Attached below is a Federal Register notice from the Department of Homeland Security’s National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD), Office of Infrastructure Protection (IP) requesting comments on an Information Collection Request (ICR) being submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) under the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA). Under the PRA, federal agencies may not conduct or sponsor a collection of information, e.g., forms, etc., without OMB approval.
The Critical Infrastructure Private Sector Clearance Program (PSCP) sponsors clearances for private sector partners who are responsible for critical infrastructure protection, but would not otherwise be eligible for a clearance under Executive Order 12829. These partners are subject matter experts within specific industries and sectors. The PSCP requires individuals to complete a clearance request form that initiates the clearance process. DHS Sector Specialists or Protective Security Advisors email the form to the individual who then emails back the completed form, minus their date and place of birth and social security number. The clearance request form is signed by both the Federal official who nominated the applicant and by the Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure Protection. Upon approval to process, the PSCP Administrator will contact the nominee to obtain the social security number, date and place of birth, and will then enter this data into e-QIP—Office of Personnel Management’s secure portal for investigation processing. Once the data is entered into e-QIP, the applicant can complete the online security questionnaire. The PSCP maintains all applicants’ information in the Master Roster, which contains all the information found on the clearance request form in addition to their clearance information (date granted, level of clearance, date non-disclosure agreements signed, and type/date of investigation). The Administrator of the Master Roster maintains the information so as to track clearance processing and investigation information and to have the most current contact information for the participants from each sector.
Comments are due June 11, 2012.
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