Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Willingness To Pay Survey for Section 316(b) Phase III Cooling Water Intake Structures: Instrument, Pre-Test, and Implementation, EPA ICR Number 2155.02, 33746-33748 [05-11466]

Download as PDF 33746 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 110 / Thursday, June 9, 2005 / Notices preparation of the EA. By this notice, we are also asking Federal, State, and local agencies with jurisdiction and/or special expertise with respect to environmental issues to formally cooperate with us in the preparation of the EA. Agencies that would like to request cooperating status should follow the instructions for filing comments below. Our independent analysis of the issues will be in the EA. Depending on the comments received during the scoping process, the EA may be published and mailed to Federal, State, and local agencies, public interest groups, interested individuals, affected landowners, newspapers, libraries, and the Commission’s official service list for this proceeding. A comment period will be allotted for review if the EA is published. We will consider all comments on the EA before we make our recommendations to the Commission. comments are received in time and properly recorded: • Send an original and two copies of your letter to: Magalie R. Salas, Secretary, Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, 888 First St., N.E., Room 1A, Washington, DC 20426; • Label one copy of the comments for the attention of Gas Branch 1. • Reference Docket Nos. CP05–355– 000, et al. • Mail your comments so that they will be received in Washington, DC on or before July 6, 2005. Please note that the Commission strongly encourages electronic filing of any comments or interventions or protests to this proceeding. See 18 CFR 385.2001(a)(1)(iii) and the instructions on the Commission’s Web site at https://www.ferc.gov under the ‘‘eFiling’’ link and the link to the User’s Guide. Before you can file comments you will need to create an account which can be created on-line. Currently Identified Environmental Issues In the EA, we will discuss impacts that could occur as a result of the construction and operation of the project. We will also evaluate possible alternatives to the proposed project or portions of the project. We have already identified some issues that we think deserve attention based on a preliminary review of the proposed facilities and the environmental information provided by Tennessee. This preliminary list of issues may be changed based on your comments and our analysis. Project-related impact on: • Pipeline crossings of four perennial waterbodies, three of which are cold water fisheries in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania; • Eleven wetland crossings; • Noise and air quality; • Nearby residences; and • Groundwater and wells due to blasting in areas of shallow bedrock. Becoming an Intervenor Public Participation You can make a difference by providing us with your specific comments or concerns about the project. By becoming a commentor, your concerns will be addressed in the EA and considered by the Commission. You should focus on the potential environmental effects of the proposal, alternatives to the proposal (including alternative locations and routes), and measures to avoid or lessen environmental impact. The more specific your comments, the more useful they will be. Please carefully follow these instructions to ensure that your VerDate jul<14>2003 12:52 Jun 08, 2005 Jkt 205001 In addition to involvement in the EA scoping process, you may want to become an official party to the proceeding known as an ‘‘intervenor’’. Intervenors play a more formal role in the process. Among other things, intervenors have the right to receive copies of case-related Commission documents and filings by other intervenors. Likewise, each intervenor must send one electronic copy (using the Commission’s e-Filing system) or 14 paper copies of its filings to the Secretary of the Commission and must send a copy of its filings to all other parties on the Commission’s service list for this proceeding. If you want to become an intervenor, you must file a motion to intervene according to Rule 214 of the Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure (18 CFR 385.214, see Appendix 2).6 Only intervenors have the right to seek rehearing of the Commission’s decision. Affected landowners and parties with environmental concerns may be granted intervenor status upon showing good cause by stating that they have a clear and direct interest in this proceeding which would not be adequately represented by any other parties. You do not need intervenor status to have your environmental comments considered. Additional Information Additional information about the project is available from the Commission’s Office of External Affairs, 6 Interventions may also be filed electronically via the Internet in lieu of paper. See the previous discussion on filing comments electronically. PO 00000 Frm 00017 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 at 1–866–208–FERC or on the FERC Internet Web site (https://www.ferc.gov) using the eLibrary link. Click on the eLibrary link, click on ‘‘General Search’’ and enter the docket number excluding the last three digits in the Docket Number field. Be sure you have selected an appropriate date range. For assistance, please contact FERC Online Support at FERC OnlineSupport@ferc.gov or toll free at 1–866–208–3676, or for TTY, contact (202) 502–8659. The eLibrary link also provides access to the texts of formal documents issued by the Commission, such as orders, notices, and rulemakings. In addition, the Commission now offers a free service called eSubscription which allows you to keep track of all formal issuances and submittals in specific dockets. This can reduce the amount of time you spend researching proceedings by automatically providing you with notification of these filings, document summaries and direct links to the documents. Go to https:// www.ferc.gov/esubscribenow.htm. Linda Mitry, Deputy Secretary. [FR Doc. E5–2959 Filed 6–8–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6717–01–P ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [OW–2005–0006, FRL–7922–9] Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Willingness To Pay Survey for Section 316(b) Phase III Cooling Water Intake Structures: Instrument, Pre-Test, and Implementation, EPA ICR Number 2155.02 Environmental Protection Agency. ACTION: Notice. AGENCY: SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request for a new collection. