Notice2023-24188
Agency Information Collection Activities; Piloting an Approach to Community-Informed Characterization of Communities With Environmental Justice Concerns
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
November 2, 2023
Issuing agencies
Interior DepartmentOcean Energy Management Bureau
Abstract
In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) proposes this new information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 88 Issue 211 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 211 (Thursday, November 2, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 75307-75308]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2023-24188]
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DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management
[OMB Control Number 1010-NEW; Docket ID: BOEM-2023-0004]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Piloting an Approach to
Community-Informed Characterization of Communities With Environmental
Justice Concerns
AGENCY: Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Interior.
ACTION: Notice of information collection; request for comment.
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SUMMARY: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, the
Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) proposes this new information
collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
DATES: Comments must be received by BOEM no later than January 2, 2024.
ADDRESSES: Send your comments on this ICR by mail to the BOEM
Information Collection Clearance Officer, Anna Atkinson, Bureau of
Ocean Energy Management, 45600 Woodland Road, Sterling, Virginia 20166;
or by email to <a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#9afbf4f4fbb4fbeef1f3f4e9f5f4daf8f5fff7b4fdf5ec"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="94f5fafaf5baf5e0fffdfae7fbfad4f6fbf1f9baf3fbe2">[email protected]</span></a>. Please reference OMB Control
Number 1010-NEW in the subject line of your comments. You may also view
and comment on the ICR and its related documents by searching the
docket number BOEM-2023-0004 at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">http://www.regulations.gov</a>.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Anna Atkinson by email at
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#f697989897d897829d9f98859998b69499939bd8919980"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="ec8d82828dc28d988785829f8382ac8e838981c28b839a">[email protected]</span></a>, or by telephone at 703-787-1025. Individuals in
the United States who are deaf, deafblind, hard of hearing, or have a
speech disability may dial 711 (TTY, TDD, or TeleBraille) to access
telecommunications relay services. Individuals outside of the United
States should use the relay services offered within their country to
make international calls to the point-of-contact in the United States.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995, BOEM provides the general public and other Federal
agencies with an opportunity to comment on new, proposed, revised, and
continuing collections of information. This helps BOEM assess the
impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the
public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand BOEM's
information collection requirements and provide the requested data in
the desired format.
BOEM is soliciting comments on the proposed ICR described below.
BOEM is especially interested in public comments addressing the
following issues: (1) is the collection necessary to the proper
functions of BOEM; (2) what can BOEM do to ensure that this information
is processed and used in a timely manner; (3) is the burden estimate
accurate; (4) how might BOEM enhance the quality, utility, and clarity
of the information to be collected; and (5) how might BOEM minimize the
burden of this collection on the respondents, including minimizing the
burden through the use of information technology?
Comments submitted in response to this notice are a matter of
public record. BOEM will include or summarize each comment in its ICR
to OMB for approval of this information collection. You should be aware
that your entire comment--including your address, phone number, email
address, or other personally identifiable information included in your
comment--may be made publicly available at any time. Even if BOEM
withholds your information in the context of this ICR, your comment is
subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). If your comment is
requested under the FOIA, your information will only be withheld if
BOEM determines that one of the FOIA exemptions to disclosure applies.
Such a determination will be made in accordance with the Department's
FOIA regulations and applicable law.
In order for BOEM to consider withholding from disclosure your
personally identifiable information, you must identify, in a cover
letter, any information contained in your comment that, if released,
would constitute a clearly unwarranted invasion of your privacy. You
must also briefly describe any possible harmful consequences of the
disclosure of information, such as embarrassment, injury, or other
harm. Note that BOEM will make available for public inspection, in
their entirety, all comments submitted by organizations and businesses,
or by individuals identifying themselves as representatives of
organizations or businesses.
BOEM protects proprietary information in accordance with FOIA and
the Department's implementing regulations. Items of a sensitive nature
are not intended to be collected.
Title of Collection: ``Piloting an Approach to Community-Informed
Characterization of Communities with Environmental Justice Concerns.''
Abstract: Various Federal statutes, including the National
Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), require BOEM to examine the social and
economic impacts of BOEM-authorized activities at the community level.
Additionally, Federal policy and guidance state that agencies should
meaningfully engage communities with environmental justice (EJ)
concerns in their decision making. (Executive Orders 12898, 13985, and
14008).
BOEM plans to pilot an approach to community-informed
characterization of communities with EJ concerns potentially impacted
by BOEM-authorized activities by selecting nine communities to
participate in the study. The goal of this initiative is to improve
BOEM's decision making through more detailed environmental analyses
that include information on the communities with EJ concerns that may
be affected by BOEM-authorized activities. Sections within NEPA
documents currently discuss potential EJ impacts in a general sense. To
improve its analyses, BOEM proposes to obtain information about
specific potential impacts, unique contextual considerations, and the
potential for detailed mitigation measures designed based on the
affected community.
Baseline information to support community characterization is
available but could be better applied in analyses
[[Page 75308]]
to identify local contexts and reflect local input. BOEM plans to
prepare community characterization summaries using information obtained
from members of selected communities with EJ concerns to pilot such an
approach. Community characterizations would summarize a community's
history, demographics, economic conditions, coastal and marine resource
use, coastal land use, identification of key leaders and organizations,
and other baseline conditions and trends. With these summaries readily
accessible, BOEM analysts will continue improving their understanding
of the selected affected communities with EJ concerns and the potential
impacts from BOEM-approved activities.
As appropriate, these summaries may be included in the relevant
environmental analyses that inform BOEM's decisions. Furthermore,
conducting community-informed research could advance earlier community
awareness of BOEM activities and increase trust. Gaining first-hand
information will help ``ground-truth'' some of the existing information
that would be collated into the selected community characterization
summaries.
BOEM plans to use various methods, such as interviews and focus
groups, to collect information from members of approximately three
communities with EJ concerns in each of the three chosen study areas.
BOEM seeks comments on, and suggestions of, appropriate information
collection methods and study areas.
BOEM proposes to collect information on topics such as those listed
below in order to inform community characterization summaries
highlighting vulnerabilities, themes, issues, or concerns of each
selected community. Each community summary would include relevant
history, demographics, economics, coastal and marine resource use,
coastal land use including existing facilities, outreach approaches
that are locally appropriate for that specific community with EJ
concerns, identification of key community leaders and organizations,
and other baseline conditions that will enable BOEM analysts to better
incorporate specific community interests into environmental reviews and
the decision-making process. BOEM is also seeking comments on whether
other topics should be included in the selected community
characterization summaries.
OMB Control Number: 1010-NEW.
Form Number: None.
Type of Review: New.
Respondents/Affected Public: 9-15 Selected Communities (including
community leaders, key informants, and community organizations).
Total Estimated Number of Annual Responses: 135-225 community
responses.
Total Estimated Number of Annual Burden Hours: 540-900 hours.
Respondent's Obligation: Voluntary.
Frequency of Collection: On occasion.
Total Estimated Annual Non-Hour Burden Cost: None.
An agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required
to respond to, a collection of information unless it displays a valid
OMB control number.
The authority for this action is the Paperwork Reduction Act of
1995 (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.).
Karen Thundiyil,
Chief, Office of Regulations, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management.
[FR Doc. 2023-24188 Filed 11-1-23; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4340-98-P
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