[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 61 (Friday, March 29, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15249-15251]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-7577]


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MORRIS K. UDALL SCHOLARSHIP AND EXCELLENCE IN NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL 
POLICY FOUNDATION


The United States Institute for Environmental Conflict 
Resolution; Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for 
OMB Review; Comment Request; Program Evaluation Instruments for Five of 
the Institute's Program Areas

AGENCY: Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National 
Environmental Policy Foundation, U.S. Institute for Environmental 
Conflict Resolution.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act and supporting 
regulations, this document announces that the U.S. Institute for 
Environmental Conflict Resolution (the Institute), part of the Morris 
K. Udall Foundation, has forwarded to the Office of Management and 
Budget (OMB) the following five Information Collection Requests (ICRs): 
(1) Program Evaluation Instruments--Environmental Conflict Resolution 
Services, (2) Program Evaluation Instruments--Conflict Assessment 
Services, (3) Program Evaluation Instruments--National Roster of 
Environmental Dispute Resolution and Consensus Building Professionals, 
(4) Program Evaluation Instruments--Environmental Conflict Resolution 
Training, (5) Program Evaluation Instruments--Meeting Facilitation. 
Each ICR describes the authority and need for program evaluation, the 
nature and use of the information to be collected, the expected burden 
and cost to respondents and the Institute, and how the evaluation 
results will be made available. The ICRs also contain the specific 
questionnaires that will be used to collect the information for each 
program area. Approval is being sought for each ICR separately, and 
information collection will begin for each program area once the 
respective ICR has been approved by OMB. The Institute published a 
Federal Register notice on December 26, 2001, at 66 FR 66455, to 
solicit public comments for a 60-day period. The Institute received 
three comments. The comments and the Institute's responses are included 
in the ICRs. The purpose of this notice is to allow an additional 30 
days for public comments regarding these ICRs.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 29, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Direct comments to: Office of Information and Regulatory 
Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Amy Farrell, 
Desk Officer for The Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in 
National Environmental Policy Foundation, U.S. Institute for 
Environmental Conflict Resolution. [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Technical details of the Institute's 
evolving program evaluation system are contained in a December 2001 
draft report entitled Applying Program Evaluation Methods at the U.S. 
Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution. Paper copies of this 
report can be obtained by contacting the Institute; an electronic copy 
can be downloaded from the Institute's Web site: www.ecr.gov/techdoc.htm. For further information or a copy of the ICR, contact: 
Dale Keyes, Senior Program Manager, U.S. Institute for Environmental 
Conflict Resolution, 110 South Church Avenue, Suite 3350, Tucson, 
Arizona 85701. Fax: 520-670-5530. Phone: 520-670-5653. E-mail: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   

A. Title for the Collection of Information

    Program Evaluation Instruments for Five of the U.S. Institute for 
Environmental Conflict Resolution's Program Areas

B. Potentially Affected Persons

    You are potentially affected by this action if you are or could be 
a dispute resolution professional (in particular, if

[[Page 15250]]

you are a member of the National Roster of Environmental Dispute 
Resolution and Consensus Building Professionals), a user of the 
National Roster of Environmental Dispute Resolution and Consensus 
Building Professionals, a member of an organization that requests 
conflict assessment or environmental dispute resolution and consensus 
building services from the Institute, a party to an environmental 
consensus building or dispute resolution case for which the Institute 
provides services, an instructor or participant in an Institute 
training course, or an attendee at a meeting for which the Institute 
provides facilitation services.

C. Questions To Consider in Making Comments

    The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution requests 
your comments to any of the following questions related to collecting 
information as part of its program evaluation system:
    (1) Is the proposed program evaluation system and the associated 
``collection of information'' necessary for the proper performance of 
the functions of the agency, including whether the information will 
have practical utility?
    (2) Is the agency's estimate of the time spent completing the 
questionnaires for each program area (``burden of the proposed 
collection of information'') accurate, including the validity of the 
methodology and assumptions used?
    (3) Can you suggest ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information collected?
    (4) Can you suggest ways to 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?

D. Abstract

    The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution plans to 
collect information from members and users of its National Roster of 
Environmental Dispute Resolution and Consensus Building Professionals, 
environmental dispute resolution professionals under contract with the 
Institute, users of its services, and participants in its programs. 
Responses to the collection of information (the questionnaires) will be 
voluntary and anonymous except for environmental dispute resolution 
professions under contract with the Institute, for whom responding will 
be a contractual obligation.

Background Information: U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict 
Resolution

    The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution was 
created in 1998 by the Environmental Policy and Conflict Resolution Act 
(Pub. L. 105-156). The Institute is located in Tucson, Arizona and is 
part of the Morris K. Udall Foundation, an independent agency of the 
executive branch of the federal government. The Institute's primary 
purpose is to provide impartial, non-partisan assistance to federal and 
non-federal parties. The Institute provides assistance in seeking 
agreement or resolving disputes through use of mediation and other 
collaborative, non-adversarial means regarding environmental, natural 
resources, and public lands issues involving a federal interest. The 
Institute accomplishes most of its work by partnering or contracting 
with, or referral to, experienced practitioners.

