96950 Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 235 / Friday, December 6, 2024 / Notices 

Title of Collection: Servicemembers 

Civil Relief Act (SCRA): Interest Rate 

Limitation Request. 

OMB Control Number: 1845–0135. 

Type of Review: An extension without 

change of a currently approved ICR. 

Respondents/Affected Public: 

Individuals and Households. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Responses: 200. 

Total Estimated Number of Annual 

Burden Hours: 67. 

Abstract: The Servicemembers Civil 

Relief Act (SCRA) provides that those 

on active-duty military service are 

entitled to have an interest rate in 

excess of 6% be capped at 6% for the 

duration of their qualifying military 

service. The Department is requesting 

an extension of the currently approved 

information collection. These Federal 

Family Education Loan (FFEL) Program 

and Direct Loan Program regulations 

have not changed. The regulations 

require a loan holder to match its 

database against the Department of 

Defense’s Defense Manpower Data 

Center (DMDC) and automatically apply 

the interest rate limitation, as 

appropriate, to borrowers under the 

Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The 

form in this collection would only be 

used in limited cases where the 

borrower is not found in the Defense 

Manpower Data Center, or does not have 

a copy of military orders, but still 

wishes to receive benefits under the 

SCRA. 

Dated: December 3, 2024. 

Kun Mullan, 

PRA Coordinator, Strategic Collections and 

Clearance, Governance and Strategy Division, 

Office of Chief Data Officer, Office of 

Planning, Evaluation and Policy 

Development. 

[FR Doc. 2024–28574 Filed 12–5–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 4000–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Energy Information Administration 

Agency Information Collection 

Proposed Extension 

AGENCY: U.S. Energy Information 

Administration (EIA), Department of 

Energy (DOE). 

ACTION: Notice and request for 

comments. 

SUMMARY: EIA invites public comment 

on the proposed three-year extension, 

with changes, to the Generic Clearance 

for Questionnaire Testing, Evaluation, 

and Research, as required under the 

Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. EIA– 

882T, Generic Clearance for 

Questionnaire Testing, Evaluation, and 

Research, provides EIA with the 

authority to utilize qualitative and 

quantitative methodologies to pretest 

questionnaires and validate the quality 

of data collected on EIA’s surveys. EIA 

uses EIA–882T to meet its obligation to 

publish, and otherwise make available 

independent, high-quality statistical 

data to federal government agencies, 

state and local governments, the energy 

industry, researchers, and the general 

public. 

DATES: EIA must receive all comments 

on this proposed information collection 

no later than February 4, 2025. If you 

anticipate any difficulties in submitting 

your comments by the deadline, contact 

the person listed in the ADDRESSES

section of this notice as soon as 

possible. 

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, 

identified by OMB control number 

1905–0186, by email at EIAFRNcomments@eia.gov. Include the 

OMB control number listed in the 

subject line of the message. 

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: 

Kenneth Pick, EIA Clearance Officer, at 

(202) 586–5562. 

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This 

information collection request contains: 

(1) OMB No.: 1905–0186; 

(2) Information Collection Request 

Title: Generic Clearance for 

Questionnaire Testing, Evaluation, and 

Research; 

(3) Type of Request: Three-year 

extension with changes; 

(4) Purpose: The U.S. Energy 

Information Administration (EIA) is 

requesting a three-year approval from 

the Office of Management and Budget 

(OMB) to utilize qualitative and 

quantitative methodologies to pretest 

questionnaires and validate the quality 

of the data that are collected on EIA and 

DOE survey forms. Through the use of 

these methodologies, EIA will conduct 

research studies to improve the quality 

of energy data being collected, reduce or 

minimize survey respondent burden, 

and increase agency efficiency. This 

authority would also allow EIA to 

improve data collection in order to meet 

the needs of EIA’s customers while also 

staying current in the evolving nature of 

the energy industry. 

The specific methods EIA will 

continue to use for the coverage by this 

clearance are described below. 

Pilot Surveys. Pilot surveys conducted 

under this clearance will generally be 

methodological studies and will always 

employ statistically representative 

samples. The pilot surveys will replicate 

all components of the methodological 

design, sampling procedures (where 

possible), and questionnaires of the fullscale survey. Pilot surveys will normally 

be utilized when EIA undertakes a 

complete redesign of a particular data 

collection methodology or when EIA 

undertakes data collection in new 

energy areas of the energy sector where 

data collection would provide utility to 

EIA. 

