[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 145 (Thursday, July 30, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38080-38082]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-18144]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration

[Docket No. FHWA-2009-0084]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Notice of Request for 
Renewal of a Previously Approved Information Collection Titled: Federal 
Highway Administration (FHWA) State Reports for American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act (ARRA)

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Department of 
Transportation (DOT).

ACTION: Notice of request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The FHWA invites public comments about our intention to 
request the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval for 
information collection that is summarized below under SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION. We published a Federal Register Notice with a 60-day 
public comment period on this information collection on May 27, 2009. 
We are required to publish this notice in the Federal Register by the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Please submit comments by August 31, 2009.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments identified by DOT Docket ID Number 
FHWA-2009-0084, by any of the following methods:
    Web Site: For access to the docket to read background documents or 
comments received go to the Federal eRulemaking Portal: Go to http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the online instructions for submitting 
comments.
    Fax: 1-202-493-2251.
    Mail: Docket Management Facility, U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    Hand Delivery or Courier: U.S. Department of Transportation, West 
Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., 
Washington, DC 20590, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET, Monday through 
Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Karen White, 202-366-9474, Office of 
Policy and Governmental Affairs, HPTS, Federal Highway Administration, 
Department of Transportation, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE., Washington, 
DC 20590, between 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) State Reports for 
American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), OMB Control 
<greek-i>2125-0623.
    Background: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 
(ARRA), provides the State Departments of Transportation and Federal 
Lands Agencies with $27.5 billion for highway infrastructure 
investment. With these funds also comes an increased level of data 
reporting with the stated goal of improving transparency and 
accountability at all levels of government. According to President 
Obama ``Every American will be able to hold Washington accountable for 
these decisions by going online to see how and where their tax dollars 
are being spent.'' The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in concert 
with the Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST) and the other 
modes within the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will be taking 
the appropriate steps to ensure that this accountability and 
transparency is in place for all infrastructure investments.
    The reporting requirements of the ARRA, are covered in Sections 
1201, 1512 and 1609. Section 1201(c)(1) stipulates that 
``notwithstanding any other provision of law each grant recipient shall 
submit to the covered agency (FHWA) from which they received funding 
periodic reports on the use of the funds appropriated in this Act for 
covered programs. Such reports shall be collected and compiled by the 
covered agency (FHWA) and transmitted to Congress. Covered agencies 
(FHWA) may develop such reports on behalf of grant recipients (States) 
to ensure the accuracy and consistency of such reports.''
    Section 1512 of the ARRA requires ``any entity that receives 
recovery funds directly from the Federal Government (including recovery 
funds received through grant, loan, or contract) other than an 
individual,'' including States, to provide regular ``Recipient 
Reports.''
    Section 1609 references the National Environmental Policy Act of 
January 1, 1970. The ARRA legislation requires that ``The President 
shall report to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee and 
the House National Resources Committee every 90 days * * * the status 
and progress of projects and activities funded by this Act with

[[Page 38081]]