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 8, 2005. ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW– E:\FR\FM\09JNN1.SGM 09JNN1 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 110 / Thursday, June 9, 2005 / Notices 2005–0006, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by email to ow-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Water Docket, EPA West, 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erik Helm, Office of Science and Technology, 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@epa.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID number OW–2005– 0006, 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 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 https://www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to obtain a copy of the draft collection of information, 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 within 60 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 VerDate jul<14>2003 12:52 Jun 08, 2005 Jkt 205001 Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102 (May 31, 2002), or go to https://www.epa.gov./ edocket. Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are individuals/ households. Title: Willingness to Pay Survey for section 316(b) Phase III Cooling Water Intake Structures: Instrument, Pre-test, and Implementation. 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). The facilities considered Phase III facilities under section 316(b) regulations are facilities that withdraw water for cooling purposes from rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, oceans, or other waters of the United States, and that are either existing electrical generators with cooling water intake structures that are designed to withdraw 50 million gallons of water per day (MGD) or less, or existing manufacturing and industrial facilities. The regulation also establishes section 316(b) requirements for new offshore oil and gas extraction facilities. EPA has previously published final section 316(b) regulations that address new facilities (Phase I) on December 18, 2001 (66 FR 65256) and existing large power producers (Phase II) on July 9, 2004 (69 FR 41576). See 40 CFR Part 125, Subparts I and J, respectively. As required under Executive Order 12866, EPA is conducting economic impact and cost-benefit analyses for the section 316(b) regulation for Phase III facilities. Comprehensive, appropriate estimates of total resource value include both use and non-use values, such that the resulting total social benefit estimates may be compared to total social cost. Developing comprehensive quantified benefit estimates for the section 316(b) regulation requires consideration of non-use values because nearly all (96 percent) of impingement and entrainment losses at CWIS consist of either forage species, or non-landed recreational and commercial species that do not have direct uses or, as a result, direct use values. Although individuals do not use these resources directly, they may nevertheless be affected by changes in resource status or quality, such that they would be willing to pay to maintain these resources. It is generally accepted that non-use values may be substantial in some cases, and that failure to recognize such values may lead to improper inferences PO 00000 Frm 00018 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 33747 regarding policy benefits and costs. Many public comments on the proposed section 316(b) regulation for Phase II facilities and the Phase II Notice of Data Availability suggested that a properly designed and conducted stated preference, or contingent valuation (CV), survey would be the most appropriate and acceptable method to estimate the non-use benefits of the rule.1 Stated preference survey methodology is the generally accepted means to estimate non-use values. Stated preference surveys use carefully designed questions to elicit respondents’ willingness to pay (WTP) for particular ecological improvements, based on their responses to either discrete choice or open-ended questions regarding hypothetical resource improvements or programs. Such improvements may include increased protection of aquatic habitats or species with particular attributes. To assess public policy significance or importance of the ecological gains from the section 316(b) regulation for Phase III facilities, EPA proposes to conduct a stated preference study to measure nonuse benefits of reduced fish losses at CWIS due to the regulation. The study would focus on a broad range of aquatic species, including forage fish and a variety of fish species harvested by commercial and recreational fishermen. Additionally, the survey will include a revealed preference/contingent behavior component to measure how changes in fish populations affect recreational activities such as angling. The results of the survey would be used to estimate the non-use benefits and recreational benefits of the proposed 316(b) regulation. The stated preference component of the survey will ask respondents to choose how they would vote, if presented with two different hypothetical regulatory options characterized by [a] changes in annual impingement and entrainment losses of fish and other organisms, [b] effects on long-term fish populations, [c] effects on recreational and commercial catch, and [d] an unavoidable cost of living increase for the respondent’s household. Respondents will be allowed to ‘‘vote’’ for one of the presented regulatory options, or to choose not to vote for either option. The stated preference component of the survey will also ask respondents to answer questions about their reasons for voting, their level of concern about various policy issues, and 1 For detail see ‘‘Phase II—Large Existing Electric Generating Plants Response to Public Comment,’’ U.S. EPA, 2004. Available at: https://www.epa.gov/ waterscience/316b/commentph2.htm. E:\FR\FM\09JNN1.SGM 09JNN1 33748 Federal Register / Vol. 70, No. 110 / Thursday, June 9, 2005 / Notices their affiliations and recreational activities. The revealed preference/contingent behavior survey component will be administered only to respondents who indicate that they participate in waterbased recreational activities that are potentially affected by changes in fish populations. This component will ask respondents about their recent recreational activities, and ask how many additional trips (if any) they would take to their most recently visited recreation site each year if fish populations and catch rates (for anglers) increased by a specified amount. It will also ask respondents whether they would choose to visit the site of their last recreational trip or a similar site with higher fish populations and catch rates that is further from their home. Survey subjects will be randomly selected from a representative national panel of respondents maintained by Knowledge Networks, an online survey company. Subjects will be asked to complete a web-based questionnaire. Participation in the survey is voluntary. EPA intends to administer the survey to a total of 4,400 persons, including 500 persons that will take part in an initial survey pilot. EPA chose a web-based survey format because it is the most cost-effective method available to conduct a large statistically-based survey covering a wide geographic region in a relatively short time frame. To avoid potential sampling biases associated with the web-based survey methodology, the survey sample will be stratified by geographical region, and within each region, by demographic variables including age, education, Hispanic ethnicity, race, gender, and household income. To assist in the development of this stated preference survey, EPA has requested approval from the Office of Management and Budget to conduct a series of twelve focus groups with a total of 96 respondents (see EPA ICR number 2155.01). These focus groups will be conducted following standard, accepted practices in the stated preference literature. The focus groups will allow EPA to better understand the public’s perceptions and attitudes concerning fishery resources, to frame and define survey questions, to pretest draft survey questions, to test for and eliminate or reduce potential biases that may be associated with stated preference methodology, and to ensure that both researchers and respondents have similar interpretations of survey language and scenarios. An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, a collection of information VerDate jul<14>2003 12:52 Jun 08, 2005 Jkt 205001 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. The EPA would like to solicit comments to: (i) 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; (ii) 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; (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (iv) 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 submission of responses. Burden Statement: EPA estimates that the total public reporting and record keeping burden for the 4,400 individuals/households who respond to the survey will be 3,227 hours, for an average of 44 minutes per respondent. The estimated total cost burden to respondents is $57,144. EPA estimates that there will be no capital and operating and maintenance cost burden. This survey is one-time activity. 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. Dated: June 3, 2005. Ephraim S. King, Director, Office of Science and Technology. [FR Doc. 05–11466 Filed 6–8–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560–50–P PO 00000 Frm 00019 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Change in Bank Control Notices; Acquisition of Shares of Bank or Bank Holding Companies The notificants listed below have applied under the Change in Bank Control Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)) and § 225.41 of the Board’s Regulation Y (12 CFR 225.41) to acquire a bank or bank holding company. The factors that are considered in acting on the notices are set forth in paragraph 7 of the Act (12 U.S.C. 1817(j)(7)). The notices are available for immediate inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank indicated. The notices also will be available for inspection at the office of the Board of Governors. Interested persons may express their views in writing to the Reserve Bank indicated for that notice or to the offices of the Board of Governors. Comments must be received not later than July 5, 2005. A. Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Andre Anderson, Vice President) 1000 Peachtree Street, NE., Atlanta, Georgia 30303: 1. E. Bert Register III, Trustee and individual, both of Reidsville, Georgia; to acquire additional shares of Tattnall Bancshares, Inc., and thereby acquire Tattnall Bank, both of Reidsville, Georgia. Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, June 3, 2005. Robert deV. Frierson, Deputy Secretary of the Board. [FR Doc. 05–11433 Filed 6–8–05; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6210–01–M FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM Formations of, Acquisitions by, and Mergers of Bank Holding Companies The companies listed in this notice have applied to the Board for approval, pursuant to the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956 (12 U.S.C. 1841 et seq.) (BHC Act), Regulation Y (12 CFR part 225), and all other applicable statutes and regulations to become a bank holding company and/or to acquire the assets or the ownership of, control of, or the power to vote shares of a bank or bank holding company and all of the banks and nonbanking companies owned by the bank holding company, including the companies listed below. The applications listed below, as well as other related filings required by the Board, are available for immediate inspection at the Federal Reserve Bank indicated. The application also will be available for inspection at the offices of E:\FR\FM\09JNN1.SGM 09JNN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 110 (Thursday, June 9, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33746-33748]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-11466]


