[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 244 (Thursday, December 19, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Page 76810]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-30152]
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Notices
Federal Register
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Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 244 / Thursday, December 19, 2013 /
Notices
[[Page 76810]]
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Forest Service
Information Collection; Environmental Justice and the Urban
Forest in Atlanta, GA
AGENCY: Forest Service, USDA.
ACTION: Notice; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Forest Service is seeking comments from all interested individuals and
organizations on the new information collection, Environmental Justice
and the Urban Forest in Atlanta, GA.
DATES: Comments must be received in writing on or before February 18,
2014 to be assured of consideration. Comments received after that date
will be considered to the extent practicable.
ADDRESSES: Comments concerning this notice should be addressed to
Cassandra Johnson Gaither, Forestry Sciences Lab, 320 Green St.,
Athens, GA 30602. Comments also may be submitted via facsimile to 706-
559-4266 or by email to: [email protected].
The public may inspect comments received at Forestry Sciences Lab,
320 Green St., Athens, GA 30602 during normal business hours. Visitors
are encouraged to call ahead to 706-559-4270 to facilitate entry to the
building.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Cassandra Johnson Gaither, U.S. Forest
Service, Southern Research Station, 706-559-4270. Individuals who use
telecommunication devices for the deaf (TDD) may call the Federal Relay
Service (FRS) at 1-800-877-8339, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
including holidays.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Environmental Justice and the Urban Forest in Atlanta, GA
OMB Number: 0596-NEW
Type of Request: New
Abstract: This information collection records data on the attitude
and engagement of Atlanta city residents as it relates to the Atlanta
urban forest. The information collected serves several purposes
beginning with the provision of data. This data will be used to support
the participation of U.S. Forest Service Region 8 in the interagency,
Green Infrastructure Community of Practice initiative (GI COP). GI COP
is a public agency collaboration, partnered with others, that advocate
to increase the amount of green space in cities across the country. The
collected data will be used to help achieve the Region 8, Regional
Urban Forester, goals as related to the GI COP effort. Another purpose
of this information collection is to support the U.S. Forest Service
Strategic Goal 6, through the GI COP, which directs the
agency to engage urban America with Forest Service Programs. Action
items are implemented, related to Strategic Goal 6, and used
``to develop partnerships with nontraditional partners to engage urban
and underserved audiences''. The final purpose of this information
collection is to incorporate the President Obama America's Great
Outdoors Initiative (AGO), Recommendation 6.4, which stresses the need
to connect urban residents with community green spaces http://americasgreatoutdoors.gov/files/2011/02/AGO-Report-With-All-Appendices-3-1-11.pdf.
The AGO recommendation requires the federal government to find
innovative ways to engage urban residents, with both public and private
green space, in cities through the elimination of barriers to
engagement. A better understanding of the constraints to citizen
engagement is one of the methods being used to comply with the AGO.
This information collection addresses environmental justice from
the perspective of urban trees; and how this resource may contribute to
environmental justice in a given community or neighborhood. Most
existing studies of environmental justice focus solely on environmental
threats. A better account of environmental justice would include an
assessment of the cumulative impact of both environmental burdens and
environmental services. In cities, this would include the counts for
both the number of hazardous facilities and the number of city parks
and green spaces, for instance. Another component of environmental
justice is human interest and advocacy for environmental quality. This
information collection gathers data on people's interest in, and their
understanding of, city trees in Atlanta. This dimension of
environmental justice will be combined with data on environmental
threats, and data on the physical remediation of pollutants via urban
vegetation to produce a more complete assessment of environmental
justice in Atlanta neighborhoods.
Type of Respondents: Individuals and Households
Estimated Annual Number of Respondents: 1,236
Estimated Annual Number of Responses per Respondent: 2.5
Estimate of Burden per response: 1 to 15 minutes
Estimated Total Annual Burden on Respondents: 199 hours
Comment is Invited on: (1) Whether this collection of information
is necessary for the stated purposes and the proper performance of the
functions of the Agency, including whether the information will have
practical or scientific utility; (2) the accuracy of the Agency's
estimate of the burden of the collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used; (3) ways to enhance
the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected;
and (4) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on
respondents, including the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information
technology.
All comments received in response to this notice, including names
and addresses when provided, will be a matter of public record.
Comments will be summarized and included in the submission request
toward Office of Management and Budget approval.
Dated: December 11, 2013.
Daina D. Apple,
Senior Staff to the Deputy Chief, U. S. Forest Service Research and
Development.
[FR Doc. 2013-30152 Filed 12-18-13; 8:45 am]
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