Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request, 54377-54378 [2018-23561]

Download as PDF Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 209 / Monday, October 29, 2018 / Notices This announcement of the membership of the National Science Foundation’s Senior Executive Service Performance Review Board is made in compliance with 5 U.S.C. 4314(c)(4). Dated: October 24, 2018. Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation. [FR Doc. 2018–23589 Filed 10–26–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7555–01–P NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; Comment Request National Science Foundation. Notice and request for comments. AGENCY: ACTION: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within the National Science Foundation (NSF) is inviting the general public or other Federal agencies to comment on this proposed continuing information collection. The NCSES will publish periodic summaries of the proposed projects. DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by December 28, 2018 to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to the address listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite W18253, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292–7556; or send email to splimpto@nsf.gov. Individuals who use a telecommunications device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay Service (FIRS) at 1– 800–877–8339, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year (including Federal holidays). SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the NCSES, including whether the information will have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the NCSES’s estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, including through the use of automated collection amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:48 Oct 26, 2018 Jkt 247001 techniques or other forms of information technology; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on those who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology. Title of Collection: Survey of Earned Doctorates. OMB Approval Number: 3145–0019. Expiration Date of Approval: May 31, 2020. Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to renew an information collection for three years. Abstract: Established within NSF by the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act of 2010 § 505, codified in the NSF Act of 1950, as amended, NCSES serves as a central Federal clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, analysis, and dissemination of objective data on science, engineering, technology, and research and development for use by practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public. The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) is part of NCSES’ survey system that collects data on individuals in an effort to provide information on science and engineering education and careers in the United States. The SED has been conducted annually since 1958 and is jointly sponsored by the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education, and National Endowment for the Humanities in order to avoid duplication. It is an accurate, timely source of information on one of our Nation’s most important resources— highly educated individuals. Data are obtained primarily via Web survey from each person earning a research doctorate at the time they receive the degree. Data are collected on their field of specialty, educational background, sources of support in graduate school, debt level, postgraduation plans, and demographic characteristics. The Federal government, universities, researchers, and others use the information extensively. NCSES publishes statistics from the survey in several reports, primarily in the annual publication series Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities. These reports are available on the NCSES website. The survey will be collected in conformance with the Privacy Act of 1974. Responses from individuals are voluntary. NCSES will ensure that all individually identifiable information collected will be kept strictly confidential and will be used only for research or statistical purposes. PO 00000 Frm 00070 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 54377 Use of the Information: Results from the SED are used to assess characteristics of the doctorate population and trends in doctoral education and degrees by researchers, policy makers, universities, and government agencies. Data from the survey are published annually on the NCSES website in a publication series reporting on all fields of study, titled Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities. Information from the SED is also included in other series available online: Science and Engineering Indicators; and Women, Minorities, and Persons with Disabilities in Science and Engineering. In addition, access to tabular data from selected variables is available through Integrated Data Tool, an online table-generating tool on the NCSES website. Expected Respondents: The SED is a census of all individuals receiving a research doctorate from an accredited U.S. academic institution in the academic year beginning 1 July and ending 30 June of the subsequent year. As such, the population for the 2020 SED consists of all individuals receiving a research doctorate in the 12-month period beginning 1 July 2019 and ending 30 June 2020. Likewise, the population for the 2021 SED consists of all individuals receiving a research doctorate in the 12-month period beginning 1 July 2020 and ending 30 June 2021. A research doctorate is a doctoral degree that (1) requires completion of an original intellectual contribution in the form of a dissertation or an equivalent culminating project (e.g., musical composition) and (2) is not primarily intended as a degree for the practice of a profession. The most common research doctorate degree is the Ph.D. Recipients of professional doctoral degrees, such as MD, DDS, JD, DPharm, and PsyD, are not included in the SED. The 2020 and 2021 SED are expected to include about 606 separately reporting doctoral programs from among approximately 446 eligible research doctorate-granting institutions. Estimate of Burden: A total response rate of 91.4% of the 54,664 persons who earned a research doctorate from a U.S. institution was obtained in academic year 2017. This level of response rate has been consistent for several years. Based on the historical trend, in 2020 approximately 58,000 individuals are expected to receive research doctorates from U.S. institutions. Using the past response rate, the number of SED respondents in 2020 is estimated to be 52,780 (58,000 doctorate recipients × 0.91 response rate). Similarly, the number of individuals expected to earn E:\FR\FM\29OCN1.SGM 29OCN1 54378 Federal Register / Vol. 83, No. 209 / Monday, October 29, 2018 / Notices research doctorates in 2021 is estimated to be about 59,000; hence, the number of respondents in 2021 is estimated to be 53,690 (59,000 × 