Brownfields Programs - Accomplishment Reporting in Assessment, Cleanup, and Redevelopment Exchange System (ACRES) (Revision)
Revision of a currently approved collection
No
Regular
01/16/2026
table that charts list comparision
Requested
Previously Approved
36 Months From Approved
04/30/2026
9,001
6,562
11,546
3,808
0
0
This ICR covers the collection of information from those organizations that receive cooperative agreements, contracts, and Targeted Brownfields Assessment (TBA) funds from EPA under the authority of the section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) as amended by the Brownfields Utilization, Investment, and Local Development (BUILD) Act (Pub.L. 115-141). CERCLA 104(k), as amended, authorizes EPA to award grants or cooperative agreements and contract funding to states, tribes, local governments, other eligible entities, and nonprofit organizations to support the assessment and cleanup of brownfields sites. Under section 101(39) of CERCLA, a brownfields site means real property, the expansion, redevelopment, or reuse of which may be complicated by the presence or potential presence of a hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant. Cooperative agreement recipients (recipients) have general reporting and record keeping requirements as a condition of their cooperative agreement that result in burden. A portion of this reporting and record keeping burden is authorized under 2 CFR Part 1500 and identified in the EPAs general grants ICR (OMB Control Number 2030-0020). EPA requires Brownfields program recipients to maintain and report additional information to EPA on the uses and accomplishments associated with funded brownfields activities. EPA has expanded programmatic reporting requirements to include TBA contractors and technical assistance contractors. EPA will use several forms to assist recipients and contractors in reporting the information and to ensure consistency of the information collected. EPA uses this information to meet Federal stewardship responsibilities to manage and track how program funds are being spent, to evaluate the performance of the Brownfields Cleanup and Land Revitalization Program, to meet the Agency's reporting requirements under the Government Performance and Results Act, and to report to Congress and other program stakeholders on the status and accomplishments of the program.
PL:
Pub.L. 107 - 118 1-232
Name of Law: Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act
The burden hours estimate increased from 3,808 hours in the 2022 ICR request to 11,548, an increase of 7,740 hours. This large change can be attributed to the addition of six new forms for electronic quarterly and annual progress reporting: QR Forms for Cleanup, Assessment, Multipurpose, RLF, Job Training, and the RLF APCR Form. Recipients have always been required to submit quarterly and annual progress reports per their cooperative agreement terms and conditions, but this is the first time an electronic form option is available in ACRES. Including these forms in ACRES enables several fields to be prefilled with existing ACRES data, saving the recipient significant time compared to completing progress reporting outside of ACRES. This reporting enhancement will enable a larger number of respondents to use forms under this ICR, resulting in an overall increase in the total burden hours. Yet the electronic forms are anticipated to result in an overall decrease in burden hours per individual respondent. With respect to ACRES forms previously submitted as part of this ICR, recipients interviewed during the last few years have self-reported data entry times at half the burden hours compared to previous estimates. This can be attributed to the tremendous improvements in the ACRES database to streamline reporting requirements over the past several years. The new quarterly and annual reporting forms continue such efforts and will help ensure recipients comply with their cooperative agreement terms and conditions.
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.
State, Local, Tribal Government Reporting