Cognitive Interviews. Cognitive 

interviews are typically one-on-one 

interviews in which the respondent is 

usually asked to ‘‘think aloud’’ or is 

asked ‘‘retrospective questions’’ as they 

answer questions, reads survey 

materials, defines terminology, or 

completes other activities as part of a 

typical survey process. A number of 

different techniques may be involved 

including asking respondents what 

specific words or phrases mean or 

asking respondents probing questions to 

determine how they estimate, calculate, 

or determine specific data elements on 

a survey. The objectives of these 

cognitive interviews are to identify 

problems of ambiguity or 

misunderstanding, examine the process 

that respondents follow for reporting 

information, assess survey respondents’ 

ability to report new information, or 

identify other difficulties respondents 

have answering survey questions in 

order to reduce measurement error from 

estimates based on a survey. 

Respondent Debriefings. Respondent 

debriefings conducted under this 

clearance will generally be 

methodological or cognitive research 

studies. The debriefing form is 

administered after a respondent 

completes a questionnaire either in 

paper format, electronically, or through 

personal interviews. The debriefings 

contain probing questions to determine 

how respondents interpret the survey 

questions, how much time and effort 

was spent completing the questionnaire, 

and whether they have problems in 

completing the survey/questionnaire. 

Respondent debriefings also are useful 

in determining potential issues with 

data quality and in estimating 

respondent burden. 

Usability Testing. Usability tests are 

similar to cognitive interviews in which 

a respondent is typically asked to ‘‘think 

aloud’’ or asked ‘‘retrospective 

questions’’ as they review a survey 

questionnaire, related materials, or 

website. The objective of usability 

testing is to check that respondents can 

easily and intuitively navigate survey 

questionnaires, related materials, and 

websites to submit their data to EIA. 

Focus Groups. Focus groups are a 

qualitative method used early in 

questionnaire development to gather 


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Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 235 / Friday, December 6, 2024 / Notices 96951 

information about a topic that can later 

be used to write survey questions, such 

as specific terminology, definitions, 

sensitivity of topics, organizational 

processes, and burden associated with 

reporting. Information is collected by a 

moderator using a guided discussion 

with small groups of people (e.g., 8–10). 

Field Techniques. Field techniques 

described in survey research and survey 

methodology literature will be 

employed as appropriate. These include 

follow-up probing, memory cue tasks, 

paraphrasing, confidence rating, 

response latency measurements, free 

and dimensional sort classification 

tasks, and vignette classifications. The 

objective of all of these techniques is to 

aid in the development of surveys that 

work with respondents’ thought 

processes, thus reducing response error 

and burden. These techniques have also 

proven useful for studying and revising 

pre-existing questionnaires. 

Behavior Coding. Behavior coding is a 

quantitative technique in which a 

standard set of codes is systematically 

applied to respondent/interviewer 

interactions in interviewer-administered 

surveys or respondent/questionnaire 

interactions in self-administered 

surveys. 

Split Panel Test. Split panel tests refer 

to controlled experimental testing of 

alternative hypotheses. Thus, they allow 

one to choose from among competing 

questions, questionnaires, definitions, 

error messages or survey improvement 

methodologies with greater confidence 

than any of the other methods. Split 

panel tests conducted during the 

fielding of the survey are superior in 

that they can support both internal 

validity (controlled comparisons of the 

variable(s) under investigation) and 

external validity (represent the 

population under study). Most of the 

previously mentioned survey 

improvement methods can be 

strengthened when teamed with this 

method. 

(4a) Proposed Changes to Information 

Collection: 

EIA proposes to collect personally 

identifiable information (PII) only to the 

extent necessary to recruit participants 

for questionnaire testing, evaluation, 

and research. This PII would not be 

retained, with the exception of 

information needed to provide 

renumeration for participants of 

questionnaire testing, evaluation, and 

research and conduct associated data 

analysis. 

