[Federal Register Volume 87, Number 98 (Friday, May 20, 2022)]
[Notices]
[Pages 30989-30990]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2022-10861]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

National Park Service

[NPS-WASO-NRSS-EQD-SSB-NPS0033505; PX.XCOMP0134.00.1; OMB Control 
Number 1024-NEW]


Agency Information Collection Activities; National Park Service 
Recreation Fee Pricing Study Survey Pre-Test and Pilot

AGENCY: National Park Service, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information Collection; request for comment.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, we, 
the National Park Service (NPS) are proposing a new information 
collection.

DATES: Interested persons are invited to submit comments on or before 
June 21, 2022.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and recommendations for the proposed 
information collection should be sent within 30 days of publication of 
this notice to www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain. Find this particular 
information collection by selecting ``Currently under Review--Open for 
Public Comments'' or by using the search function. Please provide a 
copy of your comments to Phadrea Ponds, NPS Information Collection 
Clearance Officer, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive (MS-242) Reston, VA 
20192; or by email at [email protected]. Please reference Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 1024-NEW (RECFEE) in the 
subject line of your comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: To request additional information 
about this ICR, contact Bret Meldrum, Chief, Social Science Program, at 
[email protected] (email); or 970-267-7295 (phone). Please reference 
OMB Control Number 1024-NEW (RECFEE) in the subject line of your 
comments. Individuals in the United States who are deaf, deafblind, 
hard of hearing, or have a speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or 
TeleBraille) to access telecommunications relay services. Individuals 
outside the United States should use the relay services offered within 
their country to make international calls to the point-of-contact in 
the United States. You may also view the ICR at http://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995 (PRA, 44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.) and 5 CFR 1320.8(d)(1), all 
information collections require approval under the PRA. As part of our 
continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burdens, we invite 
the public and other Federal agencies to comment on new, proposed, 
revised, and continuing collections of information. This helps us 
assess the impact of our information collection requirements and 
minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public 
understand our information collection requirements and provide the 
requested data in the desired format.
    A Federal Register notice with a 60-day public comment period 
soliciting comments on this collection of information was published on 
August 2, 2021 (86 FR 41508). No comments were received.
    As part of our continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent 
burdens, we are again soliciting comments from the public and other 
Federal agencies on the proposed ICR that is described below. We are 
especially interested in public comment addressing the following:
    (1) Whether or not the collection of information is necessary for 
the proper performance of the functions of the agency, including 
whether or not the information will have practical utility;
    (2) The accuracy of our estimate of the burden for this collection 
of information, including the validity of the methodology and 
assumptions used;
    (3) Ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and
    (4) How might the agency 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 response.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. Before including your address, phone number, email 
address, or other personal identifying information in your comment, you 
should be aware that your entire comment--including your personal 
identifying information--may be made publicly available at any time. 
While you can ask us in your comment to withhold your personal 
identifying information from public review, we cannot guarantee that we 
will be able to do so.
    Abstract: The NPS is authorized by the Federal Lands Recreation 
Enhancement Act (FLREA; 16 U.S.C. 6801-6814) to collect and retain 
recreation fees, including entrance fees and amenity fees for certain 
facilities, equipment, and services (such as campgrounds). Recreation 
fees collected under FLREA are used for a variety of projects that 
enhance the visitor experience. The NPS is also mandated by 54 U.S.C. 
100701 and 100702 to provide state-of-the-art management, protection, 
and interpretation of, and research on, the resources of the System 
that is enhanced by the availability and utilization of a broad program 
of the highest quality science and information.
    The NPS intends to pilot test a general population survey of recent 
and potential park visitors to evaluate behavior under different 
entrance fee pricing models. The proposed information collection will 
inform the design and administration of a future survey that is 
intended to help determine revenue and access implications of different 
entrance fee rates and collection models. The pilot study options will 
include explorations

[[Page 30990]]

in, at minimum--increases in entrance fees, different fee structures, 
and technology-based solutions for collecting entrance fees to make the 
entrance process more convenient and efficient for visitors. The first 
step in the process is to create and pretest survey questions. A 
pretest will be conducted to (1) validate the survey questions, (2) 
investigate various sampling methods, (3) estimate the respondent 
burden, and (4) determine the usability of the survey design. Following 
the pretest, a pilot survey will be administered nationwide to a sample 
of recent and potential park visitors. The pilot survey will be used to 
evaluate how visitors might respond to hypothetical questions regarding 
changes in entrance fees, fee structures, and technology-based 
solutions for collecting entrance fees. The pilot is designed to 
understand the effectiveness of the instrument and the response rates 
for the eventual final survey. A preliminary analysis of these results 
will demonstrate how different entrance fee rates and collection modes 
could affect revenue and visitor access. The data will allow the NPS to 
understand the degree of interest and methods-based considerations for 
a comprehensive study on fees with the intent of making more 
transparent and science-informed pricing decisions in the future.
    Title of collection: National Park Service Recreation Fee Pricing 
Study Survey Pre-Test and Pilot.
    OMB Control Number: 1024-NEW.
    Form Number: None.
    Type of Review: New.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Individuals/households.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One-time.
    Total Estimated Annual Respondents: 2,770.
    Total Estimated Annual Responses: 641.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 5 minutes to 30 minutes.
    Total Annual Burden Hours: 275.
    Total Estimated Annual Nonhour Burden Cost: None.

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                                                                                     Estimated
                                                     Number of       Number of      completion     Total burden
                   Respondents                       contacts        completed         time           (hours)
                                                                     responses       (minutes)
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                                                    Pre-test
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Past Visitors...................................             220              50              30              25
Future Visitors.................................             220              50              30              25
No Past or Future Visitation....................              60              15              10               3
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal....................................             500             115  ..............              53
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Debriefing Interview............................              20              16              30               8
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                                                      Pilot
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Past Visitors...................................             880             200              30             100
Future Visitors.................................             880             200              30             100
No Past or Future Visitation....................             240              60              10              10
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
    Subtotal....................................           2,000             460  ..............             210
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Nonresponse Survey..............................             250              50               5               4
                                                 ---------------------------------------------------------------
        Total...................................           2,770             641  ..............             275
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    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.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Phadrea Ponds,
Information Collection Clearance Officer, National Park Service.
[FR Doc. 2022-10861 Filed 5-19-22; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4312-52-P