0.91). Based on the average Web survey completion time for the 2018 SED (19 minutes) and the extension of a few questions to an additional subset of respondents, NCSES estimates that, on average, 21 minutes per respondent will be required to complete the 2020 or 2021 SED questionnaire. The annual respondent burden for completing the SED is therefore estimated at 18,473 hours in 2020 (52,780 respondents × 21 minutes) and 18,792 hours in 2021 (based on 53,690 respondents). In addition to the actual questionnaire, the SED requires the collection of administrative data from participating academic institutions. The Institutional Coordinator at the institution helps distribute the Web survey link (and paper surveys when necessary), track survey completions, and submit information to the SED survey contractor. Based on focus groups conducted with Institutional Coordinators, it is estimated that the SED demands no more than 1% of the Institutional Coordinator’s time over the course of a year, which computes to 20 hours per year per Institutional Coordinator (40 hours per week × 50 weeks per year × .01). With about 606 programs expected to participate in the SED in 2020 and 2021, the estimated annual burden to Institutional Coordinators of administering the SED is 12,120 hours. Therefore, the total annual information burden for the SED is estimated to be 30,593 (18,473 + 12,120) hours in 2020 and 30,912 (18,792 + 12,120) hours in 2021. Dated: October 24, 2018. Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation. [FR Doc. 2018–23561 Filed 10–26–18; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 7555–01–P NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [Docket No. 40–9059; NRC–2018–0158] Water Remediation Technology, LLC Nuclear Regulatory Commission. ACTION: Environmental assessment and finding of no significant impact; issuance. amozie on DSK3GDR082PROD with NOTICES1 AGENCY: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is considering renewal of Water Remediation Technology, LLC (WRT) Source SUMMARY: VerDate Sep<11>2014 17:48 Oct 26, 2018 Jkt 247001 Materials License No. SUC–1591, as well as WRT’s request to expand the scope of its licensed activities. License SUC–1591 was originally issued by the NRC on January 25, 2007, and is a performance-based, multisite license that authorizes WRT to use its ion exchange technology to remove uranium from community drinking water systems (CWSs). WRT submitted its request for license renewal and to expand the scope of licensed activities on December 21, 2016, and on January 16, 2018, WRT revised its application to request a 20year renewal term. The final environmental assessment (EA) referenced in this document is available on October 29, 2018. DATES: Please refer to Docket ID NRC–2018–0158 when contacting the NRC about the availability of information regarding this document. You may obtain publicly-available information related to this document using any of the following methods: • Federal Rulemaking Website: Go to https://www.regulations.gov and search for Docket ID NRC–2018–0158. Address questions about docket IDs in Regulations.gov to Jennifer Borges; telephone: 301–287–9127; email: Jennifer.Borges@nrc.gov. For technical questions, contact the individual listed in the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this document. • NRC’s Agencywide Documents Access and Management System (ADAMS): You may obtain publiclyavailable documents online in the ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/ adams.html. To begin the search, select ‘‘Begin Web-based ADAMS Search.’’ For problems with ADAMS, please contact the NRC’s Public Document Room (PDR) reference staff at 1–800–397–4209, 301– 415–4737, or by email to pdr.resource@ nrc.gov. The ADAMS accession number for the document referenced (if it is available in ADAMS) is provided the first time that it is mentioned in this document. • NRC’s PDR: You may examine and purchase copies of public documents at the NRC’s PDR, Room O1–F21, One White Flint North, 11555 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852. ADDRESSES: FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: James Park, Office of Nuclear Material Safety and Safeguards, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC 20555–0001; telephone: 301–415– 6954, email: James.Park@nrc.gov. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: PO 00000 Frm 00071 Fmt 4703 Sfmt 4703 I. Introduction The NRC is considering the renewal of WRT’s Source Materials License No. SUC–1591 for a 20-year term and amending the license to expand the scope of authorized licensed activities. Therefore, as required by part 51 of Title 10 of the Code of Federal Regulations (10 CFR), the NRC performed an EA. Based on the results of this EA, the NRC has determined not to prepare an environmental impact statement (EIS) for the license renewal and for the expansion of the scope of the authorized licensed activities, and is issuing a finding of no significant impact. License SUC–1591 was originally issued by the NRC on January 25, 2007 (ADAMS Accession No. ML062960463), to R.M.D. Operations, LLC (RMD), the predecessor of WRT. License SUC–1591 is a performance-based, multisite license that authorizes WRT to use its ion exchange technology to remove uranium from CWSs. WRT operates in several NRC ‘‘Agreement States,’’ where WRT’s activities are subject to applicable State law and regulation due to the NRC’s relinquishment of certain categories of its regulatory authority to the Agreement State.1 Currently, WRT does not operate in any non-Agreement States, where its activities would be subject to NRC jurisdiction. II. Summary of Environmental Assessment The NRC staff’s EA is available online in the ADAMS Public Documents collection at https://www.nrc.gov/ reading-rm/adams.html (ADAMS Accession No. ML18255A117). This section is a summary of the EA. Description of the Proposed Action The proposed action is the NRC staff’s approval or disapproval of WRT’s application to renew its license for an additional 20-year term and to expand the scope of licensed activities. The proposed action is in accordance with the licensee’s application dated December 21, 2016 (ADAMS Accession No. ML16358A447), and with its January 16, 2018, request to extend the license renewal term from 10 to 20 years (ADAMS Accession No. ML18016B080). Renewal of its NRC license would allow WRT to continue using its ion exchange 1 Under Section 274 of the Atomic Energy Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 2021), the NRC is authorized to relinquish certain prescribed categories of its regulatory authority to a State, provided that the State’s governor enter into a duly authorized agreement with the NRC in accordance with Section 274. Presently, there are 38 Agreement States (Wyoming became the 38th Agreement State on September 30, 2018). Of these Agreement States, WRT operates in California, Colorado, Georgia, Nebraska, New Jersey, South Carolina, and Virginia. E:\FR\FM\29OCN1.SGM 29OCN1

