[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 185 (Monday, September 24, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 48308-48309]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-20637]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OA-2008-0701; FRL-9982-82-OEI]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Information Collection 
Request Submitted to OMB for Review and Approval; Comment Request; 
Focus Groups as Used by EPA for Economics Projects (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), Focus Groups as Used by EPA for 
Economics Projects (Renewal) (EPA ICR Number 2205.21, OMB Control 
Number 2090-0028) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. 
This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is currently approved 
through September 30, 2018. Public comments were previously requested 
via the Federal Register on May 21, 2018 during a 60-day comment 
period. This notice allows for an additional 30 days for public 
comments. A fuller description of the ICR is given below, including its 
estimated burden and cost to the public. An agency may not conduct or 
sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before October 24, 
2018.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID. EPA-HQ-OA-2008-
0701, to (1) EPA online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred 
method), by email to [email protected] or by mail to: EPA Docket 
Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB via email to 
[email protected]. Address comments to OMB Desk Officer for 
EPA.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless

[[Page 48309]]

the comment includes profanity, threats, information claimed to be 
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose 
disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nathalie Simon, National Center for 
Environmental Economics, Office of Policy, (1809T), Environmental 
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; 
telephone number: 202-566-2347; fax number: 202-566-2363; email 
address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents, which explain in 
detail the information that the EPA will be collecting, are available 
in the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Abstract: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking 
renewal of a generic information collection request (ICR) for the 
conduct of focus groups and one-on-one interviews primarily related to 
survey development for economics projects. Focus groups are groups of 
individuals brought together for moderated discussions on a specific 
topic or issue. These groups are typically formed to gain insight and 
understanding of attitudes and perceptions held by the public 
surrounding a particular issue. One-on-one interviews, as the term 
implies, are individual interviews in which a respondent is generally 
asked to review materials and provide feedback on their content and 
design as well as the thought processes that the materials invoke. 
Focus groups and one-on-one interviews (referred to collectively as 
``focus groups'') used as a qualitative research tool have three major 
purposes:
     To better understand respondents' attitudes, perceptions 
and emotions in response to specific topics and concepts;
     to obtain respondent information useful for better 
defining variables and measures in later quantitative studies; and
     to further explore findings obtained from quantitative 
studies.
    Through these focus groups, the Agency will be able to gain a more 
in-depth understanding of the public's attitudes, beliefs, motivations 
and feelings regarding specific issues and will provide invaluable 
information regarding the quality of draft survey instruments. Focus 
group discussions are necessary and important steps in the design of a 
quality survey. The target population for the focus group discussions 
will vary by project, but will generally include members of the public. 
Participation in the focus groups will be completely voluntary. Each 
focus group will fully conform to federal regulations--specifically the 
Privacy Act of 1974 (5 U.S.C. 552a), the Hawkins-Stafford Amendments of 
1988 (Pub. L. 100-297), and the Computer Security Act of 1987.
    Form numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Individuals.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 864 (total) over three years or 
288 per year.
    Frequency of response: 1.
    Total estimated burden: 1,728 hours total or 576 per year. Burden 
is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $20,920 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the estimates: There is a decrease of 1,017 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease is based on new estimates of projected 
use of this ICR for focus groups for the next three years provided by 
the program offices at EPA.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2018-20637 Filed 9-21-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


