Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 23, 2021 / Notices 10949 

Filed Date: 2/16/21. 

Accession Number: 20210216–5201. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 3/1/21. 

Docket Numbers: RP21–493–000. 

Applicants: Viking Gas Transmission 

Company. 

Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing: 

Negotiated Rate PAL Agreement—World 

Fuel VR1048 Extension to be effective 

2/12/2021. 

Filed Date: 2/16/21. 

Accession Number: 20210216–5217. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 3/1/21. 

Docket Numbers: RP21–494–000. 

Applicants: Viking Gas Transmission 

Company. 

Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing: 

Negotiated Rate PAL Agreement—World 

Fuel VR1050 & VR1051 to be effective 

2/13/2021. 

Filed Date: 2/16/21. 

Accession Number: 20210216–5257. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 3/1/21. 

Docket Numbers: RP21–495–000. 

Applicants: Midwestern Gas 

Transmission Company. 

Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing: 

Negotiated Rate PAL Agreement— 

Exelon Generation Company, LLC to be 

effective 2/14/2021. 

Filed Date: 2/16/21. 

Accession Number: 20210216–5272. 

Comments Due: 5 p.m. ET 3/1/21. 

The filings are accessible in the 

Commission’s eLibrary system (https://

elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/search/ 

fercgensearch.asp) by querying the 

docket number. 

Any person desiring to intervene or 

protest in any of the above proceedings 

must file in accordance with Rules 211 

and 214 of the Commission’s 

Regulations (18 CFR 385.211 and 

385.214) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern 

time on the specified comment date. 

Protests may be considered, but 

intervention is necessary to become a 

party to the proceeding. 

eFiling is encouraged. More detailed 

information relating to filing 

requirements, interventions, protests, 

service, and qualifying facilities filings 

can be found at: 

http://www.ferc.gov/docs-filing/ 

efiling/filing-req.pdf. For other 

information, call (866) 208–3676 (toll 

free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659. 

Dated: February 17, 2021. 

Nathaniel J. Davis, Sr., 

Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2021–03673 Filed 2–22–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–10019–64–OMS] 

Privacy Act of 1974; System of 

Records 

AGENCY: Office of Mission Support 

(OMS), Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice of a new system of 

records. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s (EPA), Office of 

Acquisition Solutions is giving notice 

that it proposes to create a new system 

of records pursuant to the provisions of 

the Privacy Act of 1974. Environmental 

Protection Agency’s Acquisition System 

(EAS) is an automated contract writing 

and management system with 

configurable workflow used to initiate, 

award, modify and track acquisition 

actions for the procurement of goods 

and services. 

DATES: Persons wishing to comment on 

this system of records notice must do so 

by March 25, 2021. New routine uses for 

this new system of records will be 

effective March 25, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

identified by Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– 

OMS–2020–0210, by one of the 

following methods: 

Regulations.gov: www.regulations.gov. 

Follow the online instructions for 

submitting comments. 

Email: oei.docket@epa.gov. 

Fax: 202–566–1752. 

Mail: OMS Docket, Environmental 

Protection Agency, Mail Code: 2822T, 

1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 

Washington, DC 20460. 

Hand Delivery: OMS Docket, EPA/DC, 

WJC West Building, Room 3334, 1301 

Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 

20460. Such deliveries are only 

accepted during the Docket’s normal 

hours of operation, and special 

arrangements should be made for 

deliveries of boxed information. 

Instructions: Direct your comments to 

Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–OMS–2020– 

0210. The EPA policy is that all 

comments received will be included in 

the public docket without change and 

may be made available online at 

www.regulations.gov, including any 

personal information provided, unless 

the comment includes information 

claimed to be Controlled Unclassified 

Information (CUI) or other information 

for which disclosure is restricted by 

statute. Do not submit information that 

you consider to be CUI or otherwise 

protected through www.regulations.gov. 

The www.regulations.gov website is an 

‘‘anonymous access’’ system for EPA, 

which means the EPA will not know 

your identity or contact information 

unless you provide it in the body of 

your comment. Each agency determines 

submission requirements within their 

own internal processes and standards. 

