Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Estimating Benefits of Surface Water Quality Improvements, 53960-53961 [2021-21081]
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Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 186 / Wednesday, September 29, 2021 / Notices
emissions penalty without demand to
the EPA Administrator. The automatic
penalty is computed as the number of
excess tons of SO2 or NOX emitted times
a per-ton penalty amount of $2,000
times an annual adjustment factor,
which must be published in the Federal
Register.
The annual adjustment factor used to
compute excess emissions penalties for
compliance year 2021 is 2.086, resulting
in an automatic penalty amount of
$4,172 per excess ton of SO2 or NOX
emitted in 2021. In accordance with 40
CFR 77.6(b) and 72.2, this annual
adjustment factor is determined from
values of the Consumer Price Index for
All Urban Consumers (CPI–U) for
August 1989 and August 2020.
The annual adjustment factor used to
compute excess emissions penalties for
compliance year 2022 is 2.196, resulting
in an automatic penalty amount of
$4,392 per excess ton of SO2 or NOX
emitted in 2022. This annual adjustment
factor is determined from values of the
CPI–U for August 1989 and August
2021.
Rona Birnbaum,
Acting Director, Clean Air Markets Division,
Office of Atmospheric Programs, Office of
Air and Radiation.
[FR Doc. 2021–21186 Filed 9–28–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OA–2019–0292; FRL–8752–01–
OA]
Proposed Information Collection
Request; Comment Request;
Estimating Benefits of Surface Water
Quality Improvements
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency is planning to submit an
information collection request (ICR),
‘‘Estimating Benefits of Surface Water
Quality Improvements’’ (EPA ICR No.
2588.01, OMB Control No. 2080–NEW)
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
request for approval of a new collection.
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.
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:22 Sep 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
Comments must be submitted on
or before November 29, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
referencing Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–
OA–2019–0292, 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:
Chris Moore, OA/OP/NCEE, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC
20004; telephone number 202–566–
2348; fax number: 202–566–2448; email
address: moore.chris@epa.gov.
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
DATES:
PO 00000
Frm 00019
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
notice to announce the submission of
the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to
submit additional comments to OMB.
Abstract: Researchers and analysts in
EPA’s Office of Research and
Development (ORD), Office of Water
(OW), and National Center for
Environmental Economics (NCEE) are
collaborating to improve EPA’s ability to
perform benefit cost analysis on changes
in surface water quality (lakes, rivers,
and streams). We are requesting
approval to conduct a survey that will
provide data critical to that effort.
A number of non-market valuation
methods can be used to estimate the
economic benefits of improving
environmental quality, but they often
require more time and resources than
federal agencies have to complete the
regulatory impact analysis. Benefit
transfer can provide reasonably accurate
estimates of economic benefits under
certain conditions with fewer resources
and far less time. Federal agencies rely
on benefit transfer often when analyzing
the economic impacts of environmental
regulation. In conducting benefit cost
analyses of surface water regulations,
however, it has become apparent that
there is a lack of data on some features
of policy analysis that have forced
analysts to make assumptions about the
relationships between a number of
factors. This information collection is
necessary to provide insight on those
relationships and improve the EPA’s
and other federal agencies’ ability to
perform benefit transfer in regulatory
analysis.
Analysts in the Office of Policy, the
Office of Water, and the Office of
Research and Development have begun
work on an integrated hydrological and
economic model that will be capable of
estimating benefits for a wide range of
surface water regulations. The data
collected with this survey will inform
that effort. Analysts elsewhere in the
EPA and other federal agencies may also
be able to use the results of this study
to improve benefit transfer in other
applications as well.
The survey will be administered
electronically via the internet. An
internet-based survey mode provides
several advantages in efficiency and
accuracy over other collection modes. It
is also necessary to meet several of our
research objectives described in the ICR
Supporting Statement. EPA is
requesting comment on two alternative
approaches to sample recruitment: A
probability-based internet panel, and a
mail invitation to the internet survey.
Some sections of the draft Supporting
Statement cannot be completed until a
recruitment mode has been chosen.
Where possible, the draft Supporting
E:\FR\FM\29SEN1.SGM
29SEN1
Federal Register / Vol. 86, No. 186 / Wednesday, September 29, 2021 / Notices
Statement provides details on both
approaches. EPA will consider public
comments, expert opinion, and peer
reviewed literature before choosing a
recruitment mode. The final Supporting
Statement will reflect the chosen mode,
present all details of that approach, and
be submitted for public comment.
Participation in the survey will be
voluntary and the identity of the
participants will be kept confidential.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities: Eligible
respondents for this survey will be U.S.
civilian, non-institutionalized
individuals, age 18 years and older.
Respondent’s obligation to respond:
Voluntary.
Estimated number of respondents:
6,120.
Frequency of response: One-time
collection.
Total estimated burden: 2,040 hours.
Total estimated cost: Total estimated
burden and cost for Agency $670,391.
Changes in Estimates: This is a new
collection. The survey is a one-time data
collection activity.
Al McGartland,
Office Director, National Center for
Environmental Economics, Office of Policy.
[FR Doc. 2021–21081 Filed 9–28–21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560–50–P
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
AGENCY
[EPA–HQ–OA–2008–0701; FRL–8796–01–
OA]
Proposed Information Collection
Request; Comment Request; Focus
Groups as Used by EPA for Economics
Projects (Renewal)
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
AGENCY:
The Environmental Protection
Agency is planning to submit an
information collection request (ICR),
‘‘Focus Groups as used by EPA for
Economics Projects (Renewal)’’ (EPA
ICR No. 2205.22, OMB Control No.
