[Federal Register: September 13, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 176)]
[Notices]
[Page 55157-55159]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr13se04-38]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OAR-2004-0015; FRL-7811-4]
Agency Information Collection Activities; Submission to OMB for
Review and Approval; Comment Request; State Operating Permits
Regulations (40 CFR Part 70) (Renewal), EPA ICR Number 1587.06, OMB
Control Number 2060-0243
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
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 October 31,
2004. Under OMB regulations, the Agency may continue to conduct or
sponsor the collection of
[[Page 55158]]
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 13,
2004.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OAR-2004-
0015, to (1) EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-mail
to a-and-r-docket@epa.gov, or by mail to: Environmental Protection
Agency, EPA Docket Center (EPA/DC), Air and Radiation Docket and
Information Center, EPA West, Mail Code 6102T, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue, 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: Grecia A. Castro, Office of Air
Quality Planning and Standards, C304-04, Environmental Protection
Agency, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711; telephone number: (919) 541-
1351; fax number: (919) 541-5509; e-mail address:
castro.grecia@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 March 23, 2004 (69 FR 13524), EPA sought comments on this
ICR pursuant to 5 CFR 1320.8(d). EPA received no comments.
EPA has established a public docket for this ICR under Docket ID
No. OAR-2004-0015, 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 Avenue, 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 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, 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, 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. 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.
Title: State Operating Permits Regulations (40 CFR part 70)
(Renewal).
Abstract: In implementing sections 501 thru 507 of title V of the
Clean Air Act and EPA's part 70 operating permits regulations, State
and local permitting agencies must develop programs and submit them to
EPA for approval and sources subject to the program must develop
operating permit applications and submit them to the permitting
authority within one year after program approval. Permitting
authorities will then issue permits and thereafter enforce, revise, and
renew those permits at no more than 5-year intervals. Permit
applications and proposed permits will be provided to, and are subject
to review by, EPA. All information submitted by a source and the issued
permit shall also be available for public review, except for
confidential information, which will be protected from disclosure. The
public shall be given public notice of, and an opportunity for comment
on, permitting actions. Sources will submit monitoring reports semi-
annually and compliance certifications annually to the permitting
authorities. The EPA has the responsibility to oversee implementation
of the program.
The activities in this ICR involve recordkeeping and information
transmittal in the form of reports (deviations, monitoring or
compliance certification), applications for permits or revisions and
issued permits. Draft permits are made available for public review and
comment. The activities to carry out these tasks are considered
mandatory and necessary for implementation of title V and the proper
performance of the operating permits program. The information will also
be available for public inspection at any time in the offices of the
permitting authorities. This notice provides updated burden estimates
from a previously approved ICR.
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, 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 288
hours 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: Air pollution sources, state and
local permitting authorities.
Estimated Number of Respondents: 17,738 sources, 112 permitting
authorities.
Frequency of Response: Semi-annually, annually, on occasion, one
time.
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 5,109,548.
Estimated Total Annual Cost: $170,343,958, which includes $0
annualized capital costs, $0 O&M costs, and $170,343,958 annual labor
costs.
Changes in the Estimates: There is an increase of 329,928 hours in
the total estimated burden currently identified in the OMB Inventory of
Approved ICR Burdens. This increase is an adjustment related to the
nature of the activities associated with implementing the part 70
program. State and local permitting authorities first developed their
programs and submitted them to EPA for approval, over a period of
several years, during which approved programs
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were beginning to be implemented by first having sources submit permit
applications. As the later program submissions were being approved,
some agencies were in the early stages of issuing permits. As of the
beginning of this ICR, all programs are approved and the majority of
sources initially subject to the program have been issued permits. All
sources with permits will be performing collection activities. Some of
the initial permits are expiring and sources are applying for renewal
permits, other sources are making changes and applying for permit
revisions.
Dated: September 2, 2004.
Oscar Morales,
Director, Collection Strategies Division.
[FR Doc. 04-20604 Filed 9-10-04; 8:45 am]
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