[Federal Register: July 12, 2007 (Volume 72, Number 133)]
[Notices]
[Page 38079-38081]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr12jy07-58]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OPPT-2007-0572; FRL-8140-2]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Information Collection in Support of EPA's Stewardship
Program for Nanoscale Materials; EPA ICR No. 2250.01, OMB Control No.
2070-new
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 EPA is planning to
submit a request for a new Information Collection Request (ICR) to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Before submitting the ICR,
entitled: ``Information Collection in Support of EPA's Stewardship
Program for Nanoscale Materials'' and identified by EPA ICR No. 2250.01
and OMB Control No. 2070-new, to OMB for review and approval, EPA is
soliciting public comments on specific aspects of the proposed
information collection for this voluntary stewardship program for
nanoscale materials. In a separate Federal Register document, EPA is
announcing the availability for public review and comment of two draft
documents: ``Concept Paper for the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship
Program under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA)'' and ``TSCA
Inventory Status of Nanoscale Substances--General Approach.''
DATES: Comments must be received on or before September 10, 2007.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by docket identification
(ID) number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2007-0572, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
Mail: Document Control Office (7407M), Office of Pollution
Prevention and Toxics (OPPT), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200
Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460-0001.
Delivery: OPPT Document Control Office (DCO), EPA East,
Rm. 6428, 1201 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. Attention:
Docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-2007-0572. The DCO is open from 8 a.m. to
4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding legal holidays. The telephone
number for the DCO is (202) 564-8930. Such deliveries are only accepted
during the DCO's normal hours of operation, and special arrangements
should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: Direct your comments to docket ID number EPA-HQ-OPPT-
2007-0572. EPA's policy is that all comments received will be included
in the public docket without change and may be made available on-line
at http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal information
provided, unless the comment includes information claimed to be
Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other information whose
disclosure is restricted by statute. Do not submit information that you
consider to be CBI or otherwise protected through regulations.gov or e-
mail. The regulations.gov website is an ``anonymous access'' system,
which means EPA will not know your identity or contact information
unless you provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-
mail comment directly to EPA without going through regulations.gov,
your e-mail address will be automatically captured and included as part
of the comment that is placed in the public docket and made available
on the Internet. If you submit an electronic comment, EPA
[[Page 38080]]
recommends that you include your name and other contact information in
the body of your comment and with any disk or CD ROM you submit. If EPA
cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties and cannot
contact you for clarification, EPA may not be able to consider your
comment. Electronic files should avoid the use of special characters,
any form of encryption, and be free of any defects or viruses.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the docket index
available in regulations.gov. To access the electronic docket, go to
http://www.regulations.gov, select ``Advanced Search,'' then ``Docket
Search.'' Insert the docket ID number where indicated and select the
``Submit'' button. Follow the instructions on the regulations.gov web
site to view the docket index or access available documents. Although
listed in the index, some information is not publicly available, e.g.,
CBI or other information whose disclosure is restricted by statute.
Certain other material, such as copyrighted material, will be publicly
available only in hard copy. Publicly available docket materials are
available electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, or, if only
available in hard copy, at the OPPT Docket. The OPPT Docket is located
in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC) at Rm. 3334, EPA West Bldg., 1301
Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA/DC Public Reading Room
hours of operation are 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday,
excluding Federal holidays. The telephone number of the EPA/DC Public
Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the telephone number for the OPPT
Docket is (202) 566-0280. Docket visitors are required to show
photographic identification, pass through a metal detector, and sign
the EPA visitor log. All visitor bags are processed through an X-ray
machine and subject to search. Visitors will be provided an EPA/DC
badge that must be visible at all times in the building and returned
upon departure.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jim Alwood, Chemical Control Division
(7405M), Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460-0001; telephone number: (202) 564-8974; fax
number: (202) 564-9490; e-mail address: alwood.jim@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?
A. Considerations Under the Paperwork Reduction Act
Pursuant to section 3506(c)(2)(A) of the PRA, EPA specifically
solicits comments and information to enable it to:
1. Evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility. Guidance
issued by OMB states that the term ''practical utility'' refers to the
usefulness of information (considering its accuracy, adequacy, and
reliability) to carry out the Agency's functions in a timely manner.
2. Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimates of the burden of
the proposed collection of information, including the validity of the
methodology and assumptions used.
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected.
4. Minimize the burden of the collection of information on those
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submission of responses. In particular, EPA is requesting comments from
very small businesses (those that employ less than 25) on examples of
specific additional efforts that EPA could make to reduce the paperwork
burden for very small businesses affected by this collection.
