[Federal Register Volume 62, Number 140 (Tuesday, July 22, 1997)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39299-39300]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 97-19153]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Highway Administration
[FHWA Docket No. 97-2587]


Notice of Request for Clearance of a New Information Collection

AGENCY: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the requirement in section 3506(c)(2)(A) of 
the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, this notice announces the 
intention of the FHWA to request the Office of Management and Budget 
(OMB) to

[[Page 39300]]

approve a new information collection to document the extent of coverage 
of the Local Technical Assistance Program in its provision of training, 
technology transfer and technical assistance to local and tribal 
government transportation providers, and to provide a baseline from 
which to measure the Program's progress in expanding that coverage 
between now and 2002.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 22, 1997.

ADDRESSES: All signed, written comments should refer to the docket 
number that appears in the heading of this document and must be 
submitted to the Docket Clerk, U.S. DOT Dockets, Room PL-401, 400 
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590-0001. All comments received 
will be available for examination at the above address between 10:00 
a.m. to 5:00 p.m., e.t., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. Those desiring notification of receipt of comments must 
include a self-addressed, stamped postcard/envelope.
    Interested parties are invited to send comments regarding any 
aspect of this information collection, including, but not limited to: 
(1) the necessity and utility of the information collection for the 
proper performance of the functions of the FHWA; (2) the accuracy of 
the estimated burden; (3) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the collected information; and (4) ways to minimize the 
collection burden without reducing the quality of the collected 
information. Comments submitted in response to this notice will be 
summarized and/or included in the request for OMB clearance of this 
information collection.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Anna K. Bennett, LTAP Project 
Manager, (415) 744-2616, Federal Highway Administration, Region 9, 201 
Mission Street, Suite 2100, San Francisco, CA 94105. Office hours are 
from 7:45 a.m. to 4:15 p.m., p.t., Monday through Friday, except 
Federal holidays.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

    Title: Local Technical Assistance Program Extent of Coverage.
    OMB Number:

Background

    The Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) has established a 
network of 57 technology transfer centers at universities and state 
highway agencies for the purpose of improving the skills and knowledge 
of local and tribal transportation providers through training, 
technical assistance and technology transfer. The LTAP Strategic Plan, 
adopted in 1997, calls for increasing usage of the program to 75% of 
local and tribal governments by 2002. Information is needed to document 
(with +/-3% error at 95% confidence) the extent to which local and 
tribal transportation agencies are aware of and utilize the services 
provided by their LTAP Centers. The information will establish the 
baseline from which progress towards the goal of increasing coverage to 
75 percent of all local and tribal transportation agencies will be 
measured.
    The information will be collected in a telephone interview. 
Professional telephone interviewers will be engaged to administer a 
brief, standardized questionnaire that will ask respondents if they or 
other employees of their organization are aware of the existence of 
their local or tribal LTAP Center, have read its newsletter, attended 
training sessions or utilized other technology transfer services 
provided by the Center within the past two years.
    Information will be collected from a simple random sample of all 
local and tribal governments in the U.S. The sample size will be 
approximately 1,100. The results of the survey will be retained by the 
Office of Technology Applications for comparison with the results of a 
subsequent collection in 2002. The results of the survey will also be 
presented in a report for dissemination to LTAP partners, including 
national associations, state departments of transportation, LTAP 
centers, and local and tribal governments.
    Respondents: Employees of local and tribal government 
transportation providers.
    Average Burden Per Response: 12 minutes to listen and respond to 
survey questions by telephone.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden: 220 hours.
    Frequency: This is a one-time collection.

    Authority: 23 U.S.C. Section 307 and 49 CFR 1.48.

    Issued: June 19, 1997.
George Moore,
Associate Administrator for Administration.
[FR Doc. 97-19153 Filed 7-21-97; 8:45 am]
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