[Federal Register: June 9, 2005 (Volume 70, Number 110)]
[Notices]
[Page 33746-33748]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09jn05-48]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OW-2005-0006, FRL-7922-9]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Willingness To Pay Survey for Section 316(b) Phase III
Cooling Water Intake Structures: Instrument, Pre-Test, and
Implementation, EPA ICR Number 2155.02
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this document announces that EPA is planning to submit a
proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request for a new collection.
Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is
soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information
collection as described below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before August 8, 2005.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-
[[Page 33747]]
2005-0006, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by email
to ow-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Water Docket, EPA West, 4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Erik Helm, Office of Science and
Technology, 4303T, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-1066; fax
number: 202-566-1054; e-mail address: helm.erik@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this
ICR under Docket ID number OW-2005-0006, which is available for public
viewing at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA
West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA
Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.,
Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone number
for the Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for
the Water Docket is (202) 566-2426. An electronic version of the public
docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
Use EDOCKET to obtain a copy of the draft
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the
index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those
documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once
in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number
identified above.
Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA within
60 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether
submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public
viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the
comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose
public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a
comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference
to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in
EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted
material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified
as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose
disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the
official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in
EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's
Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102
(May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov./edocket.
Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are
individuals/households.
Title: Willingness to Pay Survey for section 316(b) Phase III
Cooling Water Intake Structures: Instrument, Pre-test, and
Implementation.
Abstract: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in the
process of developing new regulations to provide national performance
standards for controlling impacts from cooling water intake structures
(CWIS) for Phase III facilities under section 316(b) of the Clean Water
Act (CWA). The facilities considered Phase III facilities under section
316(b) regulations are facilities that withdraw water for cooling
purposes from rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, oceans, or
other waters of the United States, and that are either existing
electrical generators with cooling water intake structures that are
designed to withdraw 50 million gallons of water per day (MGD) or less,
or existing manufacturing and industrial facilities. The regulation
also establishes section 316(b) requirements for new offshore oil and
gas extraction facilities. EPA has previously published final section
316(b) regulations that address new facilities (Phase I) on December
18, 2001 (66 FR 65256) and existing large power producers (Phase II) on
July 9, 2004 (69 FR 41576). See 40 CFR Part 125, Subparts I and J,
respectively.
As required under Executive Order 12866, EPA is conducting economic
impact and cost-benefit analyses for the section 316(b) regulation for
Phase III facilities. Comprehensive, appropriate estimates of total
resource value include both use and non-use values, such that the
resulting total social benefit estimates may be compared to total
social cost. Developing comprehensive quantified benefit estimates for
the section 316(b) regulation requires consideration of non-use values
because nearly all (96 percent) of impingement and entrainment losses
at CWIS consist of either forage species, or non-landed recreational
and commercial species that do not have direct uses or, as a result,
direct use values. Although individuals do not use these resources
directly, they may nevertheless be affected by changes in resource
status or quality, such that they would be willing to pay to maintain
these resources. It is generally accepted that non-use values may be
substantial in some cases, and that failure to recognize such values
may lead to improper inferences regarding policy benefits and costs.
Many public comments on the proposed section 316(b) regulation for
Phase II facilities and the Phase II Notice of Data Availability
suggested that a properly designed and conducted stated preference, or
contingent valuation (CV), survey would be the most appropriate and
acceptable method to estimate the non-use benefits of the rule.\1\
Stated preference survey methodology is the generally accepted means to
estimate non-use values. Stated preference surveys use carefully
designed questions to elicit respondents' willingness to pay (WTP) for
particular ecological improvements, based on their responses to either
discrete choice or open-ended questions regarding hypothetical resource
improvements or programs. Such improvements may include increased
protection of aquatic habitats or species with particular attributes.
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\1\ For detail see ``Phase II--Large Existing Electric
Generating Plants Response to Public Comment,'' U.S. EPA, 2004.
Available at: http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/316b/commentph2.htm.
