Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Reinstatement with Change of a Previously Approved Collection; Visibility Valuation Survey: Pilot Study, 72436 [2011-30168]

Agencies

• National Park Service
• Department of Interior

[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 226 (Wednesday, November 23, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Page 72436]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-30168]



[[Page 72436]]

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DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NRSS-1111-8897; 2350-N003-NAZ]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Reinstatement 
with Change of a Previously Approved Collection; Visibility Valuation 
Survey: Pilot Study

AGENCY: U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), we 
(the National Park Service) are notifying the public that we have 
submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) an information 
collection request (ICR) for a proposed new collection. This notice 
provides the public and other Federal agencies an opportunity to 
comment on the paperwork burden of this collection. To comply with the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and as a part of our continuing efforts 
to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, we invite the general public 
and other federal agencies to comment on this ICR. We may not conduct 
or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a collection 
unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: To ensure that your comments on this ICR are considered, please 
submit them on or before December 23, 2011.

ADDRESSES: Please submit written comments on this information 
collection directly to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Office 
of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Attention: Desk Officer for the 
Department of the Interior via email to OIRA_DOCKET@omb.eop.gov or fax 
at (202) 395-5806; and identify your submission as 1024-0255. Please 
also send a copy of your comments to Phadrea Ponds, Information 
Collections Coordinator, National Park Service, 1201 Oakridge Drive, 
Fort Collins, CO 80525 (mail); or phadrea_ponds@nps.gov (email).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Susan Johnson, National Park Service 
Air Resources Division, U.S. National Park Service, 12795 W. Alameda 
Parkway, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80225 (mail); susan_Johnson@nps.gov (email); or (303) 987-6694 (telephone).

I. Abstract

    The Clean Air Act (Sections 169A, 169B, and 110(a)(2)(j) charges 
the NPS with an ``affirmative responsibility to protect air quality 
related values (including visibility).'' The NPS, believes that the 
value of visibility changes should be represented in cost-benefit 
analyses performed regarding state and federal efforts that may affect 
visibility (including the Regional Haze Rule, 40 CFR part 51). Updated 
estimates of visibility benefits are required because the studies 
conducted in the 1970s and 1980s are not adequate to provide a baseline 
of current visibility conditions in national parks and wilderness.
    The NPS plans to conduct a nationwide stated preference survey to 
estimate the value of visibility changes in national parks and 
wilderness areas. Stated preference surveys are carefully designed to 
elicit respondents' willingness to pay for improvements in 
environmental quality. A stated preference survey will be required for 
the general population as many U.S. citizens may be willing to pay to 
improve or maintain visibility at national parks and wilderness areas, 
however they may not use these areas. Stated preference surveys are the 
only methodology available to estimate these non-use values.
    Survey development and pre-testing have already been conducted 
under a previous ICR (OMB Control Number 1024-0255). The purpose of 
this information collection is to conduct a pilot study to test the 
survey instrument and implementation procedures prior to the full 
survey. After the pretest is completed, the NPS will submit a revised 
Information Collection Request (ICR) to OMB for the full survey.

II. Data

    OMB Number: 1024-0255.
    Title: Visibility Valuation Survey Pilot Study.
    Type of Request: This is a reinstatement of a previously approved 
collection.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Respondent Obligation: Voluntary.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 900 mail and internet survey; 110 
non-response survey.
    Estimated Time and frequency of Response: This is a one-time survey 
estimated to take 20 minutes per respondent to complete the mail or 
internet survey and 5 minutes to complete the non-response survey.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 309 hours.

III. Request for Comments

    Comments are invited on: (1) The practical utility of the 
information being gathered; (2) the accuracy of the burden hour 
estimate; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden to 
respondents, including use of automated information techniques or other 
forms of information technology. Comments submitted in response to this 
notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB 
approval. All comments will become a matter of public record. While you 
can ask us in your comment to withhold personal identifying information 
from public review, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

    Dated: November 15, 2011.
Robert M. Gordon,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2011-30168 Filed 11-22-11; 8:45 am]
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