1010-NEW 60-day FR published notice

Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 83 / Friday, May 1, 2009 / Notices
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Minerals Management Service
[Docket No. MMS–2009–OMM–0003]

MMS Information Collection Activity:
1010–NEW Alaska Subsistence Study;
Notice of a New Collection; Comment
Request
AGENCY: Minerals Management Service
(MMS), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of an information
collection (1010–NEW).
SUMMARY: To comply with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), MMS is inviting comments on a
new collection of information that we
will submit to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and
approval. The information collection
request (ICR) pertains to conducting a
study, Alaska Subsistence Study.
DATES: Submit written comments by
June 30, 2009.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cheryl Blundon, Regulations and
Standards Branch at (703) 787–1607, to
obtain a copy, at no cost, of the study
that requires the subject collection of
information. For more information on
the study itself, contact Chris Campbell
in the MMS Alaska Regional Office at
(907) 334–5264.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by either of the following methods listed
below.
• Electronically: Go to http://
www.regulations.gov. Under the tab
More Search Options, click Advanced
Docket Search, then select Minerals
Management Service from the agency
drop-down menu, then click submit. In
the Docket ID column, select MMS–
2009–OMM–0003 to submit public
comments and to view supporting and
related materials available for this
rulemaking. Information on using
Regulations.gov, including instructions
for accessing documents, submitting
comments, and viewing the docket after
the close of the comment period, is
available through the site’s User Tips
link. The MMS will post all comments.
• Mail or hand-carry comments to the
Department of the Interior; Minerals
Management Service; Attention: Cheryl
Blundon; 381 Elden Street, MS–4024;
Herndon, Virginia 20170–4817. Please
reference ‘‘Information Collection 1010–
NEW’’ in your subject line and mark
your message for return receipt. Include
your name and return address in your
message text.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Alaska Subsistence Study.
OMB Control Number: 1010–NEW.

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Abstract: The United States Congress,
through the 1953 Outer Continental
Shelf (OCS) Lands Act (OCSLA) [Pub. L.
95–372, Section 20] and its subsequent
amendments, requires the Secretary of
the Department of the Interior to
monitor and assess the impacts of
resource development activities in
Federal waters on human, marine, and
coastal environments. The OCSLA
amendments authorize the Secretary of
the Interior to conduct studies in areas
or regions of sales to ascertain the
‘‘environmental impacts on the human,
marine, and coastal environments of the
outer Continental Shelf and the coastal
areas which may be affected by oil and
gas or other mineral development’’ (43
U.S.C. 1346).
The National Environmental Policy
Act (NEPA) of 1969 (42 U.S.C. 4321–
4347) requires that all Federal Agencies
use a systematic, interdisciplinary
approach to ensure the integrated use of
the natural and social sciences in any
planning and decision making that may
have an effect on the human
environment. The Council on
Environmental Quality’s Regulations for
Implementing Procedural Provisions of
NEPA (40 CFR 1500–1508) state that the
‘‘human environment’’ is to be
‘‘interpreted comprehensively’’ to
include ‘‘the natural and physical
environment and the relationship of
people with that environment’’ (40 CFR
1508.14). An action’s ‘‘aesthetic,
historic, cultural, economic, social or
health’’ effects must be assessed,
‘‘whether direct, indirect, or
cumulative’’ (40 CFR 1508.8).
The U.S. Department of the Interior/
Minerals Management Service (DOI/
MMS) is the Federal administrative
agency created both to conduct OCS
lease sales and to monitor and mitigate
adverse impacts that might be
associated with offshore resource
development. Within the MMS, the
Environmental Studies Program
functions to implement and manage the
responsibilities of research. This study
will facilitate the meeting of DOI/MMS
information needs on subsistence food
harvest and sharing activities in coastal
Alaska.
Planning areas in Alaska can include
up to and more than 50,000 square
miles—a large geographic area with
diverse, abundant, and environmentally
sensitive resources. Within these areas,
the DOI’s Proposed OCS Oil and Gas
Leasing Program considers that there
will be an oil and gas lease sale in the
future. The proposed sale area or
adjacent areas support major productive
commercial and subsistence fisheries,
provide habitat to numerous marine
mammals, and are a significant

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migration and staging area for
internationally important waterfowl.
Numerous communities in the State of
Alaska rely heavily on subsistence or
commercial fisheries.
This information collection (IC)
request involves a study that will assess
the vulnerabilities of several coastal
communities in Alaska, during various
times, to the potential effects of offshore
oil and gas development on subsistence
food harvest and sharing activities. It
will investigate the resilience of local
sharing networks that structure
contemporary subsistence-cash
economies using research methods that
involve residents of these communities
most proximate to future sale area(s).
The MMS will use the information
collected to gain knowledge about local
social systems that will help shape
development leasing strategies and
serve as an interim baseline for impact
monitoring to compare against future
research in these areas. Without this
data, MMS will not have sufficient
information to make informed leasing
and development decisions for these
areas.
Study Instrument: The research will
be collected from a study, administered
to each head of household in the
communities to collect information
about the subsistence (harvest data) and
sharing networks of the communities.
The information under this proposed
collection will be obtained through
personal interviews that are voluntary.
Interview methods: The interviews for
each study will be done face to face in
a setting that is most comfortable for the
respondents. This personal method is
more expensive and time consuming for
the researchers, but these drawbacks are
outweighed by improvements in the
quality of information obtained and the
rapport established between the person
asking the questions and the person
interviewed. Telephone interviews have
not been successful in rural Alaska.
Each respondent will be paid an
honorarium for taking part in the study.
No items of a sensitive nature are
collected. Responses are voluntary.
Frequency: One-time event for each
study.
Estimated Number and Description of
Respondents: Approximately 128
respondents from Alaska coastal
communities.
Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping ‘‘Hour’’ Burden: The
MMS estimates the total annual burden
hours to be 192 (128 respondents × 1.5
hours for each study = 192 total burden
hours).
Estimated Reporting and
Recordkeeping ‘‘Non-Hour Cost’’