=======================================================================
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[OW-2005-0006, FRL-7922-9]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; Willingness To Pay Survey for Section 316(b) Phase III 
Cooling Water Intake Structures: Instrument, Pre-Test, and 
Implementation, EPA ICR Number 2155.02

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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

SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 
et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a 
proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request for a new collection. 
Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is 
soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information 
collection as described below.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 8, 2005.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-

[[Page 33747]]

2005-0006, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by email 
to ow-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Water Docket, EPA West, 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erik Helm, Office of Science and 
Technology, 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@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this 
ICR under Docket ID number OW-2005-0006, 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 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 https://
www.epa.gov/edocket. Use EDOCKET to obtain a copy of the draft 
collection of information, 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 within 
60 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 https://www.epa.gov./edocket.
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
individuals/households.
    Title: Willingness to Pay Survey for section 316(b) Phase III 
Cooling Water Intake Structures: Instrument, Pre-test, and 
Implementation.
    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). The facilities considered Phase III facilities under section 
316(b) regulations are facilities that withdraw water for cooling 
purposes from rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, oceans, or 
other waters of the United States, and that are either existing 
electrical generators with cooling water intake structures that are 
designed to withdraw 50 million gallons of water per day (MGD) or less, 
or existing manufacturing and industrial facilities. The regulation 
also establishes section 316(b) requirements for new offshore oil and 
gas extraction facilities. EPA has previously published final section 
316(b) regulations that address new facilities (Phase I) on December 
18, 2001 (66 FR 65256) and existing large power producers (Phase II) on 
July 9, 2004 (69 FR 41576). See 40 CFR Part 125, Subparts I and J, 
respectively.
    As required under Executive Order 12866, EPA is conducting economic 
impact and cost-benefit analyses for the section 316(b) regulation for 
Phase III facilities. Comprehensive, appropriate estimates of total 
resource value include both use and non-use values, such that the 
resulting total social benefit estimates may be compared to total 
social cost. Developing comprehensive quantified benefit estimates for 
the section 316(b) regulation requires consideration of non-use values 
because nearly all (96 percent) of impingement and entrainment losses 
at CWIS consist of either forage species, or non-landed recreational 
and commercial species that do not have direct uses or, as a result, 
direct use values. Although individuals do not use these resources 
directly, they may nevertheless be affected by changes in resource 
status or quality, such that they would be willing to pay to maintain 
these resources. It is generally accepted that non-use values may be 
substantial in some cases, and that failure to recognize such values 
may lead to improper inferences regarding policy benefits and costs. 
Many public comments on the proposed section 316(b) regulation for 
Phase II facilities and the Phase II Notice of Data Availability 
suggested that a properly designed and conducted stated preference, or 
contingent valuation (CV), survey would be the most appropriate and 
acceptable method to estimate the non-use benefits of the rule.\1\ 
Stated preference survey methodology is the generally accepted means to 
estimate non-use values. Stated preference surveys use carefully 
designed questions to elicit respondents' willingness to pay (WTP) for 
particular ecological improvements, based on their responses to either 
discrete choice or open-ended questions regarding hypothetical resource 
improvements or programs. Such improvements may include increased 
protection of aquatic habitats or species with particular attributes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    \1\ For detail see ``Phase II--Large Existing Electric 
Generating Plants Response to Public Comment,'' U.S. EPA, 2004. 
Available at: https://www.epa.gov/waterscience/316b/commentph2.htm.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

