[Federal Register: March 8, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 46)]
[Notices]
[Page 10709-10710]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr08mr02-56]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7154-6]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB
Review; Comment Request Reporting Requirements for BEACH Act Grants
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501
et seq.), this document announces that the following Information
Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval: Reporting Requirements for
BEACH Act Grants, EPA ICR No. 2048.01. The ICR describes the nature of
the information collection and its expected burden and cost; where
appropriate, it includes the actual data collection instrument.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before April 8, 2002.
ADDRESSES: Send comments, referencing EPA ICR No. 2048.01 to the
following addresses: Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Collection Strategies Division (Mail Code 2822), 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20460; and to Office of
Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget
(OMB), Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For a copy of the ICR contact Susan
Auby at EPA by phone at (202) 260-4901, by e-mail at Auby.susan@epa.gov
or download off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA
ICR No. 2048.01. For technical questions about the ICR contact Charles
Kovatch at 202-260-3754.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Title: Reporting Requirements for BEACH Act Grants (EPA ICR No.
2048.01). This is a new collection.
Abstract: Congress passed the Beaches Environmental Assessment and
Coastal
[[Page 10710]]
Health (BEACH) Act in October 2000, to amend the Clean Water Act in
part by adding section 406 ``Coastal Recreation Water Monitoring and
Notification.'' Section 406(b) requires EPA to make grants to States
and local governments to develop and implement programs for monitoring
and public notification for coastal recreation waters adjacent to
beaches or similar points of access that are used by the public, if the
State or local government satisfies the requirements of the BEACH Act.
Several of these requirements require a grant awardee to collect
and submit information to EPA as a condition for receiving the grant.
Section 406(b) requires a grant awardee to provide the factors that the
awardees use to prioritize funds and a list of waters for which the
grant funds will be used. Section 406(b) also requires that a grant
awardee's program is consistent with the performance requirements set
by EPA under section 406(a); EPA needs information from the grant
awardee to determine if the monitoring and notification programs are
consistent with these criteria. On July 31, 2001, EPA published the
draft performance criteria for BEACH Act grants (66 FR 39510, July 31,
2001). Section 406(b) also requires that a grant awardee submit a
report to EPA that describes the data collected as part of a monitoring
and notification program and the actions taken to notify the public
when water quality standards are exceeded. Section 406(c) requires a
grant awardee to identify lists of coastal recreation waters, processes
for States to delegate to local governments the responsibility for
implementing a monitoring and notification program, and the content of
the monitoring and notification program.
The information covered by this ICR is required of States and local
governments that seek to obtain BEACH Act funding. It allows EPA to
properly review State and local governments' monitoring and
notification programs to determine if they are eligible for BEACH Act
grant funding. This information also enables EPA to fulfill its
obligations to make this information available to the public as
required by sections 406(e) and (g).
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. The OMB control numbers for EPA's
regulations are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and 48 CFR chapter 15. The
Federal Register document required under 5 CFR 1320.8(d), soliciting
comments on this collection of information was published on September
26, 2001 (66 FR 49176 ); No (zero) comments were received.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and record keeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1,993
hours per state per year. Burden means the total time, effort, or
financial resources expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain,
or disclose or provide information to or for a Federal agency. This
includes the time needed to review instructions; develop, acquire,
install, and utilize technology and systems for the purposes of
collecting, validating, and verifying information, processing and
maintaining information, and disclosing and providing information;
adjust the existing ways to comply with any previously applicable
instructions and requirements; train personnel to be able to respond to
a collection of information; search data sources; complete and review
the collection of information; and transmit or otherwise disclose the
information.
Respondents/Affected Entities: Eligible state and local governments
interested in receiving BEACH Act Grant funds.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 30 states and five territories.
Frequency of Response: Annual.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 69,755 hours per year.
Estimated Total Annualized Capital, O&M Cost Burden: $473,025 per
year.
Send comments on the Agency's need for this information, the
accuracy of the provided burden estimates, and any suggested methods
for minimizing respondent burden, including through the use of
automated collection techniques to the addresses listed above. Please
refer to EPA ICR No. 2048.01 in any correspondence.
Dated: February 19, 2002.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 02-5604 Filed 3-7-02; 8:45 am]
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