Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 58 / Friday, March 25, 2022 / Notices 17105 

• Marie Caputo, Principal, 

CliftonLarsonAllen 

6. Communication by Corporate Auditor 

with those Charged with 

Governance Under Statement on 

Auditing Standard 114 

• Roxanne Caruso, Acting Inspector 

General 

• Marie Caputo, Principal, 

CliftonLarsonAllen 

7. Consider and Act on Motion to 

Adjourn the Closed Session 

Meeting and Resume the Open 

Session Meeting 

Open Session 

8. Consider and Act on Resolution 

#2022–XXX, Acceptance of the 

Draft Audited Financial Statements 

for Fiscal Year 2021 and Fiscal 

Year 2020 

9. Public Comment 

10. Consider and Act on Other Business 

11. Consider and Act on Motion to 

Adjourn the Meeting 

CONTACT PERSON FOR MORE INFORMATION: 

Kaitlin D. Brown, Executive and Board 

Project Coordinator, at (202) 295–1555. 

Questions may also be sent by electronic 

mail to brownk@lsc.gov. 

Dated: March 22, 2022. 

Kaitlin D. Brown, 

Executive and Board Project Coordinator, 

Legal Services Corporation. 

[FR Doc. 2022–06391 Filed 3–23–22; 11:15 am] 

BILLING CODE 7050–01–P 

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION 

Agency Information Collection 

Activities: Comment Request; Account 

Management Profile 

AGENCY: National Science Foundation. 

ACTION: Notice. 

SUMMARY: The National Science 

Foundation (NSF) is announcing plans 

to establish this collection. In 

accordance with the requirements of the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we 

are providing opportunity for public 

comment on this action. After obtaining 

and considering public comment, NSF 

will prepare the submission requesting 

Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) clearance of this collection for no 

longer than 3 years. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be received by May 24, 2022 to be 

assured consideration. Comments 

received after that date will be 

considered to the extent practicable. 

Send comments to address below. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 

Officer, National Science Foundation, 

2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, 

Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292– 

7556; or send email to splimpto@

nsf.gov. Individuals who use a 

telecommunications device for the deaf 

(TDD) may call the Federal Information 

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877– 

8339, which is accessible 24 hours a 

day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year 

(including Federal holidays). 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title of Collection: Account 

Management Profile. 

OMB Control No.: 3145–New. 

Expiration Date of Approval: Not 

applicable. 

Abstract: The purpose of the National 

Science Foundation’s (NSF) Account 

Profile is to collect information (contact, 

demographics, professional and 

academic references) on Research.gov. 

This profile will assist the NSF in 

maintaining a centralized registration 

and profile management process for 

individuals. NSF may track information 

provided over time to review and 

evaluate NSF programs, facilitate 

proposal submission, simplify reviewer 

activities, and provide data for the 

selection and management of reviewers 

and related merit review functions. 

Collecting this information supports the 

program officers across each directorate 

by improving efficiencies for internal 

staff, leveraging consolidated profile 

data, and creating a seamless user 

experience for the scientific community. 

This process will also provide 

researchers with a consolidated profile 

and access to their information in the 

Research.gov system, with the ability to 

easily access and update their 

information as necessary. In addition, 

the Biden Administration has made it a 

priority to deliver services more 

equitably and effectively via Executive 

Order 14058, Transforming Federal 

Customer Experience and Service 

Delivery to Rebuild Trust in 

Government. The President directed 

heads of agencies to integrate activities 

to improve customer experience and 

identify means by which their 

respective agencies can improve 

transparency and accessibility for their 

customers. This expansion effort will 

allow users to self-report demographic 

and professional information over time 

that will enable program officials to 

select diverse panels and expand 

opportunities to increase participation 

from underrepresented groups and 

diverse institutions throughout the 

United States in all NSF activities and 

programs. 

Respondents: Researchers and 

administrative support professionals. 

