Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Evaluations of Coastal Zone Management Act Programs-State Coastal Management Programs and National Estuarine Research Reserves

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment Request; Evaluations of Coastal Zone Management Act Programs—State Coastal Management Programs and National Estuarine Research Reserves

AGENCY:

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 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 November 2, 2026.

ADDRESSES:

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at

NOAA.PRA@noaa.gov.

Please reference OMB Control Number 0648-0661 in the subject line of your comments. All comments received are part of the public record and will generally be posted on

https://www.regulations.gov

without change. 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 Michael Migliori, Evaluation and Compliance Program Manager, NOAA, 1305 East West Hwy., Bldg. SSMC4, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3278, (443) 332-8936, or

Michael.Migliori@noaa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

This request seeks a revision and extension of a currently approved information collection. To enhance efficiency, reduce the reporting burden on respondents, and improve the usefulness of information collected for NOAA, some questions will be eliminated or consolidated and others will be rewritten to improve the usefulness of information collected.

The Coastal Zone Management Act of 1972, as amended (CZMA;

16 U.S.C. 1451 et seq.

), requires the periodic evaluation of state coastal management programs and National Estuarine Research Reserves developed in accordance with the CZMA and approved by the Secretary of Commerce. This request facilitates information collection for these evaluations. NOAA's Office for Coastal Management conducts these periodic evaluations of the 34 coastal management programs and 30 research reserves and produces written findings for each evaluation. While the office has access to documents submitted in cooperative agreement applications, performance reports, and certain documentation required by the CZMA and its implementing regulations, additional information is needed from each coastal management program and research reserve, as well as program and reserve partners and stakeholders, to assess compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements. Different information collection subsets are necessary for (1) coastal management programs, (2) the coastal programs' partners and stakeholders, (3) research reserves, and (4) the research reserves' partners and stakeholders.

This submission would modify a few questions to clarify the information requested from coastal program and reserve managers. Some questions may be consolidated to streamline data collection, while others may be eliminated due to relevancy.

Over the next three years, the Office for Coastal Management anticipates staff capacity to conduct evaluations will remain stable, with an average of 12 CZMA programs evaluated annually.

II. Method of Collection

Coastal program and reserve managers will receive information requests and questionnaires via email, and their responses will be submitted via email. Partners and stakeholders of coastal programs and reserves will receive a link to a web-based survey tool to provide their responses.

III. Data

OMB Control Number:

0648-0661.

Form Number(s):

None.

Type of Review:

Regular submission (revision and extension of a current information collection).

Affected Public:

Business or other for-profit organizations; not-for-profit institutions; state, local, or tribal governments; federal government.

Estimated Number of Respondents:

221.

Estimated Time per Response:

60 hours per CZMA program manager's evaluation; 15 minutes per partner or stakeholder response.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours:

771

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public:

$0 in recordkeeping/reporting costs.

Respondent's Obligation:

Mandatory for CZMA programs; voluntary for program partners and stakeholders.

Legal Authority:

Sections 312 and 315(f) of the Coastal Zone Management Act, as amended (

16 U.S.C. 1458, 1461(f)

).

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 information collection request. 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.

Sheleen Dumas,

Departmental PRA Compliance Officer, Office of the Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, Commerce Department.

[FR Doc. 2026-18095 Filed 9-2-26; 8:45 am]

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