E SUPPORTING STATEMENT - PART A
Red River Navigation Transportation Rate Survey - OMB Control Number 0710-RRNS
1. Need for the Information Collection
Information from the questionnaire items for the collection of planning data is needed to formulate and evaluate alternative water resources development plans in accordance with the Principles and Guidelines for Water Related Land Resources Implementation Studies, promulgated by the U.S. Water Resources Council, 1983, which specifically identifies interviews with shippers, carriers and port officials as well as commodity consultants and experts to; identify commodity types, study area, commodity flow, estimate transportation cost and forecast waterway use. In the Corps of Engineers Engineering Regulation 1105-2-100, Planning Guidance Notebook (April, 2000) benefits are defined as transportation cost reduction benefits, including shift of mode and shift of origin-destination and new movement benefits. Failure to gather this information would result in Corps studies relying on incomplete or dated information regarding the cost and use of the navigation systems and the impacts of proposed capital improvements.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Tulsa District (SWT) and the Red River Waterway Commission request approval of a survey instrument that collects information from business owners to analyze potential benefits associated with a proposed navigation channel along the Red River from Denison Dam to Index, AR. The survey will assist in analyzing how businesses in the region currently transport their commodities and how the option of a navigable waterway would affect these movements. The primary questions to be answered are:
What are the commodities currently being shipped?
What modes of transport do regional shippers currently use?
Would shippers use a waterway transport if available and to what degree would they use it?
2. Use of the Information
The Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains much of the nation’s inland navigation infrastructure of locks, dams, and channels. Inland navigation improvement studies conducted by the Corps typically use surveys of shippers, carriers, and others to estimate the impacts on proposed waterway traffic of alternative capital and operations and maintenance investment strategies. The data are used to estimate, among other things, alternative mode cost, shipper response to changes in waterway transportation cost and reliability. This information is used in planning studies for evaluated of projected benefits associated with various plans.
Respondents will be potential businesses in the study area that could use the proposed navigation channel. With the assistance of the Red River Navigation Association, which has numerous contacts with regional business and industry groups, and based on analysis of data from the Surface Transportation Board Waybill Sample data, potential business will be identified, and surveys will be provided to them with the opportunity to respond. These businesses will be selected based on primary types and volume of commodities shipped. SWT will conduct follow-up phone calls if necessary.
The survey will be conducted primarily online as the survey instrument will be made available on the Tulsa District website and submitted to a project email address that is provided on the survey. A link to the survey will be provided to potential users of a Red River Navigable channel. Additional follow up communications with survey respondents could occur either by telephone interviews or in-person. The purpose of these follow ups would be to verify information and fill in missing information. Respondents may also be contacted to complete the survey entirely over the phone or in person. A script for these interactions has been included in this package for OMB review.
The survey instrument is a slightly modified version of a survey that was previously approved as a Generic Information Collection under OMB Control Number 0710-0018, “Instrument(s) for Navigation Improvement Survey(s).” This new survey instrument contains most of the same questions from the Red River survey that was previously approved. The Corps has conducted previous navigation surveys and response rates to the surveys vary. However, the project sponsor (Red River Valley Association) will assist in garnering industry support in completing the survey. Response rates for navigation surveys have typically ranged from 15 to 35 percent for shippers and carriers
Data analysis will involve a descriptive profile of responses to individual survey questions and the development of an aggregate estimate of modal transportation costs. Complex and detailed statistical analysis will not be required or performed on survey data. Adequacy of the response rate will be judged by the degree to which amounts of major commodities that could be shipped.
3. Use of Information Technology
The Corps will work with the Red River Valley Association (RRVA) to increase submission rates through a working group created by RRVA to engage in public outreach that will help inform potential users about the survey. It is estimated that at least 50 percent of the surveys will be completed electronically. The survey will be available on the Tulsa District website, along with a project email address to receive completed surveys and answer questions.
4. Non-duplication
The information obtained through this collection is unique and is not already available for use or adaptation from another cleared source.
5. Burden on Small Businesses
This information collection does not impose a significant economic impact on a substantial number of small businesses or entities.
6. Less Frequent Collection
The surveys will be conducted one time per shipper.
