Generic IC Justification

OMB Control Number 2010-0042
Approval Expiration date: MM/DD/YYYY

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Routine
Customer Feedback” (OMB Control Number: 2010-0042)
TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION:
Survey Soliciting Input for Vision 2032 Plan
PURPOSE:
The Narragansett Bay Estuary Program (NBEP), as a federally funded National Estuary Program
(NEP) created by the Clean Water Act, is required to develop a voluntary, community-driven
Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) roughly every 10 years for the
Narragansett Bay region in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut. NBEP’s next CCMP, called
Vision 2032, is slated for release in 2022. NBEP envisions Vision 2032 as a focused, achievable, and
useful plan, which serves as a call to action for NBEP and its partners to implement a shared vision for
pursuing priority actions that are science-based, reflect diverse local needs, and measurably improve
water quality, wildlife, and quality of life in the region by 2032. We are committed to open and
inclusive engagement to obtain authentic and timely feedback from those interested in or likely to be
impacted by the plan. While input was sought on the near-finished CCMP in 1992 and 2012, as we
begin development of Vision 2032 in 2020, we are seeking more meaningful involvement in crafting of
the plan by the interested public early in the process.
NBEP will use a suite of outreach tools to solicit input from diverse voices to help shape the plan. One
key strategy is use of a website (www.Vision2032.org) to open new pathways for deeper collaboration by
building awareness about the planning process and by gathering input from the interested public. The
website will host a simple survey tool made up of separate forms for collecting opinions from individuals
and organizations (Attachment #1) that have knowledge of the program and choose to participate. NBEP
will use the web-hosted instrument to enable voluntary completion by partner organizations and
individuals with knowledge of the program. Perspectives, themes, and ideas will be captured internally by
NBEP and used to inform the content of Vision 2032. This approach will enable us to better fulfill the
NEP’s mission to support voluntary, community-based action, meet NBEP’s obligation to realize
inclusive and meaningful public involvement in the creation of Vision 2032, and directly improve the
quality, utility, and local ownership of the final plan.
DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS:
Individuals and organizations that steward, reside, work, or visit our region will voluntarily choose to
respond. For the purposes of NBEP, our region includes the Narragansett Bay, Little Narragansett Bay,
and Coastal Ponds and their watersheds in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut (see
Attachment #2)
TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)
[ ] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form
[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software)
[ ] Focus Group

[ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey
[ ] Small Discussion Group
[X] Other: Opinion survey to inform plan

CERTIFICATION:
I certify the following to be true:
1. The collection is voluntary.
2. The collection is low burden for respondents and low-cost for the Federal Government.
3. The collection is non-controversial and does not raise issues of concern to other federal agencies.

OMB Control Number 2010-0042
Approval Expiration date: MM/DD/YYYY

4. The results are not intended to be disseminated to the public.
5. Information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy
decisions.
6. The collection is targeted to the solicitation of opinions from respondents who have experience
with the program or may have experience with the program in the future.
Name: Michael Gerel, Program Director, Narragansett Bay Estuary Program
To assist review, please provide answers to the following question:
Personally Identifiable Information:
1. Is personally identifiable information (PII) collected? [ ] Yes [X] No
2. If Yes, is the information that will be collected included in records that are subject to the Privacy
Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No
3. If Applicable, has a System or Records Notice been published? [ ] Yes [X] No
Gifts or Payments:
Is an incentive (e.g., money or reimbursement of expenses, token of appreciation) provided to
participants? [ ] Yes [X] No
BURDEN HOURS:
Category of Respondent

No. of
Respondents
400

Participation
Time
15 minutes

Individuals and
households*
Totals
*Inclusive of an individual responding on behalf of an organization.

Min to
Hours
60

Burden
Hours
100
100

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is $50,000.
If you are conducting a focus group, survey, or plan to employ statistical methods, please provide
answers to the following questions:
The selection of your targeted respondents
1. Do you have a customer list or something similar that defines the universe of potential respondents
and do you have a sampling plan for selecting from this universe?
[X] Yes [ ] No
If the answer is yes, please provide a description of both below (or attach the sampling plan)? If
the answer is no, please provide a description of how you plan to identify your potential group of
respondents and how you will select them?
Respondents with experience in the subject matter expected to be included in Vision 2032 plan will be
identified from those who steward, reside, work, or visit the communities listed in Attachment #2 via
personal knowledge and subsequent outreach by NBEP staff, its committee members, partners, and
other individuals with knowledge of the program. All potential respondents made aware of the survey
tool will be able to respond voluntarily.

OMB Control Number 2010-0042
Approval Expiration date: MM/DD/YYYY

Administration of the Instrument
1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)
[X] Web-based or other forms of Social Media
[ ] Telephone
[X] In-person
[ ] Mail
[ ] Other, Explain
2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [X*] Yes [ ] No
*While administration will be via the web, facilitators may offer Vision 2032 background
information virtually or in-person prior to sharing the link for completion of the web-hosted
instrument.
Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.
The survey instrument is provided as Attachment #1.