53398 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 166 / Friday, August 26, 2011 / Notices 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technical collection techniques or other 

forms of information technology, e.g., 

permitting electronic submission of 

responses. 

Dated: August 8, 2011. 

Edward Knipling, 

Administrator, ARS. 

[FR Doc. 2011–21847 Filed 8–25–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–03–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Economic Research Service 

Notice of Intent To Request New 

Information Collection 

AGENCY: Economic Research Service, 

USDA. 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: In accordance with the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this 

notice invites the general public and 

other public agencies to send comments 

regarding any aspect of this proposed 

information collection. This is a new 

collection for the Rural Establishment 

Innovation Survey. 

DATES: Written comments on this notice 

must be received on or before October 

25, 2011 to be assured of consideration. 

ADDRESSES: Address all comments 

concerning this notice to Tim Wojan, 

Resource and Rural Economics Division, 

Economic Research Service, U.S. 

Department of Agriculture, 1800 M St., 

NW., Room N4110, Washington, DC 

20036–5801. Comments may also be 

submitted via fax to the attention of Tim 

Wojan at 202–694–5756 or via e-mail to 

twojan@ers.usda.gov. Comments will 

also be accepted through the Federal 

eRulemaking Portal. Go to http:// 

www.regulations.gov, and follow the 

online instructions for submitting 

comments electronically. 

All written comments will be open for 

public inspection at the office of the 

Economic Research Service during 

regular business hours (8:30 a.m. to 5 

p.m., Monday through Friday) at 1800 

M St., NW., Room N4110, Washington, 

DC 20036–5801. 

All responses to this notice will be 

summarized and included in the request 

for Office of Management and Budget 

approval. All comments and replies will 

be a matter of public record. Comments 

are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed 

collection of information is necessary 

for the proper performance of the 

functions of the agency, including 

whether the information shall have 

practical utility; (b) 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; (c) 

ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information to be 

collected; and (d) ways to minimize the 

burden of the collection of information 

on those who are to respond, including 

use of appropriate automated, 

electronic, mechanical, or other 

technological collection techniques or 

other forms of information technology. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For 

further information contact Tim Wojan 

at the address in the preamble. Tel. 202– 

694–5419. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Title: Rural Establishment Innovation 

Survey. 

OMB Number: 0536–XXXX. 

Expiration Date: Three years from the 

date of approval. 

Type of Request: New collection. 

Abstract: This survey of business 

establishments, funded through USDA’s 

Rural Development Mission Area, will 

be conducted over a 6-month period 

with up to 30,000 respondents to collect 

information on rural tradable business 

sectors such as manufacturing and 

professional services. This information 

will contribute to a better understanding 

of how rural businesses and their 

communities are dealing with the 

increasing competitive pressures and 

opportunities associated with the spread 

of new information technologies 

through our economy and the business 

and community characteristics 

associated with effective response to 

these pressures and opportunities. This 

information is critical to the Rural 

Development Mission Area’s aim of 

creating jobs, developing new markets 

and increasing competitiveness for rural 

businesses and communities. 

The information to be collected by the 

Rural Establishment Innovation Survey 

is necessary to understand: (1) The 

adoption of innovative practices and 

their contribution to firm productivity; 

(2) the availability and use of local and 

regional assets (such as workforce 

education, local financial institutions, 

strong local business and other 

economic associations, and 

transportation infrastructure) and the 

association of these assets with 

successful adjustment; and (3) the 

extent and importance of participation 

in Federal, State and local programs 

designed to promote rural business 

vitality and growth. This need is made 

more urgent by increased international 

competition in goods and some service 

markets, particularly from low labor 

cost countries. The traditional cost 

advantage of domestic rural 

establishments has been significantly 

eroded by these developments, 

requiring emphasis on new products, 

new processes, new marketing channels 

and improved customer service. A 

thorough understanding of the viability 

of the rural business sector requires 

collecting information on the capability 

for innovation. 

As the first collection of information 

devoted specifically to innovation in 

rural business establishments, the 

proposed survey will complement other 

Federal efforts in gauging innovative 

activity in the private sector. 

Information on formal research and 

development (R&D) activities is 

collected by the National Science 

Foundation using the Business R&D and 

Innovation Survey. While some of this 

formal research and development 

activity takes place in nonmetropolitan 

counties, it is anticipated that the great 

majority of rural innovation occurs less 

through the creation of new patentable 

products than through the adoption of 

new practices and niche marketing. The 

emphasis of the proposed collection 

will be on understanding the process of 

innovation in business establishments 

as opposed to measuring R&D inputs. 

Another difference between this and 

other Federal surveys on innovative 

activity will be the focus on constraints 

to innovation stemming from 

nonmetropolitan locations. Information 

on the availability of skilled workers 

and the ability to recruit managers and 

professionals will inform possible 

human capital impediments to 

innovation. Information on access to 

credit needed for business formation 

and development will allow for 

assessing financing impediments to 

innovation. Information on the 

availability of broadband Internet 

service and how this capability affects 

business strategy will allow assessing 

infrastructure impediments to 

innovation. Information on interaction 

with suppliers, customers, competitors, 

business associations and other local 

institutions providing real services to 

the establishment will inform the 

importance of regional clusters to 

innovation. 

The survey will collect data from 

about 30,000 business establishments in 

tradable sectors that will include 

mining, manufacturing, wholesale trade, 

transportation and warehousing, 

information, finance and insurance, 

professional/scientific/technical 

services, arts, and management of 

businesses. Only businesses with 5 or 

more employees will be included in the 

sample. While the focus of the survey 

will be on establishments in 

nonmetropolitan counties, 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 166 / Friday, August 26, 2011 / Notices 53399 

establishments from metropolitan 

counties will be sampled in adequate 

numbers to allow comparative analysis. 

Businesses will be selected at random 

from strata defined by establishment 

size categories, industry and 

metropolitan or nonmetropolitan status 

of the county. The sample will be 

selected from the business 

establishment list maintained by state 

employment security departments 

where state approval is granted, and 

from a proprietary business 

establishment list frame for those states 

where approval is not granted. The 

much more comprehensive coverage of 

new and small establishments available 

in state administrative data provides a 

compelling argument for this hybrid 

sample frame approach, as these 

establishments are critical to examining 

processes of entrepreneurship and 

innovation. 

The interview protocol will include a 

screening interview to identify the most 

knowledgeable person in the 

establishment to respond to questions 

regarding innovative activities of the 

entity. Screening greatly improves the 

quality and effectiveness of the contact 

information. The most appropriate 

phone number, e-mail address and 

mailing address will be collected at this 

time to allow efficient distribution of a 

multi-modal survey instrument to the 

most appropriate respondent for the 

business. Respondents will have the 

flexibility to respond to a Web 

questionnaire, a mail questionnaire, or a 

telephone survey based on their 

personal preference. This protocol will 

reduce respondent burden by using the 

survey mode which is most efficient for 

a given respondent. Past research has 

demonstrated that multi-modal surveys 

also increase survey response rates. A 

limited number of control surveys will 

be used to assess any mode bias. 

Social exchange theory will also be 

invoked as this is seen as integral to the 

tailored design methodology (Dillman et 

al., 2009) that will be employed in this 

study to increase response rate. In 

addition to offering mixed survey 

modes, the design will integrate 

multiple and mutually supportive ways 

to appeal to the diversity of respondents 

in this business population. The 

following are some examples of these 

design elements: 

• The survey request will be 

distinguishable from other surveys and 

will emphasize how the information 

will be used and describe the benefits 

back to the population for responding to 

the survey. 

• Survey appeals in contacts will 

show positive regard and call on the 

norms of social responsibility by asking 

for respondents’ help and advice, as 

some respondents feel rewarded when 

they know they have helped others. 

• Survey contacts will be personally 

addressed, toll free numbers will be 

provided for answering questions and 

providing help. Confidentiality of 

responses will be ensured and 

respondents will know how to contact 

the surveyor if they have questions on 

security or other issues. 

• All contacts will be personalized 

and will emphasize why the study is 

important and express appreciation for 

respondents’ help. They will be 

formally thanked for promptly 

completing questionnaires. 

• Small tangible token rewards 

provided in advance and at the time of 

the survey request will be further tested 

with small businesses to encourage 

response. Previous survey research has 

shown that small cash token incentives 

provided with the survey significantly 

increase response rates and do much 

better than promised rewards or 

nonmonetary rewards. 

A key component of tailored survey 

design is considering and balancing 

how features of questions, 

questionnaires, mailings, interviewing, 

and the context of the survey will 

influence trust, cost, and rewards 

associated with the survey 

circumstances and respondents. 

All study instruments will be kept as 

simple and respondent-friendly as 

possible. Responses are voluntary and 

confidential. Responses will be used to 

produce statistics and for no other 

purpose. Data files from the survey will 

not be released to the public. 

Affected Public: Respondents include 

business establishments with at least 5 

employees in both nonmetropolitan and 

metropolitan counties. 

Estimated Number of Respondents 

The survey is cross-sectional and will 

be completed at one point in time. The 

survey will have a complex mixed 

survey administration to include 

telephone screening, pre-notification 

letter with Web access, multi-contact 

telephone interviewing, follow-up 

nonrespondent mail questionnaires, and 

simultaneous Web questionnaires 

offered during all contacts. Completion 

time for each questionnaire, based on 

comparisons with similar mixed modes 

is estimated at 30 minutes per 

completion, including time for reading 

correspondence, returning an eligibility 

postcard or responding to a screening 

call, reviewing instructions, gathering 

data needed, and responding to 

questionnaire items. It is also expected 

that those choosing not to participate 

will require 10 minutes to review the 

materials and decide not to participate. 

Full Study: The initial sample size for 

the full study is 30,000 businesses. The 

expected overall response rate is 80 

percent for firms in the main study. The 

total estimated response burden for all 

of those participating in the study is 

12,000 hours (30,000 respondents × 80 

percent response rate × 0.50 hours) and 

for the non-responding business is 1,000 

hours (6,000 respondents × 10 minutes). 

Pilot Study: A pilot test of the survey 

will be done in advance of the full study 

survey. The purpose of the pilot is to 

evaluate the survey protocol, and test 

instruments and questionnaires. The 

initial sample size for this phase of the 

research is 4,000 businesses. The 

expected response rate is 80% of firms. 

The total estimated response burden for 

the pilot testing is 1,600 hours (4,000 

respondents × 80 percent × 0.5 hours). 

Non-responding businesses will 

experience 133 hours of burden (800 

respondents × 10 minutes). Total 

respondent burden is estimated at 

14,733 hours (see table below). 

Testing will be limited to a maximum 

of 9 businesses which will be consulted 

on the questionnaire and asked to 

complete the questionnaire in a 

cognitive interview test. 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICES
53400 Federal Register / Vol. 76, No. 166 / Friday, August 26, 2011 / Notices 

Dated: July 14, 2011. 

Katherine R. Smith, 

Administrator, Economic Research Service. 

[FR Doc. 2011–21848 Filed 8–25–11; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 3410–18–P 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

Forest Service 

Black Hills National Forest, SD; 

Thunder Basin National Grassland, 

WY; Teckla-Osage-Rapid City 

Transmission 230 kV Project 

AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA. 

ACTION: Notice of intent to prepare an 

environmental impact statement. 

SUMMARY: The Forest Service will 

prepare an environmental impact 

statement (EIS) on a proposal by Black 

Hills Power (BHP) to construct and 

operate a 230 kilovolt (kV) transmission 

line between the Teckla and Osage 

Substations in northeastern Wyoming to 

the Lange Substation in Rapid City, 

South Dakota. The Bureau of Land 

Management (BLM) will be a 

cooperating agency on this EIS. The 

Teckla-Osage-Rapid City Transmission 

230 kV Project would be approximately 

150 miles long. It would cross portions 

of the Black Hills National Forest and 

private lands in South Dakota and 

portions of the Thunder Basin National 

Grasslands, private lands, BLM lands, 

and state lands in Wyoming. The line 

would be constructed on wood or steel 

H-frame structures for most of its length 

with possibly some steel monopole 

structures in the Rapid City area. The 

structures would be 65 to75 feet tall and 

the line would require a right-of-way 

approximately 125 feet wide. 

DATES: Comments concerning the scope 

of the analysis would be most useful if 

received by 30 days following the date 

of this notice. The draft environmental 

impact statement is expected to be 

available for public review by November 

2012 and the final environmental 

impact statement is expected to be 

completed by June 2013. 

ADDRESSES: Send written comments to 

Dave Slepnikoff, Project Manager, Black 

Hills National Forest, 8221 South 

Highway 16, Rapid City, South Dakota 

57702; or Geri Proctor, Thunder Basin 

National Grasslands, 2250 East Richards 

Street, Douglas, WY 82633–8922. Send 

comments via e-mail to commentsrocky-mountain-black-hillsmystic@fs.fed.us with ‘‘Teckla–Osage– 

Rapid City Transmission Project’’ as the 

subject. Electronic comments must be 

readable in Word, Rich Text or PDF 

formats. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Those with questions or needing 

additional information should contact 

Dave Slepnikoff, Team Leader and 

Project Manager, at the Mystic Ranger 

District office in Rapid City at (605) 

343–1567, or Geri Proctor at the 

Thunder Basin National Grasslands in 

Douglas, WY at (307) 358–4690. 

Individuals who use telecommunication 

devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the 

Federal Information Relay Service 

(FIRS) at 1–800–877–8339 between 8 

a.m. and 8 p.m., Eastern Time, Monday 

through Friday. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 

actions proposed are in direct response 

to an application submitted to the Black 

Hills National Forest and Thunder Basin 

National Grassland by Black Hills Power 

(BHP) to construct and operate a 230 

kilovolt (kV) transmission line between 

the Teckla and Osage Substations in 

northeast Wyoming and the Lange 

Substation in Rapid City, South Dakota. 

The project area covers parts of 

Campbell and Weston Counties in 

Wyoming, and Pennington, Meade, and 

Lawrence Counties in South Dakota. 

Purpose and Need for Action 

The purpose of the Teckla-OsageRapid City Transmission Project is to: 

• Strengthen the regional 

transmission network. 

• Improve the reliability of the 

transmission system. 

• Provide additional transmission 

capacity to help meet the growing 

demand for electricity and economic 

development in the region. 

Proposed Action 

The proposed action is to construct 

the Teckla-Osage-Rapid City 230 kV 

transmission line as described below: 

• Approximately 135 miles of 

transmission line. 

• Require a 125 foot right-of-way. 

• Construction of wood or steel Hframe structures 65–75 feet in height. 

This proposal also includes specific 

actions needed for interim and final 

reclamation. 

Lead and Cooperating Agencies 

The Bureau of Land Management will 

be a cooperating agency on this EIS. 

Responsible Officials 

Craig Bobzien, Forest Supervisor, 

Black Hills National Forest, 1019 N. 5th 

Street, Custer, SD 57730; and Richard A. 

Cooksey, Deputy Forest Supervisor, 

Medicine Bow—Routt National Forest 

and Thunder Basin National Grassland, 

2250 East Richards Street, Douglas, WY 

82633–8922. 

Nature of Decision To Be Made 

The Forest Supervisors will decide 

whether the proposed action will 

proceed as proposed or as modified by 

an alternative; which recommended 

mitigation measures and monitoring 

requirements will be applied; and 

whether a Forest Plan Amendment is 

required. 

Preliminary Issues 

Anticipated issues include effects of 

the project on plants and wildlife 

including sensitive species such as sage 

grouse, goshawks, and other raptors; 

archaeological sites; hydrology and 

water quality; and scenic integrity and 

visual resources. 

Scoping Process 

This notice of intent initiates the 

scoping process, which guides the 

development of the environmental 

impact statement. Comments and input 

regarding the proposal will be received 

via direct mailing from the public, other 

groups, and agencies during the initial 

public comment period through October 

28, 2011. Public meetings are scheduled 

for September 13, 2011 between 4–7 pm 

at the Hell Canyon Ranger District 

Office, 1225 Washington Boulevard in 

Newcastle, WY; and September 20, 2011 

between 6–8 pm at the Mystic Ranger 

District office, 8221 South Highway 16 


emcdonald on DSK2BSOYB1PROD with NOTICESEN26AU11.014</GPH>