2016-03172. Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Generic Clearance for Community Resilience Data Collections

AGENCY:

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Commerce.

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Commerce, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, invites the general public and other Federal agencies to take this opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing information collections, as required by the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995.

DATES:

Written comments must be submitted on or before April 18, 2016.

ADDRESSES:

Direct all written comments to Jennifer Jessup, Departmental Paperwork Clearance Officer, Department of Commerce, Room 6616, 14th and Constitution Avenue NW., Washington, DC 20230 (or via the Internet at [e-mail]).

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Requests for additional information or copies of the information collection instrument and instructions should be directed to Jennifer Helgeson, Economist, NIST, 100 Bureau Drive, MS 8603, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1710, telephone [phone], or via email to [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Abstract

Through acts such as the National Construction Safety Team Act (NCSTA) and the NIST Organic Act, among others, as well as the President's Climate Action Plan (2013),^[a] NIST conducts research and develops guidance and other related tools to promote and enhance the safety and well-being of people in the face of a hazard event. With this in mind, NIST proposes to conduct a number of data collection efforts within the topic areas of disaster and failure studies and community resilience and sustainability. This includes studies of specific disaster events (e.g., wildfire, urban fire, structure collapse, hurricane, earthquake, tornado, and flood events), assessments of community resilience and sustainability, and evaluations of the usability and utility of NIST guidance or other products. For example, one study may assess user perceptions and applications of the NIST “Community Resilience Planning Guide for Buildings and Infrastructure Systems” as well as adherence to building and fire codes and standards in community resilience planning. Another example may include the study of disaster impacts to community members due to a large-scale wildfire event. These data collection efforts may be either qualitative or quantitative in nature, or may consist of mixed methods. Additionally, data may be collected via a variety of means, including but not limited to electronic or social media, direct or indirect observation (i.e., in person, video and audio collections), interviews, questionnaires, and focus groups. NIST will limit its inquiries to data collections that solicit strictly voluntary opinions or responses. The results of the data collected will be used to decrease negative impacts of disasters on society, and, in turn, increase community resilience within the U.S. communities. Steps will be taken to ensure anonymity of respondents in each activity covered by this request.

II. Method of Collection

NIST will collect this information by electronic means when possible, as well as by mail, fax, telephone, technical discussions, and in-person interviews. NIST may also utilize observational techniques to collect this information.

III. Data

OMB Control Number: New collection.

Form Number(s): None.

Type of Review: Regular submission.

Affected Public: Individuals or households; first responders; businesses or other for-profit organizations; not-for-profit institutions; State, local or tribal government; Federal government; Standards-making bodies; Universities.

Estimated Number of Respondents: 5,000.

Estimated Time per Response: Varied, dependent upon the data collection method used. The possible response time to complete a questionnaire may be 15 minutes or 2 hours to participate in an interview.

Estimated Total Annual Burden Hours: 5,625 (1,250 to 10,000).

Estimated Total Annual Cost to Public: $0.

IV. Request for Comments

Comments are invited on: (a) Whether the proposed collection of information is necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency, and whether the information shall have practical utility; (b) the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the burden (including hours and cost) of the proposed collection of information; (c) ways to enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected; and (d) ways to minimize the burden of the collection of information on respondents through the use of automated collection techniques or other forms of information technology.

Comments submitted in response to this notice will be summarized and/or included in the request for OMB approval of this information collection; they also will become a matter of public record.

Sheleen Dumas,

Departmental PRA Lead, Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Footnotes

a.  The President's Climate Action Plan (2013) is available at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/​sites/​default/​files/​image/​president27sclimateactionplan.pdf . On page 13, it is explicitly noted that “the National Institute of Standards and Technology will convene a panel on disaster-resilience standards to develop a comprehensive, community-based resilience framework and provide guidelines for consistently safe buildings and infrastructure—products that can inform the development of private-sector standards and codes.”