[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 62 (Friday, March 30, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 19275-19276]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-7663]
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DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY
Proposed Agency Information Collection
AGENCY: U.S. Department of Energy, DoE.
ACTION: Notice and Request for Comments.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Energy (DOE) invites public comment on a
proposed collection of information that DOE is developing for
submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) pursuant to the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. Comments are invited on: (a) Whether
the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the agency, including whether the
information shall have practical utility; (b) 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; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the
collection of information on respondents, including through the use of
automated collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
The proposed collection would involve information for a scorecard
that would assist DOE's Clean Cities Coalitions and stakeholders in
assessing the level of readiness of their communities for plug-in
electric
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vehicles. Information collected would allow DOE to provide respondents
with an objective assessment of their communities' readiness for PEV
adoption and an understanding of their commitment to successful
deployment of PEVs, and is needed to ensure appropriate evaluation of
progress in deploying PEVs.
DATES: Comments regarding this proposed information collection must be
received on or before May 29, 2012. If you anticipate difficulty in
submitting comments within that period, contact the person listed in
ADDRESSES as soon as possible.
ADDRESSES: Written comments may be sent to Ms. Linda Bluestein, Office
of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EE-2G), U.S. Department of
Energy, 1000 Independence Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, or by
fax at 202-586-1600, or by email at Linda.Bluestein@ee.doe.gov.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Requests for additional information or
copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should
be directed to Ms. Linda Bluestein, Office of Energy Efficiency and
Renewable Energy (EE-2G), U.S. Department of Energy, 1000 Independence
Avenue SW., Washington, DC 20585-0121, (202) 586-6116,
Linda.Bluestein@ee.doe.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This information collection request
contains: (1) OMB No. New; (2) Information Collection Request Title:
Clean Cities Plug-In Vehicle Community Readiness Scorecard; (3) Type of
Request: New; (4) Purpose: DOE's Clean Cities initiative has developed
a voluntary scorecard to assist its coalitions and stakeholders in
assessing the level of readiness of their communities for plug-in
electric vehicles. The principal objective of the scorecard is to
provide respondents with an objective assessment and estimate of their
respective community's readiness for PEV deployment as well as
understand the respective community's commitment to deploying these
vehicles successfully. DOE intends the scorecard to be completed by a
city/county/regional sustainability or energy coordinator. As the
intended respondent may not be aware of every aspect of local or
regional PEV readiness, coordination among local stakeholders to gather
appropriate information may be necessary.
The scorecard assessment effort will rely on responses to questions
the respondent chooses to answer. The multiple-choice questions address
the following topic areas: (1) Electric vehicle supply equipment
permitting and inspection process; (2) PEV and electric vehicle supply
equipment availability and numbers; (3) laws, incentives, and
financing; (4) education and outreach; (5) utility interaction; and (6)
vehicle and infrastructure planning. Respondents will provide answers
through a user-friendly online interface. The answers will then be
translated through a simple algorithm that will establish appropriate
quantitative criteria, translating the readiness measures across
several weighted categories into numeric data. Using a numberless color
spectrum, a community will be rated against itself, with the colored
spectrum results made available only to the respondent community. The
total rankings will be normalized into a ``score'', and communities
will see their own rating and may be compared to other cities.
The scorecard will use one information collection system, an online
system. No other data collection system will be employed to support the
scorecard. The online scorecard system DOE has developed provides
several advantages. First, it avoids the need to download any forms or
materials, though respondents may print out the full list of questions
and answers, or a portion thereof if they wish. Second, avoiding
downloads also limits potential security threats. Third, the designed
system allows respondents to dynamically compare historical records,
providing the opportunity to revisit the scorecard however often they
like to track progress. Further, employing an online system also
eliminates version control concerns, allowing for a single update to
ensure that all scorecard users are using the current version.
The voluntary scorecard may be completed at any time, and there is
no date by which the scorecard questions must be completed. Calculation
of outcomes will be undertaken on an ongoing basis, immediately
following completion of the scorecard questionnaire.
While there are approximately 90 Clean Cities coalitions across the
United States, DOE expects that other communities may want to avail
themselves of the opportunity to assess their respective community's
PEV readiness. Therefore, DOE expects a total respondent population of
approximately 100 respondents. Selecting the multiple choice answers in
completing a scorecard questionnaire is expected to take under 30
minutes, although additional time of no more than 20 hours may be
needed to assemble information necessary to be able to answer the
questions, leading to a total burden of approximately 2,050 hours in
the first year. Assembling information to update questionnaire answers
in future years on a voluntary basis would be expected to take less
time, on the order of 10 hours, as much of any necessary time and
effort needed to research information would have been completed
previously; (5) Annual Estimated Number of Respondents: 100; (6) Annual
Estimated Number of Total Responses: 100; (7) Annual Estimated Number
of Burden Hours: 2,050; (8) Annual Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping Cost Burden: There is no cost associated with reporting
and recordkeeping.
Statutory Authority: 42 U.S.C. Sec. 13233; 42 U.S.C. Sec.
13252(a)-(b); 42 U.S.C. 13255; 42 U.S.C. Sec. 7256.
Issued in Washington, DC, on March 22, 2012.
Henry C. Kelly,
Acting Assistant Secretary, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy.
[FR Doc. 2012-7663 Filed 3-29-12; 8:45 am]
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