Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery (Renewal), 43236 [2020-15394]

Agencies

• ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 137 (Thursday, July 16, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Page 43236]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-15394]



[[Page 43236]]

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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OEI-2017-0380; FRL-10012-50-OMS]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Generic 
Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service 
Delivery (Renewal)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to 
submit an information collection request (ICR), Generic Clearance for 
the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery (EPA 
ICR Number 2434.99, OMB Control Number 2010-0042) to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with 
the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public 
comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as 
described below. This is a proposed extension of the ICR, which is 
currently approved through March 31, 2021. 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.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 14, 2020.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number EPA-HQ-
OEI-2017-0380, online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method) 
or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jamia Franklin, Office of Mission 
Support, Regulatory Support Division, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mail Code 2822T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania 
Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 564-4236; email 
address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents, which explain in 
detail the information that the EPA will be collecting, are available 
in the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, WJC West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit https://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
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. 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. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice 
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to 
submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract: The information collection activity provides a means to 
garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, 
timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to 
improving service delivery. Qualitative feedback includes information 
that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not 
statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be 
generalized to the population of study. This feedback will provide 
insights into customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences and 
expectations, provide an early warning of issues with service, or focus 
attention on areas where communication, training or changes in 
operations might improve delivery of products or services. These 
collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable 
communications between the Agency and its customers and stakeholders. 
It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the improvement 
of program management. The solicitation of feedback will target areas 
such as: Timeliness, appropriateness, accuracy of information, 
courtesy, efficiency of service delivery, and resolution of issues with 
service delivery. Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts 
to improve or maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If 
this information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and 
stakeholders on the Agency's services will be unavailable. The Agency 
will only submit a collection for approval under this generic clearance 
if: The collections are voluntary; the collections are low burden for 
respondents and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal 
Government; the collections are noncontroversial and do not raise 
issues of concern to other Federal agencies; the collection is targeted 
to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience 
with the program or may have experience with the program in the near 
future; personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to 
the extent necessary and is not retained; information gathered will be 
used only internally for general service improvement and program 
management purposes and is not intended for release outside of the 
agency; information gathered will not be used for the purpose of 
substantially informing influential policy decisions; information 
gathered will yield qualitative information.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: Individuals and Households; 
Businesses and Organizations; State, Local or Tribal Government.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: 180,000 (total).
    Frequency of response: Once per request.
    Total estimated burden: 45,000 hours. Burden is defined at 5 CFR 
1320.03(b).
    Total estimated cost: There are no annualized capital or operation 
& maintenance costs.
    Changes in Estimates: There is an increase of 15,000 hours annually 
in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR 
currently approved by OMB. This increase in hours are due to the 
increase in the use of surveys by the Agency.

Courtney Kerwin,
Director, Regulatory Support Division.
[FR Doc. 2020-15394 Filed 7-15-20; 8:45 am]
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