[Federal Register: January 12, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 7)]
[Notices]
[Page 1701-1702]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12ja04-48]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Proposed Agency Information Collection Submitted for OMB Review
and Comment
AGENCY: Department of Energy.
ACTION: Review and comment.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) has submitted to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB) for clearance, a proposal for collection of
information under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44
U.S.C. Chapter 35). The proposed collection will provide a baseline
measurement of knowledge of and opinions about hydrogen, fuel cells,
and the hydrogen economy.
DATES: Comments on the proposed information collection must be received
on or before February 11, 2004. If you anticipate that you will be
submitting comments, but find it difficult to do so within the period
of time allowed by this notice, please advise the OMB Desk Officer of
your intention to make a submission as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Written comments should be sent to the DOE Desk Officer,
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget, New Executive Office Building, Room 10102, 735 17th Street,
NW., Washington, DC 20503. (Comments should also be addressed to Susan
L. Frey, Director, Records Management Division IM-11/Germantown Bldg.,
Office of Business and Information Management, Office of the Chief
Information Officer, U.S. Department of Energy, Germantown, MD 20874-
1290, and to Lorena F. Truett, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, National
Transportation Research Center, 2360 Cherahala Boulevard, Room I-32,
Knoxville, TN 37932.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should
be directed to Lorena F. Truett using the contact information listed
above.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This package contains:
(1) OMB No.: 1910-NEW.
(2) Package Title: Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure
Technologies Program Baseline Knowledge Assessment.
(3) Type of Request: New collection.
(4) Purpose: The Baseline Knowledge Assessment for the DOE
Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies (HFCIT) program will
measure the levels of and changes in awareness and understanding of
hydrogen and fuel cell technologies and the hydrogen economy
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within four target populations: (1) The general public, (2) students
and educators, (3) personnel in state and local governments, and (4)
potential users of hydrogen fuel and technologies in business and
industry. Four distinct information collections will be required, one
for each of the target populations. These collections will be conducted
in stages, with the general public study conducted first. Changes
relative to baseline knowledge levels will be determined when, after
three years, each population group will be surveyed again using the
same survey instrument and methodology. The instrument for assessing
baseline knowledge will be specifically targeted to the population
group. The public survey, for example, will assess a general knowledge
of the production, storage, delivery, applications, and safety of
hydrogen and fuel cells. Information gathered in this assessment will
assist the HFCIT program in formulating an overall education plan for
hydrogen technologies. Future surveys will provide a basis for
determining changes in public awareness and understanding of the
hydrogen economy, which is an important tool for knowing whether the
education strategies should be modified and, if so, how.
(5) Type of Respondents: There are four populations to be surveyed;
however, the general scope and temper of the four collections will be
the same. The general public will be surveyed first. For the general
public, a random (probability sample) survey of adults, age 18 and
over, will be conducted via computer-assisted telephone interviews
(CATI) or by other appropriate mechanism. About twenty closed-end
questions will be posed. The second survey population will consist of a
random sample of students--that is, teens (ages 12-17) and pre-teens
(ages 6-11)--and educators. The third population will be randomly
selected from energy agencies in all 50 states and the District of
Columbia, plus a limited number of local (i.e., municipal) agencies.
Finally, a limited number of large-scale or potential large-scale users
of energy sources powered by hydrogen and fuel cells will also be
interviewed using both closed-end and open-end questions.
(6) Estimated Number of Respondents: The numbers of respondents
will differ for each of the populations. The general public survey will
be of 1,000 adults; the educational survey is planned to include 1,000
students and approximately 100-150 educators; it is estimated that the
total number of contacts with state and local agencies will be less
than 100; finally, less than 50 interviews with large-scale users are
planned.
(7) Estimated Number of Burden Hours: For the general public
survey, the burden is estimated at ten minutes per respondent for 1,000
respondents, for a total time and cost burden of 167 hours and $0. The
total burdens for the other populations will depend on the designs of
those surveys but will be similar in temper and scope to the burden for
the general public survey. The total time and cost burden for the
student survey is tentatively estimated to be 133 hours and $0; the
total burden for educators is estimated to be no more than 25 hours and
$0. The total burden for the state and local government and large-scale
user surveys is expected to be less than the burden for the student
survey.
Statutory Authority: Energy Reorganization Act of 1974 (Pub. L.
93-438).
Issued in Washington, DC on January 5, 2004.
Susan L. Frey,
Director, Records Management Division, Office of Records and Business
Management, Office of the Chief Information Officer.
[FR Doc. 04-574 Filed 1-9-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6450-01-P