1018-New SSA Poll SNA Survey Updated 08072024

Supporting Statement A

for paperwork reduction act submission

Pollinator Conservation Social Network Analysis Survey 

OMB Control Number 1018-New

Terms of Clearance: This is a request for a new OMB control number.

1. Explain the circumstances that make the collection of information necessary. Identify any legal or administrative requirements that necessitate the collection.

The Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 (16 U.S.C. 742d) designates the Department of the Interior as a key agency responsible for the conservation and protection of wildlife and fisheries resources in the United States (U.S.).  This responsibility dictates that we gather accurate data on conservation efforts through means such as research to improve the development, management, and advancement of efforts.  At the June 2022, Monarch Butterfly Summit, the Secretary of Interior announced that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) would establish a national Center for Pollinator Conservation (Center), funded through annual appropriations. The Center would serve as a science and collaboration hub across internal Service programs and regions as well as with external agencies and partners. It would help direct conservation actions that can reverse declining pollinator population trends. 

 

The Center is seeking to conduct a social network analysis to collect information regarding the structure and functions of pollinator networks throughout the country, key influencers and network clusters, network gaps, and the diffusion of information across the broad pollinator conservation community. The proposed survey collects information necessary to support the Center’s role as a science and collaboration hub helping inform evidence-based decisions to create, sustain, and strengthen relationships and communication channels across individuals and organizations to increase awareness of, collaboration on, and efficacy of pollinator conservation efforts. 

2. Indicate how, by whom, and for what purpose the information is to be used. Except for a new collection, indicate the actual use the agency has made of the information received from the current collection. Be specific. If this collection is a form or a questionnaire, every question needs to be justified.

The Center is seeking to conduct a social network analysis to collect information regarding the structure and functions of pollinator networks throughout the country, key influencers and network clusters, network gaps, and the diffusion of information across the broad pollinator conservation community. The proposed survey collects information necessary to support the Center’s role as a science and collaboration hub helping inform evidence-based decisions to create, sustain, and strengthen relationships and communication channels across individuals and organizations to increase awareness of, collaboration on, and efficacy of pollinator conservation efforts. 

Respondents will include members of organizations (e.g., Federal, State, Tribal, NGO, academic, private sector, etc.) that work on pollinator conservation efforts throughout North America, with primary focus in the U.S.

In addition to an overview of the survey (Section 1), the proposed survey collects the following information:

• Overview of organization and its involvement in pollinator conservation efforts (Section 2)

• Name of organization

• Website of organization (if available)

• Sector of organization

• Organizational sustained focus on pollinator conservation

• Organizational capacity dedicated to pollinator conservation

• Organizational pollinator conservation priorities

• Organizational pollinator conservation primary focus

• Organizational pollinator conservation services provided

• Organizational pollinator conservation services needed

• Pollinator conservation collaboration, including identification of collaborative organizations and collaboration types (Section 3)

• Scale of organizational pollinator conservation work

• Identification of organizational pollinator conservation collaborators a applicable scales

• Identification of pollinator conservation issue(s) at focus of each collaboration identified

• Contact emails for identified (for Researchers to invite to participate in the survey)

• Identification of forums or venues used to exchange knowledge and information about pollinator conservation

• Network characteristics, including how organizations work together and potential barriers (Section 4).

• Perspective of agreement on shared goals (direction) within identified collaborator network

• Perspective on coordination (alignment) within identified collaborator network

• Perspective on mutual responsibility (commitment) within identified collaborator network

• Barriers to collaboration within identified collaborator network

• Organizational information, including respondent role, interest in follow ups, and optional contact information (Section 5).

• Additional comments on the survey or pollinator conservation in general (Section 6).

The information collected in this effort will be used to develop multiple products aimed at translating the data into information that can strengthen partnerships, identify gaps, and inform conservation decisions.

3. Describe whether, and to what extent, the collection of information involves the use of automated, electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses, and the basis for the decision for adopting this means of collection. Also describe any consideration of using information technology to reduce burden and specifically how this collection meets GPEA requirements.

All information will be collected using electronic collection techniques. This means of collection is the currently accepted best practice for this type of social network analysis. Collecting information electronically reduces the burden associated with this survey because it will not require additional time and labor associated with mail, phone, or in-person survey efforts and it reduces respondents’ burden by not requiring them to schedule time or travel to meet.

4. Describe efforts to identify duplication. Show specifically why any similar information already available cannot be used or modified for use for the purposes described in Item 2 above.

