[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 67 (Friday, April 6, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 18239-18241]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-8493]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-6963-5]


Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection; 
Comment Request; ``Stakeholder Preferences Regarding Environmental 
Quality, Quality of Life, and Economic Development in Survey of Cape 
May County, New Jersey''

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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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):

[[Page 18240]]

Stakeholder Preferences Regarding Environmental Quality, Quality of 
Life, and Economic Development in Survey of Cape May County, New 
Jersey, EPA ICR No. 2019.01. 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 must be submitted on or before June 5, 2001.

ADDRESSES: The surveys as they will be received by respondents may be 
obtained without charge by mailing or e-mailing a request to Dr. Ann 
Fisher, Pennsylvania State University, AERS, 107 Armsby Building, 
University Park, PA 16802, email: [email protected]; phone: (814) 865-
3143. Be sure to include your name, address, telephone number, e-mail 
if available, and delivery preference (diskette by mail, or e-mail 
delivery).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dr. Janet L. Gamble, U.S. 
Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 8601D, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave 
NW., Washington, DC 20460; e-mail: [email protected]; phone: (202) 
564-3387; FAX: (202) 565-0075.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
    Affected Entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are 
individuals who agree to participate in the survey. Participation is 
voluntary. Recruiting will be done by telephone using random-digit 
dialing to select households and businesses in Cape May County, NJ in a 
manner described by the abstract below.
    Title: Stakeholder Preferences Regarding Environmental Quality, 
Quality of Life, and Economic Development in Survey of Cape May County, 
New Jersey (EPA ICR No. 2019.01).
    Abstract: The Pennsylvania State University (PSU) in cooperation 
with the Global Change Research Program (GCRP) in the Office of 
Research and Development (ORD) of the U.S. Environmental Protection 
Agency (EPA) is proposing to conduct a survey of individual residents 
and business managers in Cape May County, New Jersey. The survey will 
solicit Cape May County (NJ) residents' perceptions about their quality 
of life, how they prioritize risks to their quality of life, and their 
judgments about trade-offs among alternative actions that would reduce 
vulnerability to these risks. The focus will be on risks related to 
changes in land-use practices such as development of open land, and 
risks related to the potential for storm damages that could accompany 
sea-level rise or climate change. The survey approach also will solicit 
business managers' perceptions of direct and indirect risks from 
flooding.
    This data collection is motivated by the Mid-Atlantic Regional 
Assessment of the Potential Consequences of Climate Variability and 
Change (MARA), that showed that many potential impacts from climate 
change will exacerbate existing environmental stresses, particularly 
those from economic development and sea level rise. Yet little is known 
about how individuals and their communities are willing to make trade-
offs between protection of nearby ecosystems and local economic 
development. This is particularly important in coastal communities 
where a major component of many livelihoods stems from tourism based on 
ecological features such as migratory bird habitat. Paradoxically, 
development decisions to accommodate more tourists could decrease the 
habitat for the ecosystems that attract tourists. This could be 
compounded by failing to account for climate change and for the sea-
level rise that is occurring as Mid-Atlantic coastal areas subside; 
sea-level rise and climate change could affect both ecosystem habitat 
as well as developed areas. Decisions by individual citizens, 
businesses, developers, local planners, and environmental protection 
agencies could be improved by having information about the relative 
importance of a range of quality-of-life characteristics, including 
habitat and infrastructure protection, when compared with economic 
development. Because Cape May County has many of these features, it is 
an appropriate test case for identifying preferences about such trade-
offs.
    The data is being collected by Penn State University in 
collaboration with EPA/ORD Global Change Research Program, under 
Cooperative Agreement No. R-82840701-0. This survey is not associated 
with any rule-making process within the Federal government. Instead, 
Penn State will use this research to demonstrate the potential 
usefulness of such an approach for localities that want more 
information about tradeoffs related to development decisions. For Cape 
May County, the data will be used to assess the relative importance of 
quality-of-life characteristics and citizens' willingness to make 
trade-offs among actions to improve the levels and resiliency of those 
characteristics. The results will be useful most directly for (and are 
expected to be used by) the residents of Cape May County. The 
development, pretesting and revision, implementation, and analysis of 
the data will demonstrate the usefulness of the questionnaire for 
implementation by other communities facing similar issues.
    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.
    The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
    (i) Evaluate 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) Evaluate 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) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information 
to be collected; and
    (iv) Minimize 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 (completely voluntary) survey will have two 
phases. Phase I will be a 10-minute phone survey, with a component 
tailored to each of two target groups. Identified through random-digit 
dialing (RDD), permanent residents and those who visit for a month or 
more each year (N = 1225) will be asked to rate quality-of-life 
characteristics, make straight-forward judgments about future 
development and storm threats, and respond to standard socio-
demographic questions. The other target group is a sample (N = 300) of 
local businesses that will be asked about damages they might experience 
if a flood occurred, as well as actions they have taken or plan to take 
to reduce their vulnerability. Data from the business survey will 
provide context for interpreting the citizen survey. Phase II will be a 
(20-minute) mail follow-up to the phone survey, sent to residents who 
express interest in providing judgments comparing combinations of 
quality-of-life characteristics (N = 600). Its data will provide more 
depth for the research analysis and for reporting back to Cape May 
County. The total number of respondents is 2125. The only cost to 
respondents will be their time, for a total of 454.17 hours. The burden 
estimates are based on administration of

[[Page 18241]]

2125 questionnaires. The total respondent cost estimate is $9,610.24.
    Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, 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: March 29, 2001.
Arthur F. Payne,
Acting Director, National Center for Environmental Assessment.
[FR Doc. 01-8493 Filed 4-5-01; 8:45 am]
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