[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 62 (Friday, March 30, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19275-19276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7663]


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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY


Proposed Agency Information Collection

AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy, DoE.

ACTION: Notice and Request for Comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on a 
proposed collection of information that DOE is developing for 
submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the 
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether 
the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the 
information shall have practical utility; (b) 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; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the 
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of 
automated collection techniques or other forms of information 
technology.
    The proposed collection would involve information for a scorecard 
that would assist DOE's Clean Cities Coalitions and stakeholders in 
assessing the level of readiness of their communities for plug-in 
electric

[[Page 19276]]

vehicles. Information collected would allow DOE to provide respondents 
with an objective assessment of their communities' readiness for PEV 
adoption and an understanding of their commitment to successful 
deployment of PEVs, and is needed to ensure appropriate evaluation of 
progress in deploying PEVs.

DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be 
received on or before May 29, 2012. If you anticipate difficulty in 
submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in 
ADDRESSES as soon as possible.

ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to Ms. Linda Bluestein, Office 
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE-2G), U.S. Department of 
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, or by 
fax at 202-586-1600, or by email at [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should 
be directed to Ms. Linda Bluestein, Office of Energy Efficiency and 
Renewable Energy (EE-2G), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence 
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-6116, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request 
contains: (1) OMB No. New; (2) Information Collection Request Title: 
Clean Cities Plug-In Vehicle Community Readiness Scorecard; (3) Type of 
Request: New; (4) Purpose: DOE's Clean Cities initiative has developed 
a voluntary scorecard to assist its coalitions and stakeholders in 
assessing the level of readiness of their communities for plug-in 
electric vehicles. The principal objective of the scorecard is to 
provide respondents with an objective assessment and estimate of their 
respective community's readiness for PEV deployment as well as 
understand the respective community's commitment to deploying these 
vehicles successfully. DOE intends the scorecard to be completed by a 
city/county/regional sustainability or energy coordinator. As the 
intended respondent may not be aware of every aspect of local or 
regional PEV readiness, coordination among local stakeholders to gather 
appropriate information may be necessary.
    The scorecard assessment effort will rely on responses to questions 
the respondent chooses to answer. The multiple-choice questions address 
the following topic areas: (1) Electric vehicle supply equipment 
permitting and inspection process; (2) PEV and electric vehicle supply 
equipment availability and numbers; (3) laws, incentives, and 
financing; (4) education and outreach; (5) utility interaction; and (6) 
vehicle and infrastructure planning. Respondents will provide answers 
through a user-friendly online interface. The answers will then be 
translated through a simple algorithm that will establish appropriate 
quantitative criteria, translating the readiness measures across 
several weighted categories into numeric data. Using a numberless color 
spectrum, a community will be rated against itself, with the colored 
spectrum results made available only to the respondent community. The 
total rankings will be normalized into a ``score'', and communities 
will see their own rating and may be compared to other cities.
    The scorecard will use one information collection system, an online 
system. No other data collection system will be employed to support the 
scorecard. The online scorecard system DOE has developed provides 
several advantages. First, it avoids the need to download any forms or 
materials, though respondents may print out the full list of questions 
and answers, or a portion thereof if they wish. Second, avoiding 
downloads also limits potential security threats. Third, the designed 
system allows respondents to dynamically compare historical records, 
providing the opportunity to revisit the scorecard however often they 
like to track progress. Further, employing an online system also 
eliminates version control concerns, allowing for a single update to 
ensure that all scorecard users are using the current version.
    The voluntary scorecard may be completed at any time, and there is 
no date by which the scorecard questions must be completed. Calculation 
of outcomes will be undertaken on an ongoing basis, immediately 
following completion of the scorecard questionnaire.
    While there are approximately 90 Clean Cities coalitions across the 
United States, DOE expects that other communities may want to avail 
themselves of the opportunity to assess their respective community's 
PEV readiness. Therefore, DOE expects a total respondent population of 
approximately 100 respondents. Selecting the multiple choice answers in 
completing a scorecard questionnaire is expected to take under 30 
minutes, although additional time of no more than 20 hours may be 
needed to assemble information necessary to be able to answer the 
questions, leading to a total burden of approximately 2,050 hours in 
the first year. Assembling information to update questionnaire answers 
in future years on a voluntary basis would be expected to take less 
time, on the order of 10 hours, as much of any necessary time and 
effort needed to research information would have been completed 
previously; (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 100; (6) Annual 
Estimated Number of Total Responses: 100; (7) Annual Estimated Number 
of Burden Hours: 2,050; (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and 
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: There is no cost associated with reporting 
and recordkeeping.

    Statutory Authority: 42 U.S.C. Sec. 13233; 42 U.S.C. Sec. 
13252(a)-(b); 42 U.S.C. 13255; 42 U.S.C. Sec. 7256.

    Issued in Washington, DC, on March 22, 2012.
Henry C. Kelly,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2012-7663 Filed 3-29-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P