[Federal Register Volume 76, Number 14 (Friday, January 21, 2011)]
[Notices]
[Pages 3883-3884]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2011-1257]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-OW-2010-0595; FRL-9255-6; EPA ICR No. 2402.01; OMB Control No. 
2040-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for 
Review and Approval; Willingness To Pay Survey for Sec.  316(b) 
Existing Facilities Cooling Water Intake Structures (New)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44 
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information 
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request for a new 
collection. The ICR, which is abstracted below, describes the nature of 
the information collection and its estimated burden and cost.

DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before February 22, 
2011.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-
2010-0595 to:
    (1) EPA by one of the following methods:
     http://www.regulations.gov: Follow the on-line 
instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected], Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-
OW-2010-0595.
     Mail: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, 
Mailcode: 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, 
Attention Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2010-0595. Please include a total of 
3 copies.
     Hand Delivery: Water Docket, EPA Docket Center, EPA West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC, Attention 
Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2010-0595. Such deliveries are only accepted 
during the Docket's normal hours of operation and special arrangements 
should be made.
    (2) OMB by mail to: Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 
725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erik Helm, Office of Water, Office of 
Science and Technology, Engineering and Analysis Division, Economic and 
Environmental Assessment Branch, 4303T, Environmental Protection 
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone 
number: 202-566-1049; fax number: 202-566-1053; e-mail address: 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB 
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR 
1320.12. On July 21, 2010 (74 FR 42438), EPA sought comments on this 
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received five comments during the 
comment period, which are addressed in the ICR. Any additional comments 
on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this 
notice.
    EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID 
No. EPA-HQ-OW-2010-0595 which is available for online viewing at http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Water Docket in the 
EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution 
Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room is open from 
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal 
holidays. The telephone number for the Reading Room is 202-566-1744, 
and the telephone number for the Water Docket is 202-566-1752.
    Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov, to submit or view public comments, access the 
index listing of the contents of the docket, and to access those 
documents in the docket that are available electronically. Once in the 
system, select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number 
identified above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public 
comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper, will be made 
available for public viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA 
receives them and without change, unless the comment contains 
copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose public disclosure 
is restricted by statute. For further information about the electronic 
docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov.
    Title: Willingness to Pay Survey for Section 316(b) Existing 
Facilities Cooling Water Intake Structures: Instrument, Pre-test, and 
Implementation.
    ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2402.01, OMB Control No. 2040-NEW.
    ICR status: This ICR is for a new information collection activity. 
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 
in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when 
approved, are listed in 40 CFR part 9, are displayed either by 
publication in the Federal Register or by other appropriate means, such 
as on the related collection instrument or form, if applicable. The 
display of OMB control numbers in certain EPA regulations is 
consolidated in 40 CFR part 9.
    Abstract: Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act (CWA) requires EPA 
to ensure that the location, design, construction, and capacity of 
cooling water intake structures (CWIS) reflect the best technology 
available (BTA) to protect aquatic organisms from being killed or 
injured by impingement or entrainment. At question here is the 
regulation of the existing steam electric and manufacturing facilities.
    Under Executive Order 12866, EPA is required to estimate the 
potential benefits and costs to society of proposed rule options of 
significant rules. To assess the importance of the ecological gains 
from the section 316(b) regulation, EPA requests approval from the OMB 
to conduct a stated preference survey. Data from the associated stated 
preference survey will be used to estimate values (willingness to pay, 
or WTP) derived by households for changes related to the reduction of 
fish losses at CWIS, and to provide information to assist in the 
interpretation and validation of survey responses. EPA has designed the 
survey to provide data to support the following specific objectives: 
[a] The estimation of the total values that individuals place on 
preventing losses of fish and other aquatic organisms caused by 316(b) 
facilities; [b] to understand how much individuals value preventing 
fish losses,

[[Page 3884]]

increasing fish populations, and increasing commercial and recreational 
catch rates; [c] to understand how such values depend on the current 
baseline level of fish populations and fish losses, the scope of the 
change in those measures, and the certainty level of the predictions; 
and [d] to understand how such values vary with respect to individuals' 
economic and demographic characteristics.
    The key elicitation questions ask respondents whether or not they 
would vote for policies that would increase their cost of living, in 
exchange for specified multi-attribute changes in [a] impingement and 
entrainment losses of fish, [b] commercial fish populations, [c] long-
term populations of all fish, and [d] condition of aquatic ecosystems. 
The respondents' stated preferences with respect to levels of 
environmental goods and cost to households, when used in conjunction 
with other information collected in the survey on the use of the 
affected aquatic resources, household income, and other demographics, 
can be analyzed statistically (using a mixed logit framework) to 
estimate total WTP for the quantified environmental benefits of the 
316(b) rulemaking. Data analysis and interpretation is grounded in a 
standard random utility model.
    The welfare values that can be derived from this stated preference 
survey along with those that are estimated apart from the survey effort 
will offer insight into the composition of the value people place on 
the 316(b) environmental impacts. WTP estimates derived from the survey 
may overlap--to a potentially substantial extent--with estimates that 
can be provided through some other methods. Therefore, particular care 
will be given to avoid any possible double counting of values that 
might be derived from alternative valuation methods.
    Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping 
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 5 
minutes per telephone screening participant and 30 minutes per mail 
survey respondent including the time necessary to complete and mail 
back the questionnaire. 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 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 which have subsequently changed; 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.
    The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the Agency's estimate, 
which is only briefly summarized here:
    Respondents: Individuals from U.S. households.
    Estimated total number of potential respondents: 9,533 for 
telephone screening and 2,288 for mailed questionnaires.
    Frequency of response: One-time response.
    Estimated total average number of responses for each respondent: 
One-time response.
    Estimated total burden hours: 1,938 hours.
    Estimated total costs: $39,583. EPA estimates that there will be no 
capital and operating and maintenance cost burden to respondents.

    Dated: January 14, 2011.
John Moses,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 2011-1257 Filed 1-20-11; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P