B. Tips for Preparing Your Comments
You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your
comments:
1. Explain your views as clearly as possible and provide specific
examples.
2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
3. Provide copies of any technical information and/or data you used
that support your views.
4. If you estimate potential burden or costs, explain how you
arrived at the estimate that you provide.
5. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns.
6. Offer alternative ways to improve the collection activity.
7. Make sure to submit your comments by the deadline identified
under DATES.
8. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, be sure to identify the docket
ID number assigned to this action in the subject line on the first page
of your response. You may also provide the name, date, and Federal
Register citation.
C. Submitting CBI
Do not submit this information to EPA through regulations.gov or e-
mail. Clearly mark the part or all of the information that you claim to
be CBI. For CBI information in a disk or CD ROM that you mail to EPA,
mark the outside of the disk or CD ROM as CBI and then identify
electronically within the disk or CD ROM the specific information that
is claimed as CBI. In addition to one complete version of the comment
that includes information claimed as CBI, a copy of the comment that
does not contain the information claimed as CBI must be submitted for
inclusion in the public docket. Information so marked will not be
disclosed except in accordance with procedures set forth in 40 CFR part
2.
II. What Information Collection Activity or ICR Does this Action Apply
to?
Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this ICR are
manufacturers, importers, and processors of nanoscale materials. Using
the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) codes to
assist you and others in determining whether this action might apply to
certain entities, potentially affected entities may include, but are
not limited to:
Chemical manufacturers, importers, and processors (NAICS
code 325), e.g., persons who manufacture (defined by TSCA to include
import) or process chemical substances.
Title: Information Collection in Support of EPA's Stewardship
Program for Nanoscale Materials.
ICR numbers: EPA ICR No. 2250.01, OMB Control No. 2070-new.
ICR status: This ICR is for a new information collection activity.
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. After approval by OMB, the OMB control number
for this ICR will be displayed by publication in the Federal Register
and by the inclusion of the paperwork reduction notice in the optional
form and instructions.
Abstract: EPA intends to initiate a voluntary information
collection to assemble all known or reasonably ascertainable
information from manufacturers, importers, and processors of nanoscale
materials who are participating in the voluntary Stewardship Program
for Nanoscale Materials. EPA also intends to
[[Page 38081]]
collaborate with participating manufacturers, importers, and processors
of nanoscale materials, and other stakeholders in an effort to generate
more detailed information of certain specific nanoscale materials.
Under this second effort OPPT and program participants will work
together to generate data and analyses that will more fully
characterize certain nanoscale materials and to increase understanding
of the environmental health and safety implications of manufactured
nanoscale materials.
This data collection will facilitate and support EPA's voluntary
Stewardship Program for Nanoscale Materials and complement EPA's new
and existing chemical programs under TSCA. These data will also help
provide a firmer scientific foundation for regulatory decisions by
encouraging the development of key scientific information and
appropriate risk management practices for nanoscale chemical
substances.
Burden statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 833
hours per response. This estimate assumes that the response involves
all potential activities in the Nanoscale Materials Stewardship Program
described in the ICR. Not all participants in the Nanoscale Materials
Stewardship Program are expected to participate in the ``in-depth''
component of the program. Under the PRA, ``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 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.
The ICR provides a detailed explanation of the activities and
estimated burden, which is only briefly summarized here:
Estimated total number of potential respondents: 615.
Frequency of response: On occasion.
Estimated total average number of annual responses for each
respondent: 2.
Estimated total annual burden hours: 24,724 hours.
Estimated total annual costs: $1,271,240.
III. What is the Next Step in the Process for this ICR?
EPA will consider the comments received and amend the ICR as
appropriate. Although included as attachments to the ICR, EPA is
issuing a separate Federal Register document to solicit public review
and comments on two draft documents: ``Concept Paper for the Nanoscale
Materials Stewardship Program under TSCA'' and ``TSCA Inventory Status
of Nanoscale Substances--General Approach.'' In addition to considering
comments submitted on the ICR, EPA will also consider public comments
received on these two documents.
The final ICR package, including the revised attachments, will then
be submitted to OMB for review and approval pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.12.
At that time, EPA will issue another Federal Register notice pursuant
to 5 CFR 1320.5(a)(1)(iv) to announce the submission of the ICR to OMB
and the opportunity to submit additional comments to OMB.
If you have any questions about this ICR or the process, please
contact the person listed under FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT.
List of Subjects
Environmental protection, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.
Dated: July 9, 2007.
James Jones,
Acting Assistant Administrator, Office of Prevention, Pesticides and
Toxic Substances.
[FR Doc. E7-13559 Filed 7-11-07; 8:45 am]
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