2017-15345. Proposed Information Collection Request; Comment Request; Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery (Renewal)

AGENCY:

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

ACTION:

Notice.

SUMMARY:

The Environmental Protection Agency is planning to submit an information collection request (ICR), “Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery” 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 extension of the ICR, which is currently approved through November 30, 2017. 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.

DATES:

Comments must be submitted on or before September 19, 2017.

ADDRESSES:

Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OEI-2017-0380 online using www.regulations.gov (our preferred method), 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:

Courtney Kerwin, Office of Environmental Information, Regulatory Support Division, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code 2822T 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-566-1669 and email address : [e-mail].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The supporting documents for this ICR (Generic Clearance for the Collection of Qualitative Feedback on Agency Service Delivery, EPA ICR No. 2434.75, OMB Control No. 2010-0042), 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 www.regulations.gov 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 http://www.epa.gov/​dockets.

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 automated electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses. 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: The information collection activity provides a means to garner qualitative customer and stakeholder feedback in an efficient, timely manner, in accordance with the Administration's commitment to improving service delivery. Qualitative feedback includes information that provides useful insights on perceptions and opinions, but are not statistical surveys that yield quantitative results that can be generalized to the population of study.

This feedback will provide insights into customer or stakeholder perceptions, experiences and expectations, provide an early warning of issues with service, or focus attention on areas where communication, training or changes in operations might improve delivery of products or services. These collections will allow for ongoing, collaborative and actionable communications between the Agency and its customers and stakeholders. It will also allow feedback to contribute directly to the improvement of program management. The solicitation of feedback will target areas such as: Timeliness, appropriateness, accuracy of information, courtesy, efficiency of service delivery, and resolution of issues with service delivery. Responses will be assessed to plan and inform efforts to improve or maintain the quality of service offered to the public. If this information is not collected, vital feedback from customers and stakeholders on the Agency's services will be unavailable.

The Agency will only submit a collection for approval under this generic clearance if: The collections are voluntary; the collections are low-burden for respondents and are low-cost for both the respondents and the Federal Government; the collections are noncontroversial and do not raise issues of concern to other Federal agencies; 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 near future; personally identifiable information (PII) is collected only to the extent necessary and is not retained; information gathered will be used only internally for general service improvement and program management purposes and is not intended for release outside of the agency; information gathered will not be used for the purpose of substantially informing influential policy decisions; information gathered will yield qualitative information.

Respondents/affected entities: Individuals and Households; Businesses and Organizations; State, Local or Tribal Government.

Respondent's obligation to respond: Voluntary.

Estimated number of respondents: 120,000 (total).

Frequency of response: Once per request.

Total estimated burden: 30,000 hours. Burden is defined at 5 CFR 1320.03(b).

Total estimated cost: There are no annualized capital or operation & maintenance costs.

Changes in estimates: There is an increase of 10,000 hours annually in the total estimated respondent burden compared with the ICR currently approved by OMB. This increase in hours is due to the increase in the use of surveys by the Agency.

Courtney Kerwin,

Director, Regulatory Support Division.