EPA has no requirement to include 

personal information. If you send an 

email comment directly to the EPA 

without going through 

www.regulations.gov your email address 

will be automatically captured and 

included as part of the comment that is 

placed in the public docket and made 

available on the internet. If you submit 

an electronic comment, the EPA 

recommends that you include your 

name and other contact information in 

the body of your comment. If the EPA 

cannot read your comment due to 

technical difficulties and cannot contact 

you for clarification, the EPA may not 

be able to consider your comment. 

Electronic files should avoid the use of 

special characters, any form of 

encryption, and be free of any defects or 

viruses. For additional information 

about the EPA public docket, visit the 

EPA Docket Center homepage at http:// 

www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm. 

Docket: All documents in the docket 

are listed in the www.regulations.gov 

index. Although listed in the index, 

some information is not publicly 

available, e.g., CUI or other information 

for which disclosure is restricted by 

statute. Certain other material, such as 

copyrighted material, will be publicly 

available only in hard copy. Publicly 

available docket materials are available 

either electronically in 

www.regulations.gov or in hard copy at 

the OMS Docket, EPA/DC, WJC West 

Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution 

Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460. 

Temporary Hours During COVID–19 

Out of an abundance of caution for 

members of the public and our staff, the 

EPA Docket Center and Reading Room 

are closed to the public, with limited 

exceptions, to reduce the risk of 

transmitting COVID–19.Our Docket 

Center staff will continue to provide 

remote customer service via email, 

phone, and webform. We encourage the 

public to submit comments via https:// 

www.regulations.gov/ or email, as there 

may be a delay in processing mailand 

faxes. Hand deliveries and couriers may 

be received by scheduled appointment 

only. For further information on EPA 

Docket Center services and the current 

status, please visit us online at https:// 

www.epa.gov/dockets. The telephone 

number for the Public Reading Room is 

(202) 566–1744, and the telephone 

10950 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 23, 2021 / Notices 

number for the OMS Docket is (202) 

566–1752. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Please submit questions to Victor 

Rodriguez, rodriguez.victor@epa.gov at 

202–564–2212 or Richard Belles, 

belles.richard@epa.gov at 202–564– 

4339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EAS is 

built using a commercial off the shelf 

product called PRISM that includes a 

purchase request form and workflow. 

EAS identifies employees who initiate 

acquisition actions or are assigned to 

work on these actions and includes 

those employees’ Personally Identifiable 

Information (PII). EAS contains 

employee first name, last name, work 

email, work telephone number, and 

Local Area Network User Identification. 

This information is collected and used 

for internal EPA communication 

purposes and approval routing of the 

acquisition action. Privacy information 

is protected by limiting EAS access to 

authenticated users. Authentication is 

controlled using the agency’s central 

authentication security controls. 

SYSTEM NAME AND NUMBER: 

EPA Acquisition System (EAS), EPA– 

86. 

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION: 

Unclassified. 

SYSTEM LOCATION: 

Office of Acquisition Solutions, 

Environmental Protection Agency, 

Ronald Reagan Building, 1200 

Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, 

DC 20460 and at the National Computer 

Center (NCC), 109 T.W. Alexander Drive 

RTP, NC 27711 for hosting. 

SYSTEM MANAGER: 

Kimberly Patrick, patrick.kimberly@

epa.gov, 202–566–2605, Director, Office 

of Acquisition Solutions, Environmental 

Protection Agency, Ronald Reagan 

Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue 

NW, Washington, DC 20460. 

AUTHORITY FOR MAINTENANCE OF THE SYSTEM: 

Executive Order 12072 (Aug. 16, 

1978); Federal Property and 

Administrative Services Act of 1949, 40 

U.S.C. 121; Office of Federal 

Procurement Policy Act of 1974 41 

U.S.C. 1702. 

PURPOSE(S) OF THE SYSTEM: 

EPA uses EAS to initiate, award, 

modify and track acquisition actions. 

EAS identifies employees who initiate 

acquisition actions or are assigned to 

work on these actions. Specifically, the 

system tracks the requisitioner, contract 

official, contract specialist, and 

approving officials for each acquisition 

action. 

