Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 75 / Monday, April 20, 2015 / Notices 21751 

Procurement Officer, Office of Policy, 

Systems and Risk Management, Office 

of the Chief Procurement Officer, 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, 451 7th Street SW., 

Washington, DC 20410; telephone 

number 202–708–0294 or Lawrence E. 

Chambers, Director, Risk Management 

and Compliance Unit, Policy, Systems 

and Risk Management, Department of 

Housing and Urban Development, 451 

7th St. SW., Washington, DC 20410, 

telephone number: 202–402–6716 (these 

are not toll-free numbers) and fax 

number 202–708–8912. Persons with 

hearing or speech impairments may 

access Mr. Chambers’ telephone number 

by calling the toll-free Federal Relay 

Service at 800–877–8339. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In 

accordance with section 743 of Division 

C of the Consolidated Appropriations 

Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111–117, approved 

December 16, 2009, 123 Stat. 3034, at 

123 Stat. 3216), HUD is publishing this 

notice to advise the public of service 

contract inventories that were awarded 

in FY 2013. The inventories are 

organized by function and are reviewed 

by HUD to better understand how 

contracted services are used to support 

HUD’s primary mission, to insure HUD 

maintains an adequate workforce for 

operations and to research whether 

contractors were performing inherently 

governmental functions. 

The inventory was developed in 

accordance with guidance issued on 

November 5, 2010, by the Office of 

Management and Budget’s Office 

Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP). 

OFPP’s guidance is available at https:// 

www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/

omb/procurement/memo/servicecontract-inventories-guidance11052010.pdf. 

HUD has posted its inventory and a 

summary of the inventory on the 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development’s homepage at the 

following link: http://portal.hud.gov/

hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/

cpo/sci. 

Dated: April 14, 2015. 

Lisa D. Maguire, 

Assistant Chief Procurement Officer. 

[FR Doc. 2015–08945 Filed 4–17–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–5866–N–01] 

Notice of Intent To Prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

for Coastal and Social Resiliency 

Initiatives for Tottenville Shoreline, 

Staten Island, NY 

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Community Planning and 

Development, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice of Intent to Prepare an 

EIS. 

SUMMARY: This provides notice that the 

State of New York, as the ‘‘Responsible 

Entity,’’ as that term is defined by 24 

CFR 58.2(a)(7)(i), intends to prepare an 

Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) 

that will evaluate alternatives for 

increasing coastal and social resiliency 

along the Tottenville shoreline on the 

South Shore of Staten Island and help 

to avoid or minimize adverse impacts to 

the quality of the human environment 

(‘‘Proposed Actions’’). The State of New 

York is the Grantee of Community 

Development Block Grant Disaster 

Recovery (CDBG–DR) funds 

appropriated by the Disaster Relief 

Appropriations Act, 2013 (Pub. L. 113– 

2, approved January 29, 2013) related to 

disaster relief, long-term recovery, 

restoration of infrastructure and 

housing, and economic revitalization in 

the most impacted and distressed areas 

resulting from a major disaster declared 

pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford 

Disaster Relief and Emergency 

Assistance Act of 1974 (Stafford Act) in 

calendar years 2011, 2012, and 2013. 

The Governor’s Office of Storm 

Recovery (GOSR) implements the State’s 

obligations under the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

through duly authorized Certifying 

Officers. GOSR was formed under the 

auspices of the New York State Homes 

and Community Renewal’s Housing 

Trust Fund Corporation (HTFC), a 

public benefit corporation and 

subsidiary of the New York State 

Housing Finance Agency. 

The EIS will satisfy the requirements 

of NEPA and the State Environmental 

Quality Review Act (SEQRA). This 

notice is in accordance with the Council 

on Environmental Quality (CEQ) 

regulations at 40 CFR parts 1500–1508 

and HUD regulations at 24 CFR part 58. 

Following a public scoping process, a 

Draft EIS will be prepared for the 

proposed actions described herein. 

Comments relating to the Draft Scope of 

Work for the EIS are requested and will 

be accepted by the contact person listed 

below. When the Draft EIS is completed, 

a notice will be sent to appropriate 

government agencies, individuals and 

groups known to have an interest in the 

Draft EIS and particularly in the 

environmental impact issues identified 

therein. Any person or agency interested 

in receiving notice and commenting on 

the Draft Scope of Work or Draft EIS 

should contact the person listed below 

no later than May 15, 2015. HUD has 

provided for assumption of its NEPA 

authority and responsibilities to New 

York State, as Responsible Entity, for 

the purposes of administering the 

Community Development Block Grant 

Disaster Recovery Program in New York 

State. 

