60-day Federal Register Notice

Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 10, 2006 / Notices
period will begin at approximately 11
a.m. and the meeting will adjourn at
approximately 3:30 p.m.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Mark Jacobsen, Public Affairs Specialist,
Miles City Field Office, 111 Garryowen
Road, Miles City, Montana, 59301.
Telephone: (406) 233–2831.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The 15member Council advises the Secretary
of the Interior, through the Bureau of
Land Management, on a variety of
planning and management issues
associated with public land
management in Montana.
At this meeting, topics to discuss
include:
Field Manager Updates
The Miles City Field Office and Billings
Field Office Updates
Subcommittee working sessions
—and other topics the council may
raise.
All meetings are open to the public.
The public may present written
comments to the Council. Each formal
Council meeting will also have time
allocated for hearing public comments.
Depending on the number of persons
wishing to comment and time available,
the time for individual oral comments
may be limited. Individuals who plan to
attend and need special assistance, such
as sign language interpretation, tour
transportation or other reasonable
accommodations, should contact the
BLM as provided above.
Dated: October 3, 2006.
Theresa Hanley,
Field Manager.
[FR Doc. E6–16669 Filed 10–6–06; 8:45 am]
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DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR
National Park Service
60-Day Notice of Intention To Request
Clearance of Collection of Information;
Opportunity for Public Comment
Department of the Interior,
National Park Service.
ACTION: Notice and request for
comments.

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AGENCY:

SUMMARY: Under provisions of the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and 5
CFR part 1320, Reporting and
Recordkeeping Requirements, the
National Park Service (NPS) invites
public comments on a proposed new
collection of information (OMB # 1024–
XXXX),
DATES: Public comments will be
accepted on or before December 11,
2006.

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Send comments to: Susan
Johnson, National Park Service Air
Resources Division, U.S. National Park
Service, 12795 W. Alameda Parkway,
P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Colorado
80225; phone: (303) 987–6694; e-mail:
[email protected]., or fax at 303/
969–2822.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Megan McBride, National Park Service
Social Science Program, 1201 ‘‘Eye’’ St.,
NW., Washington, DC 20016; phone:
(202) 513–7190; e-mail:
[email protected]., or
fax at 202/371–2131.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title:
Visibility Valuation in National Parks
and Wilderness Areas: Pre-test and Pilot
Test.
Bureau Form Number: None.
OMB Number: To be requested.
Expiration Date: To be requested.
Type of Request: New collection.
Description of Need: The Clean Air
Act includes provisions designed to
maintain and enhance visibility at
national parks and wilderness areas
(Sections 169A, 169B, and 110(a)(2)(j)).
The National Park Service is directed by
its Organic Act to ‘‘conserve the scenery
* * * unimpaired for the enjoyment of
future generations’’ (16 U.S.C. a-1); and
the Clean Air Act charges the NPS with
an ‘‘affirmative responsibility to protect
air quality related values (including
visibility)’’ (42 U.S.C. 7475(d)(2)(B)).
Therefore, the NPS believes it is
imperative that the value of visibility
changes is adequately represented in
cost-benefit analyses related to state and
federal efforts that may affect visibility
(including the Regional Haze Rule, 40
CFR part 51). Although several studies
were conducted to estimate visibility
benefits in the 1970s and 1980s,
methodologies for estimating the
benefits of improvements in
environmental goods have advanced
significantly since that time.
Furthermore, baseline visibility
conditions in national parks and
wilderness areas have changed
significantly over the last few decades.
As a result, updated estimates of
visibility benefits are required.
NPS plans to conduct a nationwide
stated-preference survey to estimate the
value of visibility changes in national
parks and wilderness areas. Statedpreference surveys use carefully
designed questions to elicit
respondents’ willingness to pay for
improvements in environmental quality.
A general population stated-preference
survey is required in this case, as many
U.S. citizens may be willing to pay to
improve or maintain visibility at
national parks and wilderness areas,
ADDRESSES:

