[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 28 (Friday, February 9, 2024)]
[Notices]
[Pages 9175-9177]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-02694]


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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Bureau of Ocean Energy Management

[OMB Control Number 1010-NEW; Docket ID: BOEM-2024-0007]


Agency Information Collection Activities; Cook Inlet Recreation 
and Tourism Survey

AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.

ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the 
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) proposes a new information 
collection request (ICR).

DATES: Comments must be received by BOEM no later than April 9, 2024.

[[Page 9176]]


ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this ICR by mail to the BOEM 
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Anna Atkinson, Bureau of 
Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 20166; 
or by email to [email protected]. Please reference Office of 
Management and Budget (OMB) Control Number 1010-NEW in the subject line 
of your comments. You may also view and comment on the ICR and its 
related documents by searching the docket number BOEM-2024-0007 at 
http://www.regulations.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Atkinson by email at 
[email protected], or by telephone at 703-787-1025. 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 of 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.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction 
Act of 1995, BOEM provides the general public and other Federal 
agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and 
continuing collections of information. This helps BOEM assess the 
impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the 
public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand BOEM's 
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in 
the desired format.
    BOEM solicits comments on the proposed ICR described below. BOEM is 
especially interested in public comments addressing the following 
issues: (1) is the collection necessary to the proper functions of 
BOEM; (2) what can BOEM do to ensure that this information is processed 
and used in a timely manner; (3) is the burden estimate accurate; (4) 
how might BOEM enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the 
information to be collected; and (5) how might BOEM minimize the burden 
of this collection on the respondents, including minimizing the burden 
through the use of information technology?
    Comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of 
public record. BOEM will include or summarize each comment in its ICR 
to OMB for approval of this information collection. You should be aware 
that your entire comment--including your address, phone number, email 
address, or other personally identifiable information included in your 
comment--may be made publicly available.
    In order for BOEM to consider withholding from disclosure your 
personally identifiable information, you must identify, in a cover 
letter, any information contained in your comment that, if released, 
would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of your privacy. You 
must also briefly describe any possible harmful consequences of the 
disclosure of information, such as embarrassment, injury, or other 
harm. Note that BOEM will make available for public inspection, in 
their entirety, all comments submitted by organizations and businesses, 
or by individuals identifying themselves as representatives of 
organizations or businesses.
    Even if BOEM withholds your information in the context of this ICR, 
your comment is subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). If 
your comment is requested under FOIA, your information will only be 
withheld if BOEM determines that one of the FOIA exemptions to 
disclosure applies. Such a determination will be made in accordance 
with the Department's FOIA regulations and applicable law.
    BOEM protects proprietary information in accordance with FOIA and 
the Department's implementing regulations.
    Title of Collection: Cook Inlet Recreation and Tourism Survey.
    Abstract: Natural resource-based recreation in the marine and 
coastal environments of Cook Inlet, Alaska, offers numerous economic, 
cultural, environmental, health, educational, and quality-of-life 
benefits. Recreation and tourism play a vital role in supporting local 
economies, preserving cultural heritage, promoting environmental 
stewardship, and improving the well-being of both residents and 
visitors. The Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act charges BOEM with 
managing the energy and mineral resources of the Outer Continental 
Shelf (OCS) for protection of marine and coastal environments that 
support human lives and society. Additionally, to ensure the scientific 
integrity of its National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) assessments, 
BOEM requires reliable data and information to evaluate the extent to 
which its activities adversely affect the human environment (40 CFR 
1502.23). As defined in 40 CFR 1508.1, the effects on the human 
environment evaluated in NEPA assessments include social and economic 
impacts, as well as the ecological, aesthetic, historic, cultural, and 
health effects.
    BOEM intends to conduct a research study of outdoor recreation and 
tourism in the Cook Inlet OCS Planning Area and adjacent coastal areas 
(i.e., the study area). BOEM seeks updated baseline information on the 
nature, distribution, and seasonality of outdoor recreation and tourism 
in the study area, and the relative preferences and values for these 
activities. BOEM would use this information to determine how 
stakeholders and the recreational and tourism economy may be affected 
by potential future oil, gas, renewable energy, and other energy 
exploration and development activities. This study would help BOEM 
identify any appropriate mitigation strategies to address potential 
adverse effects of its activities on recreation and tourism in the 
study area. Altogether, the study would enable BOEM to develop more 
rigorous and thorough environmental analyses during any NEPA processes 
related to future Cook Inlet OCS energy and mineral activities.
    Specifically, this information collection would involve primary 
data collection (following ICR approval by OMB) to elicit information 
on: (a) activities and attributes contributing to the value of 
recreational experiences; (b) expenditures related to recreational 
activities; and (c) how these things differ across the region and 
different user groups (residents and visitors). The primary research 
would provide meaningful insight regarding the influence of energy 
development on recreation and tourism (e.g., by comparing areas in the 
Upper Cook Inlet with existing energy infrastructure to other areas in 
Cook Inlet without any energy infrastructure). The study also would 
document user attitudes regarding how recreation and tourism may be 
affected by different energy development-related activities (e.g., 
noise, space use conflicts, spill risks, aesthetic effects of 
infrastructure, and vessel traffic).
    The study's primary research design would include three components: 
focus groups, cognitive interviews, and onsite intercept surveys. The 
focus groups and cognitive interviews would be used to develop and 
pretest a draft survey, first in a group setting (focus groups) and 
then in a one-on-one interview setting (cognitive interviews). The 
final onsite intercept surveys would be administered at approximately 
two dozen sites in the study area during the primary recreation season 
from May to October. Potential respondents would be approached as they 
arrive to or depart from a site and invited to fill out the survey.