There is no duplication. The information collected is specific to 1) the Service’s efforts related to the conservation and protection of wildlife and fisheries resources in support of the Service’s mission, and 2) the Center’s role as a science and collaboration hub to direct conservation actions that can reverse declining pollinator population trends.  Due to the unique roles of the Service and Center, no other Federal agency collects this information from the public.

5. If the collection of information impacts small businesses or other small entities, describe any methods used to minimize burden.

We collect only the minimum information necessary to improve the Service’s efforts to conserve and protect wildlife and fisheries resources. This information collection will not significantly impact small businesses or other small entities.

6. Describe the consequence to Federal program or policy activities if the collection is not conducted or is conducted less frequently, as well as any technical or legal obstacles to reducing burden.

If we did not collect the information, the Service and Center would be unable to work effectively with our partners and public for the conservation pollinators on efforts to reverse declining pollinator population trends.

7. Explain any special circumstances that would cause an information collection to be conducted in a manner:

* requiring respondents to report information to the agency more often than quarterly;

* requiring respondents to prepare a written response to a collection of information in fewer than 30 days after receipt of it;

* requiring respondents to submit more than an original and two copies of any document;

* requiring respondents to retain records, other than health, medical, government contract, grant-in-aid, or tax records, for more than three years;

* in connection with a statistical survey that is not designed to produce valid and reliable results that can be generalized to the universe of study;

* requiring the use of a statistical data classification that has not been reviewed and approved by OMB;

* that includes a pledge of confidentiality that is not supported by authority established in statute or regulation, that is not supported by disclosure and data security policies that are consistent with the pledge, or which unnecessarily impedes sharing of data with other agencies for compatible confidential use; or

* requiring respondents to submit proprietary trade secrets, or other confidential information, unless the agency can demonstrate that it has instituted procedures to protect the information's confidentiality to the extent permitted by law.

There are no special circumstances requiring collection of the information in a manner inconsistent with OMB guidelines.

8. If applicable, provide a copy and identify the date and page number of publication in the Federal Register of the agency's notice, required by 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting comments on the information collection prior to submission to OMB. Summarize public comments received in response to that notice and in response to the PRA statement associated with the collection over the past three years, and describe actions taken by the agency in response to these comments. Specifically address comments received on cost and hour burden.

Describe efforts to consult with persons outside the agency to obtain their views on the availability of data, frequency of collection, the clarity of instructions and recordkeeping, disclosure, or reporting format (if any), and on the data elements to be recorded, disclosed, or reported.

Consultation with representatives of those from whom information is to be obtained or those who must compile records should occur at least once every three years — even if the collection of information activity is the same as in prior periods. There may be circumstances that may preclude consultation in a specific situation. These circumstances should be explained.

On May 22, 2024, we published in the Federal Register (89 FR 45006) a notice of our intent to request that OMB approve this information collection. In that notice, we solicited comments for 60 days, ending on July 22, 2024. In an effort to increase public awareness of, and participation in, our public commenting processes associated with information collection requests, the Service also published the Federal Register notice on Regulations.gov (Docket FWS-R3-OSA-2024-0064) to provide the public with an additional method to submit comments (in addition to the typical U.S. mail submission method). We received two comments in response to that notice which did not address the information collection requirements; therefore, no response is required.

9. Explain any decision to provide any payment or gift to respondents, other than remuneration of contractors or grantees.

We will not provide any payment or gifts to respondents.

10. Describe any assurance of confidentiality provided to respondents and the basis for the assurance in statute, regulation, or agency policy.

We do not provide any assurance of confidentiality. Information maintained by FWS as a result of this project may be disclosed pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), the Privacy Act of 1974, and the routine uses listed in System of Records Notice FWS-27, Correspondence Control System (64 FR 29055, dated May 28, 1999; modification published 73 FR 31877, dated June 4, 2008).

11. Provide additional justification for any questions of a sensitive nature, such as sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered private. This justification should include the reasons why the agency considers the questions necessary, the specific uses to be made of the information, the explanation to be given to persons from whom the information is requested, and any steps to be taken to obtain their consent.

We will not ask any questions of a sensitive nature.

12. Provide estimates of the hour burden of the collection of information. The statement should:

* Indicate the number of respondents, frequency of response, annual hour burden, and an explanation of how the burden was estimated. Unless directed to do so, agencies should not conduct special surveys to obtain information on which to base hour burden estimates. Consultation with a sample (fewer than 10) of potential respondents is desirable. If the hour burden on respondents is expected to vary widely because of differences in activity, size, or complexity, show the range of estimated hour burden, and explain the reasons for the variance. Generally, estimates should not include burden hours for customary and usual business practices.

* If this request for approval covers more than one form, provide separate hour burden estimates for each form and aggregate the hour burdens.