CATEGORIES OF INDIVIDUALS COVERED BY THE

SYSTEM: 

Categories of individuals covered are 

EPA employees, that are the: (a) EPA 

Project Officer, i.e., the individual who 

is responsible for the review and 

evaluation of the application or 

proposal and the monitoring of a 

resulting contract acquisition; (b) EPA 

Program Official, i.e., the individual 

who is responsible for review and 

approval of applications or proposals for 

funding; (c) EPA Budget Official, i.e., 

the individual who is responsible for 

certifying availability of funds for 

approved applications or proposals; (d) 

EPA Contracting Officer or Contract 

Specialist, i.e., individuals who are 

responsible for awarding and 

administering contracts and (e) EPA 

Merit/Peer Reviewers, i.e., individuals 

who provide a written review or 

evaluation of the application or 

proposal to the EPA Project Officer. 

CATEGORIES OF RECORDS IN THE SYSTEM: 

EAS collects employee first name, last 

name, work email, work telephone, EPA 

employee ID and LAN User ID 

information. The system also collects 

other information required for the 

tracking or approval of a contract action 

including contract proposals, technical 

reviews by a peer reviewer, records of 

contract awards, financial data, and 

other information. EAS also collects 

Vendor Contact information including 

Vendor Code, Legal Name, Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) ID 

(a 9 character identifier used for 

identifying the Vendor), Cage Code 

(used to provide a standardized method 

of identifying a given facility at a 

specific location), address, phone 

number, fax number, and email address. 

RECORD SOURCE CATEGORIES: 

EAS collects EPA employee 

information from EPA’s directory 

service. Contract proposals and vendor 

information is collected directly from 

the user via the federal government’s 

System for Award Management (SAM). 

ROUTINE USES OF RECORDS MAINTAINED IN THE

SYSTEM, INCLUDING CATEGORIES OF USERS AND

PURPOSES OF SUCH USES: 

The following new or modified 

routine uses apply to this system 

because the use of the record is 

necessary for the efficient conduct of the 

government. The routine uses for this 

system are compatible with the purpose 

for which their records are collected. 

The information may be disclosed to 

and for the following EPA General 

Routine Uses, published at 73 FR 2245: 

A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J and K. Routine 

uses L, and M apply in accordance with 

OMB M–17–12. 

A. Disclosure for Law Enforcement 

Purposes. Information may be disclosed 

to the appropriate Federal, State, local, 

tribal, or foreign agency responsible for 

investigating, prosecuting, enforcing, or 

implementing a statute, rule, regulation, 

or order, if the information is relevant 

to a violation or potential violation of 

civil or criminal law or regulation 

within the jurisdiction of the receiving 

entity. 

B. Disclosure Incident to Requesting 

Information. Information may be 

disclosed to any source from which 

additional information is requested (to 

the extent necessary to identify the 

individual, inform the source of the 

purpose of the request, and to identify 

the type of information requested), 

when necessary to obtain information 

relevant to an agency decision 

concerning retention of an employee or 

other personnel action (other than 

hiring), retention of a security clearance, 

the letting of a contract, or the issuance 

or retention of a grant, or other benefit. 

C. Disclosure to Requesting Agency. 

Disclosure may be made to a Federal, 

State, local, foreign, or tribal or other 

public authority of the fact that this 

system of records contains information 

relevant to the retention of an employee, 

the retention of a security clearance, the 

letting of a contract, or the issuance or 

retention of a license, grant, or other 

benefit. The other agency or licensing 

organization may then make a request 

supported by the written consent of the 

individual for the entire record if it so 

chooses. No disclosure will be made 

unless the information has been 

determined to be sufficiently reliable to 

support a referral to another office 

within the agency or to another Federal 

agency for criminal, civil, 

administrative, personnel, or regulatory 

action. 

D. Disclosure to Office of Management 

and Budget. Information may be 

disclosed to the Office of Management 

and Budget at any stage in the 

legislative coordination and clearance 

process in connection with private relief 

legislation as set forth in OMB Circular 

No. A–19. 

E. Disclosure to Congressional Offices. 

Information may be disclosed to a 

congressional office from the record of 

an individual in response to an inquiry 

from the congressional office made at 

the request of the individual. 

