[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 178 (Tuesday, September 15, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 55322]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-23123]


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 Notices
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  Federal Register / Vol. 80, No. 178 / Tuesday, September 15, 2015 / 
Notices  

[[Page 55322]]



DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

Economic Research Service


Notice of Intent To Request New Information Collection

AGENCY: Economic Research Service, USDA.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Economic Research Service (ERS) invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on a proposed new 
information collection, the Generic Clearance for Survey Research 
Studies.

DATES: Comments on this notice must be received by November 16, 2015 to 
be assured of consideration.

ADDRESSES: Address all comments concerning this notice to Pheny 
Weidman, ERS Clearance Officer, Economic Research Service, Room 4-163B, 
1400 Independence Ave. SW., Mail Stop 1800, Washington, DC 20050-1800. 
Submit electronic comments to [email protected].

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Pheny Weidman at the address in the 
preamble. Tel. 202-694-5013.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title: Generic Clearance for Survey Research Studies.
    OMB Number: 0536-NEW.
    Expiration Date of Approval: Three years from the date of approval.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Abstract: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 
(Pub. L. 104-13) and OMB regulations at 5 CFR part 1320 (60 FR 44978, 
August 29, 1995), this notice announces the ERS' intention to request 
approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for a generic 
clearance that will allow ERS to rigorously develop, test, and evaluate 
its survey methodologies, instruments, and administration. The mission 
of ERS is to provide economic and other social science information and 
analysis for public and private decisions on agriculture, food, natural 
resources, and rural America. This request is part of an on-going 
initiative to improve ERS data product quality, as recommended by both 
its own guidelines and those of OMB.
    The purpose of this generic clearance is to allow ERS to evaluate, 
adopt, and use state-of-the-art and multi-disciplinary research to 
improve and enhance the quality of its current data collections. This 
clearance will also be used to aid in the development of new surveys. 
It will help to ensure that requested data can be provided in the 
desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is 
minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the 
impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly 
assessed.
    ERS envisions using a variety of survey improvement techniques, as 
appropriate to the individual project under investigation. These 
include focus groups, cognitive and usability laboratory and field 
techniques, exploratory interviews, behavior coding, and respondent 
debriefing.
    Following standard OMB requirements, ERS will inform OMB 
individually in writing of the purpose, scope, time frame, and number 
of burden hours used for each survey improvement or development project 
it undertakes under this generic clearance. ERS will also provide OMB 
with a copy of the data collection instrument (if applicable), and all 
other materials describing the project.

    Authority: These data will be collected under the authority of 7 
U.S.C. 2204(a).

    ERS intends to protect respondent information under the Privacy Act 
of 1974, Section 1770 of the Food Security Act of 1985, and 7 U.S.C. 
2276. ERS has decided not to invoke the Confidential Information 
Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2002 (CIPSEA). The 
complexity and cost necessary to invoke CIPSEA is not justified given 
the nature of the collection; the collections would generally be 
conducted by ERS' contractors and designed to be hosted in non-
government owned computer systems, where CIPSEA compliance could not be 
assured.
    Specific details regarding information handling will be specified 
in individual submissions under this generic clearance.
    Estimate of Burden: Public reporting burden for these collections 
of information is estimated to average from 1 to 2 hours per 
respondent, depending upon the information collection and the technique 
used to test for that particular collection.
    Respondents: Individuals or households, farms, and businesses or 
other for-profits.
    Estimated Total Number of Respondents: 3,500.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 5,600 hours. Public 
reporting burden for these collections of information is estimated to 
average from 1 to 2 hours per respondent, dependent upon the survey and 
the technique used to test for that particular survey.
    Copies of this information collection can be obtained from Pheny 
Weidman at the address in the preamble.
    Comments: 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 will 
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; 
(d) 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 technological collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology. Comments should be 
sent to the address in the preamble. All responses to this notice will 
be summarized and included in the request for OMB approval. All 
comments will also become a matter of public record.

    Dated: September 3, 2015.
Mary Bohman,
Administrator, Economic Research Service.
[FR Doc. 2015-23123 Filed 9-14-15; 8:45 am]
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