* Provide estimates of annualized cost to respondents for the hour burdens for collections of information, identifying and using appropriate wage rate categories. The cost of contracting out or paying outside parties for information collection activities should not be included here.

We estimate that we will receive 265 responses (plus 100 U.S. Federal workers exempt from burden estimates per Paperwork Reduction Act) totaling 89 burden hours. We estimate the annual dollar value of the burden hours is $4,199 (rounded).

We estimate the following breakdown of respondents by type and country:

Respondent Type	Total	Respondent County
		US	Canada	Mexico
Private Sector	160	142	9	9
Government- State/Local/Tribal	95	85*	5	5
Government - Federal	10	N/A*	5	5
Total	265*	227	19	19

*Note: We estimate that approximately 100 U.S. Federal employees will respond to the survey (for a total estimate of 365 respondents); however, because U.S. Federal employees are exempt from Paperwork Reduction Act, they are removed from the burden calculations.

Domestic (U.S.) ENTITIES Burden CALCULATION HOURLY RATEs:

We used Table 1 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) News Release USDL-24-1172, June 18, 2024, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation—March 2024, to calculate the cost of the total annual burden hours:

• U.S. private sector – the hourly rate for all workers is $43.78, including benefits.

• U.S. State/local/Tribal government – the hourly rate for all workers is $61.27, including benefits.

We will use the U.S. private sector worker hourly rate of $43.78 for academic, NGO, and private sector respondents and the U.S. government worker hourly rate of $61.27 for State/local/Tribal respondents.

CANADIAN ENTITIES Burden CALCULATION HOURLY RATE:

We were unable to locate comparable international wage information for similar sector categories as is provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To develop a basis for calculating the hourly cost burden of Canadian respondents, we used information from WorldSalaries.com (accessed 08-07-2024) to identify average annual salaries for private sector and government workers in Canada and the United States. We used a currency exchange rate of 1 CAD = 0.7252 USD (from Exchange-Rates.org, last updated 07-24-2024), to convert to the Canadian wages into U.S. dollars for direct comparisons.

Based on this approach, we estimate that current average salaries for government and private sector workers in Canada are approximately 90% of those for equivalent positions in the U.S.

We calculated the Canadian entity burden hours (including benefits) by applying the above percentages to the Bureau of Labor Statistics hourly rates for U.S. workers (including benefits), as follows:

• Canada – Private sector: $43.78 x 0.9 = $39.40

• Canada – Government: $61.27 x 0.9 = $55.14

We will use the Canadian private sector worker hourly rate of $39.40 for academic, NGO, and private sector respondents, and the Canadian government worker hourly rate of $55.14 for State/local/Tribal and Federal respondents.

Mexican ENTITIES Burden CALCULATION HOURLY RATE:

We were unable to locate comparable international wage information for similar sector categories as is provided by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. To develop a basis for calculating the hourly cost burden of Mexican respondents, we used information from WorldSalaries.com (accessed 8-07-2024) to identify average annual salaries for private sector and government workers in Mexico and the United States. We used a currency exchange rate of 1 Mexican Peso = 0.05445 U.S. Dollars (from Exchange-Rates.org, last updated 7-24-2024), to convert to the Mexican wages into U.S. dollars for direct comparisons.

Based on this approach, we estimate that current average salaries for government and private sector workers in Mexico are approximately 23% of those for equivalent positions in the U.S.

We calculated the Mexican entity burden hours (including benefits) by applying the above percentages to the Bureau of Labor Statistics hourly rates for U.S. workers (including benefits), as follows:

• Mexico – Private sector: $43.78 x 0.23 = $10.07

• Mexico – Government: $61.27 x 0.23 = $14.09

We will use the Mexican private sector worker hourly rate of $10.07 for academic, NGO, and private sector respondents, and the Mexican government worker hourly rate of $14.09 for State/local/Tribal and Federal respondents.

Requirement	Average Number of Annual Respondents	Average Number of Responses Each	Average Number of Annual Responses	Average Completion Time per Response (min)	Estimated Annual Burden Hours*	Hourly Rate (US Dollars)	Value of Annual Burden Hours (US Dollars)
Pollinator Conservation Social Network Analysis Survey
United States Respondents
Private Sector	142	1	142	20	47	$ 43.78	$ 2,057.66
Government – State/Local/Tribal	85	1	85	20	28	61.27	1,715.57
Government – Federal**	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A
Canadian Respondents
Private Sector	9	1	9	20	3	$ 39.40	$118.20
Government – State/Local/Tribal	5	1	5	20	2	55.14	110.28
Government – Federal	5	1	5	20	2	55.14	110.28
Mexican Respondents
Private Sector	9	1	9	20	3	$ 10.07	$30.21
Government – State/Local/Tribal	5	1	5	20	2	14.09	28.18
Government – Federal	5	1	5	20	2	14.09	28.18
TOTALS:	265*		265		89		$4,198.55

*Rounded

**Note: We estimate that approximately 100 U.S. Federal employees will respond to the survey (for a total estimate of 365 respondents); however, because U.S. Federal employees are exempt from Paperwork Reduction Act, they are removed from the burden calculations.

