[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 4 (Friday, January 6, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 1058-1059]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-00051]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration


Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to the 
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for Review and Approval; Comment 
Request; NWS Extreme Heat Social and Behavioral Sciences Research

AGENCY: National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Commerce.

ACTION: Notice of information collection, request for comment.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Commerce, in accordance with the Paperwork 
Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA), invites the general public and other 
Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information 
collections, which helps us assess the impact of our information 
collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. The 
purpose of this notice is to allow for 60 days of public comment 
preceding submission of the collection to OMB.

DATES: To ensure consideration, comments regarding this proposed 
information collection must be received on or before March 7, 2023.

ADDRESSES: Interested persons are invited to submit written comments to 
Adrienne Thomas, NOAA PRA Officer, at [email protected]. Please 
reference OMB Control Number 0648-XXXX in the subject line of your 
comments. Do not submit Confidential Business Information or otherwise 
sensitive or protected information.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or 
specific questions related to collection activities should be directed 
to Kimberly McMahon, Public Weather Services Program Manager, DOC/NOAA/
NWS/AFS, 1325 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910, 301-427-9692, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

    This is a request for a new collection of information.
    The data collection is sponsored by DOC/NOAA/National Weather 
Service (NWS)/Analyze, Forecast, and Support Office (AFSO). Heat 
continues to be the leading weather-related killer with the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimating more than 700 deaths 
and 9,000 hospitalizations a year resulting from heat exposure. In 
particular, historically underserved communities, as defined and 
highlighted in Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and 
Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, 
typically experience higher rates of poverty, homelessness, 
disabilities, and language barriers, which increase their vulnerability 
to heat impacts. The NWS has articulated a priority to enhance services 
for these historically underinvested and underserved communities that 
are at greater risk for experiencing negative health impacts related to 
extreme heat.
    As heat-related impacts continue to increase, the NWS must rise to 
the challenge and provide the most equitable and informed heat products 
and services to mitigate loss of life and property. Modeling and 
forecasting capabilities have continued to expand, but even the most 
accurate and up-to-date forecasts must be paired with Social, 
Behavioral, and Economic Sciences (SBES) to ensure that NWS can meet 
its mission of protecting life and property and enhancing the national 
economy. In addition, this study supports the Weather Research and 
Forecasting Innovation Act of 2017, which calls on NOAA to ``improve 
the understanding of how the public receives, interprets, and responds 
to warnings and forecasts of high impact weather events that endanger 
life and property.''
    While NWS continues to enhance its heat-related products and 
services, there is still significant room for improvement, particularly 
in bridging the gap between physical science information and how it is 
received and acted upon by our public and partners. As such, this study 
will focus on expanding our knowledge of public perception and 
understanding of heat to inform and improve NWS' national and local 
level heat communication and messaging. This will include an initial 
literature review to draw out known best practices and identify 
research gaps to inform a mixed methods approach including a series of 
remote focus groups and a large-scale public survey. The focus groups 
are intended to explore how pertinent public, nonprofit, corporate, and 
academic stakeholders message heat information and resources, 
particularly for underserved communities. The quantitative survey will 
use a representative sample of the U.S. population and focus on more 
broadly conceptualizing public perception and understanding of heat.

II. Method of Collection

    Information will be collected via mixed methods approach of 
qualitative focus groups and a quantitative survey.
    The focus groups will consist of six remote groups lasting 90-
minutes. Each group will consist of six to eight participants for a 
total of up to 48 participants. Participants will include a mix of 
public, nonprofit, corporate, and academic stakeholders who have a role 
in messaging and assisting with behavior change to improve extreme heat 
outcomes. Specific focus group questions will provide information about 
how NWS can effectively reach underserved groups with its extreme heat 
messaging including how to reach underserved groups, what messaging 
spurs action, and what communication channels are most effective.
    The 15-minute web survey will consist of 1,000 nationally 
distributed participants from the general public. Respondents include 
adults who reside in the United States, recruited through a non-
probability panel. Specific survey questions will determine how members 
of the US public receive, comprehend, and respond to extreme heat 
messages.

III. Data

    OMB Control Number: 0648-XXXX.
    Form Number(s): None.
    Type of Review: Regular (New information collection).
    Affected Public: Individuals or households; Business or other for-
profit organizations; Not-for-profit institutions; Federal, State, 
local, or Tribal government; academic institutions.
    Estimated Number of Respondents: 1,048.
    Estimated Time per Response:
     Focus Group: 90 minutes.
     Survey: 15 minutes.
    Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 322.
    Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: None.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Legal Authority: 15 U.S.C. chapter 111, Weather Research and 
Forecasting Information.

IV. Request for Comments

    We are soliciting public comments to permit the Department/Bureau 
to: (a)

[[Page 1059]]

Evaluate whether the proposed information collection is necessary for 
the proper functions of the Department, including whether the 
information will have practical utility; (b) Evaluate the accuracy of 
our estimate of the time and cost burden for this proposed collection, 
including the validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (c) 
Evaluate ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (d) Minimize the reporting burden on 
those who are to respond, including the use of automated collection 
techniques or other forms of information technology.
    Comments that you submit in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. We will include or summarize each comment in our request 
to OMB to approve this ICR. 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 may 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.

Sheleen Dumas,
Department PRA Clearance Officer, Office of the Chief Information 
Officer, Commerce Department.
[FR Doc. 2023-00051 Filed 1-5-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-KE-P