Justification

Request for Approval under the “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery”

(OMB Control Number: 2030-0051; EPA ICR Number: 2434.260)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Gulf of Mexico Division Funding Opportunities Survey

PURPOSE: The purpose of this survey is to receive feedback from stakeholders to improve our funding opportunities. This information will help shape the development of future funding opportunities. We intend to use this survey following every Request for Applications.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Stakeholders (non-profit organizations, NGOs,

academia, federally and state-recognized tribes, local, and state government partners) with a vested interest in the Gulf of Mexico Division's funding opportunities; and who have the knowledge and expertise to carryout project activities, as required by the funding opportunity.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

[X] Customer Comment Card/Complaint Form [ ] Customer Satisfaction Survey

[ ] Usability Testing (e.g., Website or Software [ ] Small Discussion Group

[ ] Focus Group [ ] Other: ______________________

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, will any information that is collected be included in records that are subject to the Privacy Act of 1974? [ ] Yes [ ] No

3. If Yes, has an up-to-date System of Records Notice (SORN) been published? [ ] Yes [ ] 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	Participation Time	Burden
Individual or Household	100	15min	25 hours
Private Sector	250	15min	62.5 hours
State, local, or tribal governments	400	15min	100 hour
Totals	750	15 min	187.5 hours

FEDERAL COST: The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is: $9,957.76.

The federal cost was calculated by multiplying the hourly wages of 5 employees (GS-12, GS-13, Two GS-14s, GS-15) by 1.6, to “load” the wages to compensate non-wage labor costs. The total wages were multiplied by 20 (number hours each employee will dedicate to this survey), which created a sum of $9,957.76. (Table below)

	Annual	Hourly	"Load"	# of hours	Total
GS-12	$86,962.00	$41.80	1.6	20	$1,337.60
GS-13	$103,409.00	$49.72	1.6	20	$1,591.04
GS-14	$138,492.00	$66.58	1.6	20	$2,130.56
GS-14	$150,713.00	$72.46	1.6	20	$2,318.72
GS-15	$167,690.00	$80.62	1.6	20	$2,579.84
					$9,957.76

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? [ ] 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?

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

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[ ] Other, Explain

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [ ] Yes [X] No

Please make sure that all instruments, instructions, and scripts are submitted with the request.

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.

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: Kathryn G. Millard