(5) Annual Estimated Number of 

Respondents: 7,500; 

(6) Annual Estimated Number of 

Total Responses: 7,500; 

(7) Annual Estimated Number of 

Burden Hours: 7,500; 

(8) Annual Estimated Reporting and 

Recordkeeping Cost Burden: $683,700 

(7,500 annual burden hours multiplied 

by $91.16 per hour). EIA estimates that 

respondents will have no additional 

costs associated with the surveys other 

than the burden hours and the 

maintenance of the information during 

the normal course of business. 

Comments are invited on whether or 

not: (a) The proposed collection of 

information is necessary for the proper 

performance of agency functions, 

including whether the information will 

have a practical utility; (b) EIA’s 

estimate of the burden of the proposed 

collection of information, including the 

validity of the methodology and 

assumptions used, is accurate; (c) EIA 

can improve the quality, utility, and 

clarity of the information it will collect; 

and (d) EIA can minimize the burden of 

the collection of information on 

respondents, such as automated 

collection techniques or other forms of 

information technology. 

Statutory Authority: 15 U.S.C. 772(b) 

and 42 U.S.C. 7101 et seq. 

Signed in Washington, DC, on December 3, 

2024. 

Samson A. Adeshiyan, 

Director, Office of Statistical Methods and 

Research, U.S. Energy Information 

Administration. 

[FR Doc. 2024–28585 Filed 12–5–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6450–01–P 

DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission 

Combined Notice of Filings 

Take notice that the Commission has 

received the following Natural Gas 

Pipeline Rate and Refund Report filings: 

Filings Instituting Proceedings 

Docket Numbers: RP25–251–000. 

Applicants: Equitrans, L.P. 

Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing: 

Negotiated Rate Capacity Release 

Agreemens—12/1/2024 to be effective 

12/1/2024. 

Filed Date: 12/2/24. 

Accession Number: 20241202–5022. 

Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 12/16/24. 

Docket Numbers: RP25–252–000. 

Applicants: Mountain Valley 

Pipeline, LLC. 

Description: § 4(d) Rate Filing: 

Negotiated Rate Capacity Release 

Agreements—12/1/2024 to be effective 

12/1/2024. 

Filed Date: 12/2/24. 

Accession Number: 20241202–5075. 

Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 12/16/24. 

Any person desiring to intervene, to 

protest, or to answer a complaint in any 

of the above proceedings must file in 

accordance with Rules 211, 214, or 206 

of the Commission’s Regulations (18 

CFR 385.211, 385.214, or 385.206) on or 

before 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on the 

specified comment date. Protests may be 

considered, but intervention is 

necessary to become a party to the 

proceeding. 

Filings in Existing Proceedings 

Docket Numbers: RP24–780–005. 

Applicants: Maritimes & Northeast 

Pipeline, L.L.C. 

Description: Compliance filing: 

Maritimes & Northeast Pipeline, L.L.C. 

Rate Case Compliance Filing RP24–780 

to be effective 12/1/2024. 

Filed Date: 11/29/24. 

Accession Number: 20241129–5038. 

Comment Date: 5 p.m. ET 12/11/24. 

Any person desiring to protest in any 

the above proceedings must file in 

accordance with Rule 211 of the 

Commission’s Regulations (18 CFR 

385.211) on or before 5:00 p.m. Eastern 

time on the specified comment date. 

The filings are accessible in the 

Commission’s eLibrary system (https://

elibrary.ferc.gov/idmws/search/ 

fercgensearch.asp) by querying the 

docket number. 

eFiling is encouraged. More detailed 

information relating to filing 

requirements, interventions, protests, 

service, and qualifying facilities filings 

can be found at: https://www.ferc.gov/ 

docs-filing/efiling/filing-req.pdf. For 

other information, call (866) 208–3676 

(toll free). For TTY, call (202) 502–8659. 

The Commission’s Office of Public 

Participation (OPP) supports meaningful 

public engagement and participation in 

Commission proceedings. OPP can help 

members of the public, including 

landowners, environmental justice 

communities, Tribal members and 

others, access publicly available 

information and navigate Commission 

processes. For public inquiries and 

assistance with making filings such as 

interventions, comments, or requests for 

rehearing, the public is encouraged to 

contact OPP at (202) 502–6595 or OPP@

ferc.gov. 

Dated: December 2, 2024. 

Carlos D. Clay, 

Acting Deputy Secretary. 

[FR Doc. 2024–28573 Filed 12–5–24; 8:45 am] 

BILLING CODE 6717–01–P 


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