F. Disclosure to Department of Justice. 

Information may be disclosed to the 

Department of Justice, or in a 

proceeding before a court, adjudicative 

body, or other administrative body 

Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 23, 2021 / Notices 10951 

before which the Agency is authorized 

to appear, when: 

1. The Agency, or any component 

thereof; 

2. Any employee of the Agency in his 

or her official capacity; 

3. Any employee of the Agency in his 

or her individual capacity where the 

Department of Justice or the Agency 

have agreed to represent the employee; 

or 

4. The United States, if the Agency 

determines that litigation is likely to 

affect the Agency or any of its 

components, is a party to litigation or 

has an interest in such litigation, and 

the use of such records by the 

Department of Justice or the Agency is 

deemed by the Agency to be relevant 

and necessary to the litigation provided, 

however, that in each case it has been 

determined that the disclosure is 

compatible with the purpose for which 

the records were collected. 

G. Disclosure to the National 

Archives. Information may be disclosed 

to the National Archives and Records 

Administration in records management 

inspections. 

H. Disclosure to Contractors, 

Grantees, and Others. Information may 

be disclosed to contractors, grantees, 

consultants, or volunteers performing or 

working on a contract, service, grant, 

cooperative agreement, job, or other 

activity for the Agency and who have a 

need to have access to the information 

in the performance of their duties or 

activities for the Agency. When 

appropriate, recipients will be required 

to comply with the requirements of the 

Privacy Act of 1974 as provided in 5 

U.S.C. 552a(m). 

I. Disclosures for Administrative 

Claims, Complaints and Appeals. 

Information from this system of records 

may be disclosed to an authorized 

appeal grievance examiner, formal 

complaints examiner, equal 

employment opportunity investigator, 

arbitrator or other person properly 

engaged in investigation or settlement of 

an administrative grievance, complaint, 

claim, or appeal filed by an employee, 

but only to the extent that the 

information is relevant and necessary to 

the proceeding. Agencies that may 

obtain information under this routine 

use include, but are not limited to, the 

Office of Personnel Management, Office 

of Special Counsel, Merit Systems 

Protection Board, Federal Labor 

Relations Authority, Equal Employment 

Opportunity Commission, and Office of 

Government Ethics. 

J. Disclosure to the Office of Personnel 

Management. Information from this 

system of records may be disclosed to 

the Office of Personnel Management 

pursuant to that agency’s responsibility 

for evaluation and oversight of Federal 

personnel management. 

K. Disclosure in Connection with 

Litigation. Information from this system 

of records may be disclosed in 

connection with litigation or settlement 

discussions regarding claims by or 

against the Agency, including public 

filing with a court, to the extent that 

disclosure of the information is relevant 

and necessary to the litigation or 

discussions and except where court 

orders are otherwise required under 

section (b)(11) of the Privacy Act of 

1974, 5 U.S.C. 552a(b)(11). 

L. Disclosure to Persons or Entities in 

Response to an Actual or Suspected 

Breach of Personally Identifiable 

Information. To appropriate agencies, 

entities, and persons when (1) the 

Agency suspects or has confirmed that 

there has been a breach of the system of 

records, (2) the Agency has determined 

that as a result of the suspected or 

confirmed breach there is a risk of harm 

to individuals, the Agency (including its 

information systems, programs, and 

operations), the Federal Government, or 

national security; and (3) the disclosure 

made to such agencies, entities, and 

persons is reasonably necessary to assist 

in connection with the Agency’s efforts 

to respond to the suspected or 

confirmed breach or to prevent, 

minimize, or remedy such harm. 