Agencies

[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 209 (Monday, October 29, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 54377-54378]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-23561]


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

NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request

AGENCY: National Science Foundation.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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

SUMMARY: Under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, and as part of its 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, the 
National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) within 
the National Science Foundation (NSF) is inviting the general public or 
other Federal agencies to comment on this proposed continuing 
information collection. The NCSES will publish periodic summaries of 
the proposed projects.

DATES: Written comments on this notice must be received by December 28, 
2018 to be assured consideration. Comments received after that date 
will be considered to the extent practicable. Send comments to the 
address listed in FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Suzanne H. Plimpton, Reports Clearance 
Officer, National Science Foundation, 2415 Eisenhower Avenue, Suite 
W18253, Alexandria, Virginia 22314; telephone (703) 292-7556; or send 
email to [email protected]. Individuals who use a telecommunications 
device for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Information Relay 
Service (FIRS) at 1-800-877-8339, which is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 
days a week, 365 days a year (including Federal holidays).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Comments: Comments are invited on (a) whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the NCSES, including whether the information will have 
practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the NCSES's estimate of the 
burden of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance 
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected, 
including through the use of automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of 
the collection of information on those who are to respond, including 
through the use of appropriate automated collection techniques or other 
forms of information technology.
    Title of Collection: Survey of Earned Doctorates.
    OMB Approval Number: 3145-0019.
    Expiration Date of Approval: May 31, 2020.
    Type of Request: Intent to seek approval to renew an information 
collection for three years.
    Abstract: Established within NSF by the America COMPETES 
Reauthorization Act of 2010 Sec.  505, codified in the NSF Act of 1950, 
as amended, NCSES serves as a central Federal clearinghouse for the 
collection, interpretation, analysis, and dissemination of objective 
data on science, engineering, technology, and research and development 
for use by practitioners, researchers, policymakers, and the public.
    The Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) is part of NCSES' survey 
system that collects data on individuals in an effort to provide 
information on science and engineering education and careers in the 
United States. The SED has been conducted annually since 1958 and is 
jointly sponsored by the National Science Foundation, National 
Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Education, and National 
Endowment for the Humanities in order to avoid duplication. It is an 
accurate, timely source of information on one of our Nation's most 
important resources--highly educated individuals.
    Data are obtained primarily via Web survey from each person earning 
a research doctorate at the time they receive the degree. Data are 
collected on their field of specialty, educational background, sources 
of support in graduate school, debt level, postgraduation plans, and 
demographic characteristics. The Federal government, universities, 
researchers, and others use the information extensively. NCSES 
publishes statistics from the survey in several reports, primarily in 
the annual publication series Doctorate Recipients from U.S. 
Universities. These reports are available on the NCSES website. The 
survey will be collected in conformance with the Privacy Act of 1974. 
Responses from individuals are voluntary. NCSES will ensure that all 
individually identifiable information collected will be kept strictly 
