Focus Groups for Development new EPA Label Program for Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials & Products

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: 2434.283)

TITLE OF INFORMATION COLLECTION: Focus Groups for Development new EPA Label Program for Low Embodied Carbon Construction Materials & Products

PURPOSE: EPA is in the process of developing effective communications to ensure all manufacturer, purchaser, and other stakeholders for our program—and especially potential program partners—are aware of the program, have the opportunity to participate, and can take advantage of the resources under development. The program is creating a wide range of resources to help purchasers identify construction materials and products with lower levels of embodied greenhouse gas emissions and help manufacturers offering such construction materials to credibly identify their materials for these purchasers.

The program is authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act, Section 60116, and requires EPA to develop the label program to be used by purchasers using federal funding to procure construction materials, including federal agencies or entities hired or funded by federal agencies to execute building or transportation construction projects (e.g., state departments of transportation, nonprofits, etc.). To create effective communications for all relevant stakeholders, EPA is proposing to conduct a series of focus groups sessions with purchasers using federal funding for such materials, specifiers, and manufacturers of construction materials and products.

EPA will also conduct a focus group with purchasers using non-federal funding to procure construction materials and products, due to (1) their shared impact on demand for and availability of low embodied carbon construction materials in the marketplace and (2) to help EPA prevent confusion in the marketplace for low embodied carbon materials, given that several state and local government programs are also involved in this space.

Objectives of the focus group sessions will be to:

1. Obtain feedback from audiences who will be most actively engaged in using the label program.

2. Identify methods to effectively reach these audiences to maximize label program efficiency and effectiveness in reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with these construction materials and products.

DESCRIPTION OF RESPONDENTS: Respondents will be purchasers, specifiers and manufacturers of construction materials and products.

TYPE OF COLLECTION: (Check one)

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

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

[X] 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 Hours
Federal, state/local/tribal governments using federal funding to procure construction materials and products	12	2.25 hrs.	27
Private sector firms specifying the procurement of construction materials and products	12	2.25 hrs.	27
Private sector manufacturers of construction materials and products	12	2.25 hrs.	27
Private sector firms using non-federal funding to procure construction materials and products	12	2.25 hrs.	27
Totals	48	2.25 hrs.	108 hrs.

FEDERAL COST: The Low Embodied Carbon Label Program for Construction Materials & Products will use staff and contractor support to conduct and compile and review the results of the survey. The estimated annual cost to the Federal government is 72 hours of staff time at approximately $3,450 ($47.87/hr. average) and 240 hours of contractor support at approximately $32,000 ($133/hr. average).

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 [X] 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 will be recruited from each of several key stakeholder groups: purchasers using federal funding, specifiers, and manufacturers of construction materials and products. EPA will also conduct a focus group with purchasers using non-federal funding to procure construction materials and products. We will likely put out a call for participants using our existing email list as well at using the Label User Group developed with input from the Interagency Label Program Development Team. Screening questions will be employed to ensure participants are involved in buying or manufacturing at least one of the program’s four initial focus materials: concrete, asphalt, flat glass or steel. Diversity in geographic location, material type and other important factors will be considered.

Administration of the Instrument

1. How will you collect the information? (Check all that apply)

[ ] Web-based or other forms of Social Media

[ ] Telephone

[ ] In-person

[ ] Mail

[X] Other, Explain: virtual focus group

2. Will interviewers or facilitators be used? [X] Yes [ ] 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: Stephanie Walton | [email protected]

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