Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the Office of Management and Budget; Cook Inlet Recreation and Tourism Survey, 68925-68927 [2024-19320]
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 167 / Wednesday, August 28, 2024 / Notices
khammond on DSKJM1Z7X2PROD with NOTICES
Sec. 26, NW1⁄4NE1⁄4NE1⁄4 and
N1⁄2SW1⁄4NE1⁄4NE1⁄14.
The areas described aggregate 30
acres, according to the official plat of
the survey on file with the BLM.
The proposed sale of the parcels
described above is in conformance with
the land use plan as the parcels have
been designated as Development Focus
Areas available for disposal in the
California Desert Conservation Area
Plan of 1980, as amended by the Desert
Renewable Energy Conservation Plan of
2016. Conveyance of any mineral
interests pursuant to section 209 of
FLPMA have been analyzed as a part of
this transaction, and the authorized
officer determined that all mineral
interests will be reserved to the United
States. The land sale meets the criteria
for a direct sale under 43 CFR 2711.3–
3(a) and is consistent with Section
203(a)(3) of FLPMA, which states:
‘‘Disposal of such tract will serve
important public objectives, including
but not limited to expansion of
communities and economic
development.’’
Publication of this notice in the
Federal Register will segregate the
above-described lands from
appropriation under the public land
laws, including the mining laws, except
the sale provisions of FLPMA, pursuant
to the requirements of 43 CFR 2711.1–
2(d). All parcels are subject to valid
existing rights. Parcels may also be
subject to mining claims, rights-of-way,
or other land use applications received
prior to publication of this notice if
processing the application would have
no adverse effect on the marketability of
title or the federally approved FMV of
a parcel. Encumbrances of record,
appearing in the BLM public files for
the parcels proposed for sale, are
available for review during business
hours 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific Time,
Monday through Friday, at the BLM
Barstow Field Office (see ADDRESSES).
Subject to limitations prescribed by law
and regulation, prior to patent issuance,
a holder of any right-of-way within the
parcels may be given the opportunity to
amend the right-of-way for conversion
to a new term, including perpetuity, if
applicable, or to an easement. Until
completion of the sale, the BLM will no
longer accept land use applications
affecting the identified public lands,
except applications for the amendment
of previously filed right-of-way
applications or existing authorizations
to increase the term of the grants in
accordance with 43 CFR 2807.15 and
2886.15. Conveyance of the identified
public land would be subject to valid
existing rights of record and the
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18:13 Aug 27, 2024
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following terms, conditions, and
reservations:
1. A reservation of a right-of-way for
ditches and canals constructed by
authority of the United States, Act of
August 30, 1890 (43 U.S.C. 945).
2. A reservation of all minerals to the
United States, and the right to prospect
for, mine, and remove the minerals
under applicable law and any
regulations that the Secretary of the
Interior may prescribe, including all
necessary access and exit rights,
pursuant to 43 CFR 2720.0–6.
3. An appropriate indemnification
clause protecting the United States from
claims arising out of the purchaser’s
use, occupancy, or operations on the
conveyed lands.
4. Additional terms and conditions
that the authorized officer deems
appropriate.
The segregation will terminate upon
issuance of a patent, publication in the
Federal Register of a termination of the
segregation, or 2 years after the date of
publication of this notice in the Federal
Register, unless extended by the BLM
State Director in accordance with 43
CFR 2711.1–2(d) prior to the
termination date. Detailed information
concerning the proposed land sale
including the Environmental
Assessment, maps, appraisal report,
environmental site assessment, and
mineral potential report are available for
review at the BLM Barstow Field Office
listed in the ADDRESSES section earlier.
In addition to publication in the
Federal Register, the BLM will also
publish this notice in the Los Angeles
Times, Daily Press, High Desert Star,
and the San Bernardino Sun news
sources once a week for 3 consecutive
weeks.
Interested parties may submit
substantive written comments regarding
the proposed sale and environmental
assessment DOI–BLM–CA–D080–2024–
0012–EA via the BLM National NEPA
Register at https://eplanning.blm.gov/
eplanning-ui/project/2033900/510 or by
mail to the realty specialist at the above
address on or before October 15, 2024.
Adverse comments regarding the
proposed sale will be reviewed by the
BLM California State Director or other
authorized official of the Department of
the Interior, who may sustain, vacate, or
modify this realty action in whole or in
part. In the absence of timely objections,
this realty action will become the final
determination of the Department of the
Interior.
