[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 178 (Tuesday, September 15, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Page 49367]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-24647]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service
60 Day Notice of Intent To Request Clearance for Collection of
Information; Opportunity for Public Comment
AGENCY: Big Thicket National Preserve, National Park Service,
Department of the Interior.
ACTION: Notice and request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The National Park Service proposes to conduct visitor surveys
to assess the social and visual impacts of oil and gas activities
within Big Thicket National Preserve (Preserve). The overall project
goals are: (1) to provide critical decision-making information that is
currently fragmented and/or loosely organized for the purposes of
evaluating impacts of oil and gas exploration and development on
federal lands throughout the United States, and particularly within the
Preserve; (2) to identify the critical variables and their relative
importance in affecting standards of performance for oil and gas
activities within the Preserve; (3) to illustrate how social and visual
impacts can be assessed and incorporated into management decisions
under alternative operational procedures affecting oil and gas
activities within the Preserve; and (4) to adapt standard methodologies
for assessing user perceptions, visitor behavior, and landscape
attributes (including policy capture evaluations) that can be
incorporated in environmental impact statements addressing oil and gas
operations on federal lands. Such information would be incorporated in
the forthcoming Draft Oil and Gas Management Plan/Environmental Impact
Statement for the Preserve.
Under provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 5 CFR
Part 1320, Reporting and Record Keeping Requirements, the National Park
Service (NPS) is soliciting comments on the need for gathering
information in the proposed surveys. The NPS further requests comments
on the practical utility of the information being gathered; the
accuracy of the burden hour estimate; ways to enhance the quality,
utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to
minimize the burden to respondents, including use of automated
information collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
DATES: Public comments will be accepted on or before November 16, 1998.
SEND COMMENTS TO: Rick Strahan, Division of Resources Management, Big
Thicket National Preserve, 3785 Milam Street, Beaumont, Texas 77701;
phone: 409/839-2689, ext. 224; fax: 409/839-2599.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Strahan, phone: 409/839-2689,
ext. 224; fax: 409/839-2599; e-mail: [email protected]
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Big Thicket National Preserve Visitor Trip Fact Sheet.
Bureau Form Number: None.
OMB Number: To be requested.
Expiration Date: To be requested.
Type of request: Request for new clearance.
Description of need: The National Park Service needs information
regarding changes in visual perception and social acceptance as
alternative activities associated with oil and gas operations are
considered. Such information would be incorporated in the forthcoming
Draft Oil and Gas Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for
the Preserve.
Automated data collection: Surveys will be both mailed to
respondents and administered at selected areas by NPS personnel and
Michigan State University faculty and students trained in survey
administration. Collection of data in the field will occur during peak
visitation periods (June-August) and off-peak visitation periods
(September-December). Automated collection of data is limited to survey
by mail.
Description of respondents: To achieve a statistically valid
survey, surveys must be completed and received from approximately 491
trail users, 334 boaters, and 525 hunters who use the Preserve.
Estimated average number of respondents: 1350.
Estimated average number of responses: Each respondent will respond
only once, therefore the number of responses will be the same as the
number of respondents.
Estimated average burden hour per response: 20 minutes.
Frequency of Response: one time per respondent.
Estimated annual reporting burden: 450 hours.
Betsy Chittenden,
Acting Information Collection Clearance Officer, WASO Administrative
Program Center, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 98-24647 Filed 9-14-98; 8:45 am]
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