[Federal Register: November 16, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 221)]
[Notices]
[Page 64609-64611]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16no07-58]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0269; FRL-8496-4]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Transportation Conformity
Determinations for Federally Funded and Approved Transportation Plans,
Programs and Projects, EPA ICR No. 2130.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0561
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: In compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (44
U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), this document announces that an Information
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Collection Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management
and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to revise
and renew an existing approved Information Collection. The ICR, which
is abstracted below, describes the nature of the information collection
and its estimated burden and cost.
DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before December 17,
2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OAR-
2007-0269, to (1) EPA online using http://www.regulations.gov (our
preferred method), or by mail to EPA Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Air and Radiation Docket, Mailcode 2822T, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB by mail to:
Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and
Budget (OMB), 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503, Attention:
Desk Officer for EPA.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Patty Klavon, State Measures and
Conformity Group, Transportation and Regional Programs Division, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, 2000 Traverwood Drive, Ann Arbor, MI
48105; telephone number: (734) 214-4476; fax number: (734) 214-4052; e-
mail address: klavon.patty@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has submitted the following ICR to OMB
for review and approval according to the procedures prescribed in 5 CFR
1320.12. On July 19, 2007 (72 FR 39620), EPA sought comments on this
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments. Any comments
on this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB within 30 days of this
notice.
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. EPA-HQ-OAR-2007-0269, which is available for online viewing at
http://www.regulations.gov, or in person viewing at the Air Docket in
the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA West, Room 3334, 1301 Constitution
Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room is open from
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays.
The telephone number for the Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the
telephone number for the Air Docket is (202) 566-1742.
Use EPA's electronic docket and comment system at http://www.regulations.gov
to submit or view public comments, access the index
listing of the contents of the docket, and access those documents in
the docket that are available electronically. Once in the system,
select ``docket search,'' then key in the docket ID number identified
above. Please note that EPA's policy is that public comments, whether
submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public
viewing at http://www.regulations.gov as EPA receives them and without
change, unless the comment contains copyrighted material, Confidential
Business Information (CBI), or other information whose public
disclosure is restricted by statute. For further information about the
electronic docket, go to http://www.regulations.gov.
Title: Transportation Conformity Determinations for Federally
Funded and Approved Transportation Plans, Programs and Projects
(Renewal).
ICR number: EPA ICR No. 2130.03, OMB Control No. 2060-0561.
ICR status: This ICR is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2007.
Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or sponsor
the collection of information while this submission is pending at OMB.
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
in title 40 of the CFR, after appearing in the Federal Register when
approved, are listed in 40 CFR Part 9.
Abstract: Transportation conformity is required under Clean Air Act
section 176(c) (42 U.S.C. 7506(c)) to ensure that federally supported
transportation activities are consistent with (``conform to'') the
purpose of the state air quality implementation plan (SIP).
Transportation activities include transportation plans, transportation
improvement programs (TIPs), and federally funded or approved highway
or transit projects. Conformity to the purpose of the SIP means that
transportation activities will not cause new air quality violations,
worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of the relevant
national ambient air quality standards (NAAQS or ``standards'').
Transportation conformity applies, under EPA's conformity
regulations at 40 CFR part 93, subpart A, to areas that are designated
nonattainment and those redesignated to attainment after 1990
(``maintenance areas'' with plans developed under Clean Air Act section
175A) for the following transportation-related criteria pollutants:
Ozone, particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10),
carbon monoxide (CO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The EPA
published the original transportation conformity rule on November 24,
1993 (58 FR 62188), and subsequently published several revisions. EPA
develops the conformity regulations in coordination with the Federal
Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration.
Transportation conformity determinations are required before
federal approval or funding is given to certain types of transportation
planning documents as well as non-exempt highway and transit
projects.\1\
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\1\ Some projects are exempt from all or certain conformity
requirements, see 40 CFR 93.126, 93.217, and 93.128.
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EPA considered the following in renewing the existing ICR:
Burden estimates for transportation conformity
determinations in current 8-hour ozone and PM2.5
nonattainment and maintenance areas, which made up EPA ICR 2130.02;
Burden estimates for conformity determinations for CO,
NO2, and PM10, which were previously included in
the Department of Transportation's (DOT) ICR for Metropolitan and
State-wide Transportation Planning (OMB Control Number 2132-0529); \2\
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\2\ EPA, in consultation with DOT, concluded that it would be
advantageous to join transportation conformity burden estimates for
all pollutants into one ICR.
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Efficiencies associated with the Safe, Accountable,
Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users
(SAFETEA-LU), which was signed into law on August 10, 2005;
Burden estimates for hypothetical areas that may be
designated nonattainment for the revised 24-hour PM2.5
standard, which EPA promulgated on October 17, 2006 (71 FR 61144);
Differences in conformity resource needs in large and
small metropolitan areas and isolated rural areas; and
Additional burden associated with EPA's adequacy review
process for submitted SIP motor vehicle emissions budgets that are to
be used in conformity determinations.
This ICR does not include burden associated with the general
development of transportation planning and air quality planning
documents for meeting other federal requirements.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 5
hours per response.
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,
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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 which have subsequently changed; 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: States and local governments.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 177.
Frequency of Response: Occasionally.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 52,304.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $2,873,060, which includes no capital
or O&M costs.
Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 22,890 hours in
the total estimated state and local respondent burden compared with
that identified in the ICR currently approved by OMB. This increase
reflects the following adjustments and program changes:
Program change associated with transfer of DOT ICR (OMB
2132-0529) to EPA ICR 2130.03.
Adjustments associated with the implementation of
transportation conformity revisions from SAFETEA-LU.
Reduced burden from the previous ICR, which included
substantial start-up burden for areas that had never done
transportation conformity prior to PM2.5 and 8-hour ozone
nonattainment designations. These areas now have experience with
conformity.
Other factors that have been updated since the existing
ICR was approved.
Dated: October 8, 2007.
Sara Hisel-McCoy,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 07-5712 Filed 11-15-07; 8:45 am]
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