Before including your address, phone
number, email address, or other
personal identifying information in your
comment, be advised that your entire
comment–including your personal
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68925
identifying information—may be made
publicly available at any time. While
you can ask us in your comment to
withhold from public review your
personal identifying information, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
(Authority: 43 CFR subpart 2711)
Joseph Stout,
State Director, California Bureau of Land
Management.
[FR Doc. 2024–19256 Filed 8–27–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4331–15–P
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[OMB Control Number 1010–NEW; Docket
ID: BOEM–2024–0007]
Agency Information Collection
Activities; Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget; Cook Inlet
Recreation and Tourism Survey
Bureau of Ocean Energy
Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comments.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
(BOEM) proposes a new information
collection request (ICR) to gather
information regarding outdoor
recreation and tourism in the Cook Inlet
Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Planning
Area and adjacent coastal areas.
DATES: Comments must be received by
the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) desk officer no later than
September 27, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Submit your written
comments on this ICR to the OMB’s
desk officer for the Department of the
Interior at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/
PRAMain. From the www.reginfo.gov/
public/do/PRAMain landing page, find
this information collection by selecting
‘‘Currently under Review—Open for
Public Comments’’ or by using the
search function. Please provide a copy
of your comments by parcel delivery
service or U.S. mail to the BOEM
Information Collection Clearance
Officer, Anna Atkinson, Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management, 45600
Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia
20166; or by email to anna.atkinson@
boem.gov. Please reference OMB Control
Number 1010–NEW in the subject line
of your comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Anna Atkinson by email at
anna.atkinson@boem.gov, or by
telephone at 703–787–1025. Individuals
SUMMARY:
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68926
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 167 / Wednesday, August 28, 2024 / Notices
in the United States who are deaf,
deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY,
TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside of the United States
should use the relay services offered
within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995, BOEM provides
the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on
new, proposed, revised, and continuing
collections of information. This helps
BOEM assess the impact of the
information collection requirements and
minimize the public’s reporting burden.
It also helps the public understand
BOEM’s information collection
requirements and provide the requested
data in the desired format.
Title of Collection: Cook Inlet
Recreation and Tourism Survey.
Abstract: Natural resource-based
recreation in the marine and coastal
environments of Cook Inlet, Alaska,
offers numerous economic, cultural,
environmental, health, educational, and
quality-of-life benefits. Recreation and
tourism play a vital role in supporting
local economies, preserving cultural
heritage, promoting environmental
stewardship, and improving the wellbeing of both residents and visitors. The
OCS Lands Act charges BOEM with
managing the energy and mineral
resources of the OCS, while protecting
marine and coastal environments that
support human lives and society.
Additionally, to ensure the scientific
integrity of its National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) assessments, BOEM
requires reliable data and information to
evaluate the extent to which its
activities adversely affect the human
environment (40 CFR 1502.23). As
defined in 40 CFR 1508.1, the effects on
the human environment evaluated in
NEPA assessments include social and
economic impacts, as well as ecological,
aesthetic, historic, cultural, and health
effects.
BOEM intends to conduct a research
study of outdoor recreation and tourism
in the Cook Inlet OCS Planning Area
and adjacent coastal areas (i.e., the study
area). BOEM seeks updated baseline
information on the nature, distribution,
and seasonality of outdoor recreation
and tourism in the study area, and the
relative preferences and values for these
activities. BOEM would use this
information to determine how
stakeholders and the recreational and
tourism economy may be affected by
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18:13 Aug 27, 2024
Jkt 262001
potential future oil, gas, renewable
energy, and other energy exploration
and development activities. This study
would help BOEM identify any
appropriate mitigation strategies to
address potential adverse effects of its
activities on recreation and tourism in
the study area. Altogether, the study
would enable BOEM to develop more
rigorous and thorough environmental
analyses during any NEPA processes
related to future Cook Inlet OCS energy
and mineral activities.
Specifically, this information
collection would involve primary data
collection (following ICR approval by
OMB) to elicit information on: (a)
activities and attributes contributing to
the value of recreational experiences; (b)
expenditures related to recreational
activities; and (c) how these things
differ across the region and different
user groups (e.g., residents and visitors).
