[Federal Register: March 24, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 56)]
[Notices]               
[Page 15079-15080]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr24mr05-41]                         

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2004-0020; FRL-7889-1]

 
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Willingness to Pay Survey: Phase 
III Cooling Water Intake Structures, EPA ICR Number 2155.01

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this document announces that an Information Collection 
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request for a new collection. 
This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and its 
estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before April 25, 
2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2004-
0020, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail 
to OW-Docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Water Docket, Mail Code 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB at: Office of Information 
and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), 
Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 
20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erik Helm, USEPA/OST/EAD, Mail Code 
4303T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-1066; fax number: 
(202) 566-1054; e-mail address: helm.erik@epamail.epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB 
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 
1320.12. On November 23, 2004, (69 FR 68140), EPA sought comments on 
this ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA has addressed the comments 
received.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. OW-2004-0020, which is available for public viewing at the Water 
Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room B102, 1301 
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA Docket Center Public 
Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday

[[Page 15080]]

through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number for the 
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the Water 
Docket is (202) 566-2426 An electronic version of the public docket is 
available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. 

Use EDOCKET to submit or view public comments, access the index listing 
of the contents of the public docket, and to access those documents in 
the public docket that are available electronically. Once in the 
system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number identified 
above.
    Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB 
within 30 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, 
whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available 
for public viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, 
unless the comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other 
information whose public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA 
identifies a comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide 
a reference to that material in the version of the comment that is 
placed in EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the 
copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket. Although 
identified as an item in the official docket, information claimed as 
CBI, or whose disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not 
included in the official public docket, and will not be available for 
public viewing in EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic 
docket, see EPA's Federal Register notice describing the electronic 
docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket
.

    Title: Willingness to Pay Survey: Phase III Cooling Water Intake 
Structures
    Abstract: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the 
process of developing new regulations to provide national performance 
standards for controlling impacts from cooling water intake structures 
(CWIS) for Phase III facilities under section 316(b) of the Clean Water 
Act (CWA). In order to develop comprehensive quantified benefit 
estimates, for these performance standards EPA proposes to conduct a 
stated preference study to estimate the non-use benefits of reduced 
fish losses at CWIS. The study would focus on a broad range of fish 
species, including forage fish and a variety of fish species harvested 
by commercial and recreational fishermen.
    The purpose of this information collection request is to solicit 
public comment on and obtain approval for conducting twelve focus 
groups that will assist in the design of the stated preference survey. 
EPA will use these focus groups to better understand the public's 
perceptions of fishery resources and to assist in the design of the 
stated preference.
    EPA received several comments on the proposed ICR. Most of the 
received comments did not address focus groups explicitly, but rather 
the more general topic of resource valuation and stated preference 
surveys. Many of the submitted comments were empirical in nature and 
are therefore appropriately addressed within the survey design process. 
Some commenters argued that non-use benefits in the Phase III policy 
context are likely to be trivial and unreliable. EPA considers stated 
preference methods capable of measuring the total values (including use 
and non-use) of fish affected by impingement and entrainment, if a 
survey is appropriately designed. Moreover, focus groups represent one 
of the primary means of assessing whether many of the commenters' 
remarks are indeed accurate regarding the inability of survey 
instruments to measure non-use values for fish affected by entrainment 
and impingement. EPA also points out that there is significant evidence 
in the empirical literature as to the substantive nature of non-use 
benefits.
    For a detailed discussion of these issues, see EPA's response to 
public comments for the ICR notice published on November 23, 2004 (69 
FR 68140).
    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. The OMB control numbers for EPA's 
regulations in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and are identified on 
the form and/or instrument, if applicable.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and record keeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 160 
minutes per response. Burden means the total time, effort, or financial 
resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or 
disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This 
includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, 
install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of 
collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and 
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information; 
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable 
instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to 
a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review 
the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the 
information.
    Respondents/Affected Entities: Focus group participants.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 96.
    Frequency of Response: Once.
    Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 256 hours.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost: $5,000, which includes $0 capital/
startup costs and O&M costs, and $5,000 labor costs.

    Dated: March 16, 2005.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 05-5817 Filed 3-23-05; 8:45 am]

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