Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; Comment Request; National-Scale Activity Survey (N-SAS); EPA ICR No. 2293.01, OMB Control No. 2060-NEW, 10765-10766 [E8-3787]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 40 (Thursday, February 28, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 10765-10766]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-3787]



[[Page 10765]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0145; FRL-8534-7]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; National-Scale Activity Survey (N-SAS); EPA ICR No. 
2293.01, OMB Control No. 2060-NEW

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to 
submit a request for a new Information Collection Request (ICR) to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). 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 April 28, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OAR-2008-0145, by one of the following methods:
     https://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov.
     Fax: 202-566-9744.
     Mail: Environmental Protection Agency, EPA Docket Center, 
Air and Radiation Docket, Mailcode: 2822T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., 
Washington, DC 20460.
     Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, Public Reading Room, EPA 
West Building, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 
20004. Such deliveries are only accepted during the Docket's normal 
hours of operation, and special arrangements should be made for 
deliveries of boxed information.
    Instructions: Direct your comments to Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2008-0145. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included 
in the public docket without change and may be made available online at 
www.regulations.gov, including any personal information provided, 
unless the comment includes information claimed to be Confidential 
Business Information (CBI) or other information whose disclosure is 
restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you consider to 
be CBI or otherwise protected through www.regulations.gov or e-mail. 
The www.regulations.gov Web site is an ``anonymous access'' system, 
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information 
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through www.regulations.gov 
your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part 
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available 
on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA recommends 
that you include your name and other contact information in the body of 
your comment and with any disk or CD-ROM you submit. If EPA cannot read 
your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot contact you for 
clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your comment. Electronic 
files should avoid the use of special characters, any form of 
encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket visit the EPA Docket Center 
homepage at https://www.epa.gov/epahome/dockets.htm.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Zachary Pekar, Health and 
Environmental Impacts Division, Office of Air Quality Planning and 
Standards, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code C504-06, 
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone: 919-541-3704; fax: 919-
541-0237; e-mail: pekar.zachary@epa.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

How Can I Access the Docket and/or Submit Comments?

    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0145, which is available for online viewing at 
www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air and Radiation 
Docket and Information Center in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA 
West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/
DC 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 Air and 
Radiation Docket is 202-566-1742.
    Use www.regulations.gov to obtain a copy of the draft collection of 
information, submit or view public comments, access the index listing 
of the contents of the 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 in this 
document.

What Information Is EPA Particularly Interested In?

    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA specifically 
solicits comments and information to enable it 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. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from 
very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of 
specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork 
burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.

What Should I Consider When I Prepare My Comments for EPA?

    You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your 
comments:
    1. Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific 
examples.
    2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
    3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used 
that support your views.
    4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you 
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
    5. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
    6. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified 
under DATES.
    7. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket 
ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first page 
of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal 
Register citation.

What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does This Apply to?

    Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2008-0145.
    Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
adults age 35

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and older living in metropolitan areas that experience episodes of high 
ozone pollution levels in the summer.
    Title: National-Scale Activity Survey (N-SAS).
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2293.01, OMB Control No. 2060-NEW.
    ICR status: This ICR is for a new information collection activity. 
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 title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when 
approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed either by 
publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such 
as on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable. The 
display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA regulations is 
consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
    Abstract: The EPA, along with State and regional air quality 
regulators support the Air Quality Index (AQI), to notify the public of 
health hazards associated with air pollution, primarily ozone and 
particulate matter pollution (PM). EPA, and specifically the Office of 
Air Quality Planning and Standards, which manages the AQI program, is 
interested in assessing the public's awareness, knowledge and both 
stated and actual behavioral response to AQI warnings. To address this 
need, OAQPS wishes to conduct the longitudinal National-Scale Activity 
Surveys (N-SAS) to gather information on the public's perceptions, 
awareness, attitudes, and stated and actual behaviors in response to 
AQI warnings. The survey data will be used to evaluate whether the AQI 
warnings effectively inform the public about health hazards associated 
with high levels of ozone and to measure behavior change on high ozone 
days. The information will also be used to help improve outreach 
efforts to this population. The survey will be administered to a 
susceptible subpopulation of concern, adults age 55 and older who 
engage in some level of physical activity living in cities with ozone 
pollution problems. The survey will also be administered to a similar 
sample of adults age 35 and older for comparison purposes. The data 
will be collected through a Web-based survey of members from Knowledge 
Network's Web panel. Response to the survey is voluntary. The 
respondents will be anonymous to EPA and contractor staff and Knowledge 
Networks keeps identity of respondents confidential.
    The longitudinal N-SAS consists of a series of nine surveys. A 
screening survey at the beginning and a debriefing survey at the end 
will provide information on the respondents, their awareness and 
knowledge of air pollution and the AQI, risk perceptions regarding 
health effects, and reported behaviors on high ozone days. After the 
screening survey, panelists will be administered a set of seven 
activity diaries administered on both high and low ozone days to 
collect information on actual behavior.
    In addition to assessing the effectiveness of AQI-based ozone 
warnings, the data will also be used to supplement the limited data 
available to develop exposure profiles for older Americans and to 
identify behaviors that may affect exposure analysis, for example 
identifying populations that report altering their behavior on high air 
pollution days or reported behavior by individuals who live in a 
particular area such as near major roadways. The responses will also 
provide information for future studies of the economic benefits of air 
quality improvements by identifying behavioral changes and other 
potential costs associated with high levels of air pollution.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 0.24 
hours 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 which have subsequently changed; 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.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate, 
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 800 complete all 
surveys, 1,858 starting sample size.
    Frequency of response: On occasion, up to 9 surveys total.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 9.
    Estimated total annual burden hours: 2.24 hours for each respondent 
to complete all 9 surveys, for the original sample of 1,858 the average 
burden across all respondents is 1.04 hours.
    Estimated total annual costs: $53,000. This includes an estimated 
burden cost of $53,000 and an estimated cost of $0 for capital 
investment or maintenance and operational costs.

Are There Changes in the Estimates From the Last Approval?

    This is a new request.

What Is the Next Step in the Process for This ICR?

    EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as 
appropriate. The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for 
review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12. At that time, EPA will 
issue another Federal Register notice pursuant to 5 CFR 
1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the 
opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB. If you have any 
questions about this ICR or the approval process, please contact the 
technical person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

    Dated: February 20, 2008.
Karen M. Martin,
Acting Director, Health and Environmental Impacts Division.
[FR Doc. E8-3787 Filed 2-27-08; 8:45 am]
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