Estimated Number of Annual 

Respondents: 565,146. 

Burden on the Public: Estimated 5 

minutes to fill out the contact, 

demographics, professional and 

academic information, including the 

collection of data to fill in the fields. 

This assumption includes users who 

have filled out information in the past 

and do not wish to update their 

information. The demographic 

information should be readily available 

as the selection fields are available on 

Research.gov today and the professional 

information can be gathered from 

external data sources. The estimated 

burden time is 47,095 hours. 

Dated: March 22, 2022. 

Suzanne H. Plimpton, 

Reports Clearance Officer, National Science 

Foundation. 

[FR Doc. 2022–06347 Filed 3–24–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 7555–01–P 

OFFICE OF SCIENCE AND 

TECHNOLOGY POLICY 

Request for Information on the Energy 

and Climate Implications of Digital 

Assets 

AGENCY: Office of Science and 

Technology Policy (OSTP). 

ACTION: Notice of Request for 

Information on the Energy and Climate 

Implications of Digital Assets. 

SUMMARY: The United States is 

committed to combatting the climate 

crisis and reaching net-zero greenhouse 

gas emissions no later than 2050. On 

March 9, 2022, President Biden signed 

an Executive Order on Ensuring 

Responsible Development of Digital 

Assets, which outlines a whole-ofgovernment strategy to harness the 

benefits and mitigate the risks of digital 

assets, including the implications for 

energy use and the climate. The 

Executive Order tasked the White House 

Office of Science and Technology Policy 

(OSTP) to submit a report to the 

President that examines the potential for 

digital assets to impede or advance 

efforts to tackle climate change and the 

transition to a clean and reliable 

electricity grid. As OSTP conducts this 

examination, it invites comments from 

interested stakeholders, including the 

public. In particular, this RFI seeks 

comments on the protocols, hardware, 

resources, economics, and other factors 

that shape the energy use and climate 

impacts of all types of digital assets. It 

also seeks comment on attempts to 

mitigate climate harms and reduce 

energy use associated with digital 

assets, potential energy or climate 

benefits from digital assets and 

opportunities for natural asset or 


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17106 Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 58 / Friday, March 25, 2022 / Notices 

emissions accounting, likely future 

developments or industry trajectories 

related to digital assets, and 

implications that digital assets have for 

U.S. policy including as it relates to 

electricity grid reliability and 

greenhouse gas intensity. 

DATES: Interested persons and 

organizations are invited to submit 

comments on or before 5:00 p.m. ET on 

May 9, 2022. 

ADDRESSES: Interested individuals and 

organizations should submit comments 

electronically to DigitalAssetsRFI@

ostp.eop.gov and include < RFI 

Response: Climate Implications of 

Digital Assets > in the subject line of the 

email. Due to time constraints, mailed 

paper submissions will not be accepted, 

and electronic submissions received 

after the deadline cannot be ensured to 

be incorporated or taken into 

consideration. 

Instructions: Response to this RFI is 

voluntary. Each responding entity 

(individual or organization) is requested 

to submit only one response. 

Responses may address one or as 

many topics as desired from the 

enumerated list provided in this RFI, 

noting the corresponding number of the 

topic(s) to which the response pertains. 

Submissions must not exceed 10 pages 

(exclusive of cover page) in 11-point or 

larger font, with a page number 

provided on each page. Responses 

should include the name of the 

person(s) or organization(s) filing the 

comment, as well as the respondent 

type (e.g., academic institution, 

advocacy group, professional society, 

community-based organization, 

industry, member of the public, 

government, other). Respondent’s role 

in the organization may also be 

provided (e.g., researcher, administrator, 

student, program manager, journalist) 

on a voluntary basis. Comments 

containing references, studies, research, 

and other empirical data that are not 

widely published should include copies 

or electronic links of the referenced 

materials; these materials, as well as a 

list of references, do not count toward 

the 10-page limit. No business 

proprietary information, copyrighted 

information, or personally identifiable 

information (aside from that requested 

above) should be submitted in response 

to this RFI. Comments submitted in 

response to this RFI may be posted on 

OSTP’s website or otherwise released 

publicly. 

