[Federal Register: September 22, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 183)]
[Notices]
[Page 55045-55046]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22se03-51]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OAR-2003-0097; FRL-7561-8]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Mobile Air Conditioner
Retrofitting Program, EPA ICR Number 1774.03, OMB Control Number 2060-
0350
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 an Information Collection
Request (ICR) has been forwarded to the Office of Management and Budget
(OMB) for review and approval. This is a request to renew an existing
approved collection. This ICR is scheduled to expire on September 30,
2003. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or
sponsor the collection of information while this submission is pending
at OMB. This ICR describes the nature of the information collection and
its estimated burden and cost.
DATES: Additional comments may be submitted on or before October 22,
2003.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OAR-2003-
0097, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail
to a-and-r-Docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center,
Environmental Protection Agency, Air and Radiation Docket and
Information Center, Mail Code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460, and (2) OMB at: Office of Information and
Regulatory Affairs, Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Attention:
Desk Officer for EPA, 725 17th Street, NW., Washington, DC 20503.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Dave Godwin, Global Programs Division,
Office of Atmospheric Programs, Mail Code 6205J, Environmental
Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW., Washington, DC 20460;
telephone number: (202) 564-3517; fax number: (202) 565-2155; e-mail
address: Godwin.Dave@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 June 27, 2003 (68 FR 38322), EPA sought comments on this
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received one comment (two are
shown on the EDOCKET site; however, one is an exact duplicate of the
other). The comment requested clarification on five points; these are
addressed individually in the supporting statement.
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. OAR-2003-0097, which is available for public viewing at the Air and
Radiation Docket and Information Center 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 Air and Radiation Docket and Information
Center is (202) 566-1742. An electronic version of the public docket is
available through EPA Dockets (EDOCKET) at http://www.epa.gov/edocket.
Use EDOCKET to 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 and OMB
within 30 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 www.epa.gov/edocket.
Title: Mobile Air Conditioner Retrofitting Program.
Abstract: Section 612 of the Clean Air Act (CAA) requires EPA to
promulgate rules making it unlawful to replace any ozone-depleting
substance with any substitute that the Administrator determines may
present adverse effects to human health or the environment where the
Administrator has identified an alternative that (1) reduces the
overall risk to human health and the environment, and (2) is currently
or potentially available. In 1994, the Significant New Alternatives
Policy (SNAP) Program was enacted, enabling the Agency to review
available substitutes for ozone-depleting substances and determine
their acceptability. The SNAP program includes review of potential
alternatives to ozone-depleting refrigerants used for air conditioning
motor vehicles. EPA is concerned that the existence of several
substitutes in this end-use may increase the likelihood of significant
refrigerant cross-contamination and potential failure of both air
conditioning systems and recovery/recycling equipment. In addition,
continuing the smooth transition to the use of substitutes strongly
depends on the continued purity of the recovered, recycled and/or
reclaimed R-12 supply. The purpose of this Information Collection
Request (ICR) is to estimate the burden associated with the 40 Code of
Federal Regulations (CFR) part 82 requirement that service technicians
label mobile air conditioners with information about new refrigerants
when they retrofit a system. These labels acknowledge that the
retrofitting has been completed and that the mobile air conditioner
should no longer use chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) refrigerant. In addition,
the labels provide essential information to technicians about the
specific refrigerant used in the air conditioning system. The following
information is required on the label:
[sbull] The name and address of the technician and the company
performing the retrofit.
[sbull] The date of the retrofit.
[sbull] The trade name, charge amount, and, when applicable, the
numerical designation of the refrigerant as determined under the latest
version of Standard 34 of the American Society of Heating,
Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Inc.
[sbull] The type, manufacturer, and amount of lubricant used.
[sbull] If the refrigerant is or contains an ozone-depleting
substance, the phrase ``ozone depleter''.
[sbull] If the refrigerant displays flammability limits as measured
according to latest version of Standard E681 of the American Society
for Testing and Materials (ASTM) International, the statement ``This
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refrigerant is FLAMMABLE. Take appropriate precautions.''
This information assists the technician in avoiding service practices
that might result in cross-contamination, system failure and/or system
performance degradation. Responses to the collection information are
mandatory (section 612 of the CAA and 40 CFR part 82).
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 40 CFR are listed in 40 CFR part 9 and are identified on
the form and/or instrument, if applicable.
Burden Statement: The annual public reporting and recordkeeping
burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 5
minutes 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, 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: New and used car dealers, Gas
service stations, Top and body repair shops, General automotive repair
shops, and Automotive repair shops not elsewhere classified, including
air conditioning and radiator specialty shops.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 87,000.
Frequency of Response: Once per and upon retrofit of a motor
vehicle air conditioner.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 83,333 hours.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $5,933,333, which includes $100,000
annualized capital or O&M costs and $5,833,333 labor costs.
Changes in the Estimates: There is a decrease of 333,334 hours per
year in the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB
Inventory of Approved ICR Burdens. The decrease is because the EPA
estimates fewer CFC-12 motor vehicle air conditioners will be
retrofitted in the next three years than the previous three years.
Dated: September 11, 2003.
Doreen Sterling,
Acting Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 03-24008 Filed 9-18-03; 12:01 pm]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P