Comments: Comments relating to the 

Draft Scope of Work for the EIS are 

requested and will be accepted by the 

contact person listed below until May 

15, 2015. Comments will also be 

accepted at the scoping meeting 

described below on April 30, 2015. All 

interested agencies, tribes, groups, and 

persons are invited to submit written 

comments on the projects named in this 

notice and on the Draft Scope of Work 

for the EIS to the contact person listed 

below. All comments received before 

May 15, 2015 will be considered prior 

to the preparation and distribution of 

the Draft EIS. Commenters are asked to 

submit any information-related reports 

or other environmental studies planned 

or completed in the project area, major 

issues that the EIS should consider, 

recommended mitigation measures, and 

alternatives associated with the 

Proposed Actions. Federal, State and 

City agencies having jurisdiction by law, 

special expertise, or other special 

interest should report their interest and 

indicate their readiness to aid in the EIS 

effort as a ‘‘Cooperating Agency.’’ The 

following federal agencies have thus far 

expressed roles as cooperating agencies 

under NEPA: The United States Army 

Corps of Engineers (USACE), the 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration’s National Marine 

Fisheries Service (NOAA–NMFS), and 

the United States Environmental 

Protection Agency (USEPA). 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Daniel Greene, Deputy General Counsel 

and Certifying Officer, Governor’s Office 

of Storm Recovery, 25 Beaver Street, 5th 

Floor, New York, NY 10004; email: 

nyscdbg_dr_er@nyshcr.org. Individuals 

may request a copy of the Draft Scope 

of Work by contacting Mr. Greene at this 

address or by visiting GOSR’s Web site 

at www.StormRecovery.ny.gov/

Environment. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

21752 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 75 / Monday, April 20, 2015 / Notices 

A. Background 

The State of New York, acting through 

GOSR, and acting under authority of 

HUD’s regulations at 24 CFR part 58, 

and in cooperation with other 

cooperating, involved, and interested 

agencies, will prepare an EIS to analyze 

potential impacts of certain alternatives 

to enhance coastal and social resiliency 

on the South Shore of Staten Island. The 

EIS will seek to avoid or minimize 

adverse impacts to the quality of the 

human environment. 

Staten Island is exposed to extreme 

wave action and coastal flooding during 

hurricane and nor’easter events due to 

its location at the mouth of the New 

York Bight, which funnels and increases 

the intensity of storm surge into New 

York Harbor, Raritan Bay, and the 

shoreline of Staten Island. The South 

Shore of Staten Island is particularly 

vulnerable to more continual and 

gradual coastal erosion and land loss. 

The overarching goal of the initiative is 

to reduce risk and coastal erosion along 

the shoreline in Tottenville by 

implementing strategies that would 

primarily address wave action, impacts 

of coastal flooding, and event-based 

(i.e., short-term/storm-related) and longterm shoreline erosion, while restoring 

and enhancing ecosystems and engaging 

with the community through 

educational programs and enhanced 

waterfront access. The EIS will look at 

several alternatives to achieve these 

objectives. 

B. Purpose and Need of the Proposed 

Action 

As described above, the South Shore 

of Staten Island is vulnerable to coastal 

erosion and land loss. Consistent with 

the New York City’s Coastal Protection 

Initiatives and planning studies for the 

Tottenville area, the goal of the 

Proposed Actions is to reduce risk and 

coastal erosion along the shoreline in 

Tottenville, while enhancing 

ecosystems and shoreline accessibility 

and use. 

Specifically, the goals and objectives 

related to the Proposed Actions’ 

purpose and need are listed below: 

Risk Reduction 

• Attenuate wave energy. 

• Address both event-based and longterm shoreline erosion/preserve beach 

width. 

• Address the impacts of coastal 

flooding. 

Ecological Enhancement 

• Increasing diversity of aquatic 

habitats consistent with the HudsonRaritan Estuary plan priorities (e.g., 

oyster reefs and fish and shellfish 

habitat). 