The primary research would provide
meaningful insight regarding the
influence of energy development on
recreation and tourism (e.g., by
comparing areas in the Upper Cook Inlet
with existing energy infrastructure to
other areas in Cook Inlet without any
energy infrastructure). The study also
would document user attitudes
regarding how recreation and tourism
may be affected by different energy
development-related activities (e.g.,
noise, space use conflicts, aesthetic
effects of infrastructure, and vessel
traffic).
The study’s primary research design
would include four components: focus
groups, cognitive interviews, onsite
intercept surveys, and written surveys.
The focus groups and cognitive
interviews would be used to develop
and pretest a draft written survey, first
in a group setting (focus groups) and
then in a one-on-one interview setting
(cognitive interviews). The onsite
survey would include a small number of
questions to determine eligibility for
recruitment to the written survey. It will
be pretested onsite while investigators
are in the field for the focus groups. The
final onsite and written surveys would
be administered at approximately two
dozen sites in the study area during the
primary recreation season from May to
October. Potential respondents would
be approached as they arrive to a site
and invited to fill out the survey.
1. Focus Groups—To inform survey
development, BOEM would conduct
focus groups with recreationists in the
study area. The recreationists would
identify their preferred coastal- and
marine-related recreation sites; why
they choose their preferred sites; the
differences they perceive between sites
near existing energy infrastructure (in
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portions of the Upper Cook Inlet) to
sites that are not near any energy
infrastructure, and the recreational
quality of those sites; what they like
about their recreational experiences
around Cook Inlet; what they do not like
about the Cook Inlet sites they avoid;
how offshore energy exploration and
development activities may affect their
recreation site choice and experience;
and other related issues.
2. Cognitive Interviews—The findings
of the focus groups would be used to
develop a draft written survey
instrument. BOEM would then conduct
25 cognitive interviews to test and
refine the survey. Specifically, the
interviews would test if the survey is
working as expected. Factors relevant to
that determination include evaluating if
questions are easily understood,
whether respondents misunderstand the
questions in any way, whether response
categories are exhaustive and mutually
exclusive, and other similar issues.
3. Onsite Intercept Surveys—A short
in-person survey to be conducted with
recreationists as they arrive at a site.
The questions will determine eligibility
for recruitment to the written survey,
including whether they are participating
in recreation activities. The onsite
interview will also include selected
demographic questions for comparison
with respondents to the written survey
and evaluation of nonresponse. Surveys
would be administered at a range of
sites, including public lands, visitor
centers, seaports, airports, and marinas.
Because the surveys would be
administered between May and
September, a potential respondent may
be intercepted on more than one
occasion. If a respondent clarifies that
they have already taken the survey, they
would not be asked to take it again.
4. Written Surveys—The written
survey would cover topics such as
recreational destinations, frequency of
use in the past 12 months, recreation
trip-related expenditures, preferences
for recreation site attributes, attitudes
about offshore energy projects and
impacts of the projects on recreation,
and respondent demographics.
OMB Control Number: OMB Control
Number 1010–NEW.
Type of Review: New.
Respondents/Affected Public:
Participants in the focus groups and
cognitive interviews would be members
of the public who have engaged in
coastal or marine recreation in the study
area in the past year. Respondents to the
onsite and written surveys would be
members of the public engaged in
coastal or marine recreational activities
in the study area. Members of the public
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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 167 / Wednesday, August 28, 2024 / Notices
would consist of a mixture of local,
State, and out-of-State residents.
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Responses: 2,095: 40 focus group
participants, 25 cognitive interview
participants, 30 pretest onsite surveys,
1,500 completed onsite surveys, and 500
completed written surveys. The focus
group questions would be semistructured and open-ended. Onsite and
written survey questions would be
primarily discrete choice and closedended with minimal open-ended
questions.
Estimated Completion Time per
Response: 90 minutes per focus group
participant, 45 minutes per cognitive
interview participant, 1 minute for the
onsite survey, and 12 minutes per
written survey participant. (BOEM
anticipates that the survey would
comprise approximately 30 questions
with each question taking about 20–30
seconds to complete on average.)
Total Estimated Number of Annual
Burden Hours: 205 hours: 60 hours for
focus groups, 18.75 hours for cognitive
interviews, 30 minutes for the pretest
onsite surveys, 25 hours for the onsite
survey, and 100 hours for the written
survey.
Respondent’s Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: One time.
Total Estimated Annual Non-hour
Burden Cost: There is no non-hour cost
burden associated with this collection.