In accordance with Federal 

Acquisitions Regulations Systems 

15.202(3), responses to this notice are 

not offers and cannot be accepted by the 

Federal Government to form a binding 

contract. Additionally, those submitting 

responses are solely responsible for all 

expenses associated with response 

preparation. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

additional information, please direct 

questions to Nik Marda at 202–456– 

4444 or DigitalAssetsRFI@ostp.eop.gov. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Background: Climate change is one of 

the most pressing problems confronting 

our nation and our world, which is why 

President Biden has committed to 

cutting U.S. greenhouse gas pollution by 

50–52% by 2030, advancing 

environmental justice, and having a netzero emissions economy by 2050. 

Building on the historic progress on 

climate action that President Biden 

achieved in his first year in office, the 

President’s plan to achieve those goals 

includes improving energy efficiency, 

deploying a record amount of new 

carbon-free energy sources, and 

advancing clean energy innovation. 

The explosive growth of the digital 

asset ecosystem may contribute to 

greater energy use and negatively 

impact the climate. Many digital assets, 

including cryptocurrencies, use 

decentralized consensus mechanisms as 

opposed to a central authority to verify 

transactions. While different digital 

asset systems use different consensus 

mechanisms, many use ‘‘proof of work’’ 

based systems that require significant 

amounts of computing power and 

electricity, often derived from carbonintensive sources. Some researchers 

estimate that cryptocurrencies use more 

electricity each year than many 

individual countries in the world, 

including some industrialized nations. 

Thus, digital assets may present a key 

environmental challenge at a time when 

we need to shift to carbon-free sources 

in order to combat climate change. On 

the other hand, digital assets might also 

have a positive impact on the climate. 

For example, they may provide new 

opportunities in carbon accounting and 

verification, increasing trust in carbon 

measurement and creating a novel 

opportunity for addressing climate 

change. 

Recognizing these climate risks, other 

risks, and potential benefits of digital 

assets, President Biden signed Executive 

Order (E.O.) 14067: Ensuring 

Responsible Development of Digital 

Assets on March 9, 2022, to outline a 

whole-of-government strategy on digital 

assets. Pursuant to E.O. 14067, OSTP, 

and its partners from the Executive 

Office of the President and Federal 

agencies, are examining the connections 

between distributed ledger technology 

and energy transitions, the potential for 

these technologies to impede or advance 

efforts to tackle climate change at home 

and abroad, and the impacts these 

technologies have on the environment. 

This RFI seeks public input to better 

understand the climate impacts of 

digital assets. In particular, this RFI 

seeks comments on the protocols, 

hardware, resources, economics, and 

other factors that shape the energy use 

and climate impacts of all types of 

digital assets. It also seeks comment on 

attempts to mitigate climate harms and 

reduce energy use associated with 

digital assets, potential energy or 

climate benefits from digital assets and 

opportunities for natural asset or 

emissions accounting, likely future 

developments or industry trajectories 

related to digital assets, and 

implications that digital assets have for 

U.S. policy including as it relates to 

electricity grid reliability and 

greenhouse gas intensity. These 

comments will inform a report to the 

President on the climate impacts of 

digital assets. 

Terminology: The terms blockchain, 

central bank digital currency, 

cryptocurrencies, digital assets, and 

stablecoins, have the definitions 

provided in Section 9 of E.O. 14067. 

Scope: OSTP invites input from 

interested stakeholders, including 

academic researchers and policy 

analysts; technical practitioners 

specializing in digital ledger 

technologies; civil society and advocacy 

groups; individuals and organizations 

who work on environmental issues; 

industry and industry association 

groups; Federal entities and employees; 

State, local, tribal, territorial, and 

foreign governments; and members of 

the public. 