Social Resiliency 

• Foster community education on 

coastal resiliency directly tied to and 

building off the structural components 

of this resiliency initiative. 

• Increase physical and visual access 

to the water’s edge. 

• Enhance community stewardship of 

on-shore and in-water ecosystems. 

• Increase access to recreational 

opportunities. 

C. Project Alternatives 

The EIS will discuss all of the 

alternatives that have been considered 

for analysis, identify those that have 

been eliminated from further 

consideration because they do not meet 

the stated purpose and need, and 

identify those that will be analyzed 

further. At this time, it is anticipated 

that the following alternatives will be 

analyzed: 

Alternative 1—No Action Alternative 

The No Action alternative assumes 

that no new structural risk reduction 

projects will be implemented in the 

project area and existing trends of dune 

replenishment would continue. This 

alternative also assumes that current 

trends with respect to coastal conditions 

at Tottenville—i.e., relating to erosion, 

wave action, ecosystems, and water 

quality—will continue. The No Action 

alternative also presumes that existing 

strategies to educate New Yorkers and 

the general public on the risks posed by 

climate change will remain the same in 

the study area. 

Alternative 2—The Layered Tottenville 

Shoreline Resiliency Strategy: Living 

Breakwaters and Tottenville Dune 

Projects (‘‘Layered Strategy’’) (Preferred 

Alternative) 

The Layered Strategy is the State’s 

preferred alternative and it consists of 

the implementation of two individual 

projects that, if integrated as one 

initiative, may provide a better overall 

coastal projection and promote social 

resilience. These projects were 

developed through separate, but related, 

planning initiatives arising out of the 

Hurricane Sandy recovery efforts. If 

implemented together, the projects 

would be planned and designed as a 

single, integrated coastal resiliency 

strategy for this area. By providing two 

layers of coastal protection, these 

components, as further described below, 

will improve current shoreline erosion 

conditions, serve to further reduce wave 

action, provide for ecological 

enhancement and promote social 

resiliency. The individual components 

of the Layered Strategy are discussed 

below. 

Living Breakwaters Project (Rebuild-byDesign) 

New York State has been allocated 

$60 million of CDGB–DR program funds 

toward a total estimated project cost of 

$74 million to implement the below 

described project along the Tottenville 

shoreline of the South Shore of Staten 

Island. 

In-Water Components 

One of the key components of the 

Layered Strategy is the Breakwaters 

Project, an ecologically enhanced 

breakwater system that would reduce 

wave energy at the shoreline and 

prevent shoreline erosion. The proposed 

location of the breakwaters is expected 

to curtail shoreline erosion, which 

would support on-going efforts to 

replenish the protective beaches along 

the shore. The proposed breakwaters 

would span an approximately 13,000 

linear foot stretch off the Tottenville 

shoreline of Staten Island and would be 

located and designed to optimize wave 

height reduction and reduce coastal 

erosion. Final siting considerations 

would include maximizing reductions 

in wave heights and shoreline erosion, 

avoiding or minimizing habitat 

displacement and navigational impacts, 

and identifying favorable geotechnical 

conditions. 

The proposed breakwater system 

would increase habitat diversity through 

the establishment of structural habitat, 

which is currently limited within 

Raritan Bay. The breakwaters would 

likely provide a combination of 

exposed, intertidal and subtidal reef 

habitat, and through the incorporation 

of ‘‘reef streets’’ (pockets of complexity 

within the structure) would further 

increase habitat diversity within Raritan 

Bay by providing shelter for juvenile 

fish, and increasing biological 

recruitment of filter-feeding organisms 

such as mussels and oysters, furthering 

opportunities for shellfish restoration 

within Raritan Bay. The breakwaters 

would also protect the proposed onshore dune system described below. The 

draft operation and maintenance plan 

for the proposed breakwater system will 

be described in the EIS. 

On-Shore Community Water Hub/

Landscape Elements 

With the goal of promoting social 

resiliency, a proposed community Water 

Hub would provide a place for access to 

the waterfront, orientation, education, 

information, restoration, gathering and 

equipment storage. In particular, the 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 75 / Monday, April 20, 2015 / Notices 21753 

Water Hub programming would include 

classrooms and labs, engaging schools 

in waterfront education, oyster 

restoration and reef building, and 

cultivating long-term estuary 

stewardship. The educational 

programming for the Water Hub will 

directly tie in to the in-water 

components, as well as to any shoreline 

resiliency component. In addition to 

ecological engagement, the Water Hub 

facilities and programs are intended to 

educate residents on the risks and 

benefits of living in the coastal 

environment and build awareness and 

preparedness within the community. 