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even if they do not use these areas.
Stated-preference surveys are the only
methodology available to estimate these
non-market-based values. But to ensure
that the nationwide survey is unbiased
and readily understood by respondents
and that the likely effect of nonresponse on benefit estimates is known,
the pre-test and pilot test must first be
conducted.
The pre-testing will be done through
focus groups, which will be used to
develop and refine a survey instrument
for the pilot study. Twelve focus groups
will be conducted, with approximately
10 participants in each group (120 in
total). Thus, a sufficient number of
responses will be gathered to evaluate
the information presentation, reliability,
internal consistency, response
variability, and other properties of the
draft survey. Results will be used to
make improvements to the survey
instrument. NPS will proceed
iteratively, modifying the draft survey
instrument after each focus group to
ensure that the wording of the questions
is clear and unbiased and effectively
addresses the relevant issues.
The pilot study will be designed to
account for the potential impact of mail
survey non-response on benefit
estimates. The pilot study will involve
a split-sample comparison between a
mail and an in-person survey.
Respondents will be asked to complete
the survey instrument developed during
the pre-testing stage. The results will
ultimately be used to adjust the benefit
estimates obtained in the nationwide
survey for potential non-response bias.
The final content of the pilot survey
instrument will depend on the pretesting results. At a minimum, the
survey will describe the characteristics
of various visibility improvement
programs and ask respondents to select
a preferred program. The survey will
also include socio-demographic
questions and questions designed to
evaluate the respondents’ motivation in
selecting a preferred program. Surveys
will be conducted with approximately
800 individuals.
For this pilot study, 16 neighborhoods
will be selected in two metropolitan
areas (Phoenix, AZ and Syracuse, NY).
Each neighborhood sample will be split
into two groups, with 50 households
assigned to a mail survey group and 50
households assigned to an in-person
survey group. The in-person survey will
be conducted in a manner that
minimizes the differences between the
two survey modes. NPS specifically
requests comments on: (1) The practical
utility of the information being
gathered; (2) the accuracy of the burden
hour estimate; (3) ways to enhance the

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Federal Register / Vol. 71, No. 195 / Tuesday, October 10, 2006 / Notices

quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (4)
ways to minimize the burden to
respondents, including use of
automated information collection
techniques or other forms of information
technology.
Automated data collection: No
automated data collection will be used
in this study.
Description of respondents: Pre-test—
adults from Atlanta, GA, Sacramento,
CA, and Chicago, IL who are contacted
by telephone and agree to participate in
focus groups in those cities. Pilot test—
adult residents of 16 neighborhoods in
Phoenix, AZ and Syracuse, NY who live
in owner-occupied homes.
Estimated average number of
respondents: 920 (120 for focus groups;
800 for pilot survey).
Estimated average number of
responses: 920 (120 for focus groups;
800 for pilot survey).
Estimated average burden hours per
response: 2.5 hours for focus group
respondents, 1⁄3 hour for pilot survey
respondents.
Frequency of response: 1 time per
respondent.
Estimated annual reporting burden:
567 hours.
Dated: September 27, 2006.
Leonard E. Stowe,
NPS, Information Collection Clearance
Officer.
[FR Doc. 06–8564 Filed 10–6–06; 8:45 am]

next 15 to 20 years. The document
describes four management alternatives,
including a No-Action Alternative and
the NPS’s preferred alternative. The
anticipated environmental impacts of
those alternatives are also analyzed.
Public comment on the draft plan was
considered when preparing the final.
The NPS will execute a Record
of Decision no sooner than 30 days
following the Environmental Protection
Agency’s notice in the Federal Register.

DATES:

Copies of the FEIS and GMP
are available from the Superintendent,
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National
Historic Site, 2995 Lincoln Farm Road,
Hodgenville, Kentucky 42748–9707;
telephone: 270–358–3137. An electronic
copy of the document is available on the
Internet at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/
.