[[Page 9177]]

    1. Focus Groups--To inform survey development, BOEM would conduct 
focus groups with recreationists in the study area. The recreationists 
would identify their preferred coastal- and marine-related recreation 
sites; why they choose their preferred sites; the differences they 
perceive between sites near existing energy infrastructure (in portions 
of the Upper Cook Inlet) to sites that are not near any energy 
infrastructure, and the recreational quality of those sites; what they 
like about their recreational experiences around Cook Inlet; what they 
do not like about the Cook Inlet sites they avoid; how offshore energy 
exploration and development activities may affect their recreation site 
choice and experience; and other related issues.
    2. Cognitive Interviews--The findings of the focus groups would be 
used to develop a draft survey instrument. BOEM would then conduct 25 
cognitive interviews to test and refine the survey. Specifically, the 
interviews would test if the survey is working as expected. Factors 
relevant to that determination include evaluating if questions are 
easily understood, how respondents formulate their answers, whether 
response categories are exhaustive and mutually exclusive, and other 
similar issues.
    3. Onsite Intercept Surveys--BOEM expects the final survey would 
cover topics such as recreational destinations, frequency of use in the 
past 12 months, recreation trip-related expenditures, preferences for 
recreation site attributes, attitudes about and recreation behavioral 
responses to offshore energy exploration and development, and 
demographics. Surveys would be administered at a range of sites, 
including at some hub cities, smaller communities, public lands, 
visitor centers, seaports, airports, and marinas. Because the surveys 
would be administered between May and October, a potential respondent 
may be intercepted on more than one occasion. If a respondent clarifies 
that they have already taken the survey, they would not be asked to 
take it again.
    OMB Control Number: OMB Control Number 1010-NEW.
    Respondents/Affected Public: Participants in the focus groups and 
cognitive interviews would be members of the public who have engaged in 
coastal or marine recreation in the study area in the past year. 
Respondents to the surveys would be members of the public engaged in 
coastal or marine recreational activities in the study area. Members of 
the public would consist of a mixture of local, State, and out-of-State 
residents.
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 565: 40 focus group 
participants, 25 cognitive interview participants, and 500 completed 
surveys. The focus group questions would be semi-structured and open-
ended. Survey questions would be primarily discrete choice and closed-
ended with minimal open-ended questions.
    Estimated Completion Time per Response: 90 minutes per focus group 
participant, 45 minutes per cognitive interview participant, and 12 
minutes per survey participant. (BOEM anticipates that the survey would 
comprise approximately 30 questions with each question taking about 20-
30 seconds to complete on average.)
    Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 60 hours for focus 
groups, 18.75 hours for cognitive interviews, and 100 hours for survey; 
total of 178.75 hours.
    Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
    Frequency of Collection: One time.
    Total Estimated Annual Non-hour Burden Cost: There is no non-hour 
cost burden associated with this collection.
    An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required 
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid 
OMB control number.
    The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of 
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).

Karen Thundiyil,
Chief, Office of Regulations, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2024-02694 Filed 2-8-24; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P