[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 89 (Wednesday, May 8, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 26773-26774]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-10932]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-ORD-2013-0282; FRL-9810-6]
Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request;
Willingness To Pay Survey for Santa Cruz River Management Options in
Southern Arizona
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an
information collection request (ICR), ``Willingness To Pay Survey for
Santa Cruz River Management Options in Southern Arizona'' (EPA ICR No.
2484.01, OMB Control No. 2080-NEW) to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork
Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.). Before doing so, EPA is
soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed
information collection as described below. This is a request for
approval of a new 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 currently valid OMB control number.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before July 8, 2013.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-ORD-
2013-0282 online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), or
by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail
Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460.
EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included in the
public docket without change including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats, information
claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Matthew A. Weber, Environmental
Protection Agency, Western Ecology Division, 200 SW. 35th St.,
Corvallis, OR 97333; telephone number: 541-754-4315; fax number: 541-
754-4799; email address: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supporting documents which explain in
detail the information that the EPA will be collecting are available in
the public docket for this ICR. The docket can be viewed online at
www.regulations.gov
[[Page 26774]]
or in person at the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room 3334, 1301
Constitution Ave. NW., Washington, DC. The telephone number for the
Docket Center is 202-566-1744. For additional information about EPA's
public docket, visit http://www.epa.gov/dockets.
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting
comments and information to enable it 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. EPA
will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate.
The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and
approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to
submit additional comments to OMB.
Abstract: The USEPA Office of Research and Development is
investigating public values for scenarios of change for perennial
reaches of the effluent-dominated Santa Cruz River, Arizona. These
values will be estimated via a willingness to pay mail survey
instrument. There are two effluent-dominated perennial reaches
considered in the survey. A ``South'' reach starts at an outfall in Rio
Rico, AZ, and flows northward through Tumac[aacute]cori National
Historical Park. A ``North'' reach is fed by two outfalls in northwest
Tucson, Arizona, flows northwest through Marana, AZ. For each of the
South and North reaches, two different scenarios of change are
considered. The first is a reduction in flow length, and associated
decreases in cottonwood-willow riparian forest, a rare forest type in
the region. The second is an increase in water quality to allow full
contact recreation, such as submersion, at normal flow levels. The
baseline flow length and forest acreages, as well as the acreages of
forest that would be associated with reduced flow lengths, are derived
from natural science research. For the survey, a choice experiment
framework is used with statistically designed tradeoff questions.
Options to maintain flow length and forest, or increase effluent water
quality, are posed as increases in a yearly household tax. Each choice
question allows a zero cost ``opt out'' option. The choice experiment
is designed to allow isolation of the public value of each marginal
change for each reach. A few additional questions to further understand
respondent choice motivations, as well as their river-related
recreation behavior, are also included. Several pages of background
introduce the issue to respondents. A small number of sociodemographic
questions are included to gauge how well the sample respondents
represent the target population. Samples of the two major metropolitan
areas in southern Arizona, Phoenix and Tucson, will receive the survey.
The primary reason for the survey is public value research. The Santa
Cruz River is a case study of a waterway highly impacted by human
modifications. However it still represents potentially valuable
ecological commodities such as rare riparian habitat and recreational
opportunities for the regional population. The survey results may also
be informative to local decision-makers considering Santa Cruz River
management options. Water scarcity in the region raises periodic
debates on the best uses of effluent. All survey responses will be kept
confidential.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities: The target respondents for this
survey are representatives 18 yrs or older of households in the two
most populated urban areas of Arizona, the Phoenix metro area, and the
Tucson metro area. A sample of household representatives 18 yrs or
older in each metro area will be contacted by mail following multiple
contact protocol in Dillman (2009). A response rate of 30% will be
targeted. To increase response rates from the sample, several contacts
will be used, including a prenotice to all recipients, a reminder
postcard, and followup mailing as needed.
Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
Estimated number of respondents: The target responses from the
Phoenix and Tucson metro areas is 250 households each, or 500
households total.
Frequency of response: One-time response.
Total estimated burden: For a typical respondent, a conservative
estimate of their time to review and respond to survey questions is 30
minutes. Assuming the target of 500 people total respond to the survey,
the burden is 250 hours.
Total estimated cost: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports
average wage rates for some metropolitan areas, with the most recent
data being May 2011 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011). The average
hourly wage for all occupations in the Phoenix metro area was $21.61,
or an average cost per participant of $10.81. The average hourly wage
for all occupations in the Tucson metro area was $20.55, or an average
cost per participant of $10.28. Assuming 250 participants in each metro
area fill out the survey, the total estimated respondent labor cost is
$5,270. This would be a one-time expenditure of their time.
Changes in Estimates: This is the first notice, there is no change
in estimates at this time.
Dated: April 19, 2013.
Thomas Fontaine III,
Western Ecology Division Director.
[FR Doc. 2013-10932 Filed 5-7-13; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P