Notice2025-16478
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Focus Groups as Used by EPA for Economics Projects (Renewal)
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
August 28, 2025
Issuing agencies
Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), Focus Groups as Used by EPA for Economics Projects (Renewal), (EPA ICR Number 2205.23, OMB Control Number 2090-0028) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act. Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a proposed renewal of the ICR, which is currently approved through October 10, 2025. This notice allows for 60 days for public comments.
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 90 Issue 165 (Thursday, August 28, 2025)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 165 (Thursday, August 28, 2025)]
[Notices]
[Pages 42007-42008]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2025-16478]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OA-2025-0172; FRL-12735-01-OA]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Information
Collection Request; Comment Request; Focus Groups as Used by EPA for
Economics Projects (Renewal)
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is planning to
submit an information collection request (ICR), Focus Groups as Used by
EPA for Economics Projects (Renewal), (EPA ICR Number 2205.23, OMB
Control Number 2090-0028) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act.
Before doing so, EPA is soliciting public comments on specific aspects
of the proposed information collection as described below. This is a
proposed renewal of the ICR, which is currently approved through
October 10, 2025. This notice allows for 60 days for public comments.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before October 27, 2025.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID Number HQ-OA-
2025-0172, to EPA online using <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> (our preferred
method), by email, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mail Code 28221T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20460. EPA's policy is that all comments received will
be included in the public docket without change including any personal
information provided, unless the comment includes profanity, threats,
information claimed to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or
other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Chris Moore, Office of Policy
(MC1809T), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-2348; email address:
<a href="/cdn-cgi/l/email-protection#117c7e7e63743f7279637862517461703f767e67"><span class="__cf_email__" data-cfemail="335e5c5c41561d505b415a40735643521d545c45">[email protected]</span></a>.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: This is a proposed renewal of the ICR, which
is currently approved through October 10, 2025. An agency may not
conduct or sponsor and a person is not required to respond to a
collection of information unless it displays a currently valid OMB
control number.
[[Page 42008]]
This notice allows 60 days for public comments. Supporting
documents, which explain in detail the information that the EPA will be
collecting, are available in the public docket for this ICR. The docket
can be viewed online at <a href="http://www.regulations.gov">www.regulations.gov</a> or in person at the EPA
Docket Center, WJC West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution Ave. NW,
Washington, DC. The telephone number for the Docket Center is 202-566-
1744. For additional information about EPA's public docket, visit
<a href="http://www.epa.gov/dockets">http://www.epa.gov/dockets</a>.
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA is soliciting
comments and information to enable it to: (i) evaluate whether the
proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper
performance of the functions of the Agency, including whether the
information will have practical utility; (ii) evaluate the accuracy of
the Agency's estimate of the burden of the proposed collection of
information, including the validity of the methodology and assumptions
used; (iii) enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and (iv) minimize the burden of the
collection of information on those who are to respond, including
through the use of appropriate forms of information technology. EPA
will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as appropriate.
The final ICR package will then be submitted to OMB for review and
approval. At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice
to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB and the opportunity to
submit additional comments to OMB.
Abstract: EPA is seeking renewal of a generic information
collection request (ICR) for the conduct of focus groups and protocol
interviews (hereafter jointly referred to as focus groups) related to
economics projects. Over the next three years, the Agency anticipates
engaging in survey development and other efforts associated with a
variety of economics projects including those related to drinking water
quality, firm compliance responses and impacts, health risk impacts, to
name a few. Focus groups are an important source of information and
part of any survey development process, allowing researchers to
directly gauge how firms and households understand and engage with
specific issues and provide a means for explicitly testing draft survey
materials. Through these focus groups, the Agency will be able to gain
a more in-depth understanding how firms and the public understand and
approach to specific issues and will provide valuable information
regarding the quality of draft survey instruments.
The information collected in the focus groups will be used
primarily to develop and improve economics-related surveys. To the
extent that these surveys are ultimately approved and successfully
administered, they will serve to expand the Agency's understanding of
benefits and costs of a variety of actions and could provide the means
to quantitatively assess the effects of others. Participation in the
focus groups will be voluntary and the identity of the participants
will be kept confidential.
Form Numbers: None.
Respondents/affected entities: Individuals.
Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.
Estimated number of respondents: 432 (total).
Frequency of response: Once.
Total estimated burden: 288 hours (per year). Burden is defined at
5 CFR 1320.03(b).
Total estimated cost: $0 (per year), which includes $0 annualized
capital or operation & maintenance costs.
Changes in the Estimates: The request for TBD total burden hours
represents a decrease of 1,314 (=2,178-864) hours in the total
estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of Approved
ICR Burdens. Burden estimates derived for this (and the previous)
renewal are based on projected use estimates for this generic ICR
provided by the various program offices at EPA. These projections are
based on anticipated, new and continuing projects over the coming three
years. A decrease in burden over the previous ICR conveys simply that
EPA anticipates less need for the conduct of focus groups under this
ICR than in the past.
Alex Marten,
Acting Office Director, National Center for Environmental Economics,
Office of Policy.
[FR Doc. 2025-16478 Filed 8-27-25; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P
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