A Federal Register notice with a 60day public comment period on this
proposed ICR was published on
February 9, 2024 (89 FR 9175). One
comment was received on February 18,
2024. The commentor recommended
prohibiting oil and gas leasing and
commercial tourism. While the
comment is recognized, it does not
change the purpose of or need for the
proposed study, nor does it affect the
cost or hour burden.
BOEM is again soliciting comments
on this proposed ICR. BOEM is
especially interested in public comment
addressing the following issues: (1) is
the collection necessary to the proper
functions of BOEM; (2) what can BOEM
do to ensure this information will be
processed and used in a timely manner;
(3) is the estimate of burden accurate;
(4) how might BOEM enhance the
quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (5) how
might BOEM minimize the burden of
this collection on the respondents,
including minimizing the burden
through the use of information
technology?
Comments that you submit in
response to this notice are a matter of
public record and will be available for
public review on www.reginfo.gov.
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Jkt 262001
BOEM will include or summarize each
comment in its ICR to OMB for approval
of this information collection. You
should be aware that your entire
comment—including your address,
phone number, email address, or other
personally identifiable information
included in your comment—may be
made publicly available at any time.
For BOEM to consider withholding
from disclosure your personally
identifiable information, you must
identify, in a cover letter, any
information contained in your comment
that, if released, would constitute a
clearly unwarranted invasion of your
personal privacy. You must also briefly
describe any possible harmful
consequences of the disclosure of
information, such as embarrassment,
injury, or other harm.
Even if BOEM withholds your
personally identifiable information in
the context of this ICR, your comment
is subject to the Freedom of Information
Act (FOIA). Your information will only
be withheld if a determination is made
that one of the FOIA exemptions to
disclosure applies. Such a
determination will be made in
accordance with the Department of the
Interior’s (DOI) FOIA implementing
regulations (43 CFR part 2) and
applicable law.
BOEM will make available for public
inspection all comments in their
entirety (except privileged or
confidential information) submitted by
organizations and businesses, or by
individuals identifying themselves as
representatives of organizations or
businesses. BOEM protects privileged
and confidential information in
accordance with FOIA and DOI’s
implementing regulations.
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 authority for this action is the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Karen Thundiyil,
Chief, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Bureau
of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2024–19320 Filed 8–27–24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340–98–P
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68927
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Office of Surface Mining Reclamation
and Enforcement
[S1D1S SS08011000 SX064A000
245S180110; S2D2S SS08011000
SX064A000 24XS501520; OMB Control
Number 1029–0035]
Submission to the Office of
Management and Budget for Review
and Approval; Surface and
Underground Mining Permit
Applications—Minimum Requirements
for Information on Environmental
Resources
Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection;
request for comment.
AGENCY:
In accordance with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we,
the Office of Surface Mining
Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE),
are proposing to renew an information
collection.
DATES: Interested persons are invited to
submit comments on or before October
28, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on
this information collection request (ICR)
by mail to Mark Gehlhar, Office of
Surface Mining Reclamation and
Enforcement, 1849 C Street NW, Room
1544–MIB, Washington, DC 20240, or by
email to mgehlhar@osmre.gov. Please
reference OMB Control Number 1029–
0035 in the subject line of your
comments.
SUMMARY:
To
request additional information about
this ICR, contact Mark Gehlhar by email
at mgehlhar@osmre.gov, or by telephone
at 202–208–2716. Individuals in the
United States who are deaf, deafblind,
hard of hearing, or have a speech
disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or
TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services.
Individuals outside the United States
should use the relay services offered
within their country to make
international calls to the point-ofcontact in the United States. You may
also view the ICR at https://
www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In
accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act of 1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), we
provide the general public and other
Federal agencies with an opportunity to
comment on new, proposed, revised,
and continuing collections of
information. This helps us assess the
impact of our information collection
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
E:\FR\FM\28AUN1.SGM
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]]>Agencies
[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 167 (Wednesday, August 28, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 68925-68927]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-19320]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[OMB Control Number 1010-NEW; Docket ID: BOEM-2024-0007]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the
Office of Management and Budget; Cook Inlet Recreation and Tourism
Survey
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comments.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) proposes a new information
collection request (ICR) to gather information regarding outdoor
recreation and tourism in the Cook Inlet Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)
Planning Area and adjacent coastal areas.
DATES: Comments must be received by the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) desk officer no later than September 27, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Submit your written comments on this ICR to the OMB's desk
officer for the Department of the Interior at www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. From the www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain landing page,
find this information collection by selecting ``Currently under
Review--Open for Public Comments'' or by using the search function.