    To assess public policy significance or importance of the 
ecological gains from the section 316(b) regulation for Phase III 
facilities, EPA proposes to conduct a stated preference study to 
measure non-use benefits of reduced fish losses at CWIS due to the 
regulation. The study would focus on a broad range of aquatic species, 
including forage fish and a variety of fish species harvested by 
commercial and recreational fishermen. Additionally, the survey will 
include a revealed preference/contingent behavior component to measure 
how changes in fish populations affect recreational activities such as 
angling. The results of the survey would be used to estimate the non-
use benefits and recreational benefits of the proposed 316(b) 
regulation.
    The stated preference component of the survey will ask respondents 
to choose how they would vote, if presented with two different 
hypothetical regulatory options characterized by [a] changes in annual 
impingement and entrainment losses of fish and other organisms, [b] 
effects on long-term fish populations, [c] effects on recreational and 
commercial catch, and [d] an unavoidable cost of living increase for 
the respondent's household. Respondents will be allowed to ``vote'' for 
one of the presented regulatory options, or to choose not to vote for 
either option. The stated preference component of the survey will also 
ask respondents to answer questions about their reasons for voting, 
their level of concern about various policy issues, and

[[Page 33748]]

their affiliations and recreational activities.
    The revealed preference/contingent behavior survey component will 
be administered only to respondents who indicate that they participate 
in water-based recreational activities that are potentially affected by 
changes in fish populations. This component will ask respondents about 
their recent recreational activities, and ask how many additional trips 
(if any) they would take to their most recently visited recreation site 
each year if fish populations and catch rates (for anglers) increased 
by a specified amount. It will also ask respondents whether they would 
choose to visit the site of their last recreational trip or a similar 
site with higher fish populations and catch rates that is further from 
their home.
    Survey subjects will be randomly selected from a representative 
national panel of respondents maintained by Knowledge Networks, an 
online survey company. Subjects will be asked to complete a web-based 
questionnaire. Participation in the survey is voluntary. EPA intends to 
administer the survey to a total of 4,400 persons, including 500 
persons that will take part in an initial survey pilot. EPA chose a 
web-based survey format because it is the most cost-effective method 
available to conduct a large statistically-based survey covering a wide 
geographic region in a relatively short time frame. To avoid potential 
sampling biases associated with the web-based survey methodology, the 
survey sample will be stratified by geographical region, and within 
each region, by demographic variables including age, education, 
Hispanic ethnicity, race, gender, and household income.
    To assist in the development of this stated preference survey, EPA 
has requested approval from the Office of Management and Budget to 
conduct a series of twelve focus groups with a total of 96 respondents 
(see EPA ICR number 2155.01). These focus groups will be conducted 
following standard, accepted practices in the stated preference 
literature. The focus groups will allow EPA to better understand the 
public's perceptions and attitudes concerning fishery resources, to 
frame and define survey questions, to pretest draft survey questions, 
to test for and eliminate or reduce potential biases that may be 
associated with stated preference methodology, and to ensure that both 
researchers and respondents have similar interpretations of survey 
language and scenarios.
    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.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
    (i) 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;
    (ii) 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;
    (iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) 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 
submission of responses.
    Burden Statement: EPA estimates that the total public reporting and 
record keeping burden for the 4,400 individuals/households who respond 
to the survey will be 3,227 hours, for an average of 44 minutes per 
respondent. The estimated total cost burden to respondents is $57,144. 
EPA estimates that there will be no capital and operating and 
maintenance cost burden. This survey is one-time activity.
    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.

    Dated: June 3, 2005.
Ephraim S. King,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 05-11466 Filed 6-8-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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