022
(Pub. L. 117–103, 136 Stat. 331) states:
‘‘beginning between January 1, 2020,
and December 31, 2021, the Federal
share of assistance, including direct
Federal assistance, provided under such
sections shall be not less than 90
percent of the eligible cost of such
assistance.’’ The legislation applies to
all current FY 2022 HMGP local and
Tribal sub applicants and significantly
alters application and program financial
management information collection
requirements. The DHS Appropriations
Act, 2022 does not provide additional

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funding for HMGP COVID–19 relief
beyond the already established $3.46
billion.
Per 44 CFR 206.438(c), progress
reports must be submitted by the HMGP
Recipient to the Regional Administrator
on a quarterly basis, certifying how the
funds are being used and reporting on
the progress of activities funded under
the subrecipient awards made to the
Recipient by FEMA. The Regional
Administrator and Recipient negotiate
the date for submission of the first
report. Quarterly progress reports
describe the status of those projects on
which a final payment of the Federal
share has not been made to the
recipient, and outline any problems or
circumstances expected to result in
noncompliance with the approved
award conditions.
The legislative changes are expected
to trigger a significant increase in
requests by local subapplicants who
have not yet developed FY 2022 project
applications. The requests will likely
extend the application deadline beyond
the standard 12-month deadline of
August 5, 2022. Applications Period
extension requests, authorized under 44
CFR 206.436(e), may add additional
information collection burden.
The Foundations for Evidence-Based
Policymaking Act of 2018 (Evidence
Act) (Pub. L. 115–435, 5 U.S.C. 311–
315) establishes evaluation using
systematic data collection and analysis
of programs, policies, and organizations
intended to assess their effectiveness
and efficiency as an essential program
activity. Hazard Mitigation programs are
currently revising information
collections to simply data collection,
reduce burden, coordinate data
collection across programs, develop
performance metrics, and meet goals
and priorities as stipulated in the
Evidence Act. Program implementation
of the Evidence Act will necessitate
changes to information collections.
Additionally, the Build America, Buy
America Act (BABAA) (Pub. L. 117–58,
70901–70927) and Executive Order
(E.O.) 14008, Tackling the Climate Crisis
At Home and Abroad, (86 FR 7619,
February 1, 2021) establishes additional
information collection requirements,
goals and priorities.
This proposed information collection
previously published in the Federal
Register on November 23, 2022, at 87
FR 71659 with a 60 day public comment
period. No comments were received.
The purpose of this notice is to notify
the public that FEMA will submit the
information collection abstracted below
to the Office of Management and Budget
for review and clearance.

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10915

Collection of Information
Title: Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program (HMGP) Application and
Reporting.
Type of Information Collection:
Extension, with change, of a currently
approved information collection.
OMB Number: OMB No. 1660–0076.
FEMA Forms: Project Narrative;
Benefit-Cost Determination;
Environmental Review; FEMA Form
FF–206–FY–22–154 (formerly 009–0–
111A), Quarterly Progress Reports.
Abstract: The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA)
administers the Hazard Mitigation Grant
Program, which is a post-disaster
program that contributes funds toward
the cost of hazard mitigation activities
to reduce the risk of future damage
hardship, loss or suffering in any area
affected by a major disaster. FEMA uses
applications to provide financial
assistance in the form of grant awards
and, through grantee quarterly
reporting, monitor grantee project
activities and expenditure of funds.
Affected Public: State, Local, or Tribal
Governments.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
236.
Estimated Number of Responses:
10,891.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 100,280.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Cost: $6,141,147.
Estimated Respondents’ Operation
and Maintenance Costs: $0.
Estimated Respondents’ Capital and
Start-Up Costs: $0.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to the
Federal Government: $2,318,946.
Comments
Comments may be submitted as
indicated in the ADDRESSES caption
above. Comments are solicited to (a)
evaluate whether the proposed data
collection is necessary for the proper
performance of the agency, including
whether the information shall have
practical utility; (b) evaluate the
accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(c) enhance the quality, utility, and
clarity of the information to be
collected; and (d) minimize the burden
of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through
the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other
technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology,

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Federal Register / Vol. 88, No. 35 / Wednesday, February 22, 2023 / Notices

e.g., permitting electronic submission of
responses.

212–5761 or Martha.Castro@
fema.dhs.gov.

