[Federal Register: September 22, 2004 (Volume 69, Number 183)]
[Notices]
[Page 56754-56755]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr22se04-49]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[OECA-2004-0045; FRL-7817-3]
Agency Information Collection Activities: Proposed Collection;
Comment Request; Region 7 Lead Education and Awareness Project in St.
Louis, MO (Agency Information Collection), EPA ICR Number 2161.01
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 notice announces that the EPA is planning to submit the
following proposed Information Collection Request (ICR) to the Office
of Management and Budget (OMB): Compliance Assistance Surveys for the
Lessors and Lessees Sectors, EPA ICR Number 2161.01. This is a request
for a new collection and this information request has no prior OMB
Control Number. Before submitting the ICR to OMB for review and
approval, the EPA is soliciting comments on specific aspects of the
proposed information collection as described below.
DATES: Comments must be submitted on or before November 22, 2004.
ADDRESSES: Submit your comments, referencing docket ID number OECA-
2004-0045, to EPA online using EDOCKET (our preferred method), by e-
mail to docket.oeca@epa.gov, or by mail to: EPA Docket Center,
Environmental Protection Agency, OECA Docket, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave.,
NW., Washington, DC 20460.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Carolyn Scully, OECA Docket Center,
Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.,
Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: (202) 566-1752; e-mail address:
CarolynScully/DC/USEPA/US.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: EPA has established a public docket for this
ICR under Docket ID number OECA-2004-0045, which is available for
public viewing at the OECA 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 OECA Docket is (202) 566-1752. 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
the following:
Lessors located in areas of high risk for lead poisoning in
St. Louis, Missouri
Lessees located in areas of high risk for lead poisoning in
St. Louis, Missouri
Title: Region 7 Lead Education and Awareness Project in St. Louis,
Missouri (Agency Information Collection); EPA ICR Number 2161.01.
Abstract: EPA Region 7 and the Office of Compliance (OC) within the
Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance (OECA) are planning to
conduct a performance baseline survey and follow-up survey for the
Lessors and Lessees sectors. The OC is interested in having a baseline
performance survey conducted and compliance assistance needs assessed
for the Lessors sector. In addition, OC is interested in assessing the
awareness and behavioral change of Lessees through a survey. There are
three main purposes for these Lessor and Lessee surveys:
(1) To determine a baseline level of regulatory awareness of and
compliance with the ``Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act
of 1992'' (Title X) and the ``Requirements for Disclosure of Known
Lead-Based Paint and/or Lead-Based Paint Hazards in Housing'' rule
(Disclosure Rule), from which to measure the success of the Agency's
compliance outreach efforts for reporting under the Government
Performance and Results Act (GPRA). For key sectors for which EPA is
planning to initiate compliance assistance, a baseline level of
compliance and regulatory awareness is needed from which to measure
future progress.
(2) To determine the effectiveness of the Department of Housing and
Urban Development's (HUD) education and outreach efforts.
(3) To determine whether lessees are reading and understanding the
Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home pamphlet and whether they
are implementing methods to reduce lead exposure as a result.
[[Page 56755]]
The EPA Region 7 is planning targeted Disclosure Rule inspections
in high risk areas of St. Louis, Missouri during FY2005 and/or FY2006.
The activities planned under the Statistically Valid Compliance
Assistance Rate study are designed to determine the baseline rate of
lessors' compliance with the Disclosure Rule and whether lessees are
reading and understanding the Protect Your Family From Lead In Your
Home pamphlet and implementing methods to reduce exposure to lead. The
EPA would like to conduct statistically valid voluntary surveys with a
sample size of approximately 150 respondents. These surveys will be
used to establish a performance baseline at the start of the study. A
follow-up survey will then be conducted to determine progress against
the baseline.
The OECA has adopted a sector approach for many of its compliance
assistance activities. The lessor sector is an example of a sector for
which EPA has focused many of its compliance assistance activities.
There is considerable debate as to the extent of regulatory compliance,
the need for additional compliance assistance, and the effectiveness of
compliance assistance methods and materials developed for this sector.
The OECA would like to conduct a statistically valid voluntary survey
and site-visit survey of a sample of lessor venues in areas of high
risk for lead poisoning in St. Louis, Missouri to determine a
performance snapshot of this sector which reflects current sector
performance with respect to the Disclosure Rule. The surveys will be
conducted as a voluntary blind sample (i.e., the lessors' identities
will be unknown to EPA and the lessors will participate voluntarily).
The results of the survey will provide OECA with information on
compliance assistance applicable to this sector and information from
which to measure the success of OECA's compliance assistance programs
for Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) reporting purposes.
The EPA Region 7 will evaluate the need for educational outreach
for an additional sector: lessees in areas of St. Louis, Missouri at
high risk for lead poisoning. Sufficient data are not available in
EPA's databases to evaluate the current rate at which lessees are
reading the EPA pamphlet, Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home,
and are implementing behavioral changes to reduce lead exposure as a
result. Therefore, OECA is interested in determining:
The level of regulatory awareness and compliance in the
lessor sector;
Areas of noncompliance and root causes of noncompliance;
The need for compliance assistance for the lessor sector;
and
The need for educational outreach for the lessee sector.
The OECA is soliciting comment on whether to conduct a
statistically valid voluntary survey and site-visit survey of a sample
of lessors and a site-visit survey of a sample of lessees in high risk
areas of St. Louis.
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.
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: The baseline surveys being requested are one-time
information collections. The public reporting burden for this
collection of information is estimated to average:
1.5 hours per respondent.
``Burden'' means the total time, effort, or financial resources
expended by persons to generate, maintain, retain, and 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: Lessors conducting business in areas
of high risk for lead poisoning in St. Louis, Missouri; Lessees living
in areas of high risk for lead poisoning in St. Louis, Missouri.
Estimated Number of Respondents: Approximately 150 respondents in
areas of high risk for lead poisoning in St. Louis, Missouri.
Frequency of Response: Twice (EPA Region 7 will conduct a follow-up
survey in FY 2007).
Estimated Total Annual Hour Burden: 225 hours.
Estimated Total Annualized Cost Burden: $10,715.
Dated: September 10, 2004.
William A. Spratlin,
Director, Air, RCRA, and Toxics Division, U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency, Region 7.
Draft List of Data Elements To Be Included in Collection of Information
Landlord Questions
Did you provide the tenant with a copy of the pamphlet,
Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home before you rented the
housing unit to them?
Did you provide the tenant with a copy of the Lead Warning
Statement before you rented the housing unit to them?
Do you have records and/or reports regarding lead-based
paint for the housing unit rented to the tenant? If yes, did you
provide the tenants with a copy of the records and/or reports regarding
lead-based paint for the housing unit rented to the tenant before you
rented the housing unit to them?
Did you complete a disclosure form and have the tenants
sign and date it before you rented the housing unit to them?
Tenant Questions
Did you receive the pamphlet, Protect Your Family From
Lead In Your Home from the landlord before you rented the housing unit?
If yes, did you read the pamphlet, Protect Your Family From Lead In
Your Home? If yes, did you make behavior changes because of reading the
pamphlet, Protect Your Family From Lead In Your Home?
[FR Doc. 04-21285 Filed 9-21-04; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P