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[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 163 (Wednesday, August 22, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 50712-50713]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-20590]

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[OMB Number 1010-0181]

Information Collection: Southern Alaska Sharing Network and 
Subsistence Study; Proposed Collection for OMB Review; Comment Request

ACTION: 60-day notice.

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SUMMARY: To comply with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), the 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is inviting comments on a 
collection of information that we will submit to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. The information 
collection request (ICR) pertains to conducting a survey in Alaska, 
``Southern Alaska Sharing Network and Subsistence Study.''

DATES: Submit written comments by October 22, 2012.

ADDRESSES: Please send your comments on this ICR to the BOEM 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Arlene Bajusz, Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management, 381 Elden Street, HM-3127, Herndon, Virginia 
20170 (mail); or arlene.bajusz@boem.gov (email); or 703-787-1209 (fax). 
Please reference ICR 1010-0181 in your comment and include your name 
and return address.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Arlene Bajusz, Office of Policy, 
Regulations, and Analysis at (703) 787-1025. You may also request a 
free copy of the study description.

[[Page 50713]]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: OMB Control Number: 1010-0181.
    Title: Southern Alaska Sharing Network and Subsistence Study.
    Abstract: The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), under the 
Department of the Interior (DOI), is the Federal administrative agency 
that conducts OCS lease sales and monitors and mitigates adverse 
impacts that might be associated with offshore resource development. 
Within BOEM, the Environmental Studies Program implements and manages 
the responsibilities of research. This study will facilitate the 
meeting of DOI/BOEM information needs on subsistence food harvest and 
sharing activities in various coastal Alaska areas.
    Planning areas for potential resource development in Alaska can 
include large geographic areas with diverse, abundant, and 
environmentally sensitive resources. Within these areas, the DOI's 
Proposed OCS Oil and Gas Leasing Program considers that there will be 
an oil and gas lease sale in the future. These proposed sale areas or 
adjacent areas support major productive commercial and subsistence 
fisheries, provide habitat to numerous marine mammals, and are a 
significant migration and staging area for internationally important 
waterfowl. Numerous communities in the State of Alaska rely heavily on 
subsistence fisheries.
    This study assesses the vulnerabilities of several coastal 
communities in southern Alaska as to the potential effects of offshore 
oil and gas development on subsistence food harvest and sharing 
activities. It investigates the resilience of local sharing networks 
that structure contemporary subsistence-cash economies using research 
methods that involve the residents of these communities most proximate 
to the future sale area(s).
    The BOEM will use the information collected to gain knowledge about 
local social systems that will help shape development leasing 
strategies and serve as an interim baseline for impact monitoring to 
compare against future research in these areas. Without this data, BOEM 
will not have sufficient information to make informed leasing and 
development decisions for these areas.
    Survey Instrument: The research will be collected from a survey 
administered to each head of household in the communities to collect 
information about the subsistence (harvest data) and sharing networks 
of the communities. The information under this collection will be 
obtained through personal interviews that are voluntary.
    Interview Methods: The interviews for each study will be conducted 
in person in a setting most comfortable for the respondents. This 
personal method is more expensive and time consuming for the 
researchers, but these drawbacks are outweighed by improvements in the 
quality of information obtained and the rapport established. Telephone 
interviews have not been successful in rural Alaska. Each respondent 
will be paid an honorarium for taking part in the study. Responses are 
voluntary and confidential.
    Frequency: One-time event for each study.
    Description of Respondents: Approximately 128 respondents from 
Alaska coastal communities.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Hour Burden: The currently 
approved annual reporting burden for this collection is 192 hours. We 
estimate each survey will take about 1.5 hours.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping Non-Hour Cost Burden: We have 
identified no non-hour cost burdens for this collection.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor a collection of 
information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number. 
Until OMB approves a collection of information, you are not obligated 
to respond.
    Comments: We invite comments on: (1) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the agency to perform its 
duties, including whether the information is useful; (2) the accuracy 
of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (3) ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (4) ways to minimize the burden 
on the respondents, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    We will summarize written responses to this notice and address them 
in our submission for OMB approval. As a result of your comments, we 
will make any necessary adjustments to the burden in our submission to 
OMB.
    Public Availability of Comments: Before including your address, 
phone number, email address, or other personal identifying information 
in your comment, you should be aware that your entire comment--
including your personal identifying information--may be made publicly 
available at any time. While you can ask us in your comment to withhold 
your personal identifying information from public review, we cannot 
guarantee that we will be able to do so.

    Dated: August 16, 2012.
Deanna Meyer-Pietruszka,
Chief, Office of Policy, Regulations, and Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2012-20590 Filed 8-21-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310-MR-P
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