The Need for and Proposed Use of the Information Collected as Part of 
the Institute's Program Evaluation System

    To comply with the Government Performance and Results Act (Pub. L. 
103-62), the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, as 
part of the Morris K. Udall Foundation, is required to produce an 
Annual Performance Plan, linked directly to the goals and objectives 
outlined in the Institute's five-year Strategic Plan. The Institute is 
also required to produce an Annual Performance Report, evaluating 
progress toward achieving its performance commitments. The Institute is 
currently developing a program evaluation system to gather and analyze 
information needed to assist in producing its Annual Performance 
Report.
    The Institute is committed to establishing, achieving, and 
maintaining a national standard of excellence in all its programs, 
products, and services. To do so, the Institute requires high quality 
information concerning effectiveness of its various initiatives. 
Systematic and ongoing monitoring of program outcomes will allow the 
Institute to perform a variety of tasks, including giving individual 
project and program managers, as well as the Institute's management, 
the ability to accurately assess and report on program and project 
achievements. The new evaluation system has been carefully designed to 
support efficient and economical generation, analysis and use of this 
much-needed information, with an emphasis on program feedback, learning 
and improvement.
    Primary audiences for results from the Institute's program 
evaluation system include members of its program staff and management, 
who will use the information in decision-making regarding program 
operation and directions, and oversight bodies such as the Udall 
Foundation Board of Trustees and OMB. Secondary audiences will likely 
include other federal agencies, practitioners in the field, 
researchers, and members of the public. The Institute will use the 
information and analysis generated by its program evaluation system for 
a variety of purposes. In addition to aiding improvements to the design 
and operation of Institute projects and programs, periodic performance 
reporting, and annual evaluations of personnel performance; the 
evaluation results will be used to illuminate what factors most 
influence successful outcomes from environmental conflict resolution 
(ECR) efforts in specific situations. Ultimately, this information 
should aid further development of best practices for the field of .ECR.
    The Institute is exploring with several other federal agencies how 
its program evaluation system can be of use to these agencies' program 
evaluation needs. The broader use of similar data collection 
instruments and consistent data collection and analysis techniques may 
provide cost savings to other agencies and accelerate the rate at which 
each agency reviews and improves effective performance of conflict 
resolution processes.

E. Burden Statement

    Each of the five ICRs covered by this Federal Register notice 
contains estimates of the time and financial burden imposed on 
respondents to the requests for information. 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 
purpose of collecting, validating, and verifying information, 
processing and maintaining information, and disclosing and providing 
information and transmitting information. With respect to the 
information requests included in the five ICRs (a total of 20 
questionnaires), burden includes time spent to: (1) Read letters of 
introduction and follow-up letters (either in hard copy or on the 
Institute's Web site) requesting that the questionnaires be completed 
and submitted, (2) reading instructions, answering questions, and 
submitting the

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questionnaires; and (3) for a few questionnaires, accessing notes or 
other information to answer questions. Burden estimates are presented 
in terms of hours and imputed costs based on the estimated value of 
respondents' time. No start-up or capital costs for respondents are 
anticipated, even for questionnaires available electronically (these 
respondents will be members of the Institute's National Roster of 
Environmental Dispute Resolution and Consensus Building Professionals 
and will use the same computer equipment to access the questionnaires 
as was used to apply for Roster membership, or can request hard copies 
of the questionnaires and submit them via the US Postal Service).
    Following is a summary of the burden estimates:

ECR Services Program Area

    Type of Respondents: facilitators/mediators and participants in the 
Institute's ECR cases.
    Estimated Number of Potential Respondents (annual average for three 
years): 1,170.
    Proposed Frequency of Response: once per case for facilitators/
mediators, once per case for attorneys, twice per case for parties.
    Estimated Average Time per Respondent: 21 minutes.
    Estimated Total Cost per Respondent: $10.39.

Conflict Assessment Services

    Type of Respondents: facilitators/mediators and members of 
initiating organizations in the Institute's conflict assessments.
    Estimated Number of Potential Respondents (annual average for three 
years): 220.
    Proposed Frequency of Response: once per assessment.
    Estimated Average Time per Respondent: 11 minutes.
    Estimated Total Cost per Respondent: $7.36.

National Roster of Dispute Resolution and Consensus Building 
Professionals

    Type of Respondents: members and users of the National Roster.
    Estimated Number of Potential Respondents (annual average for three 
years): 385.
    Proposed Frequency of Response: once per year for members, once per 
use event for users.
    Estimated Average Time per Respondent: 18 minutes.
    Estimated Total Cost per Respondent: $10.09.

ECR Training

    Type of Respondents: instructors and participants in the 
Institute's training courses.
    Estimated Number of Potential Respondents (annual average for three 
years): 415.
    Proposed Frequency of Response: twice per course for instructors, 
three times per course for participants.
    Estimated Average Time per Respondent: 39 minutes.
    Estimated Total Cost per Respondent: $17.79.

Meeting Facilitation

    Type of Respondents: attendees at the Institute's facilitated 
meetings.
    Estimated Number of Potential Respondents (annual average for three 
years): 500.
    Proposed Frequency of Response: once per meeting.
    Estimated Average Time per Respondent: 5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Cost per Respondent: $2.25.

F. Other Information

    Each ICR also contains information on the following topics: 
development of the Institute's program evaluation system, 
confidentiality of information, estimates of costs to the Federal 
Government for collecting, processing, storing and using the requested 
information, and issues related to analysis of the information.

(Authority: 20 U.S.C. Sec. 5601-5609)

    Dated: March 25, 2002.
Christopher L. Helms,
Executive Director, Morris K. Udall Foundation.
[FR Doc. 02-7577 Filed 3-28-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6820-FN-P