2090–0028) 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 renewal of the
ICR, which is currently approved
through March 31, 2022. An Agency
may not conduct or sponsor, and a
person is not required to respond to, a
collection of information unless it
lotter on DSK11XQN23PROD with NOTICES1
SUMMARY:
VerDate Sep<11>2014
18:22 Sep 28, 2021
Jkt 253001
displays a currently valid OMB control
number.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on
or before November 29, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments,
referencing Docket ID No. EPA–HQ–
OA–2008–0701, online using
www.regulations.gov (our preferred
method), by email to oei.docket@
epa.gov, 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:
Nathalie Simon, Office of Policy, (MC
1809T), Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone
number: 202–566–2347; fax number:
202–566–2363; email address:
simon.nathalie@epa.gov.
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
PO 00000
Frm 00020
Fmt 4703
Sfmt 4703
53961
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: EPA is seeking renewal of a
generic information collection request
(ICR) for the conduct of focus groups
and protocol interviews (hereafter
jointly referred to as focus groups)
related to economics projects. Over the
next three years, the Agency anticipates
engaging in survey development efforts
associated with a variety of economics
projects including those related to
valuation of water quality benefits,
health risk reductions, coastal
adaptation and restoration, to name a
few. Focus groups are an important part
of any survey development process,
allowing researchers to directly gauge
what specific issues are important to the
public and providing a means for
explicitly testing draft survey materials.
Through these focus groups, the Agency
will be able to gain a more in-depth
understanding of the public’s attitudes,
beliefs, motivations and feelings
regarding specific issues and will
provide valuable information regarding
the quality of draft survey instruments.
The information collected in the focus
groups will be used primarily to
develop and improve economics-related
surveys. To the extent that these surveys
are ultimately approved and
successfully administered, they will
serve to expand the Agencies
understanding of benefits and costs of a
variety of actions and could provide the
means to quantitatively assess the
effects of others. Participation in the
focus groups will be voluntary and the
identity of the participants will be kept
confidential.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities:
Individuals.
Respondent’s obligation to respond:
Voluntary.
Estimated number of respondents:
1,008 (total).
Frequency of response: Once.
Total estimated burden: 2,592 hours
(per year). Burden is defined at 5 CFR
1320.03(b).
Total estimated cost: $0 (per year),
includes $0 annualized capital or
operation & maintenance costs.
Changes in Estimates: There is no
change in the total estimated respondent
E:\FR\FM\29SEN1.SGM
29SEN1
]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 186 (Wednesday, September 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53960-53961]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-21081]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OA-2019-0292; FRL-8752-01-OA]
Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request;
Estimating Benefits of Surface Water Quality Improvements
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an
information collection request (ICR), ``Estimating Benefits of Surface
Water Quality Improvements'' (EPA ICR No. 2588.01, OMB Control No.
2080-NEW) 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 request
for approval of a new collection. 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 November 29, 2021.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OA-
2019-0292, 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: Chris Moore, OA/OP/NCEE, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20004; telephone number 202-566-
2348; fax number: 202-566-2448; 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: Researchers and analysts in EPA's Office of Research and
Development (ORD), Office of Water (OW), and National Center for
Environmental Economics (NCEE) are collaborating to improve EPA's
ability to perform benefit cost analysis on changes in surface water
quality (lakes, rivers, and streams). We are requesting approval to
conduct a survey that will provide data critical to that effort.
A number of non-market valuation methods can be used to estimate
the economic benefits of improving environmental quality, but they
often require more time and resources than federal agencies have to
complete the regulatory impact analysis. Benefit transfer can provide
reasonably accurate estimates of economic benefits under certain
conditions with fewer resources and far less time. Federal agencies
rely on benefit transfer often when analyzing the economic impacts of
environmental regulation. In conducting benefit cost analyses of
surface water regulations, however, it has become apparent that there
is a lack of data on some features of policy analysis that have forced
analysts to make assumptions about the relationships between a number
of factors. This information collection is necessary to provide insight
on those relationships and improve the EPA's and other federal
agencies' ability to perform benefit transfer in regulatory analysis.
Analysts in the Office of Policy, the Office of Water, and the
Office of Research and Development have begun work on an integrated
hydrological and economic model that will be capable of estimating
benefits for a wide range of surface water regulations. The data
collected with this survey will inform that effort. Analysts elsewhere
in the EPA and other federal agencies may also be able to use the
results of this study to improve benefit transfer in other applications
as well.
The survey will be administered electronically via the internet. An
internet-based survey mode provides several advantages in efficiency
and accuracy over other collection modes. It is also necessary to meet
several of our research objectives described in the ICR Supporting
Statement. EPA is requesting comment on two alternative approaches to
sample recruitment: A probability-based internet panel, and a mail
invitation to the internet survey. Some sections of the draft
Supporting Statement cannot be completed until a recruitment mode has
been chosen. Where possible, the draft Supporting
[[Page 53961]]
Statement provides details on both approaches. EPA will consider public
comments, expert opinion, and peer reviewed literature before choosing
a recruitment mode. The final Supporting Statement will reflect the
chosen mode, present all details of that approach, and be submitted for
public comment.
Participation in the survey will be voluntary and the identity of
the participants will be kept confidential.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities: Eligible respondents for this survey
will be U.S. civilian, non-institutionalized individuals, age 18 years
and older.
Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
Estimated number of respondents: 6,120.
Frequency of response: One-time collection.
Total estimated burden: 2,040 hours.
Total estimated cost: Total estimated burden and cost for Agency
$670,391.
Changes in Estimates: This is a new collection. The survey is a
one-time data collection activity.
Al McGartland,
Office Director, National Center for Environmental Economics, Office of
Policy.
[FR Doc. 2021-21081 Filed 9-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
