2100 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 10 / Thursday, January 15, 2015 / Notices 

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: This notice announces the 

collection of information related to the 

U.S. EPA National Environmental 

Information Exchange Network (NEIEN) 

Grant Program. EPA proposes to collect 

information from the NEIEN grantees on 

assistance agreements 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 

outputs. The Quality Assurance 

Reporting 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 2011 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: 

Mandatory (40 CFR part 31). 

Estimated number of respondents: 

200 (total). 

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: 340 hours 

(per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR 

1320.03(b) 

Total estimated cost: $17,979 (per 

year), includes $0 annualized capital or 

operation & maintenance costs. 

Changes in estimates: There is a 

decrease of 5 hours in the total 

estimated respondent burden compared 

with the ICR currently approved by 

OMB. This decrease is due to a decrease 

in the number of grants that are awarded 

annually. 

Dated: January 8, 2015. 

Charles Freeman, 

Associate Director, Information Exchange and 

Services Division. 

[FR Doc. 2015–00545 Filed 1–14–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION 

AGENCY 

[FRL–9921–28–ORD] 

Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands 

to Downstream Waters: A Review and 

Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence 

AGENCY: Environmental Protection 

Agency. 

ACTION: Notice of availability. 

SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental 

Protection Agency (EPA) is announcing 

the availability of the final report titled, 

‘‘Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands 

to Downstream Waters: A Review and 

Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence’’ 

(EPA/600/R–14/475F). The purpose of 

this report is to summarize the current 

understanding about the connectivity 

and mechanisms by which streams and 

wetlands affect the physical, chemical, 

and biological integrity of downstream 

waters. 

The report is available via the Internet 

on the EPA Office of Research and 

Development (ORD), National Center for 

Environmental Assessment’s Web site 

(www.epa.gov/ncea) under the Recent 

Additions and Publications menu. 

DATES: The Agency is releasing the 

report publicly on January 15, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: The report is available 

primarily via the Internet on the EPA 

Office of Research and Development 

(ORD), National Center for 

Environmental Assessment’s Web site 

(www.epa.gov/ncea) under the Recent 

Additions and Publications menu. A 

limited number of paper copies will be 

available from the Information 

Management Team, National Center for 

Environmental Assessment; telephone 

703–347–8561; facsimile: 703–347– 

8691. If you are requesting a paper copy, 

please provide your name, your mailing 

address, and the document title. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

additional information concerning the 

assessment, contact EPA National 

Center for Environmental Assessment, 

Dr. Laurie Alexander, telephone 703– 

347–8630 or email Alexander.Laurie@

epa.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Information About the Project/

Document 

The U.S. Environmental Protection 

Agency (EPA) Office of Research and 

Development (ORD) developed this 

report to review and synthesize the 

peer-reviewed scientific literature on 

the connectivity or isolation of streams 

and wetlands relative to large water 

bodies such as rivers, lakes, estuaries, 

and oceans. The purpose of the report, 

‘‘Connectivity of Streams and Wetlands 

to Downstream Waters: A Review and 

Synthesis of the Scientific Evidence,’’ is 

to summarize the current understanding 

about the connectivity and mechanisms 

by which streams and wetlands, singly 

or in aggregate, affect the physical, 

chemical, and biological integrity of 

downstream waters. The report 

addresses three main questions related 

to connectivity: 

(1) What are the physical, chemical, 

and biological connections to, and 

effects of, ephemeral, intermittent, and 

perennial stream on downstream 

waters? 

(2) What are the physical, chemical, 

and biological connections to, and 

effects of, riparian or floodplain 

wetlands and open-waters on 

downstream waters? 

(3) What are the physical, chemical, 

and biological connections to, and 

effects of, wetlands and open-waters in 

non-floodplain settings on downstream 

waters? 

This report informs development of a 

rule proposed by EPA and the U.S. 

Army Corps of Engineers to clarify the 

definition of waters of the United States 

under the Clean Water Act (http://

www2.epa.gov/uswaters). 

Dated: December 30, 2014. 

Lynn Flowers, 

Acting Deputy Director, National Center for 

Environmental Assessment. 

[FR Doc. 2015–00339 Filed 1–14–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6560–50–P 


rljohnson on DSK3VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES