60938 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 199 / Friday, October 13, 2000 / Notices

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

AGENCY

[FRL–6884–6]

Agency Information Collection

Activities: Proposed Collection;

Comment Request; Assessing Public

Opinions on Visibility Impairment Due

to Air Pollution

AGENCY: Environmental Protection

Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

SUMMARY: In compliance with the

Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C.

3501 et seq.), this document announces

that EPA is planning to submit the

following proposed Information

Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of

Management and Budget (OMB):

Assessing Public Opinions on Visibility

Impairment due to Air Pollution (ICR

number 1970.01). Before submitting the

ICR to OMB for review and approval,

EPA is soliciting comments on specific

aspects of the proposed information

collection as described below.

DATES: Comments should be submitted

on or before December 12, 2000.

ADDRESSES: Comments should be

submitted to Mr. Rich Damberg, Office

of Air Quality Planning and Standards,

Mail Code 15, U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency, Research Triangle

Park NC 27711, email

damberg.rich@epa.gov, phone 919–541–

5592, fax 919–541–7690.

Availability of Related Information

A summary of the focus group process

and the proposed questions can be

obtained without charge by contacting

Rich Damberg at the address or

telephone number listed above. Be sure

to include name, address, telephone

number, e-mail if available, and delivery

preference (mail or e-mail delivery).

Electronic Availability

The summary and proposed questions

can also be obtained online at the

Agency’s Office of Air Quality Planning

and Standards (OAQPS) Technology

Transfer Network (TTN) under the

technical area of ‘‘Office of Air and

Radiation Policy and Guidance (OAR

P&G), and under the heading of

‘‘General Documents’’ at the following

web site: http://www.epa.gov/ttn/oarpg/

gener.html. If assistance is needed in

accessing the system, call the help desk

at (919) 541–5384 in Research Triangle

Park, NC.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr.

Rich Damberg at (919) 541–5592.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Affected Entities: Entities potentially

affected by this action are individuals

who agree to participate in the focus

groups. Participation is voluntary and

subjects will be appropriately

compensated for their time and effort.

Recruiting will be done by Abt

Associates Inc., in a manner described

in the abstract below.

Title: Assessing Public Opinions on

Visibility Impairment Due to Air

Pollution (EPA ICR number 1970.01).

Abstract: The purpose of this project

is to obtain information regarding public

opinions on visibility impairment. The

findings will be used to inform the

review of the National Ambient Air

Quality Standards (NAAQS) for

Particulate Matter (PM). Secondary

NAAQS are established to protect

against adverse effects on public

welfare, and one of the welfare effects

associated with airborne PM is visibility

impairment. These focus groups will

provide one important tool for obtaining

information on people’s views on

discernability and acceptability of

differing levels of visibility impairment.

Photographic representations will be

prepared for each focus group city that

illustrate visibility at differing levels of

pollution, and will be used along with

the focus group discussion questions to

elicit comment on people’s views on

discernability and acceptability of

different levels of visibility. A

contractor, Abt Associates Inc., will

develop and implement the focus group

discussions, including coordination of

focus group facilitation. We plan to

recruit subjects from six or seven U.S.

metropolitan areas. Subjects will be

asked to participate in a focus group

discussion, which will last 2 or 21⁄2

hours. Approximately nine to twelve

subjects will be recruited for each focus

group session. Participation is

voluntary. Respondents will have to

expend time, effort, and possibly travel

expense to participate in the study. As

such, we will compensate subjects for

their time (and travel if necessary). 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 OMB control numbers for

EPA’s regulations are listed in 40 CFR

part 9 and 48 CFR chapter 15. We solicit

comment on the summary of the

proposed focus group project, and

specifically solicit comment on the

following issues:

(i) 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) 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) The quality, utility, and clarity of

the information to be collected; and

(iv) Minimization of 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.

Burden Statement: The total national

burden estimate for all parts of the

questionnaire process is 672 hours. The

burden estimates are based on

participation by 12 subjects in 14 focus

group discussions (2 different sessions

in each selected city). We estimate that

each subject will require, on average, 1

minute to refuse to participate during

the phone recruiting process, and up to

4 hours to participate in the focus group

(including possible travel time). Given

these assumptions, the total burden for

the survey in terms of participant time

(672 hours) valued at $13.18 (the

average hourly earnings for May 1999

according to the Bureau of Labor

Statistics) is estimated to be $8,857 prior

to the payment of the proposed

compensation. We stress again that

participation by subjects in the survey is

voluntary and that subjects will be

compensated for their time and effort.

Burden means the total time, effort, or

financial resources expended by persons

to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose

or provide information to or for a

Federal agency. This includes the time

needed to review instructions; develop,

acquire, install, and utilize technology

and systems for the purposes of

collecting, validating, and verifying

information, processing and

maintaining information, and disclosing

and providing information; adjust the

existing ways to comply with any

previously applicable instructions and

requirements; train personnel to be able

to respond to a collection of

information; search data sources;

complete and review the collection of

information; and transmit or otherwise

disclose the information.

Dated: October 2, 2000.

Henry C. Thomas,

Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning

and Standards.

[FR Doc. 00–26352 Filed 10–12–00; 8:45 am]

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