[Federal Register: September 23, 1999 (Volume 64, Number 184)] [Notices] [Page 51539] From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov] [DOCID:fr23se99-71] [[Page 51539]] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY [FRL-6442-5] Agency Information Collection Activities: Submission for OMB Review; Comment Request; National Pretreatment Program AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). ACTION: Notice. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 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: Information Collection Request for the National Pretreatment Program (40 CFR part 403), EPA ICR No. 0002.09 (expires October 31, 1999), OMB Control Number 2040- 0009. 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 October 25, 1999. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Sandy Farmer at EPA by phone at (202) 260-2740, by email at farmer.sandy@epa.gov, or download a copy of the ICR off the Internet at http://www.epa.gov/icr and refer to EPA ICR No. 0002.09. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Title: Information Collection Request for the National Pretreatment Program (40 CFR part 403), EPA ICR No. 0002.09 (expires October 31, 1999), OMB Control No. 2040-0009. This is a request for review of an extension of a currently approved collection. Abstract: This ICR calculates the burden and costs associated with managing the National Pretreatment Program mandated by sections 402(a) and (b) and 307(b) of the Clean Water Act. This ICR is a renewal of the Revision of the Information Collection Request for the National Pretreatment Program (OMB Control No. 2040-0009, EPA ICR No. 0002.08). Management of the pretreatment program is the responsibility of the Office of Wastewater Management (OWM) in the Office of Water (OW), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Clean Water Act requires EPA to develop national pretreatment standards to control discharges from Industrial Users (IUs) into Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs). These standards limit the level of certain pollutants in IU wastewaters. EPA administers the pretreatment program through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program. Under the NPDES permit program, EPA may approve State or individual POTW implementation of the pretreatment standards at their respective levels. OWM uses the data collected under the pretreatment program to monitor and enforce compliance with the regulations, as well as to authorize program administration at the State or local (POTW) level. The data collected from IUs includes the mass, frequency, and content of their discharges, their schedules for installing pretreatment equipment, and actual or anticipated discharges of wastes that violate pretreatment standards, have the potential to cause problems at the POTW, or are considered hazardous under the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA). States and POTWs applying for approval of pretreatment programs submit data concerning their legal, procedural, and administrative bases for establishing such programs. This information may include surveys of IUs, local limits for pollutant concentration, and schedules for completion of major project requirements. IUs and POTWs submit written reports. These data may then be entered into the NPDES databases by the approved State or EPA. 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 April 12, 1999 (64 FR 17660); no comments were received. Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 6.5 hours per response and to require 7.16 hours per respondent for recordkeeping. 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: State and local governments and regulated industrial users. Estimated Number of Respondents: 29,517. Frequency of Response: Annually, semi-annually, and on occasion. Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 1,347,018 hours. Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden (non-labor costs): $40,076,913. 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 following addresses. Please refer to EPA ICR No. 0002.09 and OMB Control No. 2040-0009 in any correspondence. Ms. Sandy Farmer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Policy, Regulatory Information Division (2137), 401 M Street, SW, Washington, DC 20460; and Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget, Attention: Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20503. Dated: September 16, 1999. Richard T. Westlund, Acting Director, Regulatory Information Division. [FR Doc. 99-24839 Filed 9-22-99; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 6560-50-U