Transportation and Climate Division (TCD) Grant Program Reporting Templates: Supplemental Project Application Template and Project Reporting Templates for Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA), Clean School Bus (CSB), Clean Heavy Duty (CHD), and Clean Port

1 organizations filed 1 public comment on Transportation and Climate Division (TCD) Grant Program Reporting Templates: Supplemental Project Application Template and Project Reporting Templates for Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA), Clean School Bus (CSB), Clean Heavy Duty (CHD), and Clean Port, at the Environmental Protection Agency. The comment window closed 382d ago.

Abstract

This supporting statement is for an Information Collection Request (ICR) for four mobile source related grant programs administered by the Transportation and Climate Division (TCD), within Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Office of Transportation and Air Quality (OTAQ). These four programs include: Diesel Emission Reduction Act (DERA) Grant Program, Clean School Bus (CSB) Grant Program, Clean Heavy-Duty (CHD) Grant Program, and Clean Ports Grant Program. The DERA Grants Program and the Clean School Bus Grant currently collects information under an existing ICR, the General Administrative Requirements for Assistance Programs (Renewal), ICR No. 2030-0020. The EPA currently uses ICR No. 2030-0020 to collect information for most major elements of grants administration, but in order ease the burden for applicants, eventual awardees, and Agency staff, as well as enrich data quality across programs, the Agency needs to be able to collect the required information via new instruments, standardized data templates. This ICR is requesting clearance to cover a supplemental application and reporting templates for these four programs. TCD uses approved procedures and forms to collect necessary information to operate its grant programs and has been providing grants under DERA since 2008. Since 2020, TCD has offered up these data templates as optional for DERA program applicants and awardees to use and found these to be overall easier to complete and review than narrative updates. EPA is preparing to launch the 2024 Clean Port Program in late winter 2024, the 2024 Clean Heavy Duty in early spring 2024, as well as the 2024 DERA grant program and overseeing the 2023 Clean School Bus Grantees. While these programs each have unique statutory requirements, there are key aspects that unite them as mobile source emissions reduction efforts, and by combining them as a cohort of programs under one ICR, we aim to enrich data quality across our programs and to ease burden on applicants and awardees considering applying for multiple programs. Additionally, collecting data via these templates will not only enhance the Agency’s oversite of these projects as directed by Congress, but also provide critical real-world performance data the Agency would not otherwise be able to procure that can inform future research and policy decisions related to OTAQ’s mission to protect human health and the environment by reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from mobile sources and advancing clean fuels and technology.

Commenters (1)

• National School Transportation Associationtrade assoc.

  1 filing · confidence 97%