confidential and will be used only for research or statistical 
purposes.
    Use of the Information: Results from the SED are used to assess 
characteristics of the doctorate population and trends in doctoral 
education and degrees by researchers, policy makers, universities, and 
government agencies. Data from the survey are published annually on the 
NCSES website in a publication series reporting on all fields of study, 
titled Doctorate Recipients from U.S. Universities. Information from 
the SED is also included in other series available online: Science and 
Engineering Indicators; and Women, Minorities, and Persons with 
Disabilities in Science and Engineering. In addition, access to tabular 
data from selected variables is available through Integrated Data Tool, 
an online table-generating tool on the NCSES website.
    Expected Respondents: The SED is a census of all individuals 
receiving a research doctorate from an accredited U.S. academic 
institution in the academic year beginning 1 July and ending 30 June of 
the subsequent year. As such, the population for the 2020 SED consists 
of all individuals receiving a research doctorate in the 12-month 
period beginning 1 July 2019 and ending 30 June 2020. Likewise, the 
population for the 2021 SED consists of all individuals receiving a 
research doctorate in the 12-month period beginning 1 July 2020 and 
ending 30 June 2021. A research doctorate is a doctoral degree that (1) 
requires completion of an original intellectual contribution in the 
form of a dissertation or an equivalent culminating project (e.g., 
musical composition) and (2) is not primarily intended as a degree for 
the practice of a profession. The most common research doctorate degree 
is the Ph.D. Recipients of professional doctoral degrees, such as MD, 
DDS, JD, DPharm, and PsyD, are not included in the SED. The 2020 and 
2021 SED are expected to include about 606 separately reporting 
doctoral programs from among approximately 446 eligible research 
doctorate-granting institutions.
    Estimate of Burden: A total response rate of 91.4% of the 54,664 
persons who earned a research doctorate from a U.S. institution was 
obtained in academic year 2017. This level of response rate has been 
consistent for several years. Based on the historical trend, in 2020 
approximately 58,000 individuals are expected to receive research 
doctorates from U.S. institutions. Using the past response rate, the 
number of SED respondents in 2020 is estimated to be 52,780 (58,000 
doctorate recipients x 0.91 response rate). Similarly, the number of 
individuals expected to earn

[[Page 54378]]

research doctorates in 2021 is estimated to be about 59,000; hence, the 
number of respondents in 2021 is estimated to be 53,690 (59,000 x 
0.91).
    Based on the average Web survey completion time for the 2018 SED 
(19 minutes) and the extension of a few questions to an additional 
subset of respondents, NCSES estimates that, on average, 21 minutes per 
respondent will be required to complete the 2020 or 2021 SED 
questionnaire. The annual respondent burden for completing the SED is 
therefore estimated at 18,473 hours in 2020 (52,780 respondents x 21 
minutes) and 18,792 hours in 2021 (based on 53,690 respondents). In 
addition to the actual questionnaire, the SED requires the collection 
of administrative data from participating academic institutions. The 
Institutional Coordinator at the institution helps distribute the Web 
survey link (and paper surveys when necessary), track survey 
completions, and submit information to the SED survey contractor. Based 
on focus groups conducted with Institutional Coordinators, it is 
estimated that the SED demands no more than 1% of the Institutional 
Coordinator's time over the course of a year, which computes to 20 
hours per year per Institutional Coordinator (40 hours per week x 50 
weeks per year x .01). With about 606 programs expected to participate 
in the SED in 2020 and 2021, the estimated annual burden to 
Institutional Coordinators of administering the SED is 12,120 hours. 
Therefore, the total annual information burden for the SED is estimated 
to be 30,593 (18,473 + 12,120) hours in 2020 and 30,912 (18,792 + 
12,120) hours in 2021.

    Dated: October 24, 2018.
Suzanne H. Plimpton,
Reports Clearance Officer, National Science Foundation.
[FR Doc. 2018-23561 Filed 10-26-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 7555-01-P


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