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OMB Control No: 2025-0006	ICR Reference No: 202411-2025-001
Status: Received in OIRA	Previous ICR Reference No: 202107-2025-001
Agency/Subagency: EPA/OEI	Agency Tracking No: 2207.09
Title: Exchange Network Grants Progress Reports (Renewal)
Type of Information Collection: Revision of a currently approved collection	Common Form ICR: No
Type of Review Request: Regular	Date Submitted to OIRA: 11/29/2024

	Requested	Previously Approved
Expiration Date	36 Months From Approved	12/31/2025
Responses	374	369
Time Burden (Hours)	776	508
Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0

Abstract: Under the U.S. EPA National Environmental Information Exchange Network (NEIEN) Grant Program, EPA collects information from the NEIEN grantees on assistance agreements that EPA has awarded. Specifically, for each project, EPA proposes to have grantees submit semi-annual 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 results. New award recipients will complete one Quality Assurance Reporting Form for each award. This 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 2018 Grant Solicitation Notice.

Authorizing Statute(s): None

Citations for New Statutory Requirements: None

Associated Rulemaking Information
RIN:	Stage of Rulemaking:	Federal Register Citation:	Date:
	Not associated with rulemaking

Federal Register Notices & Comments
60-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	89 FR 76826	09/19/2024
30-day Notice:	Federal Register Citation:	Citation Date:
	89 FR 93575	11/27/2024
Did the Agency receive public comments on this ICR? Yes

Number of Information Collection (IC) in this ICR: 1

IC Title	Form No.	Form Name
Exchange Network Grants Progress Reports (Renewal)	5300-26, 5300-27	Quality Assurance Reporting Form for Use by Recipie , Exchange Network Grant Program Progress Report Form

ICR Summary of Burden

	Total Request	Previously Approved	Change Due to Adjustment in Estimate
Annual Number of Responses	374	369	5
Annual Time Burden (Hours)	776	508	268
Annual Cost Burden (Dollars)	0	0	0

Burden increases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Increase Due to:

Burden decreases because of Program Change due to Agency Discretion: No

Burden Reduction Due to:

Short Statement: There is a calculated increase of 269 hours in the total estimated respondent burden as compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB. The number of open active grants each year was estimated at 149, which matches the 2021 estimate, as the number of new assistance agreements has remained consistent since 2021. This equates to 298 semi-annual reporting forms being due annually. Estimates for the number of Final Progress Reporting Form is also very similar to the 2021 estimate, with only a slight increase in the number of expected closed-out grants (from 36 in 2021 to 38 in 2024). This slight increase reflects an expectation for more EN assistance agreements to close out in the upcoming years, as projects which were initially delayed due to workplace changes associated with COVID-19 are now being completed. The increase in burden hours may be partly related to the addition of the IT Component and Project Registration Form to this ICR, in place of the retired Quality Assurance Reporting Form, which was previously required within 90 days of each new assistance agreement. There was also an identified error in the prior ICR, where total annual burden hours were calculated by multiplying form burden hours by number of forms (but did not take into account the semi-annual form which is due twice yearly). As the IT Component and Project Registration fillable PDF form is due at the time of grant close-out, the estimated number matches the estimated number of Final Progress Reports (38).

Annual Cost to Federal Government: $30,962

Does this IC contain surveys, censuses, or employ statistical methods? No

Does this ICR request any personally identifiable information (see OMB Circular No. A-130 for an explanation of this term)? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Does this ICR include a form that requires a Privacy Act Statement (see 5 U.S.C. §552a(e)(3))? Please consult with your agency's privacy program when making this determination. No

Is this ICR related to the Affordable Care Act [Pub. L. 111-148 & 111-152]? No

Is this ICR related to the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, [Pub. L. 111-203]? No

Is this ICR related to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA)? No

Is this ICR related to the Pandemic Response? No

Agency Contact: Dipti Singh 202 566-0739

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