[Federal Register: December 30, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 250)]
[Notices]
[Page 79604-79606]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30de02-77]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7432-7]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Fund Program
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 the
following continuing Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB): Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving
Fund Program; EPA ICR No. 1803.04; OMB No. 2040-0185; expiration date
June 30, 2003. 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 28, 2003.
ADDRESSES: Comments may be submitted electronically, by mail, or
through hand delivery/courier. Follow the detailed instructions as
provided in Unit I.C. of the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For more specific aspects of this ICR,
contact Vinh Nguyen at (202) 564-4631; fax (202) 564-3757; E-mail at
nguyen.vinh@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. General Information
A. Affected Entities
Entities potentially affected by this action are the fifty States,
Puerto Rico, and the recipients of assistance in each of these
jurisdictions.
B. Background
Title: Safe Drinking Water Act State Revolving Fund Program; OMB
Control No. 2040-0185; EPA ICR No. 1803.04; expiration date June 30,
2003.
Abstract: The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Amendments of 1996
(Public Law 104-182) authorize the creation of Drinking Water State
Revolving Fund (DWSRF) programs in each State and Puerto Rico to assist
public water systems to finance the costs of infrastructure needed to
achieve or maintain compliance with SDWA requirements and to protect
public health. Section 1452 authorizes the Administrator of the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to award capitalization grants to
the States and Puerto Rico which, in turn, provide low-cost loans and
other types of assistance to eligible drinking water systems. States
can also reserve a portion of their grants to conduct various set-aside
activities.
The information collection activities will occur primarily at the
program level through the: (1) Capitalization Grant Application and
Agreement/State Intended Use Plan; (2) Biennial Report; (3) Annual
Audit; and (4) Assistance Application Review. Information collected is
needed for input into the DWSRF National Information Management System.
(1) Capitalization Grant Application and Agreement/State Intended
Use Plan: The State must prepare a Capitalization Grant Application
that includes an Intended Use Plan (IUP) outlining in detail how it
will use all the funds covered by the capitalization grant. States may,
as an alternative, develop the IUP in a two part process with one part
identifying the distribution and uses of the funds among the various
set-asides in the DWSRF program and the other part dealing with project
assistance from the Fund.
(2) Biennial Report: The State must agree to complete and submit a
Biennial Report on the uses of the capitalization grant. The scope of
the report must cover assistance provided by the DWSRF Fund and all
other set-aside activities included under the Capitalization Grant
Agreement. States which jointly administer DWSRF and the Clean Water
State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) programs, in accordance with section
1452(g)(1), may submit reports (according to the schedule specified for
each program) which cover both programs.
(3) Annual Audit: A State must comply with the provisions of the
Single Audit Act Amendments of 1996. Best management practices suggest
and EPA recommends that a State conduct an annual independent audit of
its DWSRF program. The scope of the report must cover the DWSRF Fund
and all other set-aside activities included in the Capitalization Grant
Agreement. States which jointly administer DWSRF and CWSRF programs, in
accordance with section 1452(g)(1), may submit audits which cover both
programs but which report financial information for each program
separately.
(4) Assistance Application Review: Local applicants seeking
financial assistance must prepare and submit DWSRF loan applications.
States then review completed loan applications and verify that proposed
projects will comply with applicable federal and state requirements.
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.
Burden Statement
(1) Capitalization Grant Application and Agreement/State Intended Use
Plan
2003: 51 States x 400 Hours = 20,400 Burden Hours.
2004: 51 States x 400 Hours = 20,400 Burden Hours
2005: 51 States x 400 Hours = 20,400 Burden Hours
(2) Biennial Report
2003: 25 States x 275 Hours = 6,875 Burden Hours.
2004: 26 States x 275 Hours = 7,150 Burden Hours.
2005: 25 States x 275 Hours = 6,875 Burden Hours.
(3) Annual Audit
2003: 51 States x 80 Hours = 4,080 Burden Hours.
2004: 51 States x 80 Hours = 4,080 Burden Hours.
2005: 51 States x 80 Hours = 4,080 Burden Hours.
(4) Loan Application Review
2003: 51 States x 27 Applications x 40 Hours = 55,080 Burden Hours.
2004: 51 States x 27 Applications x 40 Hours = 55,080 Burden Hours.
2005: 51 States x 27 Applications x 40 Hours = 55,080 Burden Hours.
The annual reporting and recordkeeping hour burden by state and
local respondents is 196,687 hours.
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.
[[Page 79605]]
C. How Can I Get Copies of the ICR Supporting Statement and Other
Related Information?
1. Docket. EPA has established an official public docket for this
ICR under Docket ID No. OW-2002-0059. The official public docket is the
collection of materials that 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 Water
Docket is (202) 566-2426.
2. Electronic Access. You may access this Federal Register document
electronically through the EPA Internet under the ``Federal Register''
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
You may use EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket/ to submit or
view public comments, access the index listing of the contents of the
official 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 identification number.