ADDRESSES:

The
Superintendent, Abraham Lincoln
National Historic Site, at the address
and telephone number shown above,
Matthew Safford at 303–969–2898, or
Amy Wirsching at 404–562–3124,
extension 607.
The responsible official for the FEIS is
Patricia A. Hooks, Regional Director,
Southeast Region, National Park
Service, 100 Alabama Street SW., 1924
Building, Atlanta, Georgia 30303.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dated: August 28, 2006.
Patricia A. Hooks,
Regional Director, Southeast Region.
[FR Doc. E6–16686 Filed 10–6–06; 8:45 am]

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jlentini on PROD1PC65 with NOTICES

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
National Park Service

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Notice of Availability of a Final
Environmental Impact Statement for
the General Management Plan,
Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National
Historic Site

National Park Service

SUMMARY: The National Park Service
(NPS) announces the availability of the
Final Environmental Impact Statement
(FEIS) for the General Management Plan
(GMP) for Abraham Lincoln Birthplace
National Historic Site, Kentucky. This
document will be available for public
review pursuant to Section 102(2)(C) of
the National Environmental Policy Act
of 1969 and NPS policy in Director’s
Order Number 2 (Park Planning) and
Director’s Order Number 12
(Conservation Planning, Environmental
Impact Analysis, and Decision-making).
The authority for publishing this notice
is 40 CFR 1506.6.
The document provides a framework
for management, use, and development
of the historic site by the NPS for the

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Draft Environmental Impact Statement
for General Management Plan; Olympic
National Park; Notice of Extension of
Public Comment Period
SUMMARY: Pursuant to section 102(2)(C)
of the National Environmental Policy
Act of 1969 (Pub. L. 91–190 as
amended), the National Park Service,
Department of the Interior, has prepared
a Draft Environmental Impact Statement
(DEIS), which will serve as the
‘‘blueprint’’ to guide management,
research, and other activities in
Olympic National Park, Washington,
during the next 15–20 years. The park’s
Notice of Availability of the DEIS was
published in the Federal Register on
July 14, 2006, with the original public
review period set to conclude on
September 15, 2006. In response to
public interest expressed to date and
with regard for the timing of the original

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release, the public review period has
been extended two additional weeks.
Interested
individuals, organizations, and agencies
are encouraged to provide written
comments—to be considered any
response must now be postmarked or
transmitted no later than September 30,
2006. Persons wishing to comment may
do so by one of several ways. Responses
are encouraged online using the
electronic comment form accessed at the
NPS Park Planning website (http://
parkplanning.nps.gov), or by e-mail to
[email protected]. Written comments
can be mailed to Olympic National Park
General Management Plan, National
Park Service, Denver Service Center,
P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Colorado
80225; or faxed to (303) 969–2736.
Comments may be hand delivered
during normal business hours to the
headquarters office of Olympic National
Park located at 600 East Park Avenue,
Port Angeles, WA 98362. To obtain a
copy of the DEIS please contact the park
at the address noted above, or via
telephone at (360) 565–3004.
Our practice is to make comments,
including names, home addresses, home
phone numbers, and email addresses of
respondents, available for public
review. Individual respondents may
request that we withhold their names
and/or home addresses, etc., but if you
wish us to consider withholding this
information you must state this
prominently at the beginning of your
comments. In addition, you must
present a rationale for withholding this
information. This rationale must
demonstrate that disclosure would
constitute a clearly unwarranted
invasion of privacy. Unsupported
assertions will not meet this burden. In
the absence of exceptional,
documentable circumstances, this
information will be released. We will
always make submissions from
organizations or businesses, and from
individuals identifying themselves as
representatives of or officials of
organizations or businesses, available
for public inspection in their entirety.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Dated: August 24, 2006.
Patricia L. Neubacher,
Acting Regional Director, Pacific West Region.
[FR Doc. E6–16664 Filed 10–6–06; 8:45 am]
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