[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 107 (Monday, June 4, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32928-32929]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-13428]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE


Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request

    The Department of Commerce will submit to the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) for clearance the following proposal for collection of 
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 
U.S.C. Chapter 35).
    Agency: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
    Title: Cook Inlet Beluga Whale (CIBW) Economic Survey.
    OMB Control Number: None.
    Form Number(s): NA.
    Type of Request: Regular submission (new information collection).
    Number of Respondents: 2,428.
    Average Hours per Response: Full survey, 25 minutes; follow-up 
telephone interview, 5 minutes.
    Burden Hours: 814.
    Needs and Uses: This request is for a new information collection.
    The population of Cook Inlet beluga whales in the Cook Inlet of 
Alaska is one of five distinct population segments in United States 
(U.S.) waters. It was listed as endangered under the Endangered Species 
Act on October 22, 2008 (73 FR 62919), and Critical Habitat was 
designated in a final rule published on April 11, 2011 (76 FR 20180). 
The public benefits associated with protection actions for the Cook 
Inlet beluga whale are substantially the result of the non-consumptive 
value people attribute to such protection. This includes active use 
values associated with being able to view beluga whales and passive 
use, or ``existence'', values unrelated to direct human use. No 
empirical estimates of these values for Cook Inlet beluga whales are 
currently available, but this information is needed for decision makers 
to more fully understand the trade-offs involved in evaluating 
population recovery planning alternatives and to complement other 
information available about the costs, benefits, and impacts of 
alternative plans.
    The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) plans to conduct a 
survey to collect data for estimating non-consumptive economic benefits 
associated with changes in extinction risk resulting from protection 
actions for the Cook Inlet beluga whale. The analysis NMFS completed 
prior to designating Critical Habitat for Cook Inlet beluga whales 
described non-consumptive benefits in limited qualitative terms only. 
Adding empirical data about non-consumptive benefits remains the most 
significant gap to enabling a complete and balanced

[[Page 32929]]

economic analysis. The results from this survey should be useful to 
NMFS and the public in the future as NMFS considers various actions 
under the recovery planning process for Cook Inlet beluga whales. Any 
future regulatory actions would include analyses of costs and benefits 
of the proposed measures as well as opportunities for public input.
    During 2011, NMFS fielded a pilot version of the survey to a small 
number of U.S. households, primarily to evaluate the survey 
administration procedures prior to sending the survey out to a larger 
and more representative sample. The results of this pretest indicated 
the need to make minor adjustments to the survey administration (e.g., 
timing of mailings and telephone calls), which will be incorporated in 
the data collection to which this notice pertains.
    Affected Public: Individuals or households.
    Frequency: One time.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    OMB Desk Officer: [email protected].
    Copies of the above information collection proposal can be obtained 
by calling or writing Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance 
Officer, (202) 482-0336, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and 
Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at 
[email protected]).
    Written comments and recommendations for the proposed information 
collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of this notice 
to [email protected].

    Dated: May 30, 2012.
Gwellnar Banks,
Management Analyst, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 2012-13428 Filed 6-1-12; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-22-P