M. Disclosure to assist another agency 

in its efforts to respond to a breach. To 

another Federal agency or Federal 

entity, when the Agency determines that 

information from this system of records 

is reasonably necessary to assist the 

recipient agency or entity in (1) 

responding to a suspected or confirmed 

breach or (2) preventing, minimizing, or 

remedying the risk of harm to 

individuals, the recipient agency or 

entity (including its information 

systems, programs, and operations), the 

Federal Government, or national 

security, resulting from a suspected or 

confirmed breach. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR STORAGE OF

RECORDS: 

These records are maintained 

electronically on computer storage 

devices such as computer tapes and 

disks. The computer storage devices are 

located at EPA, Office of Acquisition 

Solutions, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 

Washington, DC 20460. Backups will be 

maintained at disaster recovery sites, 

located at EPA Potomac Yards South 

(PYS) Data Center, 2777 Crystal Drive, 

Arlington, VA 22202 and EPA’s 

National Computing Data Center (NCC), 

109 T.W. Alexander Drive, Durham, NC 

27709. Computer records are 

maintained in a secure, password 

protected environment. Access to 

computer records is limited to those 

who have a need to know. All EAS user 

accounts are assigned permissions as 

needed based on their job functions. 

Permission level assignments will allow 

users access only to those functions for 

which they are authorized. All records 

are maintained in secure, accesscontrolled areas or buildings. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETRIEVAL OF

RECORDS: 

Records are retrieved by the first 

name and last name of EPA employee, 

User ID, or Vendor ID (DUNS codes) 

associated with contracts. 

POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR RETENTION AND

DISPOSAL OF RECORDS: 

EPA will retain and dispose of EAS 

records in accordance with the National 

Archives and Records Administration 

General Records Schedule, and EPA 

Records Schedule 055. EAS records are 

retained for at least 6 years after contract 

closeout for non-Superfund actions, and 

30 years after contract closeout for 

Superfund site actions. 

ADMINISTRATIVE, TECHNICAL, AND PHYSICAL

SAFEGUARDS: 

Security controls used to protect 

Personally Identifiable Information in 

EPA Acquisition System (EAS) are 

commensurate with those required for 

an information system rated moderate 

for confidentiality, integrity, and 

availability, as prescribed in NIST 

Special Publication, 800–53, 

‘‘Recommended Security Controls for 

Federal Information Systems,’’ Revision 

4. 

ADMINISTRATIVE SAFEGUARDS: 

EPA personnel are required to 

complete annual agency Information 

Security and Privacy training. EPA 

personnel are instructed to lock their 

computers when they leave their desks. 

TECHNICAL SAFEGUARDS: 

Electronic records are maintained in a 

secure, password protected electronic 

system. EAS access is limited to 

authorized, authenticated users. All of 

the system’s electronic communication 

utilizes Transport Layer Security (TLS) 

secure communication protocol for all 

transactions. 

PHYSICAL SAFEGUARDS: 

All records are maintained in secure, 

access-controlled areas or buildings. 

Paper records are maintained in 

locked file cabinets. 

RECORD ACCESS PROCEDURES: 

Individuals seeking access to 

information in this system of records 

10952 Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 34 / Tuesday, February 23, 2021 / Notices 

about themselves are required to 

provide adequate identification (e.g., 

driver’s license, military identification 

card, employee badge or identification 

card). Additional identity verification 

procedures may be required, as 

warranted. Requests must meet the 

requirements of EPA regulations that 

implement the Privacy Act of 1974, at 

40 CFR part 16. 

CONTESTING RECORD PROCEDURES: 

Requests for correction or amendment 

must identify the record to be changed 

and the corrective action sought. 

Complete EPA Privacy Act procedures 

are described in EPA’s Privacy Act 

regulations at 40 CFR part 16. 

NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE: 

Any individual who wants to know 

whether this system of records contains 

a record about themselves, should make 

a written request to the Attn: Agency 

Privacy Officer, MC 2831T, 1200 

Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 

20460, privacy@epa.gov. 

EXEMPTIONS PROMULGATED FOR THE SYSTEM: 

None. 

HISTORY: 

None. 

Vaughn Noga, 

Senior Agency Official for Privacy. 

[FR Doc. 2021–03582 Filed 2–22–21; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[EPA–HQ–OEI–2006–0037; FRL—10019–01– 

OMS] 

Proposed Information Collection 

Request; Comment Request; 

Exchange Network Grants Progress 

Reports (Renewal) 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA). 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an 

information collection request (ICR), 

‘‘Exchange Network Grants Progress 

Reports (Renewal)’’ (EPA ICR No. 