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To assess public policy significance or importance of the
ecological gains from the section 316(b) regulation for Phase III
facilities, EPA proposes to conduct a stated preference study to
measure non-use benefits of reduced fish losses at CWIS due to the
regulation. The study would focus on a broad range of aquatic species,
including forage fish and a variety of fish species harvested by
commercial and recreational fishermen. Additionally, the survey will
include a revealed preference/contingent behavior component to measure
how changes in fish populations affect recreational activities such as
angling. The results of the survey would be used to estimate the non-
use benefits and recreational benefits of the proposed 316(b)
regulation.
The stated preference component of the survey will ask respondents
to choose how they would vote, if presented with two different
hypothetical regulatory options characterized by [a] changes in annual
impingement and entrainment losses of fish and other organisms, [b]
effects on long-term fish populations, [c] effects on recreational and
commercial catch, and [d] an unavoidable cost of living increase for
the respondent's household. Respondents will be allowed to ``vote'' for
one of the presented regulatory options, or to choose not to vote for
either option. The stated preference component of the survey will also
ask respondents to answer questions about their reasons for voting,
their level of concern about various policy issues, and
[[Page 33748]]
their affiliations and recreational activities.
The revealed preference/contingent behavior survey component will
be administered only to respondents who indicate that they participate
in water-based recreational activities that are potentially affected by
changes in fish populations. This component will ask respondents about
their recent recreational activities, and ask how many additional trips
(if any) they would take to their most recently visited recreation site
each year if fish populations and catch rates (for anglers) increased
by a specified amount. It will also ask respondents whether they would
choose to visit the site of their last recreational trip or a similar
site with higher fish populations and catch rates that is further from
their home.
Survey subjects will be randomly selected from a representative
national panel of respondents maintained by Knowledge Networks, an
online survey company. Subjects will be asked to complete a web-based
questionnaire. Participation in the survey is voluntary. EPA intends to
administer the survey to a total of 4,400 persons, including 500
persons that will take part in an initial survey pilot. EPA chose a
web-based survey format because it is the most cost-effective method
available to conduct a large statistically-based survey covering a wide
geographic region in a relatively short time frame. To avoid potential
sampling biases associated with the web-based survey methodology, the
survey sample will be stratified by geographical region, and within
each region, by demographic variables including age, education,
Hispanic ethnicity, race, gender, and household income.
To assist in the development of this stated preference survey, EPA
has requested approval from the Office of Management and Budget to
conduct a series of twelve focus groups with a total of 96 respondents
(see EPA ICR number 2155.01). These focus groups will be conducted
following standard, accepted practices in the stated preference
literature. The focus groups will allow EPA to better understand the
public's perceptions and attitudes concerning fishery resources, to
frame and define survey questions, to pretest draft survey questions,
to test for and eliminate or reduce potential biases that may be
associated with stated preference methodology, and to ensure that both
researchers and respondents have similar interpretations of survey
language and scenarios.
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 OMB control numbers for EPA's
regulations in 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9.
The EPA would like to solicit comments to:
(i) Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
(ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected; and
(iv) 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 responses.
Burden Statement: EPA estimates that the total public reporting and
record keeping burden for the 4,400 individuals/households who respond
to the survey will be 3,227 hours, for an average of 44 minutes per
respondent. The estimated total cost burden to respondents is $57,144.
EPA estimates that there will be no capital and operating and
maintenance cost burden. This survey is one-time activity.
Burden means the total time, effort, or financial resources
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, or disclose or
provide information to or for a Federal agency. This includes the time
needed to review instructions; develop, acquire, install, and utilize
technology and systems for the purposes of collecting, validating, and
verifying information, processing and maintaining information, and
disclosing and providing information; adjust the existing ways to
comply with any previously applicable instructions and requirements;
train personnel to be able to respond to a collection of information;
search data sources; complete and review the collection of information;
and transmit or otherwise disclose the information.
Dated: June 3, 2005.
Ephraim S. King,
Director, Office of Science and Technology.
[FR Doc. 05-11466 Filed 6-8-05; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P