13. Provide an estimate of the total annual non-hour cost burden to respondents or recordkeepers resulting from the collection of information. (Do not include the cost of any hour burden already reflected in item 12.)

* The cost estimate should be split into two components: (a) a total capital and start-up cost component (annualized over its expected useful life) and (b) a total operation and maintenance and purchase of services component. The estimates should take into account costs associated with generating, maintaining, and disclosing or providing the information (including filing fees paid for form processing). Include descriptions of methods used to estimate major cost factors including system and technology acquisition, expected useful life of capital equipment, the discount rate(s), and the time period over which costs will be incurred. Capital and start-up costs include, among other items, preparations for collecting information such as purchasing computers and software; monitoring, sampling, drilling and testing equipment; and record storage facilities.

* If cost estimates are expected to vary widely, agencies should present ranges of cost burdens and explain the reasons for the variance. The cost of purchasing or contracting out information collection services should be a part of this cost burden estimate. In developing cost burden estimates, agencies may consult with a sample of respondents (fewer than 10), utilize the 60-day pre-OMB submission public comment process and use existing economic or regulatory impact analysis associated with the rulemaking containing the information collection, as appropriate.

* Generally, estimates should not include purchases of equipment or services, or portions thereof, made: (1) prior to October 1, 1995, (2) to achieve regulatory compliance with requirements not associated with the information collection, (3) for reasons other than to provide information or keep records for the government, or (4) as part of customary and usual business or private practices.

There is no annual non-hour cost burden associated with this collection.

14. Provide estimates of annualized cost to the Federal government. Also, provide a description of the method used to estimate cost, which should include quantification of hours, operational expenses (such as equipment, overhead, printing, and support staff), and any other expense that would not have been incurred without this collection of information.

The estimated annual cost to the Federal Government associated with this collection of information is $203,617 (rounded), which includes $3,617 (rounded) in Service salary costs to inform the survey development and report development and review. It also includes $200,000 (rounded) for the Researchers’ contract for the survey work. Project coordination, administration, and review will be done by a project team consisting of staff from the Service’s Region’s 3 and 4.

To determine average hourly rates, we used Office of Personnel Management Salary Table 2024-RUS as an average nationwide rate. To account for benefits, we multiplied the hourly rate by 1.61 in accordance with BLS News Release USDL-24-1172.

Table 14.1. Fish and Wildlife Salary/Benefits
Action	Position	Grade/Step	Hourly Rate	Fully Burdened Hourly Rate (Incl. Benefits)	Total Annual Hours	Total Annual Cost
Survey Development	Social Scientist	GS-13/05	$ 56.16	$ 90.42	10	$ 904.20
	Social Scientist	GS-13/05	56.16	90.42	10	904.20
Report Development & Review	Social Scientist	GS-13/05	56.16	90.42	10	904.20
	Social Scientist	GS-13/05	56.16	90.42	10	904.20
Total:						$ 3,616.80

Table 14.2. Other Costs
Action	Costs Per	Total Annual Cost
Researcher contract	$200,000.00	$200,000.00
Total:		$200,000.00

15. Explain the reasons for any program changes or adjustments in hour or cost burden.

This is a request for a new OMB control number.

16. For collections of information whose results will be published, outline plans for tabulation and publication. Address any complex analytical techniques that will be used. Provide the time schedule for the entire project, including beginning and ending dates of the collection of information, completion of report, publication dates, and other actions.

Results will be analyzed using standard social network analysis techniques by university researchers. The survey will be initiated (i.e., collection of information will begin) at the completion of the OMB approval process, likely late October 2024. Results will be collected for several months, likely concluding in March 2025, after which the data analysis will begin. Survey components including background, methods, and results will be published in a summary report by the end of the project period, September 2026. Results will also likely be published in peer-reviewed journals in the years following the conclusion of the project. Publication dates will be dependent upon journal acceptance and schedule.

17. If seeking approval to not display the expiration date for OMB approval of the information collection, explain the reasons that display would be inappropriate.

We will display the expiration date on the survey instrument and instructions.

18. Explain each exception to the topics of the certification statement identified in "Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions."

There are no exceptions to the certification statement.

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