Information Requested: Respondents 

may provide information for one or as 

many topics below as they choose. 

1. Protocols: Information on the 

climate impacts of the protocols used by 

digital assets. This includes the effect of 

cryptocurrencies’ consensus 

mechanisms on energy usage, as well as 

potential mitigating measures and 

alternative mechanisms of consensus 

and the design tradeoffs those may 

entail. For example, many digital 

assets—including those that make use of 

smart contracts—use or are looking into 

less energy-intensive consensus 

mechanisms than ‘‘proof of work.’’ 

Information is sought related to the 

benefits and drawbacks of those 

alternative mechanisms, as well as their 

different energy consumption profiles. 

2. Hardware: Information about the 

climate impacts from the physical 

components that run the protocols for 

digital assets. This includes the 


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Federal Register / Vol. 87, No. 58 / Friday, March 25, 2022 / Notices 17107 

1LIRC states that this mileage number comes 

from Southern Indiana Railway—Acquisition, FD 

12551 (ICC served Feb. 7, 1940). LIRC further states 

that its intention is to acquire SIND’s rights to the 

entire rail corridor described in the 1940 decision, 

and that, to the extent that yard and ancillary tracks 

are subject to 49 U.S.C. 10906, LIRC’s request for 

authority to acquire the Line is not intended to 

convert any such track into common carrier track 

subject to 49 U.S.C. 10901. 

embodied emissions of specialized 

hardware and cooling equipment used 

to mine certain cryptocurrencies, as 

well as the waste generated from this 

equipment needing to be replaced 

frequently due to rapidly improving 

mining equipment. This also includes 

potential mitigating measures and 

technology improvements to reduce the 

environmental impact from hardware 

usage. 

3. Resources: Information about the 

resources used to sustain and power 

digital assets. This includes the 

electricity that powers mining rigs and 

the water used to cool those operations, 

as well as potential mitigating measures 

to reduce the amount of electricity and 

water used. This also includes 

quantitative estimates of the total 

amounts of these resources used by 

particular types of digital assets, or by 

the digital asset ecosystem at large. This 

also includes information concerning 

whether the costs of resources used are 

borne equitably across society or are 

disproportionately borne by historically 

disadvantaged communities. 

4. Economics: Information about how 

the energy use of digital assets is 

affected by the value of, demand for, 

and supply of particular digital assets or 

their underlying infrastructure. This 

includes the environmental and 

infrastructural effects from 

cryptocurrency miners moving to areas 

with cheaper electricity, as well as the 

incentives that exist for cryptocurrency 

miners to use renewable energy sources 

for mining. This also includes 

information about impacts on the 

electric grid and about the need for 

potential incremental grid investments, 

along with the impacts on electricity 

bills for customers near or in affected 

service territories. 

5. Past or ongoing mitigation 

attempts: Information about past or 

ongoing attempts to mitigate negative 

climate impacts of digital assets. This 

includes voluntary industry efforts, and 

cryptocurrencies that are changing their 

consensus mechanism in order to 

reduce their energy usage. This also 

includes climate-focused and energy 

efficiency regulation or standards efforts 

by State, local, territorial, tribal, federal, 

or foreign governments. 

6. Potential energy or climate benefits: 

Information about how digital assets can 

potentially yield positive energy or 

climate impacts. This includes potential 

uses of blockchain that could support 

monitoring or mitigating technologies to 

climate impacts, such as opportunities 

for natural asset or emissions 

accounting, as well as the exchanging of 

liabilities for greenhouse gas emissions, 

water, and other natural or 

environmental assets. This also includes 

specific approaches to increase the 

likelihood of direct climate or emissions 

benefits from digital assets, or 

associated grid services that indirectly 

lead to climate or emissions benefits. 

