[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 126 (Monday, July 1, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 39282-39283]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-15754]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[EPA-HQ-ORD-2013-0448; FRL--9825-4]


Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; 
Willingness to Pay Survey for Salmon Recovery in the Willamette 
Watershed (New)

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an 
information collection request (ICR), ``Willingness to Pay Survey for 
Salmon Recovery in the Willamette Watershed'' (EPA ICR No. 2489.01, OMB 
Control No. 2080-NEW) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for 
review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. 
Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects 
of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a 
request for approval of a new collection. 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.

DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 30, 2013.

ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2013-0448 online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or 
by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail 
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
    EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the 
public docket without change including any personal information 
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information 
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other 
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Michael Papenfus, Environmental 
Protection Agency, Western Ecology Division, 200 SW 35th St., 
Corvallis, OR, 97333; telephone number: 541-754-4703; fax number: 541-
754-4799; email address: [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in detail 
the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in the 
public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at 
www.regulations.gov or in person at the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, 
Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone 
number for the Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional 
information about EPA's public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
    Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting 
comments and information to enable it to: (i) Evaluate whether the 
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper 
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of 
the Agency's estimate of the

[[Page 39283]]

burden of the proposed collection of information, including the 
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (iii) enhance the 
quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and 
(iv) 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 technological collection techniques or 
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic 
submission of responses. EPA will consider the comments received and 
amend the ICR as appropriate. The final ICR package will then be 
submitted to OMB for review and approval. At that time, EPA will issue 
another Federal Register notice to announce the submission of the ICR 
to OMB and the opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB.
    Abstract:
    The USEPA Office of Research and Development is investigating 
public values for Chinook salmon and Winter steelhead recovery in the 
Willamette basin of Oregon. These values will be estimated via a 
willingness to pay mail survey instrument. There are two effluent-
dominated perennial reaches considered in the survey. The primary goal 
of conducting economic valuation studies should be to improve the way 
in which communities frame choices regarding the allocation of scarce 
resources and to clarify the trade-offs between alternative outcomes. 
This problem is particularly relevant to salmon conservation efforts in 
the Pacific Northwest. Despite the deep cultural importance of salmon 
to the citizens of the Pacific Northwest, there is a remarkable lack of 
valid empirical economic studies quantifying this importance to the 
general public. This survey will estimate the benefits of salmon and 
steelhead recovery in the Willamette basin as outlined in the Upper 
Willamette River Conservation and Recovery Plan.
    The public benefits associated with several recovery options will 
be estimated in this survey. The first option is labeled 'minimum 
recovery' and represents a permanent increase in the number of wild 
origin Chinook salmon and steelhead that return annually to the 
Willamette basin watershed. The increase in fish abundance is also 
associated with a reduction in the risk of extinction that is great 
enough to 'de-list' these species from the endangered species list. The 
second recovery status evaluated in the survey is labeled 'broadsense 
recovery'. This recovery option also represents a reduction in 
extinction risk great enough to remove both species form the endangered 
species list but also represents an even larger increase in wild origin 
fish than under the `minimal recovery' option. In addition to the 
different recovery options, public preferences for the time to recovery 
will be evaluated.
    For the survey, a choice experiment framework is used with 
statistically designed tradeoff questions. Recovery options for wild 
origin Chinook salmon and steelhead and time to recovery are posed as 
increases in a yearly household tax for the next 25 years. Each choice 
question allows a zero cost ``opt out'' option. A few additional 
questions to further understand respondent choice motivations, their 
river-related recreation behavior, and their attitudes towards wild 
origin versus hatchery origin fish are also included. Several pages of 
background introduce the issue to respondents. A small number of 
sociodemographic questions are included to gauge how well the sample 
respondents represent the target population. A sample from across the 
state of Oregon will receive the survey. The survey will target three 
subpopulations of Oregon to be studied--the urban population of the 
Willamette valley, the rural population within the Willamette valley, 
and the population residing outside the Willamette valley. The primary 
reason for the survey is public value research. All survey responses 
will be kept confidential.
    Form Numbers: None.
    Respondents/affected entities: The target respondents for this 
survey are representatives 18 yrs or older of households across the 
state of Oregon. A sample of household representatives 18 yrs or older 
will be contacted by mail following the multiple contact protocol in 
Dillman (2009). A response rate of 30% will be targeted. To increase 
response rates from the sample, several contacts will be used, 
including a prenotice to all recipients, a reminder postcard, and 
follow-up mailing as needed.
    Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
    Estimated number of respondents: The number of target responses 
from each subpopulation within Oregon is 250 households each, or 750 
households total.
    Frequency of response: One-time response.
    Total estimated burden: For a typical respondent, a conservative 
estimate of their time to review and respond to survey questions is 30 
minutes. Assuming the target of 750 people total respond to the survey, 
the burden is 375 hours.
    Total estimated cost: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 
average wage rates for Oregon for all occupations (Bureau of Labor 
Statistics, 2011). The average hourly wage for all occupations in 
Oregon was $21.75, or an average cost per participant of $10.88. 
Assuming 750 participants fill out the survey, the total estimated 
respondent labor cost is $8,160. This would be a one-time expenditure 
of their time.
    Changes in Estimates: This is the first notice; there is no change 
in estimates at this time.

    Dated: June 10, 2013.
Thomas D. Fontaine III,
Western Ecology Division Director.
[FR Doc. 2013-15754 Filed 6-28-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P