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Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 83 / Friday, May 1, 2009 / Notices

Burden: We have identified no non-hour
cost burdens for this collection.
Protections of Respondent
Confidentiality: The study is voluntary.
The questionnaires will be administered
under the guidelines of 45 CFR part 46.
The introduction that will be covered
with each participant stresses that
participation is voluntary and
confidentiality will be maintained. No
names will appear on the study form, no
photographs will be taken of any
informant, and no videotaping will be
conducted. Minor children will not be
interviewed. Procedures designed to
protect the confidentiality of the
information provided will include the
use of coded selection and identification
number to protect the identities of
respondents.
This study will ask five potentially
sensitive but routine questions on
annual household income,
unemployment, subsistence expenses,
and household finances. One of these
questions asks the views of the
respondent about future potential oil
and gas development. Questions such as
these have been used in past studies in
rural Alaska with few, if any,
complaints. During the interviews, the
respondents will be warned that
sensitive questions are coming up and
that they may refuse to answer any
query they object to. Respondents will
also be reminded that they are assured
anonymity through the study design and
process.
Public Disclosure Statement: The PRA
(44 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.) provides that an
agency may not conduct or sponsor a
collection of information unless it
displays a currently valid OMB control
number. Until OMB approves a
collection of information, you are not
obligated to respond.
Comments: Before submitting an ICR
to OMB, PRA section 3506(c)(2)(A)
requires each agency ‘‘* * * to provide
notice * * * and otherwise consult
with members of the public and affected
agencies concerning each proposed
collection of information * * *’’.
Agencies must specifically solicit
comments to: (a) Evaluate whether the
proposed collection of information is
necessary for the agency to perform its
duties, including whether the
information is useful; (b) evaluate the
accuracy of the agency’s estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of
information; (c) enhance the quality,
usefulness, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (d)
minimize the burden on the
respondents, including the use of
automated collection techniques or
other forms of information technology.

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Agencies must also estimate the ‘‘nonhour cost’’ burdens to respondents or
recordkeepers resulting from the
collection of information. Therefore, if
you have costs to generate, maintain,
and disclose this information, you
should comment and provide your total
capital and startup cost components or
annual operation, maintenance, and
purchase of service components. You
should describe the methods you use to
estimate major cost factors, including
system and technology acquisition,
expected useful life of capital
equipment, discount rate(s), and the
period over which you incur costs.
Capital and startup costs include,
among other items, computers and
software you purchase to prepare for
collecting information, monitoring, and
record storage facilities. You should not
include estimates for equipment or
services purchased: (i) Before October 1,
1995; (ii) to comply with requirements
not associated with the information
collection; (iii) for reasons other than to
provide information or keep records for
the Government; or (iv) as part of
customary and usual business or private
practices.
We will summarize written responses
to this notice and address them in our
submission for OMB approval. As a
result of your comments, we will make
any necessary adjustments to the burden
in our submission to OMB.
Public Comment Procedures: Before
including your address, phone number,
e-mail address, or other personal
identifying information in your
comment, you should be aware that
your entire comment–including your
personal identifying information–may
be made publicly available at any time.
While you can ask us in your comment
to withhold your personal identifying
information from public review, we
cannot guarantee that we will be able to
do so.
MMS Information Collection
Clearance Officer: Arlene Bajusz (202)
208–7744.
Dated:April 27, 2009.
E.P. Danenberger,
Chief, Office of Offshore Regulatory Programs.
[FR Doc. E9–10088 Filed 4–30–09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4310–MR–P

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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Minerals Management Service
[Docket No. MMS–2008–OMM–0042]

MMS Information Collection Activity:
1010–0128, Subpart O, Well Control
and Production Safety Training,
Extension of a Collection; Comment
Request; Agency Information
Collection Activities: Proposed
Collection; Comment Request
AGENCY: Minerals Management Service
(MMS), Interior.
ACTION: Notice of extension of an
information collection (1010–0128).
SUMMARY: To comply with the
Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995
(PRA), MMS is inviting comments on a
collection of information that we will
submit to the Office of Management and
Budget (OMB) for review and approval.
The information collection request (ICR)
concerns the paperwork requirements in
the regulations under 30 CFR 250,
Subpart O, ‘‘Well Control and
Production Safety Training.’’
DATES: Submit written comments by
June 30, 2009.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments
by either of the following methods listed
below.
• Electronically: go to http://
www.regulations.gov. Under the tab
More Search Options, click Advanced
Docket Search, then select Minerals
Management Service from the agency
drop-down menu, then click submit. In
the Docket ID column, select MMS–
2008–OMM–0042 to submit public
comments and to view supporting and
related materials available for this
collection. Information on using
Regulations.gov, including instructions
for accessing documents, submitting
comments, and viewing the docket after
the close of the comment period, is
available through the site’s User Tips
link. The MMS will post all comments.
• Mail or hand-carry comments to the
Department of the Interior; Minerals
Management Service; Attention: Cheryl
Blundon; 381 Elden Street, MS–4024;
Herndon, Virginia 20170–4817. Please
reference ‘‘Information Collection 1010–
0128’’ in your subject line and mark
your message for return receipt. Include
your name and return address in your
message text.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:
Cheryl Blundon, Regulations and
Standards Branch at (703) 787–1607.
You may also contact Cheryl Blundon to
obtain a copy, at no cost, of the
regulation that requires the subject
collection of information.

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