Furthermore, information is sought 

supporting or rebutting claims made by 

some proponents of cryptocurrencies 

that the energy used by mining 

cryptocurrencies is a net climate 

positive, either because it occurs during 

demand lulls or because it increases 

demand for renewable electricity 

sources. 

7. Likely future developments or 

industry trajectories: Information about 

likely future developments or industry 

trajectories that would have 

implications for the future climate 

impacts of digital assets. This includes 

expected future developments in 

protocols, hardware, resources, and 

economics. Where possible, please 

describe the expected timescale for 

likely future developments. 

8. Implications for U.S. policy: 

Information about how the climate 

impacts of digital assets might have 

implications for U.S. policy. This 

includes implications for energy policy, 

including as it relates to grid 

management and reliability, energy 

efficiency incentives and standards, 

sources of energy supply, greenhouse 

gas intensity, and the transition to a netzero emissions economy by 2050. 

9. Other information: Any other 

information, not covered above, that is 

relevant for understanding the climate 

impacts of digital assets. 

Dated: March 21, 2022. 

Stacy Murphy, 

Operations Manager. 

[FR Doc. 2022–06284 Filed 3–24–22; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3270–F2–P 

SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD 

[Docket No. FD 36591] 

Louisville & Indiana Railroad 

Company—Acquisition and Operation 

Exemption—Southern Indiana Railway, 

Inc. 

The Louisville & Indiana Railroad 

Company (LIRC), a Class III railroad, has 

filed a verified notice of exemption 

under 49 CFR 1150.41 to enter into an 

asset purchase agreement (Purchase 

Agreement) with Southern Indiana 

Railway, Inc. (SIND), for LIRC to acquire 

and operate a rail corridor from north of 

the intersection of ‘‘highway 403’’ at 

Speed (SIND Speed Property) southerly 

to a connection with a rail line of CSX 

Transportation, Inc., at Watson Junction, 

all in Clark County, Ind. The Purchase 

Agreement also covers yard tracks 

located on the real property of Lehigh 

Cement in Speed, north of SIND Speed 

Property (the above described assets 

subject to the Purchase Agreement are 

referred to collectively as the Line). 

According to LIRC, the Line is 

approximately 7.41 miles in length.1

The verified notice states that LIRC will 

become the operator of the Line upon 

the exemption’s effective date. 

LIRC certifies that the Purchase 

Agreement does not contain any 

provision that may limit future 

interchange with a third-party 

connecting carrier. LIRC further certifies 

that its projected annual revenues as a 

result of this transaction will not result 

in LIRC’s becoming a Class II or Class 

I rail carrier. Pursuant to 49 CFR 

1150.42(e), if a carrier’s projected 

annual revenues will exceed $5 million, 

it must, at least 60 days before the 

exemption becomes effective, post a 

notice of its intent to undertake the 

proposed transaction at the workplace 

of the employees on the affected lines, 

serve a copy of the notice on the 

national offices of the labor unions with 

employees on the affected lines, and 

certify to the Board that it has done so. 

However, LIRC’s verified notice 

includes a request for waiver of the 60- 

day advance labor notice requirements. 

LIRC’s waiver request will be addressed 

in a separate decision. The Board will 

establish the effective date of the 

exemption in its separate decision on 

the waiver request. 

If the verified notice contains false or 

misleading information, the exemption 

is void ab initio. Petitions to revoke the 

exemption under 49 U.S.C. 10502(d) 

may be filed at any time. The filing of 

a petition to revoke will not 

automatically stay the effectiveness of 

the exemption. Petitions for stay must 

be filed no later than April 1, 2022. 

All pleadings, referring to Docket No. 

FD 36591, should be filed with the 

Surface Transportation Board via efiling on the Board’s website. In 

addition, one copy of each pleading 

must be served on LIRC’s representative, 

Rose-Michele Nardi, Baker & Miller 

PLLC, Suite 300, 2401 Pennsylvania 

Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20037. 

According to LIRC, this action is 

categorically excluded from 


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