Please provide a copy of your comments by parcel delivery service or
U.S. mail to the BOEM Information Collection Clearance Officer, Anna
Atkinson, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road,
Sterling, Virginia 20166; or by email to [email protected]. Please
reference OMB Control Number 1010-NEW in the subject line of your
comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Atkinson by email at
[email protected], or by telephone at 703-787-1025. Individuals
[[Page 68926]]
in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have
a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside of the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, BOEM provides the general public and Federal agencies with
an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and continuing
collections of information. This helps BOEM assess the impact of the
information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting
burden. It also helps the public understand BOEM's information
collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired
format.
Title of Collection: Cook Inlet Recreation and Tourism Survey.
Abstract: Natural resource-based recreation in the marine and
coastal environments of Cook Inlet, Alaska, offers numerous economic,
cultural, environmental, health, educational, and quality-of-life
benefits. Recreation and tourism play a vital role in supporting local
economies, preserving cultural heritage, promoting environmental
stewardship, and improving the well-being of both residents and
visitors. The OCS Lands Act charges BOEM with managing the energy and
mineral resources of the OCS, while protecting marine and coastal
environments that support human lives and society. Additionally, to
ensure the scientific integrity of its National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) assessments, BOEM requires reliable data and information to
evaluate the extent to which its activities adversely affect the human
environment (40 CFR 1502.23). As defined in 40 CFR 1508.1, the effects
on the human environment evaluated in NEPA assessments include social
and economic impacts, as well as ecological, aesthetic, historic,
cultural, and health effects.
BOEM intends to conduct a research study of outdoor recreation and
tourism in the Cook Inlet OCS Planning Area and adjacent coastal areas
(i.e., the study area). BOEM seeks updated baseline information on the
nature, distribution, and seasonality of outdoor recreation and tourism
in the study area, and the relative preferences and values for these
activities. BOEM would use this information to determine how
stakeholders and the recreational and tourism economy may be affected
by potential future oil, gas, renewable energy, and other energy
exploration and development activities. This study would help BOEM
identify any appropriate mitigation strategies to address potential
adverse effects of its activities on recreation and tourism in the
study area. Altogether, the study would enable BOEM to develop more
rigorous and thorough environmental analyses during any NEPA processes
related to future Cook Inlet OCS energy and mineral activities.
Specifically, this information collection would involve primary
data collection (following ICR approval by OMB) to elicit information
on: (a) activities and attributes contributing to the value of
recreational experiences; (b) expenditures related to recreational
activities; and (c) how these things differ across the region and
different user groups (e.g., residents and visitors). The primary
research would provide meaningful insight regarding the influence of
energy development on recreation and tourism (e.g., by comparing areas
in the Upper Cook Inlet with existing energy infrastructure to other
areas in Cook Inlet without any energy infrastructure). The study also
would document user attitudes regarding how recreation and tourism may
be affected by different energy development-related activities (e.g.,
noise, space use conflicts, aesthetic effects of infrastructure, and
vessel traffic).
The study's primary research design would include four components:
focus groups, cognitive interviews, onsite intercept surveys, and
written surveys. The focus groups and cognitive interviews would be
used to develop and pretest a draft written survey, first in a group
setting (focus groups) and then in a one-on-one interview setting
(cognitive interviews). The onsite survey would include a small number
of questions to determine eligibility for recruitment to the written
survey. It will be pretested onsite while investigators are in the
field for the focus groups. The final onsite and written surveys would
be administered at approximately two dozen sites in the study area
during the primary recreation season from May to October. Potential
respondents would be approached as they arrive to a site and invited to
fill out the survey.
1. Focus Groups--To inform survey development, BOEM would conduct
focus groups with recreationists in the study area. The recreationists
would identify their preferred coastal- and marine-related recreation
sites; why they choose their preferred sites; the differences they
perceive between sites near existing energy infrastructure (in portions
of the Upper Cook Inlet) to sites that are not near any energy
infrastructure, and the recreational quality of those sites; what they
like about their recreational experiences around Cook Inlet; what they
do not like about the Cook Inlet sites they avoid; how offshore energy
exploration and development activities may affect their recreation site
choice and experience; and other related issues.
2. Cognitive Interviews--The findings of the focus groups would be
used to develop a draft written survey instrument. BOEM would then
conduct 25 cognitive interviews to test and refine the survey.
