[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 81 (Thursday, April 29, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 22639-22640]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-08986]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Corps of Engineers

[Docket ID: USA-2021-HQ-0007]


Proposed Collection; Comment Request

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Department of the Army, 
Department of Defense (DoD).

ACTION: Information collection notice.

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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers announces a proposed public information 
collection and seeks public comment on the provisions thereof. Comments 
are invited on: 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; the 
accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed 
information collection; ways to enhance the quality, utility, and 
clarity of the information to be collected; and ways to minimize the 
burden of the information collection on respondents, including through 
the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of 
information technology.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by June 28, 
2021.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments, identified by docket number and 
title, by any of the following methods:
    Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the 
instructions for submitting comments.
    Mail: The Department of Defense (DoD) cannot receive written 
comments at this time due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Comments should be 
sent electronically to the docket listed above.
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency 
name, docket number and title for this Federal Register document. The 
general policy for comments and other submissions from members of the 
public is to make these submissions available for public viewing on the 
internet at http://www.regulations.gov as they are received without 
change, including any personal identifiers or contact information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request more information on this 
proposed information collection or to obtain a copy of the proposal and 
associated collection instruments, please write to U.S. Army Corps of 
Engineers, Charleston District, 69 Hagood Ave, Charleston, SC 29412, 
ATTN: George Ebai, or call 843-329-8068.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 
    Title; Associated Form; and OMB Number: Puerto Rico Beach 
Recreation Value and Benefits Surveys; OMB Control Number 0710-XXXX.
    Needs and Uses: The purpose of this study is to employ necessary 
methods of welfare economics for analyzing the net economic value of 
beach re-nourishment. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Principle 
and Guidelines stipulates that when beach visitation exceeds the 
750,000 annual visitation threshold, contingent valuation (CV) or 
travel cost method (TCM) are the required metrics for measuring 
benefits accruing from recreation. This study will produce empirical 
estimates of economic value of beach replenishment, focusing on 
recreation value, how recreation value varies with programmatic 
attributes, and economic impacts stemming from changes in recreation 
and recreation value. This study will employ utility-theoretic micro-
econometric models, with revealed and stated preference data, and will 
focus on San Juan, Puerto Rico. This project is being undertaken under 
the authority for the Puerto Rico Coastal Study and the San Juan Metro 
Area, Puerto Rico Study is Section 204 of the River and Harbor Act of 
1970, Public Law 91-611, which authorizes the Secretary of the Army, 
acting though the Chief of Engineers, to prepare plans for the 
development, utilization and conservation of water and related land 
resources of drainage basins and coastal areas in the Commonwealth of 
Puerto Rico. The initial project scope also included data collection in 
Dade County FL, Pinellas County FL, Collier County FL, and Folly Beach 
SC. The COVID-19

[[Page 22640]]

pandemic prohibited the USACE from collecting the necessary information 
onsite. An alternative data source was found for those counties, but 
these data do not provide information on Puerto Rico beaches. Thus, the 
project scope has been modified to assess beach visitation and erosion 
management preferences for both Puerto Rico residents and U.S. visitors 
to Puerto Rico.
    Affected Public: Individuals and Households.
    Annual Burden Hours: 512.5
    Number of Respondents: 2050
    Responses per Respondent: 1
    Annual Responses: 2050
    Average Burden per Response: 15 minutes
    Frequency: On occasion.
    Eligible respondents for this survey are individuals 18 years of 
age or older that reside in Puerto Rico or have taken a trip to the 
Caribbean since 2016. Puerto Rico residents comprise the target 
population for the domestic survey. The majority of international 
tourist visits to Puerto Rico (in excess of 90%) originate in the 
United States, so our tourism sample focuses on US households that have 
taken a trip to the Caribbean since 2016. We are utilizing on online 
panel of respondents that is managed using scientific sampling 
properties to provide a rotating panel of respondents that closely 
resemble the population of interest. If approved, the survey will be 
administered online to a total of 2,050 beach recreationists, 
consisting of 1,050 responses from citizens of Puerto Rico and 1,000 
from US tourists that travel to Puerto Rico via air or cruise.

    Dated: April 26, 2021.
Kayyonne T. Marston,
Alternate OSD Federal Register Liaison Officer, Department of Defense.
[FR Doc. 2021-08986 Filed 4-28-21; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 5001-06-P