[Federal Register Volume 69, Number 7 (Monday, January 12, 2004)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1701-1702]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 04-574]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Proposed Agency Information Collection Submitted for OMB Review 
and Comment

AGENCY: Department of Energy.

ACTION: Review and comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted to the Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance, a proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35). The proposed collection will provide a baseline 
measurement of knowledge of and opinions about hydrogen, fuel cells, 
and the hydrogen economy.

DATES: Comments on the proposed information collection must be received 
on or before February 11, 2004. If you anticipate that you will be 
submitting comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period 
of time allowed by this notice, please advise the OMB Desk Officer of 
your intention to make a submission as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the DOE Desk Officer, 
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and 
Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10102, 735 17th Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20503. (Comments should also be addressed to Susan 
L. Frey, Director, Records Management Division IM-11/Germantown Bldg., 
Office of Business and Information Management, Office of the Chief 
Information Officer, U.S. Department of Energy, Germantown, MD 20874-
1290, and to Lorena F. Truett, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, National 
Transportation Research Center, 2360 Cherahala Boulevard, Room I-32, 
Knoxville, TN 37932.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Lorena F. Truett using the contact information listed 
above.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This package contains:
    (1) OMB No.: 1910-NEW.
    (2) Package Title: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure 
Technologies Program Baseline Knowledge Assessment.
    (3) Type of Request: New collection.
    (4) Purpose: The Baseline Knowledge Assessment for the DOE 
Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies (HFCIT) program will 
measure the levels of and changes in awareness and understanding of 
hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and the hydrogen economy

[[Page 1702]]

within four target populations: (1) The general public, (2) students 
and educators, (3) personnel in state and local governments, and (4) 
potential users of hydrogen fuel and technologies in business and 
industry. Four distinct information collections will be required, one 
for each of the target populations. These collections will be conducted 
in stages, with the general public study conducted first. Changes 
relative to baseline knowledge levels will be determined when, after 
three years, each population group will be surveyed again using the 
same survey instrument and methodology. The instrument for assessing 
baseline knowledge will be specifically targeted to the population 
group. The public survey, for example, will assess a general knowledge 
of the production, storage, delivery, applications, and safety of 
hydrogen and fuel cells. Information gathered in this assessment will 
assist the HFCIT program in formulating an overall education plan for 
hydrogen technologies. Future surveys will provide a basis for 
determining changes in public awareness and understanding of the 
hydrogen economy, which is an important tool for knowing whether the 
education strategies should be modified and, if so, how.
    (5) Type of Respondents: There are four populations to be surveyed; 
however, the general scope and temper of the four collections will be 
the same. The general public will be surveyed first. For the general 
public, a random (probability sample) survey of adults, age 18 and 
over, will be conducted via computer-assisted telephone interviews 
(CATI) or by other appropriate mechanism. About twenty closed-end 
questions will be posed. The second survey population will consist of a 
random sample of students--that is, teens (ages 12-17) and pre-teens 
(ages 6-11)--and educators. The third population will be randomly 
selected from energy agencies in all 50 states and the District of 
Columbia, plus a limited number of local (i.e., municipal) agencies. 
Finally, a limited number of large-scale or potential large-scale users 
of energy sources powered by hydrogen and fuel cells will also be 
interviewed using both closed-end and open-end questions.
    (6) Estimated Number of Respondents: The numbers of respondents 
will differ for each of the populations. The general public survey will 
be of 1,000 adults; the educational survey is planned to include 1,000 
students and approximately 100-150 educators; it is estimated that the 
total number of contacts with state and local agencies will be less 
than 100; finally, less than 50 interviews with large-scale users are 
planned.
    (7) Estimated Number of Burden Hours: For the general public 
survey, the burden is estimated at ten minutes per respondent for 1,000 
respondents, for a total time and cost burden of 167 hours and $0. The 
total burdens for the other populations will depend on the designs of 
those surveys but will be similar in temper and scope to the burden for 
the general public survey. The total time and cost burden for the 
student survey is tentatively estimated to be 133 hours and $0; the 
total burden for educators is estimated to be no more than 25 hours and 
$0. The total burden for the state and local government and large-scale 
user surveys is expected to be less than the burden for the student 
survey.

    Statutory Authority:  Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (Pub. L. 
93-438).

    Issued in Washington, DC on January 5, 2004.
Susan L. Frey,
Director, Records Management Division, Office of Records and Business 
Management, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-574 Filed 1-9-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P