81 FR 8045 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Generic Clearance for Community Resilience Data Collections

DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
National Institute of Standards and Technology

Federal Register Volume 81, Issue 31 (February 17, 2016)

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.

[Federal Register Volume 81, Number 31 (Wednesday, February 17, 2016)]
[Notices]
[Pages 8045-8046]
From the Federal Register Online  [www.thefederalregister.org]
[FR Doc No: 2016-03172]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology


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.

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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 [email protected]).

[[Page 8046]]


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 301-975-6133, or via email 
to [email protected].

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.
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    \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.''
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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.
[FR Doc. 2016-03172 Filed 2-16-16; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-P