respect to compliance with National Environmental Policy act 
requirements and documentation.''
    As the recipients or grantees for the majority of the ARRA funds, 
States and Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMA) are by statute 
responsible for the reporting to FHWA on the projects, use of ARRA 
funds, and jobs supported. States and FLMA that receive recovery fund 
apportionments directly from the Federal government are responsible for 
reporting to FHWA, which in turn is responsible for reporting 
periodically to Congress and quarterly to the Recovery.gov Web site. To 
achieve a high-quality, consistent basis for reporting, the FHWA has 
designed a system for obtaining and summarizing data for all purposes.
    States and FLMA will be responsible for providing the data that are 
not currently available at the national level. Note every data element 
required to be reported by the ARRA needs to be specifically collected. 
To the maximum extent possible, FHWA will utilize existing data 
programs to meet the ARRA reporting requirements. For example, for the 
requirement to report aggregate expenditures of State funds, FHWA will 
use existing reports submitted by States and data collected in the 
Financial Management Information System (FMIS). While the reporting 
obligations in the ARRA are only applicable to the grant recipients, 
the States and FLMA may need to obtain certain information from their 
contractors, consultants, and other funding recipients in order to 
provide the FHWA with all of the required information. Additional 
information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 is 
available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/economicrecovery/index.htm.
    Respondents: In a reporting cycle, it is estimated that reports 
will be received from approximately 70 grant recipient respondents. 
Respondents include: 50 State Departments of Transportation, the 
District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, the U.S. territories, the 
following Federal Land Management Agencies; National Park Service, U.S. 
Fish and Wildlife, National Forest Service and the Bureau of Indian 
Affairs and several Native American Indian Governments who, by 
contract, manage their own transportation program. These reports will 
be submitted online and reviewed for accuracy by the FHWA Division 
Offices before being submitted to FHWA Headquarters for compilation and 
submission to OST for publication on Recovery.gov.
    File Title: Initial Recovery Act Project Plan.
    Background: This file is used to submit information concerning how 
each State and FLMA plans to invest its allotment of ARRA funding. The 
list needs to be consistent with the list of projects provided in the 
State's Section 1511 certification, as it may be amended. States and 
FLMA should provide their best estimates of a complete list of projects 
to be funded with ARRA grants as of the plan's due date. If a State has 
not programmed all ARRA funds by that time, that information should be 
provided as well. These data will be used for meeting the reporting 
requirements of Sections 1201, 1512 and 1609.
    Frequency: Initial list was due March 31, 2009. Additional updates 
are due within 2 weeks of the State or FLMA issuing a new Section 1511 
certification.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 1 hour.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 210 hours.
    70 respondents x 1 hour per response x 3 responses annually = 210 
annual burden hours.
    File Title: Initial Recovery Act Award File.
    Background: This file is used to submit information concerning how 
each State and FLMA awards its allotment of ARRA funding. The list 
needs to be consistent with the list of projects provided in the 
State's Section 1511 certification, as it may be amended. States and 
FLMA should provide their best estimates of a complete list of awards 
to projects funded with ARRA grants as of the plan's due date. These 
data will be used for meeting the reporting requirements of Sections 
1201, 1512 and 1609.
    Frequency: Initial list was due March 31, 2009. Additional updates 
are due within 2 weeks of the State or FLMA issuing a new Section 1511 
certification.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 1 hour.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 210 hours.
    70 respondents x 1 hour per response x 3 responses annually = 210 
annual burden hours.
    File Title: Monthly Employment and Project Status File.
    Background: This file is submitted by States, FLMA and the FHWA to 
provide summary employment and project status for all active ARRA 
projects. These data will be used for meeting the reporting 
requirements of Sections 1201 and 1512.
    Frequency: Monthly until September 2012.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 1.5 hour.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,260 hours.
    70 respondents x 1.5 hours per response x 12 responses annually = 
1,260 annual burden hours.
    File Title: Quarterly Status File.
    Background: This file is submitted by States, FLMA and the FHWA to 
provide summary employment and funding status for all active ARRA 
projects. These data will be used for meeting the reporting 
requirements of Sections 1201 and 1512.
    Frequency: Quarterly until September 2012.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 1 hour.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 280 hours.
    70 respondents x 1 hour per response x 4 responses annually = 280 
annual burden hours.
    File Title: Recipient File.
    Background: This file will be submitted by the States to provide 
information concerning sub-recipients and vendors for all Recovery Act 
projects. This data will be used for meeting the reporting requirements 
of Sections 1201, 1512 and 1609. States and FLMA shall provide the 
required information as individual vendors or sub-recipients.
    Frequency: Once per vendor or sub-recipient.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 385 hours.
    70 respondents x 10 minutes per response x 33 responses annually = 
385 annual burden hours.
    File Title: Top Paid Officers File.
    Background: This file will be submitted by the States to provide 
information concerning vendors for all Recovery Act projects. This data 
will be used for meeting the reporting requirements of Sections 1201, 
1512 and 1609. States and FLMA shall provide the required information 
as individual vendors.
    Frequency: Once per vendor.
    Estimated Average Burden per Response: 10 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 385 hours.
    70 respondents x 10 minutes per response x 33 responses annually = 
385 annual burden hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 2,730.

    Authority: The Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995; 44 U.S.C. 
Chapter 35, as amended; and 49 CFR 1.48.


[[Page 38082]]


    Issued on: July 24, 2009.
Judi Kane,
Acting Chief, Management Programs and Analysis Division.
[FR Doc. E9-18144 Filed 7-29-09; 8:45 am]
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