Millicent Brown Wilson,
Records Management Branch Chief, Office
of the Chief Administrative Officer, Mission
Support, Federal Emergency Management
Agency, Department of Homeland Security.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

[FR Doc. 2023–03610 Filed 2–21–23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 9111–BW–P

DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND
SECURITY
Federal Emergency Management
Agency
[Docket ID: FEMA–2022–0036; OMB No.
1660–0083]

Agency Information Collection
Activities: Submission for OMB
Review, Comment Request;
Application for Community Disaster
Loan (CDL) Program
Federal Emergency
Management Agency, Department of
Homeland Security.
ACTION: 30 Day notice of revision and
request for comments.
AGENCY:

The Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) will
submit the information collection
abstracted below to the Office of
Management and Budget for review and
clearance in accordance with the
requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995. The submission
will describe the nature of the
information collection, the categories of
the respondents, the estimated burden
(i.e., the time, effort and resources used
by respondents to respond) and cost,
and the actual data collection
instruments FEMA will use.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before March 24, 2023.
ADDRESSES: Written comments and
recommendations for the proposed
information collection should be sent
within 30 days of publication of this
notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain. Find this particular
information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under 30-day Review—Open
for Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection
should be made to Director, Information
Management Division, 500 C St. SW,
Washington, DC 20472, email address:
[email protected] or Martha
Castro, Program Manager, FEMA at 202–

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SUMMARY:

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The
information collection is required for
Community Disaster Loan (CDL)
Program eligibility determinations, CDL
management, and compliance with
other federal laws and regulations. The
CDL Program is authorized by section
417 of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster
Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
(Pub. L. 93–288, as amended, 42 U.S.C.
5184) and implementing regulations at
44 CFR part 206, subpart K. FEMA may
make a CDL to any local government
which has suffered a substantial loss of
tax or other revenues, as a result of a
major disaster or emergency, and which
demonstrates a need for Federal
financial assistance to perform its
governmental functions.
The CDL must be justified on the
basis of need and be based on the actual
and projected expenses, as a result of
the disaster, for the fiscal year in which
the disaster occurred and the three
succeeding fiscal years. FEMA has the
authority to cancel repayment of all or
part of these CDLs to the extent that a
determination is made that revenues of
the local government during the three
fiscal years following the disaster are
insufficient to meet the operating budget
of that local government because of
disaster related revenue losses and
additional unreimbursed disasterrelated municipal operating expenses.
FEMA reviewed the forms included in
this collection and found that FEMA
Form 090–0–4 (Letter of Application)
presented difficulties for the local
governments. FEMA found a simpler
way to fulfill the regulatory requirement
by using a template letter. Therefore,
FEMA Form 090–0–4 (Letter of
Application) will no longer be part of
this collection.
This proposed information collection
previously published in the Federal
Register on November 15, 2022, at 87
FR 68513 with a 60-Day public
comment period. FEMA received two
comments.
The first comment suggested
simplifying the CDL application. To
minimize both effort and time required
to complete this loan application, the
CDL Program has simplified the
application process and paperwork to
the least amount of effort possible.
Additionally, the CDL Program assists
local governments through the entire
process, even post loan issuance. Once
information has been obtained from the
potential applicant, the CDL Program
completes a financial analysis, fills
forms, and then provides the pre-filled

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forms to the applicants for them to read,
print, and sign.
The second comment received
suggested not using Federal tax-payer
dollars to rebuild in known hazard
areas. By statute, FEMA is authorized to
provide financial assistance for local
governments to cover operational
expenses. Local governments cannot use
the financial assistance for capital
improvements. Rebuilding is considered
a capital expense and therefore an
ineligible use of these CDL funds.
Relocation is also an ineligible use of
the loaned funds. The CDL Program
validates that loans were used only for
eligible uses.
The purpose of this notice is to notify
the public that FEMA will submit the
information collection abstracted below
to the Office of Management and Budget
for review and clearance.
Collection of Information
Title: Application for Community
Disaster Loan (CDL) Program.
Type of Information Collection:
Extension, with change, of a currently
approved information collection.
OMB Number: 1660–0083.
FEMA Forms: FEMA Form FF–104–
FY–22–223 (formerly 090–0–1),
Certification of Eligibility for
Community Disaster Loans; FF–104–
FY–22–224 (formerly 116–0–1),
Promissory Note; FF–104–FY–22–225
(formerly 085–0–1), Local Government
Resolution—Collateral Security; FF–
104–FY–22–226 (formerly 112–0–3C),
Certifications Regarding Lobbying,
Debarment, Suspension and Other
Responsibility Matters, and Drug-Free
Workplace Requirements; FF–104–FY–
22–227 (formerly 009–0–15),
Application for Loan Cancellation.
Abstract: The loan package for the
CDL Program provides local
governments that have suffered
substantial loss of tax or other revenues
as a result of a major disaster, the
opportunity to obtain financial
assistance in order to perform their
governmental functions. The loan must
be justified on the basis of need and
actual expenses.
Affected Public: State, local, or Tribal
government.
Estimated Number of Respondents:
260.
Estimated Number of Responses: 260.
Estimated Total Annual Burden
Hours: 552.
Estimated Total Annual Respondent
Cost: $25,800.
Estimated Respondents’ Operation
and Maintenance Costs: 0.
Estimated Respondents’ Capital and
Start-Up Costs: 0.
Estimated Total Annual Cost to the
Federal Government: $1,061,916.

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