Certain types of information will not be placed in the EPA Dockets.
Information claimed as CBI, and other information whose disclosure is
restricted by statute, which is not included in the official public
docket, will not be available for public viewing in EPA's electronic
public docket. EPA's policy is that copyrighted material will not be
placed in EPA's electronic public docket but will be available only in
printed, paper form in the official public docket. Although not all
docket materials may be available electronically, you may still access
any of the publicly available docket materials through the docket
facility identified in Unit I.C.
For public commenters, it is important to note that EPA's policy is
that public comments, whether submitted electronically or in paper,
will be made available for public viewing in EPA's electronic public
docket as EPA receives them and without change, unless the comment
contains copyrighted material, CBI, or other information whose
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 EPA's
electronic public docket. The entire printed comment, including the
copyrighted material, will be available in the public docket.
Public comments submitted on computer disks that are mailed or
delivered to the docket will be transferred to EPA's electronic public
docket. Public comments that are mailed or delivered to the Docket will
be scanned and placed in EPA's electronic public docket. Where
practical, physical objects will be photographed, and the photograph
will be placed in EPA's electronic public docket along with a brief
description written by the docket staff.
C. How and to Whom Do I Submit Comments?
You may submit comments electronically, by mail, or through hand
delivery/courier. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, identify the
appropriate docket identification number in the subject line on the
first page of your comment. Please ensure that your comments are
submitted within the specified comment period. Comments received after
the close of the comment period will be marked ``late.'' EPA is not
required to consider these late comments in formulating a final
decision.
1. Electronically. If you submit an electronic comment as
prescribed below, EPA recommends that you include your name, mailing
address, and an e-mail address or other contact information in the body
of your comment. Also include this contact information on the outside
of any disk or CD ROM you submit, and in any cover letter accompanying
the disk or CD ROM. This ensures that you can be identified as the
submitter of the comment and allows EPA to contact you in case EPA
cannot read your comment due to technical difficulties or needs further
information on the substance of your comment. EPA's policy is that EPA
will not edit your comment, and any identifying or contact information
provided in the body of a comment will be included as part of the
comment that is placed in the official public docket, and made
available in EPA's electronic public docket. 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.
i. EPA Dockets. Your use of EPA's electronic public docket to
submit comments to EPA electronically is EPA's preferred method for
receiving comments. Go directly to EPA Dockets at http://www.epa.gov/edocket
, and follow the online instructions for submitting comments.
Once in the system, select ``search,'' and then key in Docket ID No.
OW-2002-0059. The system is an ``anonymous access'' system, which means
EPA will not know your identity, e-mail address, or other contact
information unless you provide it in the body of your comment.
ii. E-mail. Comments may be sent by electronic mail (e-mail) to OW-
docket@epa.gov, Attention Docket ID No. OW-2002-0059. In contrast to
EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's e-mail system is not an
``anonymous access'' system. If you send an e-mail comment directly to
the Docket without going through EPA's electronic public docket, EPA's
e-mail system automatically captures your e-mail address. E-mail
addresses that are automatically captured by EPA's e-mail system are
included as part of the comment that is placed in the official public
docket, and made available in EPA's electronic public docket.
iii. Disk or CD ROM. You may submit comments on a disk or CD ROM
that you mail to the mailing address identified in Unit I.C. These
electronic submissions will be accepted in WordPerfect or ASCII file
format. Avoid the use of special characters and any form of encryption.
2. By Mail. Send an original and three number of copies of your
comments to: Water Docket, Environmental Protection Agency, Mail Code:
4101T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC, 20460, Attention
Docket ID No. OW-2002-0059.
3. By Hand Delivery or Courier. Deliver your comments to: EPA
Docket Center, EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC, Attention Docket ID No. OW-2002-0059. Such deliveries
are only accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation as
identified in Unit I.C.
D. What Should I Consider as I Prepare My Comments for EPA?
You may find the following suggestions helpful for preparing your
comments:
1. Explain your views as clearly as possible.
2. Describe any assumptions that you used.
3. Provide 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 your estimate.
5. Provide specific examples to illustrate your concerns.
6. Offer alternatives.
7. Make sure to submit your comments by the comment period deadline
identified.
8. To ensure proper receipt by EPA, identify the appropriate docket
identification number in the subject line
[[Page 79606]]
on the first page of your response. It would also be helpful if you
provided the name, date, and Federal Register citation related to your
comments.
E. What Information Is EPA Particularly Interested in?
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 collections of information are
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the Agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility.
2. Evaluate the accuracy of the Agency's estimates of the burdens
of the proposed collections of information.
3. Enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to
be collected.
4. Minimize the burden of the collections of information on those
who are to respond, including through the use of appropriate automated
or electronic collection technologies or other forms of information
technology, e.g., permitting electronic submission of responses.
Dated: December 23, 2002.
Cynthia C. Dougherty,
Director, Office of Ground Water & Drinking Water.
[FR Doc. 02-32887 Filed 12-27-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P