[Federal Register: July 16, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 136)]
[Notices]
[Page 42720-42722]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr16jy04-80]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OAR-2003-0053; FRL-7789-4]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment Request; Clean Air Interstate Rule
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 has submitted a proposed
Information Collection Request (ICR) (EPA ICR number 2152.01) to the
Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval. This
proposed ICR is associated with EPA's proposed Clean Air Interstate
Rule (CAIR). The proposed CAIR is articulated in two published notices:
a notice of proposed rule (NPR) (69 FR 4566, January 30, 2004) and
supplemental notice of proposed rule (SNPR) (69 FR 32684, June 10,
2004). The NPR and SNPR require certain States to submit State
implementation plan (SIP) measures to ensure that emissions reductions
are achieved as needed to mitigate transport of fine particulate matter
(PM2.5) and/or ozone pollution across State boundaries. This ICR
describes the nature of the information collection and its estimated
burden and cost associated with this proposed rule. In cases where
information is already collected by a related program, this ICR takes
into account only the additional burden. This applies in instances
where States are also subject to requirements of the Consolidated
Emissions Reporting Rule (EPA ICR number 0916.10; OMB control number
2060-0088) or where sources and States affected by the Acid Rain
Program (EPA ICR number 1633.13; OMB control number 2060-0258) or
NOX SIP Call (EPA ICR number 1857.03; OMB number 2060-0445)
requirements. EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the
proposed information collection as described below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before September 14, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, identified by Docket ID No. OAR-2003-
0053, by one of the following methods:
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
Follow the on-line instructions for submitting comments.
Agency Web site: http://www.epa.gov/edocket. EDOCKET,
EPA's electronic public docket and comment system, is EPA's preferred
method for receiving comments. Follow the on-line instructions for
submitting comments.
E-mail: A-and-R-Docket@epa.gov.
Mail: Air Docket, Clean Air Interstate Rule, Environmental
Protection Agency, Mailcode: 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW,
Washington, DC 20460.
Hand Delivery: EPA Docket Center, 1301 Constitution
Avenue, NW, Room B108, Washington, DC. Such deliveries are only
accepted during the Docket's normal hours of operation, and special
arrangements should be made for deliveries of boxed information.
Instructions: (1) To provide comments to EPA, direct your comments
to Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0053. The EPA's policy is that all comments
received will be included in the public docket without change and may
be made available online at http://www.epa.gov/edocket, 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
EDOCKET, regulations.gov, or e-mail. The EPA EDOCKET and the Federal
regulations.gov Web sites are ``anonymous access'' systems, which means
EPA will not know your identity or contact information unless you
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provide it in the body of your comment. If you send an e-mail comment
directly to EPA without going through EDOCKET or 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 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. For additional
information about EPA's public docket visit EDOCKET on-line or see the
Federal Register of May 31, 2002 (67 FR 38102). For additional
instructions on submitting comments, go to Unit I of the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION section of this document.
Docket: All documents in the docket are listed in the EDOCKET index
at http://www.epa.gov/edocket. Although listed in the index, some
information is not publicly available, i.e., CBI or other information
whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Certain other material, such
as copyrighted material, is not placed on the Internet and will be
publicly available only in hard copy form. Publicly available docket
materials are available either electronically in EDOCKET or in hard
copy at the EPA Docket Center, EPA West, Room B102, 1301 Constitution
Avenue, NW, Washington, DC. The 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 Public Reading Room is (202) 566-1744, and the
telephone number for the Air Docket is (202) 566-1742.
(2) To provide comments to OMB, mail or hand deliver comments to:
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: For information concerning emissions
reporting contact William B. Kuykendal, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, 109 TW Alexander Dr., Mail Code D-205-01, Research Triangle
Park, NC 27711; telephone number: 919-541-5372; fax number: 919-541-
0684; e-mail at http://www.kuykendal.bill@epa.gov">www.kuykendal.bill@epa.gov. For information concerning
emission trading information requirements contact Beth A. Murray; U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Air Markets Division, Mail Code
6204J, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW., Washington, DC 20460; telephone 202-
343-9115; fax 202-343-2359; e-mail at murray.beth@epa.gov.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The EPA has established a public docket for
this ICR under Docket ID No. OAR-2003-0053, that is available for
public viewing at the Air and Radiation 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 Air and Radiation Docket 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, to 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. In
addition, this information is available at the EPA's CAIR Web site,
http://www.epa.gov/interstateairquality.
