[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 17 (Wednesday, January 26, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 4016-4017]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-01472]


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OA-2008-0701; FRL-9495-01-OMS]


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).

[[Page 4017]]


ACTION: Notice.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency has submitted an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Focus Groups as Used by EPA for 
Economics Projects (Renewal)'' (EPA ICR Number 2205.22, 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 renewal of the ICR, which is currently approved 
through March 31, 2022. Public comments were previously requested via 
the Federal Register on September 29, 2021 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 February 25, 
2022.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OA-2008-0701, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method) 
or by mail to EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI), or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
    Submit written comments and recommendations to OMB for the proposed 
information collection within 30 days of publication of this notice to 
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular information 
collection by selecting ``Currently under 30-day Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Nathalie Simon, Office of Policy, (MC 
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 
approval for a generic information collection request (ICR) for the 
conduct of focus groups and one-on-one interviews related to economics 
projects primarily for survey development. 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 an 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 (hereafter referred to 
collectively as ``focus groups'') used as a qualitative research tool 
have three major purposes: (1) To better understand respondents' 
attitudes, perceptions and emotions in response to specific topics and 
concepts; (2) to obtain respondent information useful for better 
defining variables and measures in later quantitative studies; and (3) 
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.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Individuals/members of the public.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 1,089 (total).
    Frequency of response: one-time.
    Total estimated burden: 726 hours (per year). Burden is defined at 
5 CFR 1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: $21,150 (per year), includes $0 annualized 
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
    Changes in the Estimates: There is decrease of 414 hours in the 
total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently 
approved by OMB. This decrease is based on projected use estimates for 
new and continuing projects provided by program offices at EPA. A 
decrease in burden conveys simply that EPA anticipates less need for 
the conduct of focus groups under this ICR than in the past.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2022-01472 Filed 1-25-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P