2207.08, OMB Control No. 2025–0006) 

to the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) for review and approval in 

accordance with the Paperwork 

Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is 

soliciting public comments on specific 

aspects of the proposed information 

collection as described below. This is a 

proposed extension of the ICR, which is 

currently approved through September 

30, 2021. An Agency may not conduct 

or sponsor and a person is not required 

to respond to a collection of information 

unless it displays a currently valid OMB 

control number. 

DATES: Comments must be submitted on 

or before April 26, 2021. 

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, 

referencing Docket ID No. EPA–HQ– 

OEI–2006–0037; FRL—9982–33–OEI 

online using www.regulations.gov (our 

preferred method), by email to oira_

submission@omb.eop.gov, or by mail to: 

EPA Docket Center, Environmental 

Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 

1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 

Washington, DC 20460. 

EPA’s policy is that all comments 

received will be included in the public 

docket without change including any 

personal information provided, unless 

the comment includes profanity, threats, 

information claimed to be Confidential 

Business Information (CBI) or other 

information whose disclosure is 

restricted by statute. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Edward Mixon or Dipti Singh, 

Information Exchange Services Division, 

Office of Information Management, 

Office of Mission Support (2823T), 

Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 

Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 

20460; telephone number: 202–566– 

2142 or 202–566–0739 respectively; 

email address: mixon.edward@epa.gov 

or singh.dipti@epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Supporting documents which explain in 

detail the information that the EPA will 

be collecting are available in the public 

docket for this ICR. The docket can be 

viewed online at www.regulations.gov 

or in person at the EPA Docket Center, 

WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 

Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. 

The telephone number for the Docket 

Center is 202–566–1744. For additional 

information about EPA’s public docket, 

visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets. 

Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 

the PRA, EPA is soliciting comments 

and information to enable it to: (i) 

Eevaluate whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the Agency, including 

whether the information will have 

practical utility; (ii) 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; 

(iii) enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (iv) 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. EPA will consider the 

comments received and amend the ICR 

as appropriate. The final ICR package 

will then be submitted to OMB for 

review and approval. At that time, EPA 

will issue another Federal Register 

notice to announce the submission of 

the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to 

submit additional comments to OMB. 

Abstract: Under the U.S. EPA 

National Environmental Information 

Exchange Network (NEIEN) Grant 

Program, EPA collects information from 

the NEIEN grantees on assistance 

agreements that EPA has awarded. 

Specifically, for each project, EPA 

proposes to have grantees submit semiannual reports on the progress and 

current status of each goal and output, 

completion dates for outputs, and any 

problems encountered. This information 

will help EPA ensure projects are on 

schedule to meet their goals and 

produce high quality environmental 

results. New award recipients will 

complete one Quality Assurance 

Reporting Form for each award. This 

form provides a simple means for grant 

recipients to describe how quality will 

be addressed throughout their projects. 

Additionally, the Quality Assurance 

Reporting Form is derived from 

guidelines provided in the NEIEN 2020 

Grant Solicitation Notice. 

Form Numbers: EPA Form 5300–26 

(Semi-Annual Progress Report Form) 

and EPA Form 5300–27 (Quality 

Assurance Reporting Form). 

Respondents/affected entities: State, 

tribal, and territorial environmental 

government offices. 

Respondent’s obligation to respond: 

Required to obtain or retain benefits (2 

CFR part 200 and 2 CFR part 1500). 

Estimated number of respondents: 

149 total per year. 

Frequency of response: Twice per year 

for the Semi-Annual Progress Report 

Form; one time per grant for the Quality 

Assurance Reporting Form. 

Total estimated burden: 258.5 hours 

(per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR 

1320.03(b). 

Total estimated cost: $15,765.91 (per 

year), includes $0 annualized capital or 

operation & maintenance costs. 

Changes in Estimates: There is a 

decrease of 21.5 hours in the total 

estimated respondent burden compared 

with the ICR currently approved by 

OMB. This slight decrease in the burden 

is due to a reduction in the open 

Exchange Network Grants (from 172 to 

149) that are expected to be active per 

year during the period of this ICR. The