Specifically, the interviews would test if the survey is working as
expected. Factors relevant to that determination include evaluating if
questions are easily understood, whether respondents misunderstand the
questions in any way, whether response categories are exhaustive and
mutually exclusive, and other similar issues.
3. Onsite Intercept Surveys--A short in-person survey to be
conducted with recreationists as they arrive at a site. The questions
will determine eligibility for recruitment to the written survey,
including whether they are participating in recreation activities. The
onsite interview will also include selected demographic questions for
comparison with respondents to the written survey and evaluation of
nonresponse. Surveys would be administered at a range of sites,
including public lands, visitor centers, seaports, airports, and
marinas. Because the surveys would be administered between May and
September, a potential respondent may be intercepted on more than one
occasion. If a respondent clarifies that they have already taken the
survey, they would not be asked to take it again.
4. Written Surveys--The written survey would cover topics such as
recreational destinations, frequency of use in the past 12 months,
recreation trip-related expenditures, preferences for recreation site
attributes, attitudes about offshore energy projects and impacts of the
projects on recreation, and respondent demographics.
OMB Control Number: OMB Control Number 1010-NEW.
Type of Review: New.
Respondents/Affected Public: Participants in the focus groups and
cognitive interviews would be members of the public who have engaged in
coastal or marine recreation in the study area in the past year.
Respondents to the onsite and written surveys would be members of the
public engaged in coastal or marine recreational activities in the
study area. Members of the public
[[Page 68927]]
would consist of a mixture of local, State, and out-of-State residents.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 2,095: 40 focus group
participants, 25 cognitive interview participants, 30 pretest onsite
surveys, 1,500 completed onsite surveys, and 500 completed written
surveys. The focus group questions would be semi-structured and open-
ended. Onsite and written survey questions would be primarily discrete
choice and closed-ended with minimal open-ended questions.
Estimated Completion Time per Response: 90 minutes per focus group
participant, 45 minutes per cognitive interview participant, 1 minute
for the onsite survey, and 12 minutes per written survey participant.
(BOEM anticipates that the survey would comprise approximately 30
questions with each question taking about 20-30 seconds to complete on
average.)
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 205 hours: 60 hours
for focus groups, 18.75 hours for cognitive interviews, 30 minutes for
the pretest onsite surveys, 25 hours for the onsite survey, and 100
hours for the written survey.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: One time.
Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: There is no non-hour
cost burden associated with this collection.
A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period on
this proposed ICR was published on February 9, 2024 (89 FR 9175). One
comment was received on February 18, 2024. The commentor recommended
prohibiting oil and gas leasing and commercial tourism. While the
comment is recognized, it does not change the purpose of or need for
the proposed study, nor does it affect the cost or hour burden.
BOEM is again soliciting comments on this proposed ICR. BOEM is
especially interested in public comment addressing the following
issues: (1) is the collection necessary to the proper functions of
BOEM; (2) what can BOEM do to ensure this information will be processed
and used in a timely manner; (3) is the estimate of burden accurate;
(4) how might BOEM enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (5) how might BOEM minimize the burden
of this collection on the respondents, including minimizing the burden
through the use of information technology?
Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of
public record and will be available for public review on
www.reginfo.gov. BOEM will include or summarize each comment in its ICR
to OMB for approval of this information collection. You should be aware
that your entire comment--including your address, phone number, email
address, or other personally identifiable information included in your
comment--may be made publicly available at any time.
For BOEM to consider withholding from disclosure your personally
identifiable information, you must identify, in a cover letter, any
information contained in your comment that, if released, would
constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of your personal privacy. You
must also briefly describe any possible harmful consequences of the
disclosure of information, such as embarrassment, injury, or other
harm.
Even if BOEM withholds your personally identifiable information in
the context of this ICR, your comment is subject to the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA). Your information will only be withheld if a
determination is made that one of the FOIA exemptions to disclosure
applies. Such a determination will be made in accordance with the
Department of the Interior's (DOI) FOIA implementing regulations (43
CFR part 2) and applicable law.
BOEM will make available for public inspection all comments in
their entirety (except privileged or confidential information)
submitted by organizations and businesses, or by individuals
identifying themselves as representatives of organizations or
businesses. BOEM protects privileged and confidential information in
accordance with FOIA and DOI's implementing regulations.
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 authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Karen Thundiyil,
Chief, Office of Regulatory Affairs, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2024-19320 Filed 8-27-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P