The Tottenville Water Hub may also 

include other elements, such as 

recreation lounges, exhibition space, a 

local restaurant, maintenance-related 

storage space and offices, bird watching 

stations and nature observation decks. 

The Water Hub would potentially be 

located on the waterfront within or near 

Conference House Park, although 

alternate locations will be considered 

during the EIS process. Siting 

considerations would include access to 

existing infrastructure, Coastal Erosion 

Hazard Area (CEHA) sensitivity, coastal 

construction permitting, archaeological 

sensitivity, proximity to the breakwater 

system, proximity to local schools and 

public transportation, and neighborhood 

traffic patterns and parking. The draft 

operation and maintenance plan for the 

proposed Water Hub will be described 

in the EIS. 

The Breakwaters Project would also 

include several on-shore and near-shore 

landscape elements in the area of the 

Water Hub, including living shorelines 

(high and low marsh), oyster 

revetments, maritime forest and dune 

plantings. 

Tottenville Dune Project (NY Rising 

Community Reconstruction Program) 

New York State proposes to use 

approximately $6,350,000 of HUD 

CDBG-DR program funds to implement 

the below-described dune system with 

plantings along the Tottenville shoreline 

from approximately Brighton Street to 

Joline Avenue. The Dune Project is 

intended to protect against coastal 

flooding and wave action, 

complementing the Breakwaters Project 

and furthering the goal of risk reduction 

in Tottenville. 

The Tottenville Dune Project is 

proposed as a hardened dune system 

that would consist of constructed dunes 

having a stone core with a sand cap, and 

is the primary shoreline component of 

the layered approach to risk reduction 

in Tottenville. Once constructed, the 

dunes would be planted with 

appropriate vegetation, which through 

root growth, will serve to stabilize the 

dunes to withstand wind and water 

erosion while promoting enlargement of 

the dunes by accretion. 

The proposed dune system would be 

located along the Tottenville shoreline 

from approximately Brighton Street to 

Joline Avenue. Temporary dunes, 

constructed by the New York City 

Department of Parks and Recreation 

(NYCDPR) as interim protective 

measures post-Sandy, are currently in 

place from approximately Brighton 

Street to Sprague Avenue. These 

temporary dunes would be replaced 

with the larger, hardened dune system. 

New dunes would also be constructed 

from Sprague Avenue to Joline Avenue. 

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 

accessible access points to the beach 

would also be constructed along the 

new dune system and would be 

considered and designed in tandem 

with the Water Hub and living shoreline 

project components. Designing the 

dunes in conjunction with the 

breakwaters may enable design 

modifications of the dunes (such as, 

reduced height) that would enhance the 

need for shoreline accessibility. The 

draft operation and maintenance plan 

for the proposed dune system will be 

described in the EIS. 

Alternative 3—Breakwaters Without a 

Dune System 

This alternative will evaluate 

conditions with the proposed 

breakwaters in place (including the onshore community Water Hub and 

landscape elements), but without a 

proposed long-term dune system 

between Brighton Avenue and Joline 

Avenue. 

Alternative 4—Dune System Without 

Breakwaters 

This alternative will evaluate 

conditions with the proposed long-term 

dune system in place, but without the 

proposed breakwaters, Water Hub, or 

on-shore landscape elements. 

Other Alternatives 

Other alternatives may be developed 

in consultation with the United States 

Army Corp of Engineers, the National 

Oceanic and Atmospheric 

Administration—National Marine 

Fisheries Service, the United States 

Environmental Protection Agency, the 

New York State Department of State, 

New York State Department of 

Environmental Conservation, New York 

City Department of Parks and Recreation 

and other involved agencies during the 

EIS preparation process, as well as in 

response to suggestions made by project 

stakeholders and the general public 

during the EIS scoping process. Notably, 

GOSR intends for the alternatives 

analysis to fulfill the requirements for a 

permit under Section 404 of the Clean 

Water Act. These may include nonstructural coastal resilience strategies, 

but only to the extent that they meet the 

purposes and need for both enhanced 

shoreline protection and increased 

social resiliency. The alternatives may 

also include coastal resiliency strategies 

proposed by other governmental 

stakeholders, to the extent that these 

strategies are made available to GOSR 

during development of the Draft EIS. 