7. Paperwork Reduction Act Guidelines
This collection of information does not require collection to be conducted in a manner inconsistent with the guidelines delineated in 5 CFR 1320.5(d)(2).
8. Consultation and Public Comments
Part A: PUBLIC NOTICE
A 60-Day Federal Register Notice (FRN) for the collection published on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. The 60-Day FRN citation is 88 FR 10501.
No comments were received during the 60-Day Comment Period.
A 30-Day Federal Register Notice for the collection published on Tuesday, June 13, 2023. The 30-Day FRN citation is 88 FR 38501.
Part B: CONSULTATION
No additional consultation apart from soliciting public comments through the Federal Register was conducted for this submission.
9. Gifts or Payment
No payments or gifts are being offered to respondents as an incentive to participate in the collection.
10. Confidentiality
A Privacy Act Statement is not required for this collection because we are not requesting individuals to furnish personal information for a system of records.
A System of Record Notice (SORN) is not required for this collection because records are not retrievable by PII.
A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is not required for this collection because PII is not being collected.
The information collected will be maintained within the District offices for a period of 2 ½ years, after the close of the collection. Records will be reviewed and destroyed, or kept as needed pursuant to Army Records Number 1110-2-1150a3.
11. Sensitive Questions
No questions considered sensitive are being asked in this collection.
12. Respondent Burden and its Labor Costs
Part A: ESTIMATION OF RESPONDENT BURDEN
Collection Instrument(s)
Red River Navigation Transportation Rate Survey
Number of Respondents: 100
Number of Responses Per Respondent: 1
Number of Total Annual Responses: 100
Response Time: 60 minutes
Respondent Burden Hours: 100 hours
Total Submission Burden
Total Number of Respondents: 100
Total Number of Annual Responses: 100
Total Respondent Burden Hours: 100 hours
Part B: LABOR COST OF RESPONDENT BURDEN
Collection Instrument(s)
Red River Navigation Transportation Rate Survey
Number of Total Annual Responses: 100
Response Time: 1 hour
Respondent Hourly Wage: $60
Labor Burden per Response: $60
Total Labor Burden: $6,000
Overall Labor Burden
Total Number of Annual Responses: 100
Total Labor Burden: $6,000
The Respondent hourly wage was determined by using the approximate average hourly wage for all management occupations in the State of Texas ($57.47) as reported on the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics website and rounding up to $60.
13. Respondent Costs Other Than Burden Hour Costs
There are no costs to respondents other than the labor burden costs addressed in Section 12 of this document to complete this collection.
14. Cost to the Federal Government
Part A: LABOR COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Collection Instrument(s)
Management and Review
Number of Total Annual Responses: 100
Processing Time per Response: 4 hours
Hourly Wage of Worker(s) Processing Responses: $140
Cost to Process Each Response: $560
Total Cost to Process Responses: $56,000
Overall Labor Burden to the Federal Government
Total Number of Annual Responses: 100
Total Labor Burden: $56,000
Part B: OPERATIONAL AND MAINTENANCE COSTS
Cost Categories
Equipment: $0
Printing: $0
Postage: $0
Software Purchases: $0
Licensing Costs: $0
Other: $0
Total Operational and Maintenance Cost: $0
Part C: TOTAL COST TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Total Labor Cost to the Federal Government: $56,000
Total Operational and Maintenance Costs: $0
Total Cost to the Federal Government: $56,000
15. Reasons for Change in Burden
This is a new collection with a new associated burden.
16. Publication of Results
The results of this survey will be used in a report looking at potential navigation benefits of a potential Red River Navigation channel. Information will be used in the analysis with a draft report in calendar year 2023. Individual responses will not be published. Only aggregated data will be published.
17. Non-Display of OMB Expiration Date
We are not seeking approval to omit the display of the expiration date of the OMB approval on the collection instrument.
18. Exceptions to “Certification for Paperwork Reduction Submissions”
We are not requesting any exemptions to the provisions stated in 5 CFR 1320.9.
| File Type | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document |
| Author | Kaitlin Chiarelli |
| File Modified | 0000-00-00 |
| File Created | 2023-09-13 |