[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 167 (Monday, August 30, 2010)]
[Notices]
[Pages 52964-52965]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-21521]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Office of the Secretary


Revision of Information Collection; Non-Use Valuation Survey, 
Klamath Basin

AGENCY: U.S. Department of the Interior.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995, the Office of the Secretary of the Department of 
the Interior announces the proposed revision of an information 
collection ``Klamath Non-use Valuation Survey,'' Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) Control No. 1090-0010, and that it is seeking comments 
on its provisions. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
and as part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and 
respondent burden, we invite the general public and other Federal 
agencies to take this opportunity to comment on this information 
collection.

ADDRESSES: You may submit your comments directly to the Desk Officer 
for the Department of the Interior (OMB 1090-0010), Office of 
Information and Regulatory Affairs, OMB, by electronic mail at [email protected] or by fax at 202-395-5806. Please also send a copy 
of your comments to the Department of the Interior; Office of Policy 
Analysis, Attention: Don Bieniewicz, Mail Stop 3530; 1849 C Street, 
NW., Washington, DC 20240. If you wish to e-mail comments, the e-mail 
address is [email protected]. Reference ``Klamath Non-use 
valuation survey'' in your e-mail subject line. Include your name and 
return address in your e-mail message and mark your message for return 
receipt.

DATES: OMB has 60 days to review this request but may act after 30 
days, therefore you should submit your comments on or before September 
29, 2010.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Benjamin Simon, Economics Staff 
Director, Office of Policy Analysis, U.S. Department of the Interior 
telephone at 202-208-5978 or by e-mail at [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    Office of Management and Budget (OMB) regulations at 5 CFR 1320, 
which implement the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-13), 
require that interested members of the public and affected agencies 
have an opportunity to comment on information collection and 
recordkeeping activities (see 5 CFR 1320.8 (d)). This notice identifies 
an information collection activity that the Office of the Secretary 
will submit to OMB for revision.
    The Klamath River provides habitat for fall and spring run Chinook 
salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), 
steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), green sturgeon (Acipenser 
medirostris), Pacific lamprey (Lampetra tridentate), and Pacific 
eulachon (Thaleichthys pacificus). Some of these species are important 
components of non-tribal harvest (e.g., fall Chinook, steelhead), some 
have important subsistence and cultural value to Klamath Basin tribes 
(e.g., salmon, sturgeon, lamprey, eulachon), and some are at low levels 
of abundance or Endangered Species Act-listed (e.g., spring Chinook, 
lamprey, coho, eulachon). In addition to its importance as fish 
habitat, the Klamath River also provides water to agriculture through 
the Bureau of Reclamation's Klamath Irrigation Project. 
Oversubscription of Klamath water has thwarted recovery of depressed 
fish stocks and led to economic hardship for farming and fishing 
communities--

[[Page 52965]]

prompting Federal disaster relief for farmers in 2001 and for fishermen 
in 2006.
    In November 2008 the U.S. Government, the States of Oregon and 
California, and the utility company PacifiCorp signed an agreement in 
principle (AIP) to remove four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River 
by 2020. Dam removal is being considered a viable alternative to 
volitional fish passage (ladders and screens), which was being 
considered by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) as a 
condition for relicensing of PacifiCorp's hydroelectric project. 
Parties to the AIP are working with stakeholders (including tribes, 
fishers, farmers, conservation groups, and local governments) to reach 
a final agreement that would result in the largest dam removal project 
in U.S. history. If achieved, this agreement will be part of a 
comprehensive solution to species recovery, water allocation, and water 
quality problems in the Klamath Basin.
    In October 2011 the Secretary of the Interior is expected to make a 
final determination regarding dam removal, contingent on results of an 
economic analysis that will address benefits, costs, and distributional 
effects of dam removal relative to volitional fish passage. Dam removal 
is expected to have positive long-term effects on the viability of fish 
populations and other aspects of the Klamath Basin ecosystem. Benefits 
of these environmental improvements include ``non-use values,'' which 
accrue to members of the public who value such improvements regardless 
of whether they ever consume Klamath fish or visit the Klamath Basin. 
An information collection is planned in order to implement a state-of-
the-art non-use valuation survey of the U.S. public that addresses the 
incremental environmental improvements of dam removal relative to 
volitional fish passage. This data collection is intended to address 
one component of an economic analysis that will include all costs and 
benefits of dam removal relative to volitional fish passage.

II. Data

    Title: Klamath Non-Use Valuation Survey.
    OMB Control Number: 1090-0010.
    Type of Review: Revision of an approved collection.
    Affected Entities: Households.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Response: One time.
    Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 10,885 households who will 
receive the survey (3,389 respondents and 7,496 non-respondents).
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 3,389.
    Estimated Time per Response: The base for this survey is 10,885 
households. The households will be divided into two mailing groups, at 
a 10/90 split. The first wave of mailings will be to 10% of the 
households. 17% of households are estimated to respond, which will take 
30 minutes. Non-respondents will take 3 minutes. The second mailing 
will be sent to the remaining 83% of non-respondent households. 10% of 
the households are estimated to respond to the second mailing, taking 
30 minutes. The second group of non-respondents are estimated to spend 
3 minutes. The Department will then conduct preliminary analysis.
    The second wave of mailings will be to the remaining 90% of the 
households. 17% of households are estimated to respond, which will take 
30 minutes. Non-respondents will take 3 minutes. The second phase will 
be sent to the remaining 83% of non-respondent households. 10% of the 
households are estimated to respond to the second mailing, taking 30 
minutes. The second group of non-respondents are estimated to spend 3 
minutes.
    The remaining non-respondents from the second mailings will be 
split into two groups in a 80/20 split. It is assumed that 65% of the 
non-respondent households will have a phone number. Both groups will be 
sent another copy of the survey. For the households with a phone 
number, a non response bias call will be made, taking an estimated 2 to 
5 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 3,205 hours.

III. Request for Comments

    On June 9, 2009, we published in the Federal Register (74 FR 27340) 
a request for public comments on this proposed survey. No comments were 
received. This notice provides the public with an additional 30 days in 
which to comment on the proposed information collection activity. The 
Department of the Interior invites comments on:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the 
collection and the validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) 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 collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology.
    Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources 
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, disclose, or prove 
information to or for a Federal agency.
    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 Office of Management and Budget control number.

    Dated: August 25, 2010.
Benjamin M. Simon,
Economics Staff Director, Office of Policy Analysis.
[FR Doc. 2010-21521 Filed 8-27-10; 8:45 am]
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