Any comments related to this ICR should be submitted to EPA and OMB
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, Confidential Business
Information (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.
Title: Clean Air Interstate Rule.
Abstract: In a January 30, 2004 notice (69 FR 4566-4650), EPA
proposed to find that emission of sulfur dioxide (SO2) and
oxides of nitrogen (NOX) from 28 States and the District of
Columbia and emissions of NOX from 25 States and the
District of Columbia, violate provisions of Clean Air Act (CAA) section
110(a)(2)(D) by contributing significantly nonattainment of the annual
PM2.5 and the 8-hour ozone national ambient air quality standards
(NAAQS).
As a result, EPA proposed to require SIP revisions containing
measures to ensure that necessary emissions reductions are achieved.
The EPA proposed SIP submittal deadlines and other aspects of the SIP
submittals. Further, the January 2004 proposal identified the
appropriate amount of NOX and SO2 emissions that
each of the affected jurisdictions would be required to eliminate. The
January 2004 proposal explained that the affected States could choose
to control any sources they wish to achieve those reductions and
generally discussed the methodologies for determining the appropriate
amount of emissions reductions on a State-by-State basis. The January
2004 proposal further explained that the emissions reductions may be
achieved most cost effectively by controls on electric generating units
(EGUs), and in particular, through region wide cap-and-trade programs
for EGUs. The January 2004 proposal indicated the methods for
determining the allowable amounts of SO2 and NOX emissions
from EGUs and offered a sketch of the EPA administered model cap-and-
trade programs that States may choose to adopt.
On June 10, 2004, EPA published a Supplemental Proposal for the
Rule to Reduce Interstate Transport of Fine Particulate Matter and
Ozone (69 FR 32684-32772). The supplemental proposal fills certain gaps
in the January 2004 proposal and revises it or its supporting
information in specific ways.
The purpose of this ICR is to provide the anticipated monitoring,
reporting, and recordkeeping burden estimates and associated costs for
States, local governments, and sources that are expected to result from
the proposed CAIR, as amended by the supplemental proposal.
The recordkeeping and reporting burden to sources resulting from
States choosing to participate in a regional cap and trade program is
estimated to be approximately $67.9 million annually. This estimate
includes the annualized cost of installing and operating appropriate
SO2 and NOX emissions monitoring equipment to
measure and report the total emissions of these pollutants from large
EGUs (serving generators greater than 25 megawatt electrical). The
burden to State and local
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air agencies includes any necessary revisions to SIPs, monitoring
certification, and audit responsibilities.
Burden Statement: The ICR estimates the annual State and Local
burden for the proposed CAIR to average 5,351 hours per year. Burden
means the total time, effort, or financial resources expended by
persons to generate, maintain, retain, 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: State and local entities affected by
this ICR include State and local air quality agencies. Additionally,
States are expected to achieve the reductions required by the proposed
rule from large EGUs, so the burden to those entities is estimated in
this ICR.
Estimated Number of Respondents: Respondents are expected to
include 1,750 businesses and 104 State or local agencies.
Frequency of Response: The frequency of response will vary by task.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: The total annual reporting and
recordkeeping hour burden for all respondents is estimated to be
approximately 607,978 hours per year.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: Total annual costs of information
collection are estimated to be approximately $68.1 million for CAIR.
This estimate includes $20.8 million annualized capital or start up
costs.
Dated: July 13, 2004.
Jeffrey S. Clark,
Acting Director, Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards.
[FR Doc. 04-16330 Filed 7-15-04; 8:45 am]
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