[Federal Register Volume 82, Number 178 (Friday, September 15, 2017)]
[Notices]
[Pages 43399-43400]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2017-19575]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

 Geological Survey

[GX17RB00FYXAA00]


Agency Information Collection: Comment Request

AGENCY: United States Geological Survey (USGS), Interior.

ACTION: Notice of a new information collection.

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SUMMARY: We (U.S. Geological Survey) will ask the Office of Management 
and Budget (OMB) to approve the information collection (IC) described 
below. As required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), and as 
a part of our continuing efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burden, we invite the general public and other Federal agencies to take 
this opportunity to comment on this IC. As a Federal agency, we may not 
conduct or sponsor and you are not required to respond to, a collection 
of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB control number.

DATES: To ensure that your comments are considered, we must receive 
them on or before November 14, 2017.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this information collection to 
the Information Collection Clearance Officer, U.S. Geological Survey, 
[email protected] (email). Please reference `Information 
Collection 1028-New, Evaluating public values for water quality in the 
Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania' in all correspondence.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rudy Schuster at U.S. Geological 
Survey, 2150 Centre Avenue, Bldg. C, Fort Collins, CO 80525 (mail), or 
at (970) 226-9165 (phone). You may also find information about this ICR 
at www.reginfo.gov.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

I. Abstract

    The USGS Social and Economic Analysis Branch is investigating 
public

[[Page 43400]]

values for changes in water quality within the Susquehanna River Basin 
located in Pennsylvania. The Susquehanna River, with its streams and 
tributaries, is the largest river system lying entirely within the 
United States that drains into the Atlantic Ocean. Water from the 
Susquehanna River is used for drinking, manufacturing, agriculture, and 
power generation, and also provides habitat for fish and opportunities 
for outdoor recreation. Stormwater runoff and excess nutrients and 
sediment have increased algae, decreased fish health, and have resulted 
in closed beaches due to bacteria. As a result of these and other 
events, water managers in the Susquehanna River Basin are reviewing 
private citizens' river uses, perceptions, and the economic value of 
improved water quality. USGS economists will conduct an economic survey 
of private households in Pennsylvania to help local decision makers 
achieve this review. These values will be estimated via a mail survey 
instrument. The primary goal of conducting this valuation study is to 
improve the way in which communities frame the choice regarding the 
allocation of scarce resources and to clarify the trade-offs between 
alternative outcomes. No such prior analysis has been conducted in the 
Susquehanna River Basin.
    The information collection process will be conducted by scientists 
and staff in the Social and Economic Analysis Branch of the USGS, and 
partnering researchers in the Department of Agricultural and Resource 
Economics at Colorado State University. This information collection 
will be conducted through an online survey with an optional paper 
survey. Letters and postcards will be mailed to potential respondents 
to encourage participation in the survey. We will protect information 
from respondents considered proprietary under the Freedom of 
Information Act (5 U.S.C. 552) and its implementing regulations (43 CFR 
part 2), and under regulations at 30 CFR 250.197, ``Data and 
information to be made available to the public or for limited 
inspection.'' Responses are voluntary. No questions of a ``sensitive'' 
nature are asked.

II. Data

    OMB Control Number: 1028-New.
    Form Number: NA.
    Title: Evaluating public values for water quality in the 
Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania.
    Type of Request: New collection.
    Affected Public: Private Citizens.
    Respondent's Obligation: None. Participation is voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One time only.
    Estimated Total Annual Responses: 2,500.
    Estimated Time per Response: 2 minutes to review instructions, 13 
minutes to complete survey.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 625 hours.
    Estimated Reporting and Recordkeeping ``Non-Hour Cost'' Burden: 
There are no ``non-hour cost'' burdens associated with this IC.
    Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA (44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) 
provides that an agency may not conduct or sponsor and you are not 
required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a 
currently valid OMB control number and current expiration date.

III. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting comments as to: (a) Whether the proposed 
collection of information is necessary for the agency to perform its 
duties, including whether the information is useful; (b) the accuracy 
of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of 
information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, usefulness, and clarity 
of the information to be collected; and (d) how to minimize the burden 
on the respondents, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Please note that the comments submitted in response to this notice 
are a matter of public record. Before including your personal mailing 
address, phone number, email address, or other personally identifiable 
information in your comment, you should be aware that your entire 
comment, including your personally identifiable information, may be 
made publicly available at any time. While you can ask us in your 
comment to withhold your personally identifiable information from 
public view, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to do so.

IV. Authority

    The authorities for this action are the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 
1251 et seq.) and the Safe Drinking Water Act (42 U.S.C. 300f et seq.).

    Dated: May 3, 2017.
 Sharon Taylor,
Fort Collins Science Center Director.
[FR Doc. 2017-19575 Filed 9-14-17; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 4338-11-P