[Federal Register: December 9, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 236)]
[Notices]
[Page 68618-68619]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr09de03-73]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OW-2003-0073; FRL-7597-2]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
(NPDES) Compliance Assessment/ Certification Information, EPA ICR
Number 1427.07, OMB Control Number 2040-0110
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 EPA is planning to submit a
continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office of
Management and Budget (OMB). This is a request to renew an existing
approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on February 29,
2004. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and approval, EPA is
soliciting comments on specific aspects of the proposed information
collection as described below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before February 9, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OW-2003-
0073, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail to OW-Docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center, Environmental
Protection Agency, Water Docket (Mail Code 4101T), 1200 Pennsylvania
Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jack Faulk, Environmental Protection
Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Mail Code 4203M, Washington, DC
20460; telephone number: 202-564-0768; fax number: 202-564-6431; e-mail address: faulk.jack@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this
ICR under Docket ID number OW-2003-0073, which is available for public
viewing at the Water Docket in the EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), EPA
West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Ave., NW., Washington, DC. The EPA
Docket Center Public Reading Room is open from 8:30 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 Water Docket is (202) 566-2426. An electronic version of the public
docket is available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
Use EDOCKET to obtain a copy of the draft
collection of information, submit or view public comments, access the
index listing of the contents of the public docket, and to access those
documents in the public docket that are available electronically. Once
in the system, select ``search,'' then key in the docket ID number
identified above.
Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA within
60 days of this notice. EPA's policy is that public comments, whether
submitted electronically or in paper, will be made available for public
viewing in EDOCKET as EPA receives them and without change, unless the
comment contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose
public disclosure is restricted by statute. When EPA identifies a
comment containing copyrighted material, EPA will provide a reference
to that material in the version of the comment that is placed in
EDOCKET. The entire printed comment, including the copyrighted
material, will be available in the public docket. Although identified
as an item in the official docket, information claimed as CBI, or whose
disclosure is otherwise restricted by statute, is not included in the
official public docket, and will not be available for public viewing in
EDOCKET. For further information about the electronic docket, see EPA's
Federal Register notice describing the electronic docket at 67 FR 38102
(May 31, 2002), or go to http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
Affected entities: Entities potentially affected by this action are
those which are issued NPDES permits for the discharge of domestic
wastewater, industrial wastewater, and storm water, and for the use and
disposal of sewage sludge. In addition, states and territories
authorized to administer the NPDES program are also affected.
Title: National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
Compliance Assessment/Certification Information, EPA ICR Number
1427.07, OMB Control Number 2040-0110.
Abstract: Pollutant discharge limits in a NPDES permit are designed
to be protective of the environment and the public. Permitting
authorities must assess whether the permittee is complying with these
discharge limits on a consistent basis. Compliance is assessed by
reviewing records, compliance schedule reports, and noncompliance
reports for a bypass, upset, or maximum daily limit violations.
Permittees must maintain such records, meet compliance schedules, and
report violations as mandated in 40 CFR parts 122 and 501. The
information that is collected can lead the permitting authority to
follow through with informal discussions with the permittee (telephone
and/or letters), permit modification, or enforcement action.
Also, consistent with past practice, this ICR incorporates burden
from one ICR specific to EPA's effluent limitations guidelines
development program that includes NPDES compliance assessment/
certification activities. Specifically, the burden and costs associated
with the ICR: Best Management Practices Alternatives, Effluent
Limitations Guidelines and Standards, Oil and Gas Extraction Point
Source Category (40 CFR part 435), EPA ICR No. 1953.02, OMB Control No.
2040-0230, is incorporated into this ICR.
Note that six additional effluent limitations guidelines
development ICRs are set to expire in the next three years prior to the
next renewal of this Compliance Assessment/Certification ICR. The
burden associated with those six ICRs will be incorporated into the
Compliance Assessment/Certification ICR as part of the renewal process
for those six separate ICRs. The six ICRs include:
1. Milestone Plans for the Bleached Papergrade Kraft and Soda
Subcategory of the Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard
[[Page 68619]]
Point Source Category (40 CFR part 430), EPA ICR No. 1877.02, OMB
Control No. 2040-0202;
2. Best Management Practices (BMPs) for Bleached Papergrade Kraft
and Soda Subcategory and the Papergrade Kraft Sulfite Subcategory of
the Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Point Source Category (40 CFR part
430), EPA ICR No. 1829.02, OMB Control No. 2040-0207;
3. Pollution Prevention Compliance Alternative; Transportation
Equipment Cleaning (TEC) Point Source Category (40 CFR part 442), EPA
ICR No. 2018.01, OMB Control No. 2040-0235;
4. Baseline Standards and Best Management Practices for the Coal
Mining Point Source Category (40 CFR part 434)--Coal Remining
Subcategory and Western Alkaline Coal Mining Subcategory, EPA ICR No.
1944.02, OMB Control No. 2040-0239;
5. Certification in Lieu of Chloroform Minimum Monitoring
Requirements for Direct and Indirect Discharging Mills in the Bleached
Papergrade Kraft and Soda Subcategory of the Pulp, Paper and Paperboard
Manufacturing Category (40 CFR part 430), EPA ICR No. 2015.01, OMB
Control No. 2040-0242; and
6. Minimum Monitoring Requirements for Direct and Indirect
Discharging Mills in the Bleached Papergrade Kraft and Soda Subcategory
and the Papergrade Sulfite Subcategory of the Pulp, Paper and
Paperboard Manufacturing Category (40 CFR part 430), EPA ICR No.
1878.01, OMB Control No. 2040-0243.
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. The EPA would like to solicit
comments to:
(i) 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;
(ii) Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimate of the burden
of the proposed collection of information, including the validity of
the methodology and assumptions used;
(iii) Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information
to be collected; and
(iv) 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.
Burden Statement: Based on the information collection requirements
contained in the existing ICR, the information collection for
compliance assessment and certification activities will involve an
estimated 16,500 reporting respondents per year with 2.15 total annual
average responses per respondent and 4.15 hours per response for a
total of 147,207 hours. In addition, EPA estimates 304,739
recordkeeping respondents per year and 3.86 hours per recordkeeper for
a total of 1,166,012 hours. This results in an annual respondent burden
of 1,313,219 hours and an annual cost of $31,025,598. States and U.S.
territories are also expected to incur a burden and cost associated
with this ICR. Specifically, EPA estimates an average annual burden for
these respondents of 51,089 hours at a cost of $1,472,488. The total
annual burden and cost to respondents, recordkeepers, and government
(excluding Federal government) is estimated to be 1,375,308 hours and
$32,498,086.
The burden and cost estimate for the additional ICR, namely Best
Management Practices Alternatives, Effluent Limitations Guidelines and
Standards, Oil and Gas Extraction Point Source Category (40 CFR part
435), EPA ICR No. 1953.02, OMB Control No. 2040-0230 are estimated as
follows (as documented in the original rule-related ICR for this
regulation): total burden hours for the 67 respondents are 47,168
annually at a cost of $1,200,138. This includes both reporting and
recordkeeping activities.
Burden and costs for the additional six ICRs will be incorporated
into this ICR as these six ICRs come up for renewal. The current number
of annual responses and approved burden hours are provided below.
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Annual Annual
OMB Control No. responses hours
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2040-0202....................................... 29 1,418
2040-0207....................................... 130 60,909
2040-0235....................................... 79 19,144
2040-0239....................................... 93 9,261
2040-0242....................................... 86 480
2040-0243....................................... 104 36,858
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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.
Dated: December 3, 2003.
James A. Hanlon,
Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. 03-30518 Filed 12-8-03; 8:45 am]
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