Additionally, alternatives may also 

include alternate designs or sizes of 

both the dune and breakwaters. 

D. Need for the EIS 

The actions proposed herein may 

constitute an action significantly 

affecting the quality of the environment 

and an EIS will be prepared on this 

project in accordance with NEPA. 

Responses to this notice will be used to: 

(1) Determine significant environmental 

issues, (2) assist in developing a range 

of alternatives to be considered, (3) 

identify issues that the EIS should 

address, and (4) identify agencies and 

other parties that will participate in the 

EIS process and the basis for their 

involvement. 

E. Scoping 

A public EIS scoping meeting will be 

held on April 30, 2015 from 7:00 to 9:00 

p.m. at CYO–MIV Community Center, 

6541 Hylan Blvd., Staten Island, NY 

10309. The public meeting site will be 

accessible to the mobility-impaired. 

Interpreter services will be available for 

the hearing or visually impaired upon 

advance request. The EIS scoping 

meetings will provide an opportunity 

for the public to learn more about the 

Proposed Actions and provide input to 

the environmental process. At the 

meetings, an overview of the Proposed 

Actions, including the preferred 

Layered Strategy alternative, will be 

presented and members of the public 

will be invited to comment on the scope 

of work for the environmental analyses 

in the EIS. Written comments and 

testimony concerning the scope of the 

EIS will be accepted at these meetings. 

In accordance with 40 CFR 1501.7; 

affected Federal, State, and local 

agencies, any affected Indian tribes, and 

other interested parties will be sent a 

scoping notice. In accordance with 24 

CFR 58.59, the scoping meetings will be 

preceded by a notice of public meeting 

published in the local news media at 

least 15 days before the hearing date. 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES

21754 Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 75 / Monday, April 20, 2015 / Notices 

F. Probable Environmental Effects 

The following subject areas will be 

analyzed in the combined EIS for 

probable environmental effects: Land 

Use, Zoning, and Public Policy; 

Socioeconomic Conditions; 

Environmental Justice; Cultural 

Resources; Visual Character; Shadows; 

Natural Resources; Water and Sewer 

Infrastructure; Transportation; Air 

Quality; Greenhouse Gases and Climate 

Change; Noise; Construction; Public 

Health; Neighborhood Character; and 

Cumulative Effects. 

Questions may be directed to the 

individual named in this notice under 

the heading FOR FURTHER INFORMATION

CONTACT. 

Date: April 15, 2015. 

Clifford Taffet, 

General Deputy Assistant Secretary for 

Community Planning and Development. 

[FR Doc. 2015–09007 Filed 4–17–15; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4210–67–P 

DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND 

URBAN DEVELOPMENT 

[Docket No. FR–5857–N–01] 

Section 8 Housing Assistance 

Payments Program—Fiscal Year (FY) 

2015 Inflation Factors for Public 

Housing Agency (PHA) Renewal 

Funding 

AGENCY: Office of the Assistant 

Secretary for Policy Development and 

Research, HUD. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The Consolidated 

Appropriations Act, 2015 requires that 

HUD apply ‘‘an inflation factor as 

established by the Secretary, by notice 

published in the Federal Register’’ to 

adjust FY 2015 renewal funding for the 

Tenant-based Rental Assistance Program 

or Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) 

Program of each PHA. HUD began using 

Renewal Funding Inflation Factors in 

FY 2012. These Renewal Funding 

Inflation Factors incorporate economic 

indices to measure the expected change 

in per unit costs (PUC) for the HCV 

program. The methodology for FY 2015 

is similar to that used in FY 2014. 

DATES: Effective Date: April 20, 2015. 

Comments Due Date: June 19, 2015. 

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are 

invited to submit comments on 

potential improvements to HUD’s per 

unit cost (PUC) forecasting model to the 

Office of the General Counsel, Rules 

Docket Clerk, Department of Housing 

and Urban Development, 451 Seventh 

Street SW., Room 10276, Washington, 

DC 20410–0001. Communications 

should refer to the above docket number 

and title and should contain the 

information specified in the ‘‘Request 

for Comments’’ section. There are two 

methods for submitting public 

comments. 

