Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 4, 1996 / Notices 28189

Notice of Proposed Information

Collection Requests

AGENCY: Department of Education.

ACTION: Submission for OMB review;

comment request.

SUMMARY: The Acting Director,

Information Resources Group, invites

comments on the proposed information

collection requests as required by the

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to

submit comments on or before July 5,

1996.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should

be addressed to the Office of

Information and Regulatory Affairs,

Attention: Wendy Taylor, Desk Officer,

Department of Education, Office of

Management and Budget, 725 17th

Street, NW., Room 10235, New

Executive Office Building, Washington,

DC 20503. Requests for copies of the

proposed information collection

requests should be addressed to Patrick

J. Sherrill, Department of Education, 600

Independence Avenue, S.W., Room

5624, Regional Office Building 3,

Washington, DC 20202–4651.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Patrick J. Sherrill (202) 708–8196.

Individuals who use a

telecommunications device for the deaf

(TDD) may call the Federal Information

Relay Service (FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339

between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern time,

Monday through Friday.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Section

3506 of the Paperwork Reduction Act of

1995 (44 U.S.C. Chapter 35) requires

that the Office of Management and

Budget (OMB) provide interested

Federal agencies and the public an early

opportunity to comment on information

collection requests. OMB may amend or

waive the requirement for public

consultation to the extent that public

participation in the approval process

would defeat the purpose of the

information collection, violate State or

Federal law, or substantially interfere

with any agency’s ability to perform its

statutory obligations. The Acting

Director of the Information Resources

Group publishes this notice containing

proposed information collection

requests prior to submission of these

requests to OMB. Each proposed

information collection, grouped by

office, contains the following: (1) Type

of review requested, e.g., new, revision,

extension, existing or reinstatement; (2)

Title; (3) Summary of the collection; (4)

Description of the need for, and

proposed use of, the information; (5)

Respondents and frequency of

collection; and (6) Reporting and/or

Recordkeeping burden. OMB invites

public comment at the address specified

above. Copies of the requests are

available from Patrick J. Sherrill at the

address specified above.

Dated: May 30, 1996.

Gloria Parker,

Director, Information Resources Group.

Office of Elementary and Secondary

Education

Type of Review: Reinstatement.

Title: Title II—Dwight D. Eisenhower

Professional Development Program

Report Forms.

Frequency: Triennially.

Affected Public: Not-for-profit

institutions, Federal Government, State,

local or Tribal Gov’t, SEAs and LEAs.

Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping

Burden: Responses: 104; Burden hours:

3,640.

Abstract: These forms will be used by

the Department as a means of collecting

information on the effectiveness of the

program at the State and local levels.

The data will be used to inform the

Department and Congress on the

progress of the State programs in

meeting performance indicators. The

information will assure statutory

mandates are followed.

Office of Postsecondary Education

Type of Review: Reinstatement.

Title: Final Performance Report for

Grants under the Strengthening

Institutions Program.

Frequency: Annually.

Affected Public: Not-for-profit

institutions.

Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping

Hour Burden:

Responses: 1.

Burden Hours: 2,472.

Abstract: A final performance report

is required of former grantees that have

completed either a 12-month planning

grant project or a 60-month

development grant project. The reports

enable a grantee and the awarding

agency to evaluate overall project

accomplishments and the impact of

funded activities on the grantee

institutions’ academic programs,

institutional management, and fiscal

stability.

Office of Postsecondary Education

Type of Review: Revision.

Title: Application for Approval to

Participate in Federal Financial Aid

Programs.

Frequency: On Occasion.

Affected Public: Individuals or

households; Business or other for-profit;

Not-for-profit institutions.

Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping

Hour Burden:

Responses: 2,219.

Burden Hours: 36,073.

Abstract: The Higher Education Act of

1965, as amended, requires

postsecondary institutions to complete

and submit this application as a

condition of eligibility for any of the

Title IV student financial assistance

programs and for the other

postsecondary programs authorized by

the HEA. An institution must submit the

form (1) initially when it first seeks to

become eligible for the Title IV

programs, (2) every four years after the

initial certification (‘‘recertification’’),

(3) when it changes ownership, merges,

or changes from a ‘‘profit’’ to a ‘‘nonprofit’’ institution, and (4) to be

reinstated to participate in the Title IV

programs.

Office of Postsecondary Education

Type of Review: Reinstatement.

Title: GEPA 424 Biennial Report on

the Distribution of Federal Education

Funds.

Frequency: Biennially.

Affected Public: Federal Government;

State, local or Tribal Government, SEAs

or LEAs.

Annual Reporting and Recordkeeping

Hour Burden:

Responses: 142.

Burden Hours: 3,420.

Abstract: Section 424 of the General

Education Provisions Act (GEPA)

requires States to report on the

distribution of funds for Stateadministered Federal education funds.

This reporting requirement, previously

known as GEPA 406A, underwent

significant revisions during the 1994

reauthorization of the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act, including

changing the collection from annual to

biennial, extending the reporting

deadlines, and expanding the report to

include Federally-administered

programs.

[FR Doc. 96–13901 Filed 6–3–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY

Denver Regional Support Office

Commercialization Ventures Program;

Notice of Solicitation for Financial

Assistance Applications

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation for

financial assistance application Number

DE–PS48–96R810587.

SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of

Energy (DOE), through its

Commercialization Ventures Program,
28190 Federal Register / Vol. 61, No. 108 / Tuesday, June 4, 1996 / Notices

announces its intention to issue a

competitive solicitation for applications

for financial assistance from state energy

offices for projects that will accelerate

the commercialization of renewable

energy technologies. This action is

subject to the DOE Financial Assistance

Rules, which can be found in Title 10

of the Code of Federal Regulations (10

CFR 600).

