Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; CHIPS Environmental Questionnaire Information Collection

AGENCY:

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice of information collection; request for comment.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES:

To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed information collection must be received on or before June 12, 2023.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments by email to Maureen O'Reilly, Management Analyst, National Institute of Standards and Technology, at PRAcomments@doc.gov. Please reference OMB Control Number 0693–0093 in the subject line of your comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or specific questions related to collection activities should be directed to Cierra Bean, Business Operations Analyst, CHIPS Program Office, askchips@chips.gov, (202) 815–2677.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

The CHIPS Incentives Program is authorized by Title XCIX—Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 (Pub. L. 116–283, referred to as the CHIPS Act or Act), as amended by the CHIPS Act of 2022 (Division A of Pub. L. 117–167). The CHIPS Incentives Program is administered by the CHIPS Program Office (CPO) within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the United States Department of Commerce (Department). Businesses and other entities applying for CHIPS Act funding may submit an optional pre-application and must submit a full-application via a form available at https://applications.chips.gov/. One part of both applications is the Environmental Questionnaire. The purpose of the Environmental Questionnaire is to ensure that the Department of Commerce is aware, in broad terms, of relevant environmental considerations, and can work with the potential applicant to ensure that the applicant can provide all required environmental information during the full application and due diligence stages when applying for funding. Each applicant must provide the requested information on the Environmental Questionnaire using the template which will be made available on the CHIPS Incentives Program application portal.

Information to be collected includes information pertaining to an applicant's:

• Project Description
• Project Site/Affected Environment
• Resource Consumption Rates and Effluent Emissions Streams and Impacts
• Tribal, Historic, and Cultural Resources
• Project Setting
• Vegetation Resources
• Conservation Areas
• Coastal Zones and Navigable Waters
• Wetlands
• Floodplains
• Endangered Species
• Land Use and Zoning
• Solid Waste Management
• Hazardous or Toxic Substances
• Impacts to Water Quality/Water Resources
• Water Supply and Distribution System
• Wastewater Collection and Treatment Facilities
• Environmental Justice & Socioeconomics
• Transportation (Streets, Traffic and Parking)
• Air Quality
• Greenhouse Gases and Their Environmental Effects
• Noise
• Health and Safety
• Permits and Other Government Agency Involvement
• Public Notification/Controversy
• Environmental Experience and Approach

II. Method of Collection

The Environmental Questionnaire must be submitted electronically as part of the Pre-application or Full-application at https://applications.chips.gov/. The Pre-application and Full-application request basic contact information, picklists, cost estimates, and project narratives. Some of the submissions will be entered into fields within the web-based form. Some of the information, to include the Environmental Questionnaire, will be document uploads into the system by the respondent. These methods were chosen to reduce applicant burden by eliminating redundant entries to the greatest extent possible and consolidating entries into one online form.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: 0693–0093.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Review: Regular submission.

Affected Public: Business or other for-profit organizations.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 200.

Estimated Time per Response: 8 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 1,600 hours.

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $75,712.

Respondent's Obligation: Mandatory to obtain or retain benefits.

Legal Authority: CHIPS Act of 2022 (Division A of Pub. L. 117–167) (the Act).

IV. Request for Comments

We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau to: (a) Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for the proper functions of the Department, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request to OMB to approve this ICR. Before including your address, phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment—including your personal identifying information—may be made publicly available at any time. While you may ask us in your comment to withhold your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.