[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 22 (Thursday, February 1, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4670-4671]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-02009]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
[Docket No. DHS-2017-0061]
Private Sector Clearance Program, Cooperative Research and
Development Agreement, and Classified Critical Infrastructure
Protection Program Request
AGENCY: Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP), National Protection
and Programs Directorate (NPPD), Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
ACTION: 60-Day notice and request for comments; revised collection,
1670-0013.
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SUMMARY: DHS NPPD IP will submit the following information collection
request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review
and clearance in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.
Partnerships between the U.S. Government and the private sector at
times necessitates the sharing of classified information. The Private
Sector Clearance Program (PSCP), Cooperative Research And Development
Agreement (CRADA), and Classified Critical Infrastructure Protection
Program (CCIPP) Request Form facilitates this sharing by sponsoring
security clearances for certain private sector partners.
DATES: Comments are encouraged and will be accepted until April 2,
2018.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number DHS-
2017-0061, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Please follow the instructions for submitting comments.
Email: [email protected]. Please include docket number DHS-
2017-0061 in the subject line of the message.
Mail: Written comments and questions about this
Information
[[Page 4671]]
Collection Request should be forwarded to DHS/NPPD/IP, ATTN: 1670-0013,
245 Murray Lane SW, Mail Stop 0380, Arlington, VA 20598-0640.
Instructions: All submissions received must include the words
``Department of Homeland Security'' and the docket number for this
action. Comments received will be posted without alteration at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided.
Comments submitted in response to this notice may be made available
to the public through relevant websites. For this reason, please do not
include in your comments information of a confidential nature, such as
sensitive personal information or proprietary information. If you send
an email comment, your email address will be automatically captured and
included as part of the comment that is placed in the public docket and
made available on the internet. Please note that responses to this
public comment request containing any routine notice about the
confidentiality of the communication will be treated as public comments
that may be made available to the public notwithstanding the inclusion
of the routine notice.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For specific questions related to
collection activities, please contact Quintin Whitaker at 703-235-9485
or at [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Partnerships between the U.S. Government and
the private sector at times necessitate the sharing of classified
information. The PSCP and Cyber Information Sharing and Collaboration
Program (CISCP) facilitate this sharing by sponsoring security
clearances for certain members of each sector based on either their
membership on a Sector Coordinating Council (SCC)/association or their
infrastructure protection job-related duties. In order to begin the
process of approving a nominee to participate in the clearance program,
DHS collects the nominee's employment information and Personally
Identifiable Information (PII). The nominee's association/SCC
membership or employment information is reviewed for approval, and his
or her PII is input into the Electronic Questionnaires for
Investigations Processing (e-QIP) system, the Office of Personnel
Management's (OPM) secure portal for investigation processing.
The U.S. Government is authorized to ask for this information under
Section 201 of the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (Pub. L. 107-296, 6
U.S.C. 121), and Executive Orders 12968, 13526, and 13549, which
authorize the collection of this information.
The PSCP is designed to facilitate access to security clearances
for private sector officials involved in the infrastructure protection
mission. The CISCP is designed to facilitate access to security
clearances for private sector entities involved in cybersecurity
information sharing related to the National Cybersecurity
Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) via CRADAs and for
individuals via the CCIPP. CRADAs are agreements between the U.S.
government and private entities for joint research and development
efforts, and can be used to create bi-directional information sharing
frameworks between DHS and private sector entities. The CCIPP, commonly
referred to as the ``Hybrid,'' is a tool through which DHS shares
classified cybersecurity-related information with critical
infrastructure partners. These partners are subject matter experts
within specific industries and have specialized knowledge not available
within DHS. Private citizens do not receive monetary compensation for
their time. DHS has created these programs to sponsor clearances for
these individuals who are not employed by or contracted with another
Federal agency (the traditional means of obtaining a clearance) and
must have clearances.
Program changes require a revision of the existing collection.
These changes include: Updating the title of the collection, the form
being used by CISCP, and updates to the form itself. The form will be
used by the CISCP in the same manner as the PSCP to sponsor private
sector entities and individuals for security clearances. The CISCP will
increase the burden totals by 360 responses, 60 burden hours, and
$6,155 annual burden cost. For the PSCP, the burden estimates have
decreased by 200 responses, 33 burden hours and $706 annual burden cost
based on actual responses received. As a result, the total burden
estimates will increase overall by 160 responses, 27 burden hours,
$5,448 annual burden costs.
The changes to the form itself include: adding CRADA and CCIPP to
the title; adding drop down capabilities relevant for the CRADA and the
CCIPP, adding justification guidance to the back of the form, and
updating the wording of the field titles and instructions to improve
clarity. The changes to the form itself will not change the burden
estimates as the only field being added is a menu to distinguish the
program type.
The annual government cost for the collection has increased by
$242,850 due to the addition of the CISCP and has increased by $91,998
for the PSCP due to updated wage rates. As a result, the annual
government cost has increased by $334,848.
This is a revised information collection.
OMB is particularly interested in comments that:
1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
2. Evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used;
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected; and
4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submissions of responses.
Title of Collection: Private Sector Clearance Program, Cooperative
Research and Development Agreement, and Classified Critical
Infrastructure Protection Program Request.
OMB Control Number: 1670-0013.
Frequency: Annually.
Affected Public: Private and Public Sector.
Number of Respondents: 660.
Estimated Time per Respondent: 10 minutes.
Total Burden Hours: 110 hours.
Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): $0.
Total Recordkeeping Burden: $0.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): $0.
David Epperson,
Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2018-02009 Filed 1-31-18; 8:45 am]
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