AVAILABILITY OF THE SOLICITATION: DOE

expects to issue the solicitation on or

about May 31, 1996. To obtain a copy

of the solicitation, interested parties

may write to the U.S. Department of

Energy, Denver Regional Support Office,

Attention: Margaret Learmouth, 1617

Cole Boulevard, Golden, CO 80401.

Only written requests for the solicitation

will be honored. For convenience,

requests for the solicitation may be

faxed to Margaret Learmouth at (303)

275–4830. Telephone requests for the

solicitation will not be granted.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The DOE

Commercialization Ventures Program

seeks to assist entry into the

marketplace of newly emerging

renewable energy technologies or

innovative applications of existing

renewable energy technologies.

Generally, an emerging technology

means one that has already been proven

to be viable, but which has had little or

no operational experience, or when an

innovative application of such

technology has not been generally

utilized. Any such experience has been

limited, either to sub-commercial size or

quantities, to restricted or controlled

operation, or to limited applications.

Restricted Eligibility Notice:

• Applications must be submitted by

an eligible applicant. Eligible applicants

for purposes of funding under the

program are the energy offices of the 50

States, the District of Columbia, the U.S.

Virgin islands, the commonwealth of

Puerto Rico and any territory or

possession of the United States. For

states lacking official energy offices, the

eligible applicant is the state agency

with responsibility for energy matters. A

state agency applicant must form a

partnering arrangement with at least one

for-profit business to be eligible.

Project Requirements:

• This state agency, as the direct

award recipient, is required to work in

a partnership or subaward arrangement

with at least one for-profit entity.

• The activities funded must be

performed in the United States.

• The manufacture and reproduction

of any invention or product resulting

from the project must be manufactured

or reproduced substantially in the

United States.

• Have at least 50 percent of the total

project costs directly and specifically

related to the project come from nonfederal sources.

• Local governments, State and

private universities, private non-profits,

for-profit businesses, and individuals,

who are not eligible as direct applicants,

must work with the appropriate State

agencies in developing projects and

forming participation arrangements.

Additional requirements will be

described in the solicitation.

Projects may include manufacture of

an emerging renewable energy

technology or production of energy or

fuel using an innovative application of

an existing renewable energy

technology.

DOE expects to have approximately

$8–11 million available for projects, and

anticipates making 5–10 awards. The

solicitation is anticipated to be issued

on or about May 31, 1996, and will

contain detailed information on

funding, cost sharing requirements

eligibility, application preparation and

evaluation methodology. Responses to

the solicitation will be due

approximately 75 days after solicitation

release.

In addition to the direct financial

assistance offered through this

solicitation, DOE may be in a position

to offer non-financial assistance in the

form of consulting expertise on business

aspects of proposed projects, such as

development of a business plan or

identifying commercial financing for

promising projects. Candidate projects

for this form of assistance will be

identified during the application review

process.

Issued in Golden, Colorado on May 23,

1996.

John W. Meeker,

Chief, Procurement, GO.

[FR Doc. 96–13906 Filed 6–3–96; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P

Golden Field Office

Hydrogen Feasibility Studies; Notice of

Solicitation for Financial Assistance

Applications

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation for

financial assistance applications

Number DE-PS36-96GO10160.

SUMMARY: The Department of Energy

(DOE), under authority of Section 2026

of the Energy Policy Act of 1992, Public

Law 102–486, and the Matsunaga

Hydrogen Research, Development, and

Demonstration Act of 1990, Public Law

101–566, is requesting applications as a

follow-on to a Notice of Interest

published in the Commerce Business

Daily (on April 21, 1995). DOE is

seeking private-sector led, cost-shared

projects in research, development, and

technology validation that include the

integration of hydrogen technologies

such as production, storage, transport,

and end-use applications.

AVAILABILITY OF THE SOLICITATION: To

obtain a copy of the solicitation once it

is issued in June, 1996, write to the U.S.

Department of Energy’s Golden Field

Office, 1617 Cole Blvd, Golden, CO

80401, Attn: Mr. John Motz, Contract

Specialist. Only written requests for the

solicitation will be honored. For

convenience, requests for the

solicitation may be faxed to Mr. Motz at

(303) 275–4754.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The

purpose of the solicitation is to assist

the private sector in the development of

integrated hydrogen systems for

applications to near- and long-term

markets. DOE encourages the

submission of development plans for

integrated systems related to long-term

hydrogen energy markets, although DOE

will consider applications for systems

addressing near-term hydrogen ‘niche’

markets. In any case, all awardees will

be required to participate in a Phase I

effort prior to consideration by DOE for

a subsequent award to participate in

later phases. The anticipated

progression of projects awarded under

this solicitation will be: Phase I—

Feasibility Studies (the subject of this

solicitation); Phase II—Technology

Development; Phase III—Technology

Validation; and Phase IV—

Demonstration/Scale-Up.

The applications should provide

detailed information regarding Phase I

efforts, but should also include a

sufficient description of anticipated

efforts in follow-on Phases II through IV

to provide an overall characterization of

necessary steps to allow

commercialization of the hydrogen

technology/system at the conclusion of

Phase IV. After the conclusion of the

Phase I efforts by all awardees, DOE will

evaluate the Phase I results and future

plans of each awardee. Based upon

technical, economic, and programmatic

considerations, DOE may select

awardees to participate in follow-on

agreements without further competition.

In Phase I, a cost-shared business and

technical feasibility study will be

undertaken which will result in the

development of information necessary

for follow-on applications in Phases II

through IV. Applications submitted in