1. Submission of Comments by Mail. 

Comments may be submitted by mail to 

the Regulations Division, Office of 

General Counsel, Department of 

Housing and Urban Development, 451 

7th Street SW., Room 10276, 

Washington, DC 20410–0500. Due to 

security measures at all federal agencies, 

however, submission of comments by 

mail often results in delayed delivery. 

To ensure timely receipt of comments, 

HUD recommends that comments 

submitted by mail be submitted at least 

two weeks in advance of the public 

comment deadline. 

2. Electronic Submission of 

Comments. Interested persons may 

submit comments electronically through 

the Federal eRulemaking Portal at 

http://www.regulations.gov. HUD 

strongly encourages commenters to 

submit comments electronically. 

Electronic submission of comments 

allows the commenter maximum time to 

prepare and submit a comment, ensures 

timely receipt by HUD, and enables 

HUD to make them immediately 

available to the public. Comments 

submitted electronically through the 

http://www.regulations.gov Web site can 

be viewed by other commenters and 

interested members of the public. 

Commenters should follow instructions 

provided on that site to submit 

comments electronically. 

Note: To receive consideration as public 

comments, comments must be submitted 

through one of the two methods specified 

above. Again, all submissions must refer to 

the docket number and title of the notice. 

No Facsimile Comments. Facsimile 

(FAX) comments are not acceptable. 

Public Inspection of Comments. All 

comments and communications 

submitted to HUD will be available, 

without change, for public inspection 

and copying between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. 

weekdays at the above address. Due to 

security measures at the HUD 

Headquarters building, an advance 

appointment to review the public 

comments must be scheduled by calling 

the Regulations Division at (202) 708– 

3055 (this is not a toll-free number). 

Copies of all comments submitted are 

available for inspection and 

downloading at http://

www.regulations.gov. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Miguel A. Fontanez, Director, Housing 

Voucher Financial Division, Office of 

Public Housing and Voucher Programs, 

Office of Public and Indian Housing, 

telephone number 202–402–4212; or 

Peter B. Kahn, Director, Economic and 

Market Analysis Division, Office of 

Policy Development and Research, 

telephone number 202–402–2409, for 

technical information regarding the 

development of the schedules for 

specific areas or the methods used for 

calculating the inflation factors, 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development, 451 7th Street SW., 

Washington, DC 20410. Hearing- or 

speech-impaired persons may contact 

the Federal Relay Service at 800–877– 

8339 (TTY). (Other than the ‘‘800’’ TTY 

number, the above-listed telephone 

numbers are not toll free.) 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Background 

Tables showing Renewal Funding 

Inflation Factors will be available 

electronically from the HUD data 

information page at: http://www.

huduser.org/portal/datasets/rfif/

FY2015/FY2015_RFIF_FMR_AREA_

REPORT.pdf. 

Division K, Title II, Consolidated and 

Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 

2015 requires that the HUD Secretary, 

for the calendar year 2015 funding 

cycle, provide renewal funding for each 

public housing agency (PHA) based on 

validated voucher management system 

(VMS) leasing and cost data for the prior 

calendar year and by applying an 

inflation factor as established by the 

Secretary, by notice published in the 

Federal Register. This notice provides 

the FY 2015 inflation factors and 

describes the methodology for 

calculating them. 

II. Methodology 

The Department has focused on 

measuring the change in average PUC as 

captured in HUD’s administrative data 

in VMS. In order to predict the likely 

path of PUC over time, HUD has 

implemented a model that uses three 

economic indices that capture key 

components of the economic climate 

and assist in explaining the changes in 

PUC. These economic components are 

the seasonally-adjusted unemployment 

rate (lagged twelve months), the 

Consumer Price Index from the Bureau 

of Labor Statistics, and the ‘‘wages and 

salaries’’ component of personal income 

from the National Income and Product 

Accounts from the Bureau of Economic 

Analysis. This model subsequently 

forecasts the expected annual change in 

average PUC from Calendar Year (CY) 

2014 to CY 2015 for the voucher 

program on a national basis by 

incorporating comparable economic 

variables from the Administration’